Tree Hugger Trying to Shut Me Down

[superwd6]

I hate "grandfathering" ,it makes it hard for everyone else to install epa equiptment while the offender who is "grandfathered" continues to make a cloud so thick you can't see the house beside you.I had to talk to my nieghbors myself and install my E-classic boiler without permits because of one idiot 15 years ago. So the township continues to lose permit & tax money as everybody just hides them. I feel bad for you man , We have a Geothermal unit customer who was forced to stop burning wood from the house beside him.It was cheaper to just switch then fight in court where only the lawyers get any money!Just think about every kid that can't take a peanut butter sandwich to school now because of ONE kid with allergies:msp_confused:. I would've starved as a child Get a new clean burning epa unit if you haven't already!

 

[bower4311]

Guy across the road from my wood pile that is all cut and split by me and my brother with an axe by hand (for the most part), has a huge problem with it. Says its devaluing his house and he can't sell it becuase it looks bad. We did have an old truck next to the pile which is what he was complaining about. In the writeup he said that he doesn't see anything on site burning the wood as if it isn't allowed to be there (we have a wood furnace two hundred feet away in our house). Well we technically live on a farm so there is nothing he can do about it. THe lady from the town told him we're doing nothing wrong and she doesn't know why he can't sell his house haha. My dad is putting a stone driveway in that lot of land and he made sure to chop every tree down so when he moves all his equipment for storage over behind our wood that it will clearly be visible from the guy's house right from our land. Needles to say my dad was not happy with it and me and my brother are sure to give dirty looks every time we see him, or curse at his foreign car...

 

[cheeves]

We went thru a very similar situation which lasted until the " Nut Case" finally moved!!! It was one of the happiest things that have ever happened to me. In our case it was a woman that complained to every person and dept. in authority in our town. She evewn complained to our State Rep., who we have supported for a number of years. The harrasment was unrelenting for 4 years! Calls in the middle of the night, visits from the fire dept, from the bldg. inspector, you name it. This time last year I piled in the wood so hard and heavy she couldn't take it anymore! The For Sale sign went up and she was gone in 6 months. Good riddance!!! My new neighbor is the complete opposite. Loves the smell of wood smoke( burn mostly dead standing red oak) and the sound of the chainsaw!!! UNREAL! Hang in there Brother! Miracles do Happen!

 

[s37d]

We went thru a very similar situation which lasted until the " Nut Case" finally moved!!! It was one of the happiest things that have ever happened to me. In our case it was a woman that complained to every person and dept. in authority in our town. She evewn complained to our State Rep., who we have supported for a number of years. The harrasment was unrelenting for 4 years! Calls in the middle of the night, visits from the fire dept, from the bldg. inspector, you name it. This time last year I piled in the wood so hard and heavy she couldn't take it anymore! The For Sale sign went up and she was gone in 6 months. Good riddance!!! My new neighbor is the complete opposite. Loves the smell of wood smoke( burn mostly dead standing red oak) and the sound of the chainsaw!!! UNREAL! Hang in there Brother! Miracles do Happen!

That's a great story, and from a fellow Massachusetts guy. How bout this mild winter? I'm surprised I even have to burn at all to keep the place warm.

 

[Chris-PA]

We went thru a very similar situation which lasted until the " Nut Case" finally moved!!! It was one of the happiest things that have ever happened to me. In our case it was a woman that complained to every person and dept. in authority in our town. She evewn complained to our State Rep., who we have supported for a number of years. The harrasment was unrelenting for 4 years! Calls in the middle of the night, visits from the fire dept, from the bldg. inspector, you name it. This time last year I piled in the wood so hard and heavy she couldn't take it anymore! The For Sale sign went up and she was gone in 6 months. Good riddance!!! My new neighbor is the complete opposite. Loves the smell of wood smoke( burn mostly dead standing red oak) and the sound of the chainsaw!!! UNREAL! Hang in there Brother! Miracles do Happen!

Sigh - my jerk neighbor is still hanging in there after 9 years. He's had several strokes, a quadruple bypass and lost a few toes from what I hear. I was complaining that it's taking way too long getting rid of him one piece at a time.....

 

[ponyexpress976]

Sigh - my jerk neighbor is still hanging in there after 9 years. He's had several strokes, a quadruple bypass and lost a few toes from what I hear. I was complaining that it's taking way too long getting rid of him one piece at a time.....

Keep the faith brother...by the sounds of it, he's not to keen on taking care of himself. So maybe one day soon, he'll "take care of himself".

 

[ETpilot]

When I lived in the big city we had a neighborhood nut case that had problems with all the neighbors. A real pain in the rear. Then one day his attention was diverted. It appears he subscribed to tons of magazine subscriptions. He needed to tend to his magazine collection. Things eased up in the neighborhood.

 

[zogger]

When I lived in the big city we had a neighborhood nut case that had problems with all the neighbors. A real pain in the rear. Then one day his attention was diverted. It appears he subscribed to tons of magazine subscriptions. He needed to tend to his magazine collection. Things eased up in the neighborhood.

+1...pretty funny, too! 1,657 new mag subscriptions would sort of get tedious to deal with....

 

[logbutcher]

When I lived in the big city we had a neighborhood nut case that had problems with all the neighbors. A real pain in the rear. Then one day his attention was diverted. It appears he subscribed to tons of magazine subscriptions. He needed to tend to his magazine collection. Things eased up in the neighborhood.

And there you go: silent, effective, guerrilla move. Brilliant.

For more ideas along this line---Most hunting shops sell eau de your choice--coyote, lion, male deer, but especially, skunk urine. Spread discreetly in targeted vehicles and/or homes ( N.B. You are now breaking the law. You may want to be aware of this. :msp_scared a message is clear and certain, while the perp ( you ? ) is unknown . Your mileage may vary.

Please recall the ultimate solution: Move. "There is too much in this life to waste so much on waste" ( Ops Instructor, Camp Elgin, Pensacola ).

 

[mattfr12]

So in that area do you think the outdoor wood burners outnumber the others? Which are the masses and which are the few?

My neighbor burns his trash, including leftover chemicals from his illegal paint shop that he built after lying to me and the township. He runs his illegal business using my private property to access his land-locked place. Did I file every complaint against him I could? Damn straight. But first I went to him, whereupon he showed his true colors.

At this point he has sworn in court that he is not running a business, a point I never fail to remind him of, and he has to work so hard to hide his activities that it's pretty much put an end to it. He can't put a toe out of line without me all over his butt. I can guarantee you it would not end well if he came over to give me a "stern talking to". On the other hand, I'm smart enough to not give him anything he can use against me legally - I will not be losing my home or property in order to show how manly I am. He watches me swinging an axe for hours, I think he gets the picture.

A cool head is better than a hot head.

The wood burners are the few. I'm in the process of building a house that is wood reliant but I'm 10 acres from my neighbor so I'm not gonna get into it. But I know of at least 4 guys on my street that can't burn wood anymore. What they did was put in code that m made it impossible for one to be in use. I know one of the rules is two hundred feet from the nearest property line. No one has enough room on my street to do it, it's impossible. So theirs around fifty grand of junk wood burners in my town now. Well they are as good as junk now.

 

[Rob1276]

The wood burners are the few. I'm in the process of building a house that is wood reliant but I'm 10 acres from my neighbor so I'm not gonna get into it. But I know of at least 4 guys on my street that can't burn wood anymore. What they did was put in code that m made it impossible for one to be in use. I know one of the rules is two hundred feet from the nearest property line. No one has enough room on my street to do it, it's impossible. So theirs around fifty grand of junk wood burners in my town now. Well they are as good as junk now.

You know that's just sad. I hate saying this cause I feel so guilty because there are men and women fighting for our freedom and those in the the past that have but I'm almost ashamed to be a American anymore we just keep letting our rights slip away. Rights that thousands have died defending and thousands who still are fighting for them. When will it stop if ever

 

[cajunhillbilly]

Good for you! It sounds like all the "agencies" have come to know that your neighbor is a jerk.

It would be funny as hell if when the wind was just right, and was blowing directly from your chimney to his house, YOU DECIDED TO QUIT BURNING WOOD, AND STARTED TO BURN COAL! Good old coal smoke, the blacker the better! Now that would be rich!!!!! If he thought he had a problem before, that coal smoke would change his mind in a hurry! Haha!

Bob

I know and old man who still burns coal. It actually is more of a gray smoke, it is a very heavy smoke as it drops out his chimney, My wife and I love the smell of it, some do some don't.

 

[ijon1]

Burn some pig crap, he will be happy when you burn wood again.:msp_wink:

 

[Chris-PA]

You know that's just sad. I hate saying this cause I feel so guilty because there are men and women fighting for our freedom and those in the the past that have but I'm almost ashamed to be a American anymore we just keep letting our rights slip away. Rights that thousands have died defending and thousands who still are fighting for them. When will it stop if ever

Wait a minute - how come only the rights of one group matter? Wasn't the complaint that the few are more important than the many?

I have no idea the particular situation on that street or how crowded it is, and maybe the wood burners are being treated unfairly, but when you have a bunch of homes in a small area what people do affects others and life gets more complicated. What percentage can burn wood before it gets really foul? How do you keep control over the few who burn junk? Maybe it's not a good place to burn wood - not every place is. There are advantages and disadvantages to living in various types of areas, but in general if you try to live in a populated area as if you were in a rural one you'll have some problems.

 

[Whitespider]

Rights????? A complicated issue.

The rights of one cannot nullify the rights of another, but the simple truth is that you do not have a right to clean, pristine air… nowhere does the Constitution state such. You do have the right to pack up your belongings and move if you’re not happy where you live… but you have no right to change what makes someone else happy so you can be happy. It is the “pursuit of happiness” that is guaranteed by the Constitution, not happiness itself. If you’re not happy where you’re at, you have the right to pursue it elsewhere.

A fine example of this is the smoking bans being enacted all over the country by state governments. The rights of private building and business owners to choose has been removed because people believe they have a right to a smoke-free environment wherever they go… THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS RIGHT! But they do have the right to choose not to patronize a business that allows smoking, nothing more! Because Americans have fallen into the trap that Government is there to “entitle” them, we slowly give up our rights and lose sight of what living in freedom is all about.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a local community government banning the use of wood-burning appliances if that’s what the majority of residents want… wood burners will have to pursue happiness elsewhere. State and Federal governments cannot enact such bans (in a Constitutional sense), and local governments can only do it under narrow guidelines (community vote, for example). And no government, even local government, can enact laws that infringe upon rights specifically protected by the “Bill of Rights” no matter what the majority wants… unless the right protected is infringing on the right of another (freedom of speech does not give you the right to scream fire in a crowed building).

There seems to be two sides on this issue… but it’s not as cut-and-dried as either side believes.

 

[Stihlasaurus]

I cannot publish my suggestions, but a little imagination, chemistry and research should go a long ways.

There is no good way to deal with this kind of person. I was taking down a large bettle infested pine leaning over a residential road for a widow in our neighborhood. The tree was going to come down on its own if not taken care of. We talked with her neighbors on both sides of her property and they were happy it was being removed. I put out the traffic cones as I was going to fell it on one side of the road (virtually no traffic anyway) and remove in a couple of minutes of felling. About half way through the back-cut the neighbor from across the street came storming over telling me to stop cutting. He informed me that he had not been given notice that the tree was being taken down and that we needed to get a permit from the city. He was also concerned that it would fall on his property. I explained that there was no chance of the tree coming close to his property as I was felling it in a different direction and it was not tall enough to reach his property if I were sending it his way. He again demanded that I stop. I explained that this tree was going to come down in the next hour whether or not I continue to cut and that he should just get out of the way. He refused. I started my saw, put it into the tree and he finally moved. The tree fell where it was suppose to, I quickly removed it from the road and a couple of minutes later the city guy arrived. He explained that there was no problem and they were grateful I removed the tree because they were going to have to do it anyway.

This past election cycle, the guy who treated me and the widow this way was running for city council. I made of point of telling my story to everyone who would listen, concluding that we don't need someone who thinks like him in our city government. He lost by a few votes. What comes around goes around.

 

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by s37d View Post
Just got off the phone with the director of the board of health, and now three departments think he's a loon. The director sounded like a good guy too, and explained that the request was just a request that he had to send out, as it was his job. He then said he had talked to the fire marshal and already knew all about this guy, and that it was the last letter he'd be sending. He explained it wasn't a demand to cease burning, but was just informational, as in, "I can't stop you from burning".

Excellent - you're now in much better position than if you had done something rash and more immediately gratifying.

And now that you've done the right thing, it's time to get that Killex ice cube plan in order. Make a game out of it. Drop some here and there on the lawn, a few more every couple of weeks. It first it will look like random spots but by the end of the summer it will obviously spell out the message of your choosing!

The magazine thing works. So does signing him up to all sorts of adult products and offers, especially from overseas (once they get his address they'll never stop). Then you've got a case for "dirty old man next door" to mention when town officials are agreeing he's a nutcase. Just something to do in your free moments. Or stop in at garage where guy gets vehicles fixed and mention to mechanics the neighbor said they're incompetent. You won't have to be an active part of what happens after his next visit to the shop. Is there a hangout for the kids nearby? Convince 'em Mr. Neighbor is trying to get them all arrested. Then go to the neighbor and tell 'em you just found out the neighborhood kids are planning to vandalize the house. He's probably paranoid anyway so this will narrow his definition of "them" and give him focus. First time he calls the cops on the kids they'll know you were right. That little war will keep him busy for years. Really, there are plenty of ways to keep the neighbor busy if you truly want to. But watch out for Karma because stuff does seem to come back around from time to time.

Here's a good story from western MA. Friend of mine had a race car. Mean Old Lady across the street decided to make him lose the car, the crew, and who knows what else. She called the cops, town officials, etc to complain all the time. Friend followed most requests not to run car after 9pm, not to run car on Sunday, not to run business out of home, ensure no minors are drinking, ensure no illegal disposal of hazardous waste from vehicles, etc. "We all need to live together." Still plenty of calls to cops. One Saturday we were running the car and cops showed up. Another complaint. We got the impression the officer was having a bad day. We said the car hadn't been making significant noise and Old Lady was crazy and complained when there was no need to. We also said we were done anyway and wouldn't run the car again that day. About an hour (and a couple of beers) after the cop left we called a race buddy who lived down the road, said "Bring up your stock car on the trailer." Backed trailer into driveway out of sight of Old Lady, fired the car up and wound 'er up to 7 grand for about three minutes. Then after a minute or two, buddy drove off with car on trailer. Cop shows up but our car is cold. "See! She's crazy! Been making stuff up for years!" It took two more times that day for the cop to get fed up. Last time he promptly marched across the street, banged on door, and proceeded to shout at Old Lady about wasting his time, filing false reports, costing valuable money, "And I don't give a damn who you know in this town or in this state but if you make one more peep about this I'll make sure you won't get as much as a drop of public water if your house burns down." Wow! I think we all went back into the garage and just sat in silence with our beers for a few minutes to enjoy the cease fire. Never expected that good a response. She never did lob another complaint at us. So yes, miracles can happen.

 

[an?qus]

That's a great story, and from a fellow Massachusetts guy. How bout this mild winter? I'm surprised I even have to burn at all to keep the place warm.

Yeah, miracles do happen, but did he mention that he never went a day without praying for it?? (He was a lot better at that then I was, I gotta admit). To elaborate on Cheevers' (remember Bruins' goalie Jerry Cheevers??) comments, the guy would come over banging on our door at all hours. "She's over there freaking out!" (You mean she's have another temper tantrum??) "WE're pregnant again." Mind you, she was so conscious of the "risk" that "they" got pregnant, not ONCE, but TWICE while they were here. THEY'RE pregnant, so that means we have to change OUR lifestyle?? She left nasty messages on our answering machine at all hours. We started leaving the phone off the hook. He eventually left a message offering us $1000 and 4 electric heaters to stop burning, and if we didn't accept their kind offer, they were going to see a lawyer. We never called them back. We believe they saw a smart lawyer who told them to forget it. Our State rep called us and tried to convince us to stop burning wood and go for fuel assistance. Come to find out, he heats with wood too. You can tell I'm still pretty hot about the whole affair.

She was a nut case from jump street. She was single at the time she move in and paid about $100K more than the shack was worth. Then they did some work on it. We did happily raise our chimney by another 4 feet for this whacko, and the new one doesn't clamp together nicely like the old one. Cost us about $1200. Cheevers has to get onto the roof and onto a ladder and unscrew it now...in the snow or whatever...to clean it, if he doesn't plan it well. After they left, the new neighbor doesn't care but he left the extension on the chimney. She says to cheeves, "I miss the sound of your chainsaw out back when you're not here," and "I LOVE the smell of the wood smoke." Go figure.

Coincidentally, I found out tonight that the former owners took about a $75K soaking when they sold it in September, they wanted out so bad. I think the fire department finally told them that if they called them out any more, they were going to start charging them.

I'll pm you our #.

Sigh - my jerk neighbor is still hanging in there after 9 years. He's had several strokes, a quadruple bypass and lost a few toes from what I hear. I was complaining that it's taking way too long getting rid of him one piece at a time.....

Sigh is right! We feel for you, and we'll pray you get a new neighbor HALF as good as ours.

 

[sb47]

I have a guy that lives behind me and he is the same way. This guy will call the EPA on me all the time and they have to come out and investigate any complaint.
After he had called them many times for my burning he had the nerve to come ask if he could put a fence up on my side of a fence line between the two of us.
I told him “hell no” but you can take down the barbwire fence and put the fence up on the line where it belongs. The only problem was that there was some large tallow trees that had grown up on the fence line and he had to take them down so the new fence could go on the property line.
Well he rented a tractor and cut the trees down but he had a very large pile of wood on his property and had no room for the rest. So in an effort to get on his good side (that was a mistake) I agreed to let him pile the rest on my property with him knowing full well I was going to burn it when it dried out.
So he gets his fence up and all is good or so I thought.
A few months pass and I burn the pile of wood that he pilled up on my property and, you guessed it, he called the EPA on me for burning his wood.
The EPA shows up as there required to and make an investigation and finds that I’m in compliance with all the rules for outdoor burning.
I tell him what is going on and because he’s the same guy from the EPA had come out so many times before he just shook his head in discussed. I told him that he had planed to burn the pile that was still on his property and he perked up and smiled.
You see this guy had pilled a bunch of treated lumber and PVC in his pile along with the wood from the trees.
The EPA guy said he was going to go and rite him up for having the PVC and treated lumber in his pile even though he hadn’t burned it yet.
Now I’m ecstatic at hearing this and sure enough he drove over there and stayed for an hour. I don’t know if he actually wrote him up but he had a long talk with him I’m sure.
About a year later the EPA shows up for a fire I had outside and it was the same guy that had come out so many times before. I noticed that my neibour was out in the yard I called him over to the fence so we could chat.
I told the guy the this was the same guy that has come out on almost every call he has made on me and I was going to take him to court a sue him for harassment and I was going to have the guy from the EPA show up in court for my side and testify ageist him.

Well the calls stopped and he hasn’t called them since.

So my advice to you is document everything, take pictures and be prepared to take him to court for harassment. Inform him of what you plan to do and follow through if you need to.
Don’t let people try to run your life, stand up for your rites. Chances are if you threaten him with legal action he may back down.

Good luck! Dennis

 

[THE PLUMMER]

Direct quote from head of building and Mayor , even tho the resident currently complies with all codes ( state,twp-fire & EPA) all it will take is a lawsuit against the cash straped city. Unfortunately we aren't in the business of defending residents in court. The codes might say what they do now but when EPA or individuals claimed health is at stake they will have no choice but to write a cease and desist order. So if you sell the home the new owner has to comply with current codes, no grandfathering unless its the sole source of heat for the building or dwelling. Each locality has the choice in MI to make its own rules, so its different across the state. Infringement on freedoms