What Irked You Today?

[Tom Geiger]

My house in NJ had a lot of nice trees shading it, and looked great. I had a tree service trim them all nicely. I had built great raised rock gardens filled with perineals  that came back every year. It was the nicest house on the block.

I sold it and the idiot buyer soon had all the trees chopped down and every last rock and plant from the gardens removed. He poorly maintained the grass so it went sparse. He had a couple lawn chairs out front in the dirt where a garden once was. 

I spoke with a former neighbor who agreed the guy made a mess out of the place. He said he asked and the owner said he wanted a low maintenance yard! I can’t even drive by it anymore!

[NYLIBUD]

27 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

My house in NJ had a lot of nice trees shading it, and looked great. I had a tree service trim them all nicely. I had built great raised rock gardens filled with perineals  that came back every year. It was the nicest house on the block.

I sold it and the idiot buyer soon had all the trees chopped down and every last rock and plant from the gardens removed. He poorly maintained the grass so it went sparse. He had a couple lawn chairs out front in the dirt where a garden once was. 

I spoke with a former neighbor who agreed the guy made a mess out of the place. He said he asked and the owner said he wanted a low maintenance yard! I can’t even drive by it anymore!

Yup Tom same as my neighbor.He ruined a once beautiful and very well maintained home.And as I said,it just makes all the other homes around it look ugly.Again you don’t want trees,go live in the city.Not too mention that the tree trimmers come at 7:30,& cut and grind for hours.Now there are no trees or bushes.Whatever,ill just concentrate on the up keep of my home.I mean I pay enough in taxes to live in my town.

[espo]

I don't like being told what I can and can't do with my yard or house color. That said this is when a Home Owners Association can be a good thing. 

[Tom Geiger]

20 hours ago, espo said:

I don't like being told what I can and can't do with my yard or house color. That said this is when a Home Owners Association can be a good thing. 

A double edged sword! When we first moved here the HOA was heavy handed and in your face if you had a single dead branch up high in a tree.

That guy sold and moved and the board is now reasonable and only acts if there are complaints or something is really out of line. We don’t want cars up on blocks, or ugly chain link fences across front yards. 

Another good thing and one of my peeves is we don’t allow people to plaster solar panels across front roofs. Only on rear roofs not visible from the street.

[espo]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

A double edged sword! When we first moved here the HOA was heavy handed and in your face if you had a single dead branch up high in a tree.

That guy sold and moved and the board is now reasonable and only acts if there are complaints or something is really out of line. We don’t want cars up on blocks, or ugly chain link fences across front yards. 

Another good thing and one of my peeves is we don’t allow people to plaster solar panels across front roofs. Only on rear roofs not visible from the street.

We have had some ups and downs with the Home Owner's Board in the 20 years we have lived here. We have been lucky in that overall it has been a positive experience. A few years ago we were getting ready to repaint the house and we wanted to do something other than the different shades of beige that seems to be the dominate color scheme. The Board came out with a new directive that any paint color had to have their prier approval and we were to use only "Earth Tones". This was at a time when all the Home & Garden magazines and TV were saying light greens were the new beige. I put up a few test sections on the back of the house to see what we wanted and then had the Comity come by to give their approval. Seems the head of the Comity didn't like any of the colors we picked. Did I mention that his house was about ten years past needing a repaint.  The other two people thought the very light green body color with the white trim looked good.  The head of the Comity said it didn't look like an Earth Tone too him. I never contacted them again and had the painter redo our home in the lt. green shade and white trim. We have received many compliments on the appearance and we never heard again from the head of the Comity, who still needs to paint his house. We are completing the remodel of the Home Owner's "Shelter House". The original developer for the area had built a structure for the residents to use for gatherings and picnic type activities. There is also a paved boat launch ramp for residents who didn't live on the lake to launch their boats. No gas powered boats are allowed, only oar, wind, or electric trolling motors allowed. We have a lot of the side by side paddle boats present also. One group of home owners wanted to close it in and add air conditioning, a larger children's play area as well as a swimming pool. They presented their proposal with little more than a napkin sketch and an open ended budget with no real idea of how it would be paid for. This was flat voted down with a lot of hurt feelings and many stopped attending the meetings and said everything was controlled by us "Old Farts" that lived on the lakes edge. I didn't agree with them, on the control part anyway. The new comity went to an Architect and a couple of local Builders. Three bids by licensed Contractors later we are getting a beautifully remodeled enclosed building with restrooms, large kitchen and food prep area that is heated and air conditioned. A large outside patio, built in  Bar-B-Q area, increased paved parking with Handicap parking as well as stairs and paved ramps. All for far less than the others had proposed plus we got a local Bank to finance most of it. So like I sadi there is good and bad with a Home Owner's Association, but if you have one stay involved with what is going on and don't let the "Crazies" take over what you can and can't do with your house and the neighborhood.  

[stitchdup]

Theres been an incident in glasgow, my sister is there for an ambulance training course and it took well over an hour to get hold of her. I was starting to panic

[Earl Marischal]

This 'Home Owners Board' thing is totally mystifying to me. I've lived in several places in the the UK, as have relatives and friends, but nowhere have I ever heard of such a thing where owners tell other owners what they can and can't do in such a manner.

Obviously we have local councils, parish councils and the like who stand guard over planning permissions but they are all (relatively) open and, usually, elected.

We live in a nice middle class, private development. In our 14 years here we have changed the front door, added bits to the garden, put up a shed and a summerhouse. The neighbours have done similar. No-one says a word or tells you if the house needs painting. I certainly wouldn't need approval, except from my wife, if I decided to paint my outside woodwork in any other colour than white.

However, if a person lives in a "Listed" area, like parts of York near us and similar historical/touristy towns and villages, there you are heavily monitored to avoid the area being incorrectly changed. There are, of course, local busybodies everywhere who stick their beaks in where they aren't wanted but I guess that's universal.

One of the joys of t'internet is expanding one's horizons and learning about other folks' worlds...

steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

35 minutes ago, Earl Marischal said:

This 'Home Owners Board' thing is totally mystifying to me...

Me too. Some of the Homeowners Associations here are run by power-mad baby-Hitlers, commonly known now as "Karens". Their mission in life is to tell other people what to do, how, and when.

I've refused to live in any planned neighborhood for decades for this very reason.

Interestingly, it doesn't seem to bother a lot of folks to be told what mailbox is acceptable, how often to mow their lawns, trim their trees, or whether they can have guests park in the street for a party.

I've had a friend once told he couldn't work on his own car, in his own garage, if the garage door was open...and that working on one's car was discouraged anyway.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[espo]

13 minutes ago, Earl Marischal said:

This 'Home Owners Board' thing is totally mystifying to me. I've lived in several places in the the UK, as have relatives and friends, but nowhere have I ever heard of such a thing where owners tell other owners what they can and can't do in such a manner.

Obviously we have local councils, parish councils and the like who stand guard over planning permissions but they are all (relatively) open and, usually, elected.

We live in a nice middle class, private development. In our 14 years here we have changed the front door, added bits to the garden, put up a shed and a summerhouse. The neighbours have done similar. No-one says a word or tells you if the house needs painting. I certainly wouldn't need approval, except from my wife, if I decided to paint my outside woodwork in any other colour than white.

However, if a person lives in a "Listed" area, like parts of York near us and similar historical/touristy towns and villages, there you are heavily monitored to avoid the area being incorrectly changed. There are, of course, local busybodies everywhere who stick their beaks in where they aren't wanted but I guess that's universal.

One of the joys of t'internet is expanding one's horizons and learning about other folks' worlds...

steve

We moved to Kansas in the summer of '96 and found many differences in they way that different aspects of life were done compared to California. Ya I know , "The Land of Fruits and Nuts" aside. There seems to be much more structure in many ways not to mention the Home Owner's thing. We live in an area that would have been considered very rural at the time and a lot of working farms still were predominate then. What I have seen when left to their own devices is a lot of people that would leave a partially disassembled automobile or most likely a truck in the driveway and or front yard. Grass was optional and only cut when the vehicles became hard to find. Gardens and yard plantings are just now becoming in vogue it seems. A large tree with some wind damaged limbs hanging or on the ground was not uncommon. Developers of housing additions sensed that some controls were needed to enhance the sale of both new houses and keeping them nice going forward. We were accustomed to people doing most of these things on their own. Cities would have some general rules to go by on appearances and upkeep of properties, but in the rural county areas that were being developed at the time there was very little if any controls.  There is a GEICO Insurance ad on TV right now that mentions much of what Ace mentions, and that is what ours was becoming until cooler heads prevailed.  

[DonW]

6 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Me too. Some of the Homeowners Associations here are run by power-mad baby-Hitlers, commonly known now as "Karens". Their mission in life is to tell other people what to do, how, and when.

I've refused to live in any planned neighborhood for decades for this very reason.

Interestingly, it doesn't seem to bother a lot of folks to be told what mailbox is acceptable, how often to mow their lawns, trim their trees, or whether they can have guests park in the street for a party.

I've had a friend once told he couldn't work on his own car, in his own garage, if the garage door was open...and that working on one's car was discouraged anyway.

The deeds of our house (built in 1846) stipulate that we can't run an abbatoir or make glue on the property. They were spoilsports in those days too!

[espo]

4 minutes ago, DonW said:

The deeds of our house (built in 1846) stipulate that we can't run an abbatoir or make glue on the property. They were spoilsports in those days too!

Old Deed restrictions seem odd and funny today but they had their reasons. My Grandparents had a home in a suburb north of Chicago that was built in the late 1800's. Some of the restrictions included that if you had a buggy and later a motor car parked in the street in front of your home you must contact the city PD Department to get their permission and have the "parking lights on all night". . 

[Tom Geiger]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Interestingly, it doesn't seem to bother a lot of folks to be told what mailbox is acceptable, how often to mow their lawns, trim their trees, or whether they can have guests park in the street for a party.

I've had a friend once told he couldn't work on his own car, in his own garage, if the garage door was open...and that working on one's car was discouraged anyway.

Ha! It’s kinda funny, our HOA has those rules. Our HOA inherited the standard boilerplate rules that Toll Brothers starts out each community with. It’s been modified a couple of times to ease restrictions and to allow materials that didn’t exist before like types of fence. 

Mailboxes- we have curbside boxes. The HOA rules pretty much mirror USPS regulations. The HOA has a preferred vendor who charges about what it would cost me to buy the materials. 

Lawn mowing- yes it needs to be done per not only HOA but per town codes. Again HOA has a vendor who has the contract to do the common areas. They give the best price anywhere on the bulk contract. $30 to mow my acre? Go for it! I don’t even need to own a mower.

Parking in street- only restriction is over night parking. It’s not even questioned ever if you have a party and overnight guests. All the homes have long driveways and ample off street parking anyway. I left a car for sale out front for a few weeks and wasn’t questioned.

Working on cars- in the rules but not an issue unless you were doing something drastic like oil running down the driveway and into the street.

My mailbox, that’s the standard post. There is a bit of a mailbox garden competition here. My planting is a brandywine bush and lambs ear.. because the deer won’t eat them!  You may get a note in your mailbox from mailman if it’s too overgrown to deliver!

 

[Bugatti Fan]

I am trying to get my head around home ownership associations.      Are they official bodies or just a bunch of neighbours who set up a committee to try to pontificate to others about  their properties?

I can understand a gated community where maintenance charges take place and there is an expectancy to maintain a standard, but in normal suburbs?

Here in the UK it is a bit different as pointed out in an earlier post.

[espo]

11 minutes ago, Bugatti Fan said:

I am trying to get my head around home ownership associations.      Are they official bodies or just a bunch of neighbours who set up a committee to try to pontificate to others about  their properties?

I can understand a gated community where maintenance charges take place and there is an expectancy to maintain a standard, but in normal suburbs?

Here in the UK it is a bit different as pointed out in an earlier post.

While there are many, what are called  "Maintenance Provided" housing. This would normally provide all front yard mowing, snow removal, garbage, and all common ground landscaping., The Home Owners Associations are part of buying a home in the developments that require them and you agree to abide by the rules when you purchase your home. The HOA will provide for the maintenance of common areas, Most are like ours that include some roadway islands as well as the lake chemical treatments, and the Shelter House. We have one unusual item on the forth of July.  The HOA has hired a licensed pyrotechnic expert who puts on the fireworks display every year. This person also does many of the cities in our area and has a very impressive setup. The cannons are all mounted on a flat bed trailer and he has them wired to a master control panel. He can program the sequence of their launch and how long between launches. Each home owner pays a fixed annual dues and the HOA pays the expenses out of the dues collected. Ours is very low, only $400 per year  and can't be increased without a two thirds majority vote. This is much less than most other HOAs in the area.           

[stitchdup]

3 hours ago, DonW said:

The deeds of our house (built in 1846) stipulate that we can't run an abbatoir or make glue on the property. They were spoilsports in those days too!

having lived near an abatoir I would agree with that, nothing makes you look for a new house faster than hot day, and making glue would smell even worse. Imagine burning a nappy but a thousand times worse

[Earl Marischal]

My old secondary school had a lard making company near by and that got pretty rank. Can imagine an abattoir being many times worse.

steve

[Snake45]

46 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

having lived near an abatoir I would agree with that, nothing makes you look for a new house faster than hot day, and making glue would smell even worse. Imagine burning a nappy but a thousand times worse

You don't want to live anywhere near a tannery, either. 

[DonW]

28 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

having lived near an abatoir I would agree with that, nothing makes you look for a new house faster than hot day, and making glue would smell even worse. Imagine burning a nappy but a thousand times worse

I get their reasoning in a twentieth century context. I wonder why those caveats were applied back in the Welsh Valleys in 1846. Maybe the same reasons. In those days this house was in open land.

Re. Home Owners Associations. In the UK we have some areas ruled by the watchers who live behind net curtains. When you do anything really outrageous like arrive in a car with a loud exhaust, the nets twitch.

These things are formed by good intentions, but:

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men

          Gang aft agley,

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,

          For promis’d joy!

[DonW]

10 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

You don't want to live anywhere near a tannery, either. 

Nope. not from choice. There's a few enterprises you don't wanna live near. Some loony chopping down beautiful trees included! 

Edited June 26, 2020 by DonW

[Danno]

Or a meth lab.

☠️

[Mark]

On 6/18/2020 at 9:03 PM, Monty said:

Not sure who deserves the blame here.  I needed some P/E parts and every source I tried was out of what I wanted except an Ebay hobby products dealer in Canada (stsupply).  I placed an order on 5/25/2020 and the order showed shipped via Canada Post the day after. 

It is now nearly 3 weeks since, and I have yet to receive my stuff.  Apparently the means of shipping wasn't trackable in Canada, and once it reached the US, I assume it's continuing its journey via regular USPS (letter), also non-trackable.  

The vendor has a great rating, and says it's probably the USPS's fault.  All I know is I paid for stuff that seems to be permanently lost.    

Did you receive the items?  I too placed an order for PE parts with the same vendor.  This was exactly one week ago, and they arrived today.

[PierreR89]

Had my suburban inspected during the yearly mandatory inspection here 2-3 weeks ago and have driven less then 2000km,s (1200miles) since then and for some reason i decided to check how the brakes looked like.
Mostly highwaymiles where the speedlimit is 120km/h (74mph) and i usually hold 130km/h (80mph something)
Here is the brakedisk on the driverside...
I am going to show it to them and ask how they could miss that since it is really easy to see but that passed, instead they failed me on 2 rusted bodymounts that are no danger at all it they just fall off.
But if this had exploded and locked up the wheel it would have sent me in the either the centerbarrier or oncomming traffic and at that speeds there is only one option for how it would have ended for me and the unlucky one that suddenly got  3500kg (7700lbs) of suburban aimed at them at 60-80mph...

This is the second dangerous thing they have missed on any of my vehicles..
On my Jeep ZJ they missed that the upper left controlarm/trackbarmount was damaged by rust, i found out when it broke when i hit a pothole..

[oldnslow]

Looks like maybe you should start doing a little self inspection , those parts look like they came off a sunken ship .

Edited June 27, 2020 by oldnslow

[PierreR89]

I do.
Thats why i found it

[espo]

The Rotor is toast and I'll bet your Caliper is as well. I notice greater wear on one side of the Rotor than the other. I'm surprised you didn't hear the Pads rubbing on the Rotor. Besides the cracks and parts of the Rotor that are about to break off, the center cooling vanes are all but rusted away. You might even consider providing information on your experience with this facility to what ever department oversees their work. Would seem obvious that they either are not qualified for the job or they just take your money and may not even do an inspection. As you pointed out any of these problem could have lead to a very bad accident and even bodily harm to anyone in the vehicle. Safety is the reason for these inspections in the first place and if you can't rely on the inspectors this defeats the inter reason for having inspections.