Rumination

I've debated for a long time whether or not to write about this topic in my blog. It's so completely in my head that i hope that if i just get it out, then maybe i can stop wasting so much time thinking about it! I think of all the real problems in the world and this issue seems so petty in comparison, but, well, maybe i'm petty.

We bought this house of ours for many reasons. One of them being that we were blown away by the view out back, seen especially from our four kitchen windows. I could stand and wash dishes or sit at the kitchen table and see all the way down the 7th hold of the golf course and see way down the mountain range from north of Pikes Peak to Cheyenne Mountain. From the couch in the family room it could be seen too. Just gorgeous.

Our next-door neighbors moved in about a month after us. Seemed like nice, down-to-earth kind of people. From the country, used to living on 5-35 acres. And they decided to buy a home on just under 1/4 acre, and the house swallows up the vast majority of it. This summer I noticed an area staked out that I thought (hoped) might be for a garden. Come to find out, they were planning on building a shed. I was bummed. It was right on the fenceline/property line and directly in front of at least two of our kitchen windows. Doug and I talked about it and then Doug went to our neighbor and asked him to build it further back behind the corner of his house so the impact on our house would be less. He responded positively with an "Oh! I didn't think of that! No problem." We were relieved and happy that we'd dealt with it directly and in a mature manner. We live in a community with covenants and everything has to be approved. We figured by going straight to our neighbor we could avoid any problems.

Well, he built that shed right where it was planned originally, except he moved it back, oh, maybe 18 inches. We'd asked for about 6 feet. The shed is huge. Much worse than I'd imagined. I was and still am sick about it. I now look out my windows and see a solid brown wall. I've moved my furniture around in an attempt to adapt since from my family room it blocked three of the four windows. I moved the kitchen table closer to the windows which helped a little.

Not only am i sick about the physical shed but about what i now feel are my crappy neighbors. I've never had such terrible, hateful feelings toward a neighbor. I really think he is an evil man. Sounds extreme, but he exudes this horrible energy. My neighbor's wife recently came over to argue that they had moved it back, shrunk it down even, and had the nerve to state we weren't specific enough in our request and that we should have gone back to them while they were building it to ask them to move it again. Seriously. Her head bobbing back and forth as she argued.

We complained to the management company that is in charge of our neighborhood. It's an incredibly long story but the following letter explains more of what has gone in with this issue.

I'm hoping that in the future (please let it be the near future) i will come across this blog and laugh at myself for being so upset and obsessed with this problem. I hope i can soon let it go. Because right now, it is always on my mind. And it is such a waste of time and energy. I have two beautiful boys and a husband to care for and think about and instead, everytime i look out my window, everytime i see said neighbor, even everytime i am away from the neighborhood and drive back towards home, my thoughts go straight to the shed and the hate and anger i feel. Absolutely ridiculous. Get over it, right? I can only hope.

Here's the letter we sent to the management company...


6 March 2007
Ms. L.W.
Chief Executive Officer
W. Management
their address

Ms. W:

We are writing to express our frustration and disappointment regarding Warren Management and M.G.’s handling of our grievance/concerns.

In July of 2006, we approached our neighbor at #### C Road, when we learned of his intention to build a shed on the property line between our houses. At that time, his plans had not been submitted. When landscaping plans were submitted, the shed was denied. We asked our neighbor to build the shed further back (east) behind the corner of his house. When our neighbor proceeded to build the shed in a location blocking our view we contacted W. Management for assistance.

For the past seven months we have been told by M.G. that 1) the shed has been denied; 2) our neighbor has the option of shrinking down the shed or moving it to the other side of his house.

In a series of conversations in December, Ms. G. told us the shed had been approved because the owner at #### called her and told her that we approved the shed. We expressed our concern as we had not approved and had no intention of doing so. Ms. G. then apologized saying she had confused our case with another case and that the shed was still denied and our neighbors would have to shrink or move it. As a result of this conversation with Ms. G., we sent an official letter of complaint regarding the shed as she said she needed our complaint in writing.

In January, Ms. G. informed us that if we approved of the shed in its current location, the DRC would approve it. We emphatically stated that we do not approve of the shed in its current location and were told by Ms. G. that W. Management would continue to pursue an agreeable resolution to this issue.

Late last month, said neighbor informed us that the shed had been approved. We contacted Ms. G. and she confirmed that the shed was approved.

This is unacceptable. At this point, we are not only upset about the shed itself, but W. Management’s handling of this matter. We should not have been given this information from the neighbor we are disputing. For seven months we have asked W. Management to enforce the covenants and protect our interests.

During the past seven months, we received very little communication from W. Management unless we persistently called to get Ms. G. on the phone. We should have been informed directly by W. Management that the shed had been approved and had an explanation provided. We were not informed of the reasons for the shed’s sudden approval until we called Ms. G. for an explanation.

The explanation given was that because a shed of similar size and location a few houses down was approved, this shed had to be approved too. We disagree that because a similar shed was approved that another has to be as well. The shed that was approved previously is on a larger lot and affects a home on a larger lot. That shed blocks one den window as opposed to multiple kitchen windows. And the shed was approved before anyone occupied the adjoining affected lot. W. Management failed to protect that future homeowner and now sees this as a precedent to continue?

As stated in the W.H. (neighborhood) Design Guidelines Section 8, 8.1.6, “Consideration of visual impact upon adjacent residences shall be given on all accessory structures.” Based on the fact that this approval was made purely on precedence, this was not considered in our case.

We are forced to continue paying dues to an association that does not look after the interests of homeowners, does not enforce its own covenants and after a matter of time simply caves to any requests.

We respectfully request that this issue be reexamined and the “impact upon adjacent residences” be given its necessary consideration.

Sincerely,