SebastianS

I have a neighbor who misuses his property and, as a result, if often trespassing on mine. I would not mind, if it were limited to the typical neighbor stuff, his property was not such a mess, and he showed some respect when I caught him at it. Instead, this person does nothing to maintain his property, and, if I day say anything to him, or the person(s) he is with at the time, I get attitude like I am in the wrong, nuts, a pest.

I recently had a big blow out with one of this guy's adult sons, and told him that that was it, they are barred from my property, and I will call the police the next time they trespass. I have also looked into getting restraining orders.

This situation is so absurd that I just have to ask. Am I in the wrong here???

I recently had to put a cat down because of serious digestive distress. At first I thought it might be string gut, but then realized that was not possible, based on the symptoms. Here is what happened:

After being hyper-active (normal for him) and being out prowling 20 hrs a day for several days, the cat was listless. Then he got really dopey -- sleepy, clumsy. He then went almost comatose for a day or more. He then woke up just a bit, and when he tried to eat or drink, would bring it up with a huge amount of fluid.

The vet said the cat may have just eaten something nasty while on the prowl, and gotten a bacterial infection, but my concern is that it was poison. But, what poison would result in these symptoms?

Several years ago, I moved into an old house, built during WWII, in what had been a working-class neighborhood. There was neither a front nor back garden. As I began landscaping, I realized how good the front yard was. I also realized there was a problem with the back.

One section of the back yard is particularly problematic. While certain native species of plants, and other hardy vegetation like ornamental grasses, will grow fine, other plants -- including columbine, dogwood -- will not tolerate the soil conditions. Shortly after planting, their leaves begin to go rust-colored, and then the plant slowly goes "rusty" and dies.

What is wrong with my soil? It is not well drained, and was originally all clay. I keep amending the soil, and it has had some effect (at one point I could not grow feverfew in that patch, and now can). Any ideas? Advice?

I live in a small detached home, and live between two neighbors who are useless idiots. Both have seriously lowered the tone of the block, broken major bylaws and brought trouble onto the street. They have no standards, or follow no codes, of behavior And both seem to be completely clueless about how to properly maintain their homes.

Neighbor A has been a real nuisance, and is a complete crook. Also his sons work as contractors, so they should know something about home maintenance. I have absolutely no intention of saying anything to this neighbor. Neighbor B is just really dumb, has obviously never owned a home, or probably lived in an actual house before now. So, while he has been a pain in the neck i do kind of feel sorry for him and his wife and kids, because, if they do not step up and start maintaining their home, they will be faced with tens of thousands of dollars in repair bills, will not be able to pay, and will have to just sell the house as property and move into an apartment, or most likely move in with her long-suffering parents.

On the one hand Neighbor B has been a real pain. He is ghetto -- playing really loud music, tinkering with crap cars every second of his spare time, having all his friends (who live in public housing or basement apartments) over to work on their cars, going out to party instead of staying home and taking care of the house -- which is the main reason he is getting into this mess. On the other, when he and his wife realize that they are being nuisances they do stop what they are doing. It is just that they are not very smart, and their capacity to think is pretty limited, so it is always a case of their doing something wrong, then someone pointing out that they should not be doing this, and their stopping.

Neighbor B has had vermin issues, has only closed his crawlspace vents during the winter two years out of seven, has only weatherproofed his deck once, has done no point work on his foundation (there are major cracks, even holes, everywhere), has never checked under his large deck for issues, and did nothing to permanently repair an issue with the exterior wall of his extension. He also piles snow against his house, even against the section than needs repair. Finally, and most urgently, his roof needed replacing last year. The very cheap shingles put on more than ten years ago, are starting to decay, and even fall off the roof. So, the railings of his deck are starting to fall apart, the deck and front-porch stairs are uneven and rickety, etc., etc. The house, which started off looking much better than mine when we both moved in, just looks a disgrace., here is the question:

Would you go out of your way to give this guy some much-needed advice RE maintenance, like pointing out what should be very obvious ("Your shingles are blowing off in the March wind dude!"), or would you forget about it?

If the latter, why? Would it be because he is a pain, and deserves everything he gets? Because you would be rid of the guy sooner rather than later? Or, just because there is no point?

I have a very old wood-frame house that has siding -- the main part of the house is in vinyl, and a back addition is aluminum.

My lazy idiot neighbor, whose driveway is four feet away from the one side of my house, piles some of his snow up on my property, and against my house. He should be pushing his snow either down to his front lawn or up to his back lawn, but does not do this because, well, he is lazy, and because he stockpiles cars in his drive, and one blocks off his garden.

This has not been a huge issue since we both moved in several years ago, because the winters were not all that snowing, and we had enough melts to prevent to snow from building up. However, this year we got so much snow, and so few warm day, and I now have snow piled up four feet against my house, on one side. And now, we are getting forecasts for super meltdowns and rain. I am now a little concerned.

What problems, if any, are presented by the snow being built up higher than the breeze block foundation and up against the siding?

(Btw, I hope this is never an issue again -- I plan to build a fence on both sides of my property, because both neighbors are idiots, who do not respect private property or privacy. It is just I want to know how concerned I should be about this issue this year.)

Thanks in advance.

I have an old house, built during WWII. It is detached, small, with a pitched roof that pitches toward the front and back yards. Here is the layout of my street:

Looking at the fronts of the houses and going from left to right, you have House A, a 4-ft border belonging to House A, the 6-7 foot-wide driveway for House B, House B, the 4-ft border belonging to House B, etc.

I want to fence in my property, because my neighbors on both sides misuse their properties, and this often results in their trespassing on mine, and posing a threat to the integrity of my houses structure, etc.

I have checked bylaw and know that I have the right to put in a fence on both sides, with the fence being 6 feet high for the backyard, and for the length of the house, and then 3 ft high from the end of the house down to the end of my property line, near the street.

I am ready to go this coming year, but I have one concern, and it is this:

If I put the fence up 6 ft high just inside the property-line on my border side, I will only have just over 3.5 ft clearance between the house and the fence.

Is this enough room for workers -- contractors fixing or putting on new siding, roofers, window installers, etc. -- to work?

My house is one level, with a crawl space -- no raised basement, or anything like that -- so, even though it has a pitched roof, it is 30 ft tops from the ground to the point of my roof.

And, yes, there is enough clearance on the other three sides of my house -- my driveway, the front yard, and the back.

If you are a contractor, or work in the industry, please let me know your opinion -- whether or not really hate working within such a restriction, for example -- not just if it is "doable". I want to be sure that I am not going to have trouble getting a contractor to do work because I created such a cramped space. Also, anyone else, if you have a similar situation -- like there is near-zero space between your and your neighbor's house -- let me know how you handled it, and how it worked out.

Thanks in advance.

This may sound like a dumb question, but....

Back when I was a kid and teenager, beds with box springs were much heavier -- the box spring was more solidly constructed and built with heavier wood. And typically people screwed legs into the box spring frame.

A few years ago, I bought a queen-sized bed with box spring, and did what most people do -- I got a metal bed frame to put the box spring on. The metal frame is no longer a good idea, because I live in a very old house with untreated wood floors, and the plastic wheels would leave impressions on the floor (I want to remove the carpet now under the bed).

Can I screw legs into the box frame, as they used to do back in the day? If so, do I need to be careful of anything? OR, is it just a good idea to keep the metal frame and find another solution RE the floor? Any comments and suggestions appreciated.

OK, this question is pretty much based on my own experiences, but is still hypothetical.

If you had a set of problem neighbors on your street -- who had no respect for anyone else; seemed to be acting like a gang, and trying to dominate the street; was doing things that lowered the tone of the street (and were doing this either because they were trying to sabotage the community or were complete morons); inconveniencing you at every turn; thumbing noses at every regulation (bylaw, even some lesser laws) -- how far would you go to get to the point where they finally got the message, gave in, and said "uncle"?

Would you snitch to the tax department (if you knew they were cheating left, right and center)?

Would you hammer them with every conceivable bylaw and law -- calling the fire department, child protection services, animal control, whatever necessary?

Would you hire a detective agency to get all the dirt on one or more of these people?

Would you sue one or more of them -- taking them to court over one or more issue?

Would you just do the detective work yourself, and then confront the neighbors, or engage in a borderline smear campaign?

A few points to remember RE this hypothetical question:

First, you are way more intelligent than this group, and have many more resources than they do. Most of the above options would not even make you break a sweat.

Second, the authorities -- bylaw, the police, etc. -- have done a half-hearted job in dealing with these people, even though they are major scofflaws.

Third, the problem crowd refuses to get the message, seeing you as being in the wrong, and keeps doing things that serious inconvenience, even endanger you.

Fourth, the problem crowd is composed of people who are really Complete Loser types, who are not only poor, dumb, uneducated, with twisted priorities, but who do not even have a basic sense of self-preservation, making them major liabilities to your community.

What would you do?

It is Sunday, barely past morning, I have had another person literally banging on my door, selling something or trying to get me to join his church (I rarely answer the door, and did not this time).

I am getting really tired of this, particularly the habit of pounding on the door. I keep my screen door locked, and it is 80% class, so pounding hard on it could break the glass, and leave me with a mess to clean up and a repair to make and/or pay for.

One does not invite these people onto one's property, yet they turn up regularly, and then act as if they have a right to talk to you, even come into your house.

There is a similar problem with phone soliciting -- if cold callers cannot get you on the phone, or get a yes from you, then they just keep calling, as many as three or four times a day.

Does anyone out there have a unique way to deal with these kinds of problems?

I really resent the invasion of my privacy, and the fact that people are trespassing, creating a disturbance, and risking damaging MY property.

I have just had the second or third incident where I got reported to the "Community". In all those cases, this was because I snarked because the Asker was breaking community guidelines. Rather than report the Asker, I snarked, and then I got nailed.

After the one incident, I swore that I would be sure to report an inappropriate question, if that question was offense in some way (btw, I find it absurd that someone who snarks at offensive questions is the one who is penalized). Anyway...

Should one report questions in which the asker is not so much asking for help a guidance RE homework, but is actually asking people to do his homework? (Most of us know these questions -- a series of multiple choice questions, or an obvious essay question.) And, what do you think the moderators will do about such reporting?

Asking someone else to do your homework is plagiarism, and plagiarism is unethical, and breaks codes of behavior at learning institutions (and can result in a student being expelled and a graduate being stripped of his qualification).

Over the last week we got our first snow fall. It was nothing big -- just an inch or two -- but it, and the cold was enough to keep my cats inside. Up until that point, they were spending a big part of the day, and night, outside.

One cat was a feral kitten, the other a stray, and both are very fussy about territory. Back when I kept them inside (different times), each was very fussy about using the litter box -- fussing to bury any leavings, etc. The cats have been out and about for a year now, and a very particular about where they do their business outside -- in the good weather they would travel at least a few gardens away to do anything, and would certainly never do anything in my garden. Now both are stuck inside, and they are together, and they are having a problem reverting back to using their litter boxes.

The female is not so bad -- she will use the litter box -- but, still will only go when she absolutely has to. The tom just will not use the litter box. He will wait several, even 12, hours before forcing himself outside to brave the wind and snow to find a place to pee or poop.

Should I be concerned? And, what, if anything, can I do to ease these guys back into using the litter box(es)?

Btw, I have two litter boxes, side by side, in a room dedicated to the cats. Both cats will eat the food and drink the water in this room, and will use the climbing tree, but, when it comes to the litter boxes, the tom just will not use them. Also, it is just not practical to put a litter box anywhere else, and I do not think it would help RE the tom -- if he is not going to use the existing setup, he will not use a litter box, period.

It is going to get a lot colder and snowier over the next few months. Will my tom break down and just do it, or could I be looking at an eventual health crisis caused by his holding on too long?

On my street the space between homes is tight. You have about ten to 12 feet -- six-seven of driveway for one house, and four feet of grass border for the other -- between one home and the next.

My neighbors on my driveway side had a basement leak which required waterproofing of the foundation. This meant a four-foot wide six-foot deep trench all along the border of the top part of my driveway.

They seemed to do a decent job, excavating a refilling the ditch, and we have had plenty of rain since the work was done, which should have helped the ground settle.

This excavation was done in July-August, and I want to be able to drive my car up beside the house during the snowy months. A number of services run under either my driveway or my neighbor's grass border, including natural gas, water, and the shared sewer line.

Will it be safe for me to park my car -- a Honda CRV, on the part of the driveway along side the site of the excavation? Is there any risk of the ground shifting from this?

These are old home, the ground -- when not amended -- is clay, and so everything should be pretty solid under my driveway, but I want to be pretty sure it is safe.

My house has siding -- part of the house has aluminum siding, and part vinyl. My windows have these weird little overhangs, which I assume are there to limit the amount of water that runs down the siding and along the window frame (btw, most of my windows are on the sides of my house that do not have eaves over them -- I have a high-pitch roof, with eaves on the two opposite sides).

When I started really looking at my house, a year after I first moved in, I realized that there had been some caulking around those overhangs. However, I was never sure if this was correct.

Should those things be left alone, should they be caulked, or should only parts be caulked? If only parts, then which parts?

I have two cats, a female who is cool and a tom who is a giant jackass.

One of the big problems with the tom is that he must be outside prowling at dawn. This was OK in the warmer weather, because he would go out before I went to bed, and just stay out all night. However, when it is raining or cold out, he will not go out. He comes to sleep by me, and then ends up waking me up just before dawn, because he can hear the birds or other cats outside.

He will rush from window to window, howl, climb all over me, and harass the other cat. I then have to wake myself up enough to get him outside, which often involves me trapping him and throwing him out the door because it is toooo cold or rainy for his delicate self, and when HE gets to the door he suddenly decides he would rather not. I then never really get back to sleep.

Anyone out there have any experience with this? Is there a solution to controlling such a cat?

I go through weeks being sleep-deprived because of this. Also, I do not like just tossing him out (have visions of another big angry tom waiting just around the corner and tearing him to shreds), and worry one of us is going to get hurt in our pre-dawn chases around the house.

All suggestions welcome. A giant jackass of a marmalade tabby is an optional additional prize (JKD).

Several years ago, I moved into a neighborhood in a transitional community. I thought I knew this area well, and, while I knew there were certain problems, I did not think they were all that bad, and figured they would improve. The problem is that things are getting worse and worse, not by the year, or month or week, but by the day.

The homes in my section of the community are semi-historical, and are relatively small and inexpensive for the greater metro area. At another stage in the evolution of the community (which I think is now going to be at least several years down the line) these houses would be considered quaint and interesting, and would attract a gentrification trend. However over the last decade or two, they have just attracted dumb poor people who have no job options, so just end up starting really crappy businesses, which they run out of their properties. This is against bylaw, and causes all sorts of issues. And, as house prices, and taxes, rise, more and more people are moving in just to exploit the situation, and bank a property, with no concern for the people around them.

There are still many decent people living in the street, and nearby streets, but they are slowly getting pushed out. I have been fighting this trend of bylaw-breaking, and have gotten to be known in the area. Over the last couple of years several things have happened that make me wonder if I am being targeted for retaliation. First, one of my cats was injured. At the time I thought he was clipped by a car, but I am now thinking he was kicked. Roughly a year later, he was let out and came back smelling of gas, as if he had been doused. Over the last three months my property -- and only mine -- has been egged twice. The last time was today -- the back of my car was covered in egg.

A few things to note here. First, I did not set out looking for trouble. When I moved in things were not all that bad, but the people who lived in the house before me were pushovers, and the trouble-making neighbors who lived around or near me thought they could push it with me, because I was single, and rarely around at first. As a result, I had issues with people trespassing, blocking my driveway, and on and on. Also, there are a few properties where the residents are colluding and encouraging people to come in and break bylaw. It is as if they are trying to drive certain people out of the area with some big plan in the works.

I have been in frequent communication with the city (city Councillor, bylaw department, etc.) and the police, and nothing seems to work. I even once called the police about someone visiting me being harassed, and was told to suck it up or move away. So, here is my question -- a kind of survey:

At what point would you throw in the towel?

I have a habit of standing my ground, and fighting until the bitter end, and, while I usually beat the other party, I always walk away feeling drained and depressed, which makes it not so much a win, unless you consider a kamikaze pilot to "have won".

What would you suggest i do? Move on? Kick the fight up a few notches? Play dirty?

I am at my wits end, and feel like I have been fighting this forever.

I live in a house that is old, on a street of mostly old homes -- built during or just after WWII. Because of this, there are some weird situations RE property lines and services (water, sewage).

I recently had a weird experience when I tried to sort out issues regarding the waterline. The waterline is actually shared with my one neighbor, and the line splits off between or properties. The point at which that line connects to the city/regional water line is on my property (on my driveway, and so runs partially up my drive before running on my neighbor's property, then splitting off, with the line running to my house running under my driveway to the house).

In doing some checking, with the city (which dictates building code) and the region (which still provides the water service itself), I discovered that it is no longer acceptable to have a shared line. As long as the line is not altered, we are fine, but the minute a repair is done, or change is made, each house has to then have its own water line running off the main line. My neighbors are provided with a dummy line -- a connection all ready for them to use -- on their property. So, if we ever need to replace the water line, we are good to go -- I use the connection on my driveway, and run the line under my driveway, and my neighbor uses his connection, on his front lawn and runs the water line along the side of his house. This seems pretty straightforward and logical. Here is the problem.

Whenever I discussed this with someone from the city (in the Building Inspection department) or someone from the region (the water board), he would always talk about an easement, and how I would have to prove the non-existence of an easement in order to be able to basically deny my neighbor the right to run his waterline -- any part of it -- under my property.

I do not understand this. Surely, if an easement is required for something, it is up to the people who would benefit from that easement (my neighbors in this case) and anyone who would want to work under the assumption of that easement (the city and region) to prove the existence of an easement. The onus is not on me to prove the non-existence of an easement, surely.

Am I right or wrong here?

Please note that, because my section of the community was built so long ago, and even updates of services were done quite a while ago, there is little documentation about how everything is laid out. Even easements may be difficult to find and confirm.

Also, yes, I do plan on getting a full survey next year, because I plan on putting up a fence, and redoing by driveway, which should resolve some serious issues RE trespassing. The survey should reveal any easements (and I know I have one already RE electricity and pole at the bottom of my backyard), but still, why would I be responsible for proving none exist? And, how could I do this anyway? Proving the existence of an easement can reach a definitive if open conclusion -- if you cannot find evidence of an easement after a certain period of time and a certain amount of work, then none exists -- whereas trying to prove the non-existence of an easement is never conclusive.

When I bought my house, I inherited an ugly makeshift shed that, while well-constructed in terms of the framing and roof, was poorly finished using leftover materials and paint from other construction and fix-it jobs.

Rather than using wood planks or plywood on the exterior of the shed, the builder used chip or flake board. He then slapped on some weird colored reddish paint that looks half paint half stain. This paint was also used on the roof edges -- the wood under the roof shingles.

Figuring I would get rid of the shed sooner or later, I did not bother doing anything to it. Over the last few years I noticed flaking of the paint, and the paint and chip board. Recently, after a few days of heavy heavy rain, I noticed that the patio stones in front of the shed are showing red blotches, as if paint was dripped on them. All I can figure is that the flaking paint is being washed off the shed wall, deposited on the stones, and then the extreme damp is causing the flakes to liquify.

However, also, it seems that the roof, under the shingles, were also painted with this half-paint half-stain, and now, with the heavy rains, it seems the paint is bleeding out and hitting the ground.

I am concerned because this is not good for the environment and my garden soil, but also because my shed is very close to my property line and my neighbor's driveway, exactly where he parks his car. I do not need to have to pay for paint repairs because of a previous owners stupidity and my indifference. So, my questions are:

Is this really happening, and why? And, what can I do about it with winter approaching?

Remember, this is chipboard painted over, with both the paint and the chipboard now flaking. Also, I can afford neither the money nor time to replace this shed or do a major reconstruct. On top of this, the shed is right on the property line, and while I can probably keep it where it is because of a grandfather clause in the bylaw, once i tear that shed down, I would have to relocate it.

I have a 2005 Honda CR-V, and since getting the vehicle I have always just cleaned the interior -- including the mats -- well, before putting down the winter mats. Recently, I heard something that makes me wonder if this is not the right thing to do.

Someone told me that, actually, you should remove the summer mats, because, during the winter, melting snow can result in a great deal of moisture, and, if you have the winter mats sitting on top of the summer mats, it can create condensation (prevent the moisture from evaporating fast enough) and promote damage.

Should I actually be removing my summer mats, cleaning the floors well, and THEN laying down the winter mats? OR is it better to leave the summer mats under the winter one? If so, why?

I have nightmare neighbors, and have several issues on my street -- some caused by them, some caused by the fact that my street is basically a main road, near some places of worship, and strip malls -- which I keep wrestling with City Hall to get addressed. This is one of the big problems:

My road runs east to west, and I am on the north side. The houses on my side of the street have separate private driveways, with the driveway being on the west side of the property, and the west edge being right on the property line.

The neighbor to the west of me has somehow managed -- despite clear regulations against it -- to widen his driveway so that it is almost triple-wide. My driveway is a very narrow single width (if you have seen residential areas built before the 1950's, you will understand how narrow these can be). Our lots are 40' wide, so the triple-wide entrance of my neighbor means that there is little curb space in front of his house. The largest car that could be parked there, while still parking the car right to the edge of both driveways, is something like a Honda Fit or Nissan Versa. Anything larger is going to park over someone's entrance, and it is always mine that at least gets bumpered.

People who come to park on our side of the street see my neighbor's entrance in front of them, and do not want to block it in any way, pay no attention with what is happening with the rear end of their cars, and so end up partially blocking my drive, or at least parking right to the edge of the west side of my driveway entrance. Also, of note, there is parking permitted on both sides of the street, AND my street is just off what is basically a regional highway, so there is a great deal of traffic, and cars often traveling at high speeds.

As I wrote above, my driveway is still the narrow single width, though I did recently widen the entrance on the east side. So, parking tight to the edge of my entrance can be a problem at the best of times. I do plan to widen my driveway, but restrictions because of a street lamp mean that my new driveway will only be the width of a more modern single-wide.

I have done some initial research, and have yet to see specific details RE clearance of a driveway entrance (typical lack of clarity RE bylaw, building inspection, etc., in my municipality), but I figured that, before I dig deeper, I might as well take a quick survey here. This is my question:

In your municipality, what are the laws/regulations regarding how close you can park to the edge of a driveway entrance? Right to the very edge? If not, how much clearance is required?And, even if the law or bylaw permits this, would it not be basic/common courtesy to not park right to the edge of someone's entrance, especially when that entrance is very narrow?

I own an old home, built during WWII. It was originally intended as temporary housing, but was never replaced. So, of course, they did not use the best materials. It is wood-frame, and originally the outside material was a kind of board that looks like roof shingles, but with that gross brick-like pattern that fools no one.

There were two additions to the house, built onto the back, and one is a sun room. I want to open up the walls, by stripping off the paneling, and the paneling and old gypsum board it is over on the other side of the wall, to reveal the skeleton of that wall. I want to do this to improve airflow and heat/cool-air distribution. However, I pulled back the paneling in the sun room, on what was once the outside wall, and discovered that some, but not all, of the cladding, or whatever you call that material, was removed, it was just paneled over. So, I have three questions RE this:

First, what is that material called -- the cladding on the outside of a house, that looks life roof shingles?

Second, is this material dangerous? Does it contain, say, asbestos, or is it safe for me to remove on my own, without any special precautions?

Third, if it is dangerous, because it contains asbestos, or something like it, how bad is it to have it sitting between what is now an inside wall? ( I have cut a legal-paper size hole to reveal what is going on.)