AArgh... neighbors

[John Bachman]

Requiring the taxpayers to hire a tree nanny because some people are too dumb to know how to safely cut down a tree can be extended to the myriad of things that people are dumb about. Follow that logic and we have a town hall full of tree nannies, snowblowing nannies, water garden nannies, etc. Pretty soon you need to pass a test before you can buy a Felco pruning tool.

I think that we have plenty of lawyers at the ready with liability suits. No need for additional permit requirements to enforce accountablity.

Yup, ignorant people do dumb things. "Momma always said, 'stupid is as stupid does'" - Forrest Gump I am not willing to pay taxes to keep the ignorant from doing what they do, I just cannot afford that much.

Of course I care. But that does not necessarily translate into more laws, more bureacrats and more taxes.

JMHO

John

[William Wagner]

I've cut down many tree's on my property. However I've also spent a couple a thousand on difficult trees. Seems difficult trees increase as I age ;)))

Bill

[Vox Humana]

Here are two more reasons for some control over removal of trees.

One of my neighbors is completely nature-phobic. Anything that moves or isn't produced in a factory is a threat. She had her entire SLOPING back yard clear cut and then didn't plant anything for 8 years. Periodically she would have the boyfriend/husband spray the slope with Round-up. Sure, it was her yard and I guess I didn't HAVE to look at it. The real problem came with the erosion caused by removing all the trees without a plan to remediate the erosion. Eventually a very large tree (too large for them to remove themselves) was undercut and fell, crashing into and breaking off two of my trees. Both trees were on the edge of a drainage ditch. Between the erosion from their property and the loss of the trees in my yard, the ditch evolved from a shallow canal to an 9 foot deep crevasse. Now other trees are being undercut and are about to fall, causing a downward spiral of events that threaten our property and theirs.

The other reason for regulating the removal of trees is that some people feel that cutting a tree down and leaving a big stump is fine. A number of our neighbors have cut trees down in their front yards, leaving large stumps sticking two to three feet out of the ground. It looks like hell. If you are going to remove a tree, don't start a job you can't finish.

[Warren]

Better watch out. The people who don't want to defend their position that

*they* should be allowed to cut down *their* trees whenever they want will accuse you of taking it to the extreme with this real life story that's repeated all too often in areas where people are allowed to do whatever they want to trees on land they own.

[Doug Kanter]

Got a problem with building permits, too?

That's silly. Nobody should even have to pick up the phone and call a lawyer to retrieve their $250 or $500 deductible. There's a simpler way, and it already exists. Make the permit a legal contract. The local judge can introduce you to jail food if you mouth off and refuse to pay. This sort of thing happens with a fair amount of regularity, right in the same courtroom as traffic tickets.

Your local building inspectors probably sit on their tails for a few hours a week. Let them do it. You're already paying them.

[John Bachman]

Likewise, Bill. I am about to contract to have a tree removed for the first time in my life. It is a 100 foot white pine surrounded by wires and obstacles. It will cost me more than a grand.

All because I want to give the renegade sycamore that sprouted nearby some room to do it's thing.

John

[Wolf Kirchmeir]

[...]

What you really can't afford is the effects of stupidity on you.

Yeah, yeah, taxes is bad, but if some private outfit charges you "fees" for the same service, it's good.

I've _never_ understood that logic. The only thing I care about is how much I get for my money. Private bureaucracies (a.k.a "corporations") are at least as inefficient as public ones, and there's the added disdavantage that we don't get a chance to throw the rascals out every four years. And private bureaucracies want me to pay extra ("profits") just so some bozos can get some unearned income ("dividends") - now that's a real good use of my cash!

[Wolf Kirchmeir]

John Bachman wrote: [...] I am about to contract to have a tree removed for the

Who gets the wood? If done right, there will be sawlogs available form that tree.

Now that's balancing one tree's need against another tree's desire... :-)

[Wolf Kirchmeir]

Vox Humana wrote: [...]

[...]

I think you and/or the municpality have grounds for a lawsuit there - the grounds that have been washed away by the rain...

I doubt their insurance will cover the damage they've caused; so go after them. Bozos like that should not be allowed to thrive.

[Travis]

Do you mean "Gardening by the Yard"? It is on HGTV.

[lgb]

BS! Almost everything we do has a beneficial affect on some and an adverse affect on others. We have zoning laws to keep a business from going up in a residential neighborhood. We have noise and junk abatement laws. And that's about as much interference with property rights as there should be. If I want to chop down all my trees and plant pink flamingos, that's my business.

And folks say that socialism is dead :-).

[Doug Kanter]

Would it bother you if your neighbor across the street parked an old car on his lawn, left it there to rust for 5 years, and for whatever reason, there was absolutely no way you could block the view using plants, fence, etc?

[Ann]

"Doug Kanter" expounded:

When I bought my house the next door neighbors basically had a junkyard in their backyard. Dead washers, dryers, three rusting tin sheds, a couple junk trucks, all kinds of tires, etc. Oh well. I loved my house. They've moved on, new people live there now, they've cleaned it up, life goes on. It's amazing what you can live with when it really doesn't affect your basic life functions, like eating, drinking, etc. Of course I'd rather not look at junk, but I'm not paying their taxes or their mortgage. It's basically none of my business.

[Hound Dog]

You are so right!

My neighbor across the back fence has at least half a dozen rusted out old cars in his back yard. They were there when I move in and the neighbor nor his junk cars has caused me any problems in the last three years.

The man I bought this property from said he had checked with the local government and as long as the vehicles are hidden by a front fence, they can do nothing about it.

Except for the junk cars, he keeps his home and yard in nice condition.

As I mentioned in a previous post, many things could be much worst.

[William Wagner]

Another way of looking at is the Garden concept of borrowed scenery. Some time you can include mount Fuji in your garden view. I'd hazard a guess not many of us can. So we plant according. No rusting junk about here just many bored barking dogs.

Bill

[Vox Humana]

How would you have felt if you needed to sell your house while the neighbors had a virtual junkyard? I don't mean WANT to sell, but NEED to sell. What if, due to the trashy neighbors, you found that there were few people interested in looking let alone making an offer? The offers you do get are low-balls. That is a situation where it does become your business because the junk reduces your property value or makes your house impossible to sell.

[Ann]

"Vox Humana" expounded:

Well, obviously there are people out there who don't care - like me - who will buy a house because they like the house. I'd appreciate those kind of neighbors, that shows they'll keep their noses in their own business and not mind mine. I don't see it as a huge hinderance.

You are completely ignoring what I initially said - I did buy a house with a messy yard next door. The people who were selling this house NEEDED to sell it, and I bought it. And there were other offers on the very same house. So, I guess that shoots a few holes into your argument.

If you're so worried about other people's homes, then you belong in a nice managed neighborhood. Please stay there, and don't move next door to me, trying to tell me how to live my life. I promise I won't move next door to you and try to run yours.

[John Bachman]

Oh, yeah. There will be many board that end up framing someone's house. That is part of the deal with cutter downer who happens to be a neighbor in that business. He gets to sell the logs to the sawmill.

Yes again. I figure that some bird pooped out the sycamore seed and that baby is already 15 feet tall after only 5 or 6 years. I won't miss the pine pollen every June either.

John

[Vox Humana]

I'm just pointing out that in a free market, when you reduce demand you also reduce the value. Reducing demand doesn't mean that there is no demand although it could, and the timing of the sale could be critical. Also, just because you can find an exception to a rule, it doesn't dismiss the concept. Every neighbor that sells, no matter how slovenly, has magically decided to clean-up their place. The door gets painted. The trim gets painted. Flowers are planted. The windows are washed. The yard is mowed and trimmed. Funny how people who don't give a damn for 5 years suddenly "get it" when they decide to sell. Do you suppose it is because it increases the value of their house or is it due to some unexplained compulsion to clean and paint?

As for moving next to you, it would be the last thing I would ever consider. I'm not worried about the homes of others. I just don't want inconsiderate slobs, people operating meth labs, or acid-rock band rehearsals in my neighborhood. I would be perfectly content if these things occurred in your neighborhood because even slobs and drug deals have to live somewhere. I suspect that you would be a hideous neighbor, bitching about everything bothered you. I would laugh if a pig farm moved next to you. Remember, you don't pay the mortgage or taxes so the stench would be none of your business. One man's stench is another's junk yard. Enjoy.

[Stu Pittasso]

I feel your pain and I'd not be too thrilled either, but I agree that at the end of the day, they can do whatever the hell they want. It's their property and their mortgage. Until I start paying it, it's none of my business.