[strider3700]

Last summer the empty lot next door to my house came up for sale. $140,000 would buy you .47 of an acre which is a reasonable price for around here these days.

Of course it had it's issues.

First and most obvious roughly 50% of the property was covered by an easement for the drive way that snaked back and forth going up it. This drive way of course ended at the neighbour on the other sides house. You see he used to own both lots and put his drive way on one and his house on the other. It was after all pretty much the only way to get a driveway to his house. Things are a little steep here on the hill.

Secondly there was always that little issue of where do you put a house? There was that spot cut out of the hill right at the very top but who would want a house with 10-12 foot tall sheer banks of dirt towering over two sides of it? The fact that a small bit of run off pours over the back bank each winter making our own little Niagra and associated lake right in the flat spot also makes it a little iffy.

Thirdly usually people want land that can have a septic installed. Two failed perk test and pretty much no other options on where to put the septic makes things a little worrisome to most.

Next up is the trees. Some of us love trees. Some of us would like a little sun on our houses now and again. Being that this is the north side of the hill sun isn't the easiest thing to come by. As a matter of fact I get zero direct light from october to february. This is partially caused by the hill and partially by the giant forest that towers over everything on this side of the street. We live with it and enjoy it.

I will say this though - If you like an ocean view close to town but in the rural areas with very little taxes these properties are pretty nice.

So anyways we all laughed when we heard the price because just a year before the property had sold from the original owner(builder of said driveway) to someone from out of town "for retirement purposes". Anyways the new owner paid $100,000 and was obviously flipping it having never seen the place.

Even funnier was when someone bought it for the bargain price of only $130,000. This person is to be my new neighbour and best of all I actually knew of the person since he had just finished building a new house down the street. 4400 sqft up for sale for $700,000 on a road full of $300,000 2000 sqft or smaller houses. At that house they had developed a bit of a reputation for not following the rules. Little things like he didn't like where the well had to go so he moved it and placed it too close to the neighbours property just slightly downhill from his septic leech field. There was also that front rock wall built too close to the road but signed off by an engineer buddy so the inspectors looked the other way...

Anyways enough back story. I first met the neighbour back in october when he was in my back yard right near the property line hacking/carving a path to get his ATV into the back woods. He likes nature you see so he wanted to go riding back there. I agree that nature is nice so I tell him have at it and in no time there is a path running up the property line into the back woods.

I mention to him my concerns about the property next door and he informs he has a plan. He will convince the neighbour with the easement to change the easement. This will give him space to fit everything just as soon as he moves that driveway. I'm not sure how you convince someone with nothing to gain to change his plans but my best guess is a big chunk of cash. He also is going to put a small house up (2000 sqft small) and he's not too worried about much else. He does ask if he could cut a couple of trees near the property line when he goes to build. Thats fine by me and I say so.

Jump ahead 3 weeks and we're being woken up by the ATV going into the back woods each evening. Of course we at first wonder why anyone would ATV after dark each night but the cargo of fertilizer and shovels soon leads us to believe we now have a grow op going somewhere in the back woods. After a week it stops I'm assuming until harvest came sometime later.

After that we heard nothing for months. The $700,000 house never sold and it's neighbours started commenting on the strange Pot smell coming from the basement. The neighbours on the far side started preparing to move I'm assuming having collected the cash for the easement changes. Then last Wednesday we got some action.

I came home to notice that the backyard seemed lighter. My wife pointed it out as well so I went for a walk. Sure enough there had been some logging done. in the back corner about 10 feet into my property some of the Cedars had been dropped. 3 in total is my guess. No biggie I wanted them thinned anyways. Then I notice that the logging continued into the back off of our properties. In the end it appears that the new neighbours corrected a few issues all at once.

No light? just cut down all of the trees blocking the sun on the Crown land behind us.

No place to park with the new house? No problem just plan to run your driveway up around the house on the crown land.

My rough guess is they clear cut 50-60 feet off the back of their property into the forest. Thats a big no-no around here and the fine is probably going to be substantial. Even worse they ran into trees growing around a spring back there and cut them down as well. That spring was the water source for at least two houses on the road and now that it will be getting a bunch of extra sun is probably useless.

Me being my friendly people person self and loving the fact that they never even came to mention they would be cutting and do I mind if they bring down those trees now decided I'm not taking the rap for this one. I'm doing my own clearing in the back yard and realistically can't afford the fine.

So we turned them in.

Having spoken with the forestry officer who came out to see, the fine should be spectacular. Like 5 figures is a given and 6 figures isn't out of the question spectacular.

It sounds like we did it just in time however. Today he was asking one of the neighbours were our water lines run. It was pointed out that they are in an easement on the crown land of course. He pointed out that he's brining in an excavator and didn't seem to understand the answer of you can't dig where they are so why does the exact location matter.

I'll post pictures of the fun later.

I'm sure this is going to be a very interesting summer. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted since I need to rant somewhere. The only question is will the forestry people stop them before the drug bust gets them. I did mention my wife used to work for the RCMP and is still great friends with them right?

[highlander]

Wow, that is very similar to what happened to me. No drugs involved, but a winding easement, no-perc septic, etc. The property is still for sale. I'm hoping it goes into foreclosure. I may try to snag it at a bargain price. It will give me another well, a shop, and a western and northern buffer. Neighbors can be strange.

[dunewalker]

Strider, I wondered where you've been lately, I've enjoyed your posts both here & somewhere else, some homesteading forum. It sounds like your developing survival skills are gonna be put to the test sooner than later. I've had neighbors like that guy and just reading your story made my blood pressure go up a notch or two. Your best hope is that that guy quits being your neighbor before things get rough, or there'll be trouble for sure.

[strider3700]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dunewalker', 'S')trider, I wondered where you've been lately, I've enjoyed your posts both here & somewhere else, some homesteading forum. It sounds like your developing survival skills are gonna be put to the test sooner than later. I've had neighbors like that guy and just reading your story made my blood pressure go up a notch or two. Your best hope is that that guy quits being your neighbor before things get rough, or there'll be trouble for sure.

[TWilliam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('highlander', 'N')eighbors can be strange.

[gnm]

Had some issues where I am that sound similar to that. Most have resolved themselves (two foreclosed on - still abandoned and one they left - but its being rented at the moment).

My experience with power/water outages is that few remain after 5 hours and nearly everyone leaves after 2 days. But not us....

So take heart Strider, if TSHTF they will most likely all leave... All you have to do is outlast them - if anyone is left they are probably a poster here....

-G

[Iaato]

Good luck; I hope things don't escalate. Things can get out of hand pretty quick, and folks like that are the type for revenge. That must be infuriating to watch him cut down trees like that that belong to the commons.

We've got a neighbor who may be growing pot in his huge 3 RV garage. The garage door never goes up, there are sandbags along the bottom of the door where light could leak out, and there are no trespassing signs posted. And strange comings and goings. On the upside, it makes him a very quiet neighbor, and I have a hold over him if there's any nastiness.

[strider3700]

An update -

This morning as my wife left for work there was two truck loads of forestry officers walking through the cut just as the excavator and it's crew was showing up next door.

With any luck my house won't have been burnt down when I get home.

[pedalling_faster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', 'W')ith any luck my house won't have been burnt down when I get home.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Iaato', 'G')ood luck; I hope things don't escalate. Things can get out of hand pretty quick, and folks like that are the type for revenge. That must be infuriating to watch him cut down trees like that that belong to the commons...

[jdumars]

Our "neighbors" with an adjacent parcel of land (ours is 34 acres and is vacant), put up a deer stand right on the fence pointing directly into our land. I'm not exactly sure what to do about this, but have had many ideas ranging from building a wall in front of their stand to firing back. Neighbor shit bothers me more than anything -- especially back-woods, gun-toting redneck neighbors. When TSHTF, these situations are going to get a lot worse.

[Ludi]

Our main problem with neighbors is their dogs coming over and harassing our livestock or us. We have some rowdy neighbors who like to party pretty loud sometimes, but it usually isn't really annoying unless the wacky brother gets drunk and starts shooting or setting things on fire.

[RedStateGreen]

Wow, my neighbors are pretty tame now.

There was the one where we used to live who fired up his race car ten feet from our house (shaking the house and half the neighborhood) the day after I brought home my newborn twins ... and whose wife would smoke pot right outside our window ...

[ANewHuman]

When I was younger we had some druggie neighbours next door who must have got paranoid one night and decided to kill all the birds in my avery. I must admit I was doing some crazy things in my backyard at the time, making bombs and fireworks, setting them off... so maybe I was the bad neighbour. But killing birds is taking it too far.

So the next time there was a storm I went onto their roof and ripped up about 10% of their tiles and broke them on the ground.... basically flooded the house and ruined the roof. They moved away after that for some reason.

[jasonraymondson]

I just use to have a neighbor who would come into my house during the day and use the toilet and never flush it. (The lock was busted and my landlord waited three months on insurance before he would let it get fixed)

I had another neigbor who lived above me in an old apartment, who got busted for befriending old people and stealing their ssi checks.

I have a room mate right now who washes his hair in the toilet. (not kidding)

[dunewalker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jdumars', 'O')ur "neighbors" with an adjacent parcel of land (ours is 34 acres and is vacant), put up a deer stand right on the fence pointing directly into our land. I'm not exactly sure what to do about this, but have had many ideas ranging from building a wall in front of their stand to firing back. Neighbor shit bothers me more than anything -- especially back-woods, gun-toting redneck neighbors. When TSHTF, these situations are going to get a lot worse.

[strider3700]

Today I went for a walk in the back to see what's going on back there. I found that someone has taken the time to clear the brush from around my property pin on one side and appears to be getting ready to do some surveying. The trees that have been dropped have large white posters stapled to the sides stating that the property has been seized and any attempt to move it will result in up to 6 months in prison. Removal of the poster can get a fine of $5000.

I take it that an investigation is taking place