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TooMuchAbstraction posted:This may well be in "get a lawyer" territory. Past crappy construction decisions and your neighbor's rush do not constitute a crisis or obligation on your part. I'm going to start calling around tomorrow to discuss this with a lawyer, but I agreed to nothing. The problem is that with all the pipes on his end, he can shut off my water and I don't know legally what I can do about that. It's not a situation I've ever heard of before or since - how often is it that a neighbor has access to the pipes that go to your house? That's why I know it's an odd situation and one I'm not entirely certain of where the legal aspects are khy fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Nov 14, 2023 |
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Nov 14, 2023 05:12
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:your neighbor's rush do not constitute a crisis or obligation on your part.  This is classic scam tactics by the way. Any time someone asks you to do something like this if you're feeling worried about impact you should always ask for time. If they refuse you should refuse right back and walk away from the interaction, documenting it in some way to them. Get their phone number ("text me! that way it's easier to talk about this!") then when they do: "Hey you met with me today to ask about shutting off and re-routing the water to my unit. I cannot approve this until I have had adequate time to research this issue myself. I will get back to you in approximately a week after I've met with my own professional and talked to the planning department about this." khy posted:I'm going to start calling around tomorrow to discuss this with a lawyer, but I agreed to nothing. The problem is that with all the pipes on his end, he can shut off my water and I don't know legally what I can do about that. It's not a situation I've ever heard of before or since - how often is it that a neighbor has access to the pipes that go to your house? That's why I know it's an odd situation and one I'm not entirely certain of where the legal aspects are They can't legally make your home uninhabitable (lack of water) due to a planned event (re-modeling) without your consent. If they do you likely have recourse - they owe you a hotel room, food, etc. Tell them to stop work while you reach out to the city, your own plumber, and the HOA. Use the phrase "stop work."
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Nov 14, 2023 05:19
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H110Hawk posted:Electricians have made so many bonus holes, slots, runs, etc. It's amazing. Make very sure to identify close up however the rats were getting in, otherwise they'll be back.
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Nov 14, 2023 05:37
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One "fun" thing we've discovered is that the house previously had pretty severe rat infestation. There is large-sized rat poop EVERYWHERE in the attic and "hidden nooks" in the garage which we are discovering as we pull stuff out. This explains the metal cabinet in the garage the owners said they used for dry goods storage "to keep the rats out" and the rat chewed to hell wires we're uncovering.
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khy posted:I'm going to start calling around tomorrow to discuss this with a lawyer, but I agreed to nothing. The problem is that with all the pipes on his end, he can shut off my water and I don't know legally what I can do about that. It's not a situation I've ever heard of before or since - how often is it that a neighbor has access to the pipes that go to your house? That's why I know it's an odd situation and one I'm not entirely certain of where the legal aspects are I'm not a lawyer, and this ain't legal advice, but I believe that your neighbor's property has an easement to provide water to your property. That's not something they can just do whatever they want with. It's similar logic to if, say, one plot of land contains the driveway that is the only way to access another plot of land; in that case, the owner of the first property has a legal obligation to keep the driveway clear so that their neighbor can use it. Easements are a pain in the rear end and restrict what you can do with your property, so they're a not-uncommon source of strife between neighbors. (what would be really funny is if water rights were involved here. I don't think they are, because this is the civic water supply, not like a stream or river or something, but if you want to talk about complicated legal procedures, whoooo boy...)
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Nov 14, 2023 05:57
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Aquila posted:Make very sure to identify close up however the rats were getting in, otherwise they'll be back. Thursday or Friday someone is ripping out all the insulation in the attic, vac'ing out all the rat poop, aerosolizing all the Hanta Virus, and sealing any intrusions into the attic with appropriate materials to maintain airflow. The garage has a spot where it needs new metal mesh stuff stapled on but otherwise it appears to be in the past.  Thankfully in the end the attic will be R-40something, electric, low voltage, and hvac will be able to work with no insulation in the way, etc. Tomorrow hvac is going to gut out the old system and spot the new stuff for the electricians to run the 240v drops.
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Nov 14, 2023 06:35
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:This may well be in "get a lawyer" territory. Past crappy construction decisions and your neighbor's rush do not constitute a crisis or obligation on your part.
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Nov 14, 2023 08:17
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nwin posted:The $650 says “framed taped and mudded”. The $450 says “framed and one coat of tape”. I don’t mind priming and painting. I had a double doorway like that when we moved in. It was open from the primary bedroom to the primary bath.  Instead of removing the casing and putting in a prehung door, I got two door slabs that matched the rest of the house, routered the existing frame for the hinges to fit, then put in stops. All told, it ran a few hundred bucks. Also, I routered in a spring operated ball detent to keep the secondary door closed. Okay, I lied. I haven't put the stops in yet. It's on my list, but it's a long list.
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Nov 14, 2023 15:09
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EVERYWHERE 
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:This may well be in "get a lawyer" territory. Past crappy construction decisions and your neighbor's rush do not constitute a crisis or obligation on your part. It is absolutely this, and they should draft a cease and desist letter to your neighbor. H110Hawk posted:This is classic scam tactics by the way. I absolutely agree with this too. Also with calling the city/municipality and very specifically asking about this and if the neighbor has permits. Yes, this will all likely torch any possible relationship with your new neighbor, but the neighbor is the one forcing this issue.
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Nov 14, 2023 15:31
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khy posted:I'm going to start calling around tomorrow to discuss this with a lawyer, but I agreed to nothing. The problem is that with all the pipes on his end, he can shut off my water and I don't know legally what I can do about that. It's not a situation I've ever heard of before or since - how often is it that a neighbor has access to the pipes that go to your house? That's why I know it's an odd situation and one I'm not entirely certain of where the legal aspects are To add one more voice to the choir, get a lawyer, tell your neighbor you are getting a lawyer and that any disruption to your water supply is gonna be bad news for them, tell them to stop any work that might impact your water supply, write them a dated letter telling them to stop work, call the city, tell the HOA, basically raise a fuss. Remember none of this has to be brought up to code-it only needs to be brought up to code because your neighbor started doing a remodel. It is his problem and not yours. The end outcome you probably want here is for y'all to end up with separate water supplies and your neighbor or the condo association to pay for it. E: also yeah you aren't gonna be friends with this neighbor ever, but given his expectations of how to handle this situation I don't think you were going to be anyway. Dude's a moron or an rear end in a top hat, possibly both.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:59
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Spoke w/ HOA president, no help there. She was useless. HOA won't do a thing. Neighbor was saying "Your water downstairs will be cut off, no exception, this saturday". I said I was going to lawyer up, we went back and forth and eventually we agreed he would give me a month to make arrangements. Which feels a lot more reasonable than 5 days. So in order to run new lines to my kitchen, I'll have to go up through the ceiling, over to the wall and down to the cabinetry/sink. Which means cutting holes in the ceiling and wall to run the lines. My question : Who should I hire for a project like this? Would a plumber handle all aspects of cutting the drywall, running the new lines, and the rest? Or whom should I be reaching out to for a project like this? I've never had to do anything of this scale before and I'm feeling a bit out of my depth.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:59
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khy posted:Who should I hire for a project like this? A lawyer. Your neighbor is going to have to pay for this work, and it needs to be well done and workmanlike. This is a problem they are creating. It is otherwise not a problem. The lawyer is going to figure out how to make this stick based on what kind of easement agreement is attached to the deeds.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:01
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khy posted:My question : Who should I hire for a project like this? The HOA president most likely has no idea what she's talking about, and the job of HOA presidents everywhere is to say 'not our problem' unless they want you to cut your grass or something. You need a real estate lawyer to read the condo association agreement and tell you what you are responsible for, what your neighbor is responsible for, and what the condo association is responsible for.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:02
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khy posted:"Your water downstairs will be cut off, no exception, this saturday". I said I was going to lawyer up, we went back and forth and eventually we agreed he would give me a month to make arrangements. Tell your neighbour to piss up a rope lol, you don't have to have any loving timeline on this
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Nov 14, 2023 19:10
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Kinda hosed if the neighbor cuts and caps the lines, though at least op bought themselves a little more time to lawyer up
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Nov 14, 2023 19:15
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Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer. You don't gotta do poo poo beyond get a lawyer.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:16
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small butter posted:I have some kind of stone top for my bathroom vanity. I'm not sure if it's marble, granite, or something else. The previous owners left some marks on it from what looks like cups and other things. These marks are rough compared to the smoother non-marked surface. One mark is a little discolored. There's also all these small scratches. Does anyone know what I should do about this small issue?
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Nov 14, 2023 19:36
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khy posted:"Your water downstairs will be cut off, no exception, this saturday" You know this but he is trying to bully you with that “no exception” crap.
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Nov 14, 2023 19:56
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Yea just get a lawyer and talk to whoever is in charge of permits for your municipality. Don’t get into a bargaining game with this guy.
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Nov 14, 2023 20:00
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small butter posted:Does anyone know what I should do about this small issue? Are you sure it's an actual stone? It looks kinda like some sort of cultured marble/engineered stone. If they are just scratches sometimes you can sand or buff them out with very fine grit sandpaper or a scotchbrite pad.
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Nov 14, 2023 20:50
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Remember none of this has to be brought up to code And I'm not convinced that this dude isn't getting fleeced by his plumber, attempting to move fixtures without cutting the foundation, a flipper, or all of the above. Who says it's not to code? Unless it's the city it's not your loving problem. Stop trying to even entertain how hard it's going to be to accomplish this, even odds it doesn't even NEED to be accomplished. If the city says it must be retrofit - well that's a him problem not a you problem. He can either tee off your supply while capping his, or pay for all the work to be done by your contractor of choice including all finish work and alternative accommodation during the process. They tipped their hand as an rear end in a top hat, they hoped you would roll over and sigh and pay thousands of dollars of their renovation costs. They didn't know you had friends who know how it's done. This would have been a whole other story if when they got their plans they came over hat in hand to talk to you about it. All communications in writing. If they insist on talking to pull out your phone and record a voice memo - "I am recording this verbal conversation with <neighbor> on <date and time>" then continue talking. You know who can help here? You (written paper trail), Code enforcement, and a lawyer. Have you called the city?
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Nov 14, 2023 21:24
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khy posted:I'm feeling a bit out of my depth. In addition to a lawyer, look for practical solutions. Can the water into your unit remain intact? Once this guy gets the message you won't be bowled over, maybe he'll find a way to get his remodel done without forcing one on you also. It would probably be cheaper for him, less hassle for you, and maybe less animosity between yous.
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Nov 14, 2023 21:42
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Epitope posted:In addition to a lawyer, look for practical solutions. Can the water into your unit remain intact? Once this guy gets the message you won't be bowled over, maybe he'll find a way to get his remodel done without forcing one on you also. It would probably be cheaper for him, less hassle for you, and maybe less animosity between yous. I wouldn't spend two seconds thinking about how to solve the practical stuff here. The neighbor torpedoed relations at minimum when they tried to deliver a 5-day ultimatum, if not earlier. Attempting to be nice to an antagonist (by looking for "practical solutions" to a manufactured problem) is just going to get you taken advantage of.
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Nov 14, 2023 22:10
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I wouldn't spend two seconds thinking about how to solve the practical stuff here. The neighbor torpedoed relations at minimum when they tried to deliver a 5-day ultimatum, if not earlier. Attempting to be nice to an antagonist (by looking for "practical solutions" to a manufactured problem) is just going to get you taken advantage of. The neighbor is an rear end in a top hat, and not looking for ways to make life easier for OP. OP should look for ways to make his own life easier. Unless they like battling I guess, but I'd prefer a smaller battle myself, if it were available. It may not be available, but worth a look.
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Nov 14, 2023 22:22
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khy posted:I could use some advice here on an..... odd situation. Reading over this again I am not convinced this isn't some sort of weird scam or something. Even ignoring all the lawyer stuff and thinking about the practical, it should be trivial for the neighbor to do whatever he wants and still leave a connection to your existing plumbing. Only supply comes into his unit-fine, tee off that with another cut-off so he can cut-off his unit and not disrupt your supply except for the 5 minutes it takes to add that extra tee. Same with the other locations. He can run PEX through his walls to maintain your supply at the sink or washer or wherever if some of your supply is still downstream of the cutoff for his unit. He's remodeling HIS unit so it has to be brought up to code, not yours. Nothing on your side of the wall needs to change even a little bit. He needs to find solutions (which should not be difficult) to preserve your water supply from his side of the wall. Nothing within the walls of your condo needs to be changed. If anyone is telling you that, either the plumber looking for extra work or the dude because he's a moron, they're wrong. If he cuts off your water you can surely sue him for damages, and your lawyer will love to see this paragraph you wrote when he asks for mental anguish damages too: quote:
Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Nov 14, 2023 |
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Nov 14, 2023 23:13
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Are you sure it's an actual stone? It looks kinda like some sort of cultured marble/engineered stone. If they are just scratches sometimes you can sand or buff them out with very fine grit sandpaper or a scotchbrite pad. Hmm, not sure. I mean, it looks like stone. Never heard of cultured or engineered stone. It's not just the scratches but the stain marks from cups, etc. How do I figure out what type of material it is?
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Nov 14, 2023 23:44
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Is it corian? https://www.angi.com/articles/what-are-corian-countertops.htm Can you look at it from underneath to see if there are any markings that would indicate what it is?
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Nov 14, 2023 23:52
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khy posted:Spoke w/ HOA president, no help there. She was useless. HOA won't do a thing. Neighbor was saying "Your water downstairs will be cut off, no exception, this saturday". I said I was going to lawyer up, we went back and forth and eventually we agreed he would give me a month to make arrangements. Which feels a lot more reasonable than 5 days. In addition to everything else I think I would emphasize to this guy that you are planning to talk to your municipality's code enforcement about this issue and his permits. Because I bet there's a good chance he doesn't have them.
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Nov 15, 2023 00:36
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 I know the answer is "talk to a lawyer," and I'm waiting to hear back from one. My house is next to a highway, and the previous owner thought they would be cute and put the privacy fence and retaining wall way outside the property line. I'm pretty sure my neighbor across the alley is doing the same thing. The title insurance company thought the land was owned by the department of transpiration. The fence is going to start falling apart soon I think, and I would like to replace it before that happens. I'm concerned reputable fence installers would balk if they realize my fence is outside the property line. I am more than happy to move it to where it should be, but I'd still need someone to remove the old fencing. Although it would be pretty funny to build a privacy fence where it should be and leave the old one alone.
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Nov 15, 2023 00:45
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Have you considered that the MN department of transportation owes you and all your neighbors a sound wall? Also fence person isn't going to give a gently caress. Point at the wall, keep your mouth shut, and say "hey how my to replace my fence?" If MN ever comes along and says wtf play dumb.
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Nov 15, 2023 00:59
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Yeah I am not worried about them coming after me. Two years ago they took down a diseased tree between my fence and the highway. They did a survey and put a marker so they knew for sure my fence was outside the line, and I never heard a peep. I guess I could just play dumb, but moving the fence to the property line would make selling the house down the line easier I think.
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Nov 15, 2023 01:08
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It was easy enough for you to buy it with the fence as-is. Don't get me wrong, this is probably a crime, but I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure you can afford to R&R it down the line if it ever comes up.
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Nov 15, 2023 01:10
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NyetscapeNavigator posted:
Bring a spray mister, you'll be fine.
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Nov 15, 2023 01:10
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Oh my god how did that typo even happen. I'm leaving it.
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Nov 15, 2023 01:11
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slave to my cravings posted:Is it corian? I guess it could be. Not sure, looks and feels like stone but I could be wrong. The edge is a bit beveled. There are no markings as far as I could tell. It does look like stone in that there are these small specks that look like other stone kitchen and other surfaces. For what it's worth, the kitchen countertops are quartz and the bathroom downstairs porcelain. If it was corian, would I attempt it fix and seal the same way as any other stone? Basically, I'm trying to fix the scratches and the dull, rough markings (circular cup stains, etc.)
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Nov 15, 2023 01:16
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Generator install is done. loving finally. Now I still need to get rid of the old one. Generator tech pointed out that they use the same controller and the controller is probably worth more than the entire unit. Seriously considering just yoinking that controller out to keep in a safe spot and parting out/scrapping the rest of the thing. Maybe call a few small engine repair shops and see if they'd want the engine for dirt cheap since it uses the is notoriously lovely Kohler Courage 22 which they are almost certainly replacing on the regular.
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Nov 15, 2023 01:51
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Tried calling the city, went to voicemail, lady requested I email her so I did. Trying to find a lawyer now but... right now, money is extra tight so god I don't know what to do gently caress this whole situation.
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Nov 15, 2023 02:39
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khy posted:Tried calling the city, went to voicemail, lady requested I email her so I did. Can't know for sure, but I suspect you're going to find the lawyer costs less than what you "needed" to pay to get the not-your-problem plumbing done. A lawsuit isn't what you're expecting this to go to. A consult, review of contract(s), and writing a letter are realistic outcomes. Then this rear end in a top hat realizes they bought a condo with an easement and needs to figure their poo poo out without loving with you.
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Nov 15, 2023 02:53
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I would try to contact the city building department/code enforcement officials directly rather than just random admin staff at the city, if you aren't already. Explain the situation and they might get a stop work order in place quicker than you'd even find a lawyer.
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Nov 15, 2023 02:56
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khy posted:Tried calling the city, went to voicemail, lady requested I email her so I did. Do you have a copy of your condominum by-laws ready? You should have one provided to you when you bought your unit. You (and your lawyer) are going to first read the definitions of a 'unit,' and a "common area." These define what is your unit: what you are responsible for, and what the HOA / building owner is responsible for. It should also define the mechanicals in each unit: electrical, plumbing - in your case, there should be a specific definition in there that explains the water lines that are common to all units (such as a main soil line that picks up drainage from all of the units: such lines are the responsibility of the building owner / condo association) versus two or more units sharing a water main. Basically: if plumbing is internal to your unit, and services only your unit, you may be responsible for it, right up until it reaches the boundary of your unit. Multiple units on the same water main is a problem for the building management who should know about this (they do), and they should have a procedure for dealing with it (of course they don't). And to pile on: the condo association/president/ building manager will always, always, ALWAYS deflect responsibility. I have had to wave policy documents and sections [i]of their own by-laws[/b] in their faces before they'd relent. Don't expect any help from that quarter. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Nov 15, 2023 |
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Nov 15, 2023 03:56
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I've never purchased light strings with larger bulbs, what are people's thought on c7 vs c9? Looking at the tru-tone LED offerings and not sure how to decide between the two sizes. EDIT: looking for a set for my christmas tree in white and a multicolor set to hang on an outdoor 3' fence that circles the front yard, in case that changes the recommendation at all. Nothing high up on the house, everything is pretty close to the viewer. Tezer fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Nov 15, 2023 |
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Nov 15, 2023 04:05
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