naggy neighbors annoy home mechanic

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: KingCake
None of you must live in a nice neighborhood. I want mine to stay nice. I work on cars at a proper garage. Get a job.
In MY town the zoning says you HAVE to have a beat up sailboat in the yard "being restored". It's a "nice" seaside town.

 

[bunnspecial]

I live in a place with an HOA and have a communal car port parking area.

I keep things neat and have a standing rule about no tuning or impact wrench after before 9:00 or after 8:30(now it's more like 7:30 because it's dark) as well as not leaving the car on stands overnight unless I can avoid it.

My neighbors are great. Most are late 20s/mid 30s career folks(i.e. sort of my same demographic) and most of my neighbors will ask me what I'm doing that particular day out of interest-not to tattle tale. I think most of them are interested because they don't know how to do the work themselves and I'm also the only one with a "classic car." If I had a rust bucket that never ran sitting there, I might get some complaints but the fact that my old car is driven regularly and is presentable goes a long way.

As far as I'm concerned, if I had a garage and have the door closed, it's none of your business what I'm doing there unless I'm making an inordinate amount of noise. If I shared a wall with someone else, I'd likely keep the same rules about tuning and impact wrenches. Other than that, what's it to you if I'm tinkering around with my front suspension or whatever.

 

[Chris142]

Maybe he should become a gun smith? Imaging how the old bats would freak when they saw guns being walked in and out the place all day.

 

[440Magnum]

I hope the busybodies wind up paying all his legal fees plus punitive damages. His property is immaculate, I bet theirs doesn't look half as nice.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
meanies.

There are always two sides to every story. The "news" article only gave one side of the story.

If he really is only occasionally working on cars for friends, then it's not an issue (in my opinion). However, if he's running an under the table business masquerading as working on cars for friends, then it's an entirely different issue and there may be zoning issues, insurance, permits and sales tax on which he's cheating. He also shares a driveway with a neighbor, and if he has an inordinate amount of traffic I can also see that being an issue. The neighbor with which he shares a driveway does have recourse if there is an inordinate amount of traffic created by the neighbor.

It sounds as if he did properly permit the pole building and addition, but the way the other residents are reading it may be incorrect, and it may be vague enough to require interpretation or modification.

Mr. Williams does have some legal recourse-most areas have frivolous lawsuit controls, especially where property rights are concerned. He can file a suit of the tort of nuisance which may be enough to cause them to drop their suit. However, if he is doing more than just "hobby" work, then it can also open up a host of issues and liabilities for him.

Originally Posted By: KingCake
None of you must live in a nice neighborhood. I want mine to stay nice. I work on cars at a proper garage. Get a job.


I suppose for someone who lives in an inner city and enjoys having others dictate what he can or cannot do around his property it's a good situation for you. Personally, I value the freedom to do as I please with my property. If I want to mow at 6:00 AM or work on a tractor at 8:00 PM I'll do so without anyone else butting their nose into my business, especially inner city and urban dwellers who prefer a nanny state.

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Maybe he should become a gun smith? Imaging how the old bats would freak when they saw guns being walked in and out the place all day.


Doing something that childish would only exacerbate the situation.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit

Doing something that childish would only exacerbate the situation.


I'm by no means anywhere qualified to call myself a gunsmith, but I do have some sort of esoteric skills in that department. One of my big things is Colt V-spring actions.

I have one shooting buddy who is over often, and I think that my neighbors long ago got used to seeing random guns coming into a stranger's house. Handguns are one thing as they are usually in a rug or case(preferably the former) but long guns can be a bit different.

That same friend and I both have Winchester '97s that we bought at the same time(his is a 12 gauge, mine 16 gauge) and I remember sitting out on the back patio with our laptops and gun parts spread all over the place learning how to break the things down for cleaning. I did the same thing for him when he bought a Winchester 92 repro, since I at least knew how to field strip one without a reference guide. We're not sitting there shooting at tin cans when we're done, so no one was really bothered. Even though I live in town, I think my neighbors have realized that I just an old(young) central Kentucky boy with a lot of interests that have carried over with me.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I just read in the article that there is a go fund account for his legal fees. Thats cool!


Here:

https://www.gofundme.com/neighbors-vs-williams-milton-de-2tvbfck


Fund has gone up over $14K since I posted this clicky about 10 hours ago. I feel some joy in that. If you have ever been part of a car club you know that it takes someone to lead the restoration effort. Whatta Guy!

As for running an under the table business: The video states he was inspected on this and that was found not to be the case. If personality and presentation count, he has those old bitties beat by a mile.

 

[edwardh1]

I didn't read all the text, seems if he took all the signs down on the shop it might be less offensive

 

[69GTX]

I have no problem with this guy and his garage. If anything his old neighbors should bring their cars by and ask if he'll look at them for him. Why they don't is beyond me.

On the flip side, I have a similar situation down my street which is a small lake side community of approx 100 homes. One of my neighbors is likely running a repair business on the side for the past 10 years or more as there are always 9-10 registered vehicles parked outside. It is an eye sore because the vehicles are usually beat up, taped glass, etc. Most of those vehicles don't belong to the home owner. Ironically, just behind them is a car collector/enthusiast who does own approx 8-10 vehicles, of which 6-8 usually stay outside. That's fine because they look neat and orderly, some of them covered. No chance he's running a business in there. None of these homeowners contribute to noise or odors in the neighborhood.

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: KingCake
None of you must live in a nice neighborhood. I want mine to stay nice. I work on cars at a proper garage. Get a job.


Geez, I live in upper Napa County. I don't think the neighborhoods get much better, but if you do, don't bother coming wine tasting - we're not your kind of folks ...

This is exactly why I WON'T live anywhere with HOA and restrictions. Home ownership to me is not a social club. It's my prpterty, not yours. If I do something to your "value", sue me. Otherwise keep your nose out of what I do and I'll do the same to for you.

And don't walk onto my home range if you hear a bang now and then. It may not be healthy ... I have a bullet trap and I don't let strays get away, but if you are walking in the bushes on the south side, I might not see you ...

 

[MNgopher]

Lots of fun stuff in this one.

I've been on the government side of this type of arguement. The neighbors don't like the activities of the neighbor, and claim it violates some ordinance or rule. Government investigates, determines it meets the rules, ends its involvement. Even if it changes the rules to prohibit such a use now, it will be grandfathered in as an existing non-conforming use.

The neighbors don't like the governments decision and then play the not doing their job card, etc, whine to the elected officials, etc... Still don't get their way and then sue the neighbor and often try to sue or force the government to take some action. More often than not, they will lose, but cost a lot of money and time for the folks who have done nothing wrong or illegal.

I will say if the location in the googlemap link is correct, I suspect a part of the problem is the shared driveway that goes back to the garage. It is seriously close to the home on the front of parcel. Of course, the owner of said home bought into the situation, so my sympathy is very low.

 

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: Bud
Originally Posted By: grampi
HOAs....stay away from them, they're nothing but trouble...enough said...


Where I live now is the first house I have ever lived in with a HOA. They have a 10 page document that tells you what you can and cannot do


I refuse to have someone else telling me what I can and cannot do with property I'm paying for...it doesn't get any more Hitler-like than this...

 

[stroked93]

anybody else catch the Peace sign cut in the yard next to his. That could indicate the leanings of the neighborhood.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: KingCake
None of you must live in a nice neighborhood. I want mine to stay nice. I work on cars at a proper garage. Get a job.


A nice neighborhood is only as nice as the neighbors. If the neighbors are busybodies and want to run the lives of others, then it's not a nice neighborhood.

 

[aquariuscsm]

People who run HOA's are basically overly pampered sissies who are afraid of their own shadows. My brother and his wife live in Austin AND in an HOA (double whammy). One of them actually called the police on them because his truck wasn't parked perfectly straight in their own driveway! I was like,what the [censored]?

 

[BHopkins]

What a shame. I would love to have him as a neighbor. And a friend. He seems very genuine in the video. The sort of person that would help anyone. These women could have had a great relationship with Mr. Williams, as he is clearly easy to get along with. Too bad that will never happen now.

The women, on the other hand, seen extremely set on justice. Not real justice, but their perception of justice.

To a small degree I can understand their frustration if there is a lot of traffic up and down the shared road. But honestly when they bought a home with a shared road, they had to anticipate that there would be traffic that was out of their control. If they thought they were sharing a road with a handicapped man that would quietly sit in his easy chair all day watching tv and feeling sorry for himself, that is a mistake on their part, not Mr. Williams'.

I love the front of his garage. It shows his passion. I've seen garages decorated up like this in much nicer places. People choose to live in the country so they have a little more freedom. Too bad he's not getting to enjoy those benefits. I would hate to know that the neighbor has a security camera watching my every move, just waiting for me to trip up and do something illegal. As all of us surely do.

I wish him the very best.

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
I hope the busybodies wind up paying all his legal fees plus punitive damages. His property is immaculate, I bet theirs doesn't look half as nice.



+100!

 

[Merkava_4]

I wish I could sue my neighbors for blowing fragrance out their dryer vent.

 

[jim302]

Originally Posted By: Doog
These people spent tens of thousands of dollars on that? This is why I won't live anywhere without deed restrictions and an HOA. Nice shop....wrong place.


Don't think this particular incident is HOA related... looks like his neighbors are using zoning and code enforcement to be a nuisance since they can't mind their own business. You can't completely get away from zoning and code enforcement unless you can move far enough from other humans that nobody complains. And the more I read about cases like this, the better that sounds.

Looks like a somewhat rural area so I'm a little surprised to see this. I'm guessing that his neighbors moved from a typical highly planned city neighborhood with an HOA and aren't used to having to be near someone who has different ideas about what to do with his property.

Hope the guy gets to keep his garage and the neighbors get to pay his legal fees.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy

I see you live in NOLA, there are nice neighborhoods there?


If overpriced is the definition of nice, perhaps yes; there has been mass gentrification there post-Katrina.

Originally Posted By: blupupher
Some annoying bitties in that video, a lot of "the sky is falling!" mentality. The rambling these ladies do is annoying.
Sad thing is he sold the land to them to help pay for the shop and house upgrade.

Here is where his house is on Google Maps..

His house is behind/beside theirs. Not all that close. Pretty rural area that they are in. True they may get a little more traffic on their road from his friends coming over but I doubt noise and smell are that bad.


Interesting. I think he should go after the naggy neighbors for building some cookie cutter junk out in front of his nice garage, and putting in a window A/C unit, which is clearly visible from the street and could lower property values. I wonder if the nagging neighbors are upset at all about the mobile home next door (and its yard with old boats/trailers, old F-Something utility truck, and assorted other items in the yard)?