I am spoiled. For almost thirty-seven years I’ve enjoyed a bucolic view from my large living room window. Behind my solid wood, vine covered fence another home has for that time either been occupied by quiet people or vacant and crumbling. No more. Now it hums with chain saws, thuds with hammers, vibrates with rap music.
Did I mention the Vegas light show? Okay, they aren’t neon and don’t flash, but new ones seem to go up each day, as do out buildings. Another new roof is taking shape today. Soon, there won’t be an inch of lawn in that plot of almost an acre. The trees are long gone.
The first construction was an eight foot solid wood fence for all but a small strip right behind my house. Next a screened pool enclosure. Some time in there the private dirt road leading to the house was paved. The road dead ends at the fence in my side yard.
I gave their landscaper permission to cut the limbs on my trees that hung over the fence. It’s the law, so I get no points here. I did allow him to come in my yard and cut the errant limbs back to the trunk. He kindly offered to pull potato vines and take down a little bamboo. That sounded fine until I see about a fifteen or twenty foot swath of cleared land this side of the fence. But this is bamboo. That won’t last long. I’ve always hated the invasive stuff, but now am happy for a buffer.
I know they got the house for a song, but somebody has money to burn. It needed a new septic tank and water supply for starters.
Who are these people? I don’t know. I see people on the roofs a lot, but don’t know if they are workers or live there. Property records show it owned by an LLC, which owns property all over the U.S. and the Cayman Islands. So no name to call, no way to discuss things unless I climb an eight foot fence or scale the solid electric gate that blocks their drive. This is a compound.
A cop early on stopped them from throwing trash over the fence. Then a couple of weeks ago I called again. I refused to be run out of my house a second time because of a loud party. That day the music was loud enough for to hear over the leaf blower a guy was using on the roof. Guess he never heard of earphones. My house was vibrating so badly with the rap beat my cats hunkered in the hallway as they do for a thunderstorm. Earlier neighbors two blocks away told me they were hearing the music. I don’t think the sound lowered when he finished with the leaf blower. It stopped abruptly, though, about 9:15 p.m. when the cops arrived and I haven’t heard it again, but who knows.
I should be happy they have fixed up the abandoned property, and cleaned up the mosquito breeding pool, but I long for the day I looked over the fence and saw only trees, heard only birds and the rustling of leaves on the trees.
A N H I N G A 
that’s a bummer- but look at it this way, your new neighbors are going to give you a lot of writing material!
You’re right. I have a hard time beating up on my protagonists, but life has no problem with it. One more lesson to learn.
Change, especially next door, is not always good. Even out here in the country we’ve had to learn that lesson.
I like A.J.’s comment. 🙂
People are different and those differences rub each other wrong. They’ll find you even in the bogs. 🙂
A: I’m so sorry to hear it! The rap music–that would be just nightmarish to me. I’m trying to endure neighbors with a new rangy black lab mix, deep voiced, who sounds the alarm whenever I go out in my yard. Much barking on the other side of the tall wooden fence separating our properties. Thy are trying to be responsible, but don’t realize that repeating over and over “Blackie, stop it Blackie, Blackie, stop it” really only teaches Blackie he can ignore them with impunity.
Also sorry to hear the neighbors killed the trees. I hate that–you know those trees were home to lots of critters.
Funny you should mention a barking dog. That is the only thing missing from the irritation over the fence. I only hope that out building that went up this week is not a dog house for a pack of pit bulls. This group (and I think it is a group) is so cloistered and protective I can’t imagine that won’t be next.
1. Doesn’t your area require a public hearing before granting the building permits? And public notices? Most places do.
2. And I know 99.99% of places have a “noise curfew” and a all sorts of noise ordinances. It seems like you should be able to enlist the help of your neighbors to file a complaint. One complaint may not work. You need to build a file of complaints.
You should not have to live unhappily because a few are inconsiderate of other people’s rights to peace, quiet, and a certain degree of natural ambiance (i.e. they should not be allowed to have so many bright lights). You also might be able to find out if they have a permit for all the lights and if one is required. See if you can enlist the help of someone at whatever department issues building and other types of permits there.
People walking on the roof. Hhm. Sounds like it could be either good guys (as in some kind of security) or bad guys (as in, well, you know…you live in Florida!).
Corina, I guess I am hesitant because of the responses I have received to prior calls to code enforcement. They were so nasty when I asked about a huge barn type structure someone was building farther behind the fence next door to this property. Your rights are only as good as the people who carry them out. I’m not sure what the noise ordinance is, but once I called it stopped. I doubt seriously they have filed permits on anything. I may ask the department to look into that, mainly because I am almost certain the pool screen extends onto my property.
They are not part of the neighborhood I live in, but an older, small subdivision with no organization. I’m sure the new owners thought they could do what they want in such an isolated location. They forgot how close some of us are. But things have quieted down except for another building of some sort going up. I still suspect this could be a group home of some sort. I’ll try to be a good neighbor, but keep an eye on them. Thanks for your tips.