Neighbor VENT

I'm just so ANGRY right now and I need to let some steam out.

We live in a great neighborhood and I really like most everyone around.. EXCEPT the people who directly border us!

A few months ago the giant oak tree in our backyard lost a major limb during a storm. Our neighbor in the back came over and I ran out to check it out. It grazed his roof - crushing a portion of his gutter and took out an arborvitae. He told us it was going to be "Thousands" to repair. I told him I'd call our insurance. Well.. insurance told me it is HIS problem. His homeowner insurance should cover it. We told him and offered to pay half his deductible. He OWNS a tree removal company. He chopped up the trunk and gave it to us. We gave him a check for 300 dollars (his deductible was $500). He insinuated he wanted the whole 500 but let it go. He told us we needed to take the tree down because it was going to collapse. We asked how much it would cost with his company (which his son now runs) - he said it would be around 2000. We didn't have the money so we figured we'd wait.

Hello Irene.

The tree stayed fine during the storm. AFTER the storm a major artery fell into the next door neighbor's property!

The guy behind us comes out with his wife and again says the tree is going to fall entirely if we don't have it taken care of and it's going to really damage something. His wife adds that they are so terrified of this tree that she slept in the hallway during the storm and he slept in the living room. I ask him how much it would cost now that it's half a tree. He says he'll have his son call.

His son never calls.

So we find some folks to come quote us. We are worried about the safety of our kids and we really don't want a hazard in our backyard for our neighbors so when we got a decent price we go for it.

The tree guys came today to take it down. They cannot access our backyard with their truck and they ask if we can go to the guy behind us and ask him if they can use his driveway for 15 minutes since it backs right up on our property.

Rob asks and the guy says "Absolutely NOT."

I was SO PIZZED! Seriously? You are going to be petty because we didn't use your son who NEVER called us? I was ready to go over there and tell him that we would NOT have the tree taken down at all and if it fell on his house he would only have himself to blame but Rob said to let it go and the tree guys took a couple of hours to climb and cut.

You know we are always trying to be nice and do the right thing and our neighbors are just terrible. I mean - our tree fell in the next door neighbors property and WE cut it up and removed it and are replacing THEIR fence so they don't have to go through their homeowners. Do we get a THANK YOU? No. Do we get any acknowledgement at all that we are doing a nice thing? Nope. I have half a mind to leave the fence down and let them replace it themselves.

Okay - thanks. I feel better. I just wish these 2 neighbors would sell their house and let nicer, more neighborly couples move in.

ETA: I get that back neighbor was probably annoyed because we hired someone else but this thing caused an IMMINENT threat to my property, his property and most importantly MY CHILDREN. I think 2 days without so much as a courtesy call was ample. Also another neighbor said that he was supposed to call them MONTHS ago and never did.

Message edited 9/1/2011 7:13:07 PM.

Re: Neighbor VENT

Wow! He is out of control! It's better you didnt go with his sons company. They are lucky u paid pArt of the deductible!

Re: Neighbor VENT

Hey too bad. He wanted the tree down, it was a risk and YOU took care of it asap (which you did need to do for your own safety if no one else). Not your fault his son didnt call. What a POS. If the fence is yours...I think I might be tempted to not replace it to give him a nice taste of no fence...and oh well, too bad for him if he doesnt like that. btw, he should know...any limbs from YOUR tree that overhang his property he can cut and they arent your problem if they fall into his yard (so I hear anyway).

Re: Neighbor VENT

Seriously what is this guy's problem? I am sorry you're dealing with his stupid azz. I would leave the cut up tree on his driveway and tell him you're donating it because you know he needs firewood