Hello dear members,
I discovered your lovely forum thanks to Google. Unfortunately, as is often the case, a problem has brought me here.
We are building an extension onto an existing semi-detached house in Baden-Württemberg.
We are building on a slab foundation. The friendly neighbor built his half with a basement.
We live 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) away from the construction site.
Therefore, with both of us working and having two children, we cannot be at the site all the time.
Yesterday morning, the workers began setting the formwork for the slab foundation.
When I arrived at the site yesterday, my friendly neighbor was already there waiting for me.
He yelled at me quite loudly and was extremely angry.
He said that the slab foundation towards his side was insulated only with Styrodur (extruded polystyrene).
One of the workers tried to explain that in addition to the Styrodur, a 4 cm (1.6 inch) soundproofing wall would be installed along the house.
Still, he did not calm down.
He just kept yelling. He said he would take pictures and that he would refuse to pay.
We have no intention of demanding any money from him.
I was really shocked!!!
Actually, he should be worried, since he built 3 cm (1.2 inches) of his house’s total length over our property boundary.
What is the legal situation here?
I told my husband about it.
He wanted to see a lawyer right away.
For me, maintaining peace with the neighbor is more important.
Please excuse my spelling mistakes and my lack of knowledge. I have two children and need to keep them happy at the same time.
Thank you,
Sandra
I discovered your lovely forum thanks to Google. Unfortunately, as is often the case, a problem has brought me here.
We are building an extension onto an existing semi-detached house in Baden-Württemberg.
We are building on a slab foundation. The friendly neighbor built his half with a basement.
We live 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) away from the construction site.
Therefore, with both of us working and having two children, we cannot be at the site all the time.
Yesterday morning, the workers began setting the formwork for the slab foundation.
When I arrived at the site yesterday, my friendly neighbor was already there waiting for me.
He yelled at me quite loudly and was extremely angry.
He said that the slab foundation towards his side was insulated only with Styrodur (extruded polystyrene).
One of the workers tried to explain that in addition to the Styrodur, a 4 cm (1.6 inch) soundproofing wall would be installed along the house.
Still, he did not calm down.
He just kept yelling. He said he would take pictures and that he would refuse to pay.
We have no intention of demanding any money from him.
I was really shocked!!!
Actually, he should be worried, since he built 3 cm (1.2 inches) of his house’s total length over our property boundary.
What is the legal situation here?
I told my husband about it.
He wanted to see a lawyer right away.
For me, maintaining peace with the neighbor is more important.
Please excuse my spelling mistakes and my lack of knowledge. I have two children and need to keep them happy at the same time.
Thank you,
Sandra
Altai schrieb:
And the other one politely but firmly asked me to move the blackberry away from the fence, otherwise it would grow over and then she would have the trouble.Hello Altai
be glad that you have neighbors who talk when something bothers them. It’s still better than spraying the blackberry with Roundup at night.
Steven
I’ve been following this thread since it started about a week ago.
And honestly, I’m really anxious about the period after moving in.
I can only hope that people in Berlin are generally a bit more relaxed.
Luckily, we’ve already met our future neighbors from the rear property (shared lot) and have done some work together on the land, clearing trees and brush. So far, they seem very easygoing. But the neighbors next door, we’ve only heard from them so far.
In the end, people really are strange creatures.
I do like the idea of introducing yourself and bringing something like cake as a goodwill gesture before construction starts. That way, some of the upcoming disruption might be forgiven more easily, and you don’t move in with such a big negative balance on the “goodwill” account.
And honestly, I’m really anxious about the period after moving in.
I can only hope that people in Berlin are generally a bit more relaxed.
Luckily, we’ve already met our future neighbors from the rear property (shared lot) and have done some work together on the land, clearing trees and brush. So far, they seem very easygoing. But the neighbors next door, we’ve only heard from them so far.
In the end, people really are strange creatures.
I do like the idea of introducing yourself and bringing something like cake as a goodwill gesture before construction starts. That way, some of the upcoming disruption might be forgiven more easily, and you don’t move in with such a big negative balance on the “goodwill” account.
Planting a blackberry bush right on the property boundary is a bit – well, let's say – careless. These plants have been and still are used as natural barriers against intruders. Their thorny branches are almost impossible to get through without a chainsaw. They easily spread up to 4 meters (13 feet) wide and keep growing along the ground. If you were my neighbor, I’d be happy about it. I love the fruit and have enough space. But with nowadays 300 m² (3,230 sq ft) plots, half the garden would be lost.
kaho674 schrieb:
Planting a blackberry bush right on the property line is a bit—well, let’s just say—thoughtless. These plants have been and still are used to deter intruders. Their thorny branches are almost impossible to get through without a chainsaw.Well, I admit that when I planted those bushes, I didn’t think it through that far. I saw a few blackberry canes with a diameter of 20cm (8 inches). At least these ones don’t have thorns. Some were just quickly planted in the ground because they needed to be out of their pots before winter. This is by no means a final solution…
Oh, and I wasn’t trying to complain, @Steven, it just happened to fit here, and I do honestly admit when the neighbors are right…
Tolentino schrieb:
In the end, humans really are strange creatures.Animals themselves are usually not that antisocial ... you either play along or you don’t survive.
It is mostly the “independence” among humans that causes them to act antisocially.
@HilfeHilfe, send over the Serbian mafia, you’ll probably get thousands of likes.
A
Alessandro22 Apr 2020 10:22Our plot of land had been an orchard for three generations. All the neighbors had been very eager for decades and were just waiting for it to be sold.
We found out by chance that the now 85-year-old owner wanted to sell and got in touch with her.
Since we wanted to secure the deal immediately, we offered to pay above the market price and eventually received the agreement.
You can imagine the atmosphere among the neighbors when they learned that people from outside the community had purchased the land.
We were already being criticized before the construction project even started and before we had the chance to introduce ourselves...
We found out by chance that the now 85-year-old owner wanted to sell and got in touch with her.
Since we wanted to secure the deal immediately, we offered to pay above the market price and eventually received the agreement.
You can imagine the atmosphere among the neighbors when they learned that people from outside the community had purchased the land.
We were already being criticized before the construction project even started and before we had the chance to introduce ourselves...