[VA] Dispute between neighbors in Del Ray

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is their kitchen window 2 feet from the property line? Did they bigfoot the lot?

You buy a house with a kitchen window a few feet from the property line, you get what you get. You can't build something on your property (kitchen window, deck, patio) and then tell your neighbor what they can and cannot build next to it.

Interestingly, one of the things that seems to have pissed off the architect is that the homeowners renovated the house he designed, and the article notes that renovation swapped the location of the kitchen and dining rooms. So, blocking their now kitchen windows seems to be payback for that. I'm thinking this guy should not be designing houses if he thinks his work should never be changed by future owners!

His motivation is immaterial. He has a right to do it - whether out of spite, or to store his prized antique car. He may be a jerk, but he has the right to do it.

His motivation may be immaterial to the question of whether he has a legal right to do it (although I don't know), but it's not immaterial to the discussion here, which encompasses the fact that he is a terrible person.

+1. Let his name be forever associated with this behavior on the internet that doesn't forget. I would never hire him.

He clearly is a vindictive jerk. Probably votes for Trump.

[Anonymous]

How many neighbors have an issue with "what is legal" vs. "what is the right thing to do"? Probably every last one of us. Which side you choose depends on which side you stand, doesn't it?

[Anonymous]

But they moved the kitchen to be that close to the edge and then are complaining about the view? Sorry, I find that kind of funny. I realize it would not be funny if it were me.

[Anonymous]

Gaver Nichols, architect. A name to remember.

[Anonymous]

Wait, isn't their own garage right next to their house on the other side? Their house is squished between their property line and their own garage! Did they never notice that?

Oh the irony.

[Anonymous]

This article is really interesting given that my neighborhood had a home that was built to high (it was really, really high). When we questioned the city they gave us the run around for months, claimed they had done a height survey and the house height was fine (not true) and that by the time they admitted fault, claimed too much time had passed to fix it. Someone in planning and zoming resigned over the issue. I wonder if something similar occurred here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But they moved the kitchen to be that close to the edge and then are complaining about the view? Sorry, I find that kind of funny. I realize it would not be funny if it were me.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, isn't their own garage right next to their house on the other side? Their house is squished between their property line and their own garage! Did they never notice that?

Oh the irony.

Did you read the article? The jerk neighbor built their house!

[Anonymous]

The placement of the. New garage is nonsensical. It seems he could easily place it up near the house and have a better placement. I have a detached garage at the back of my property, and would certainly prefer it near the house, but don't have the space to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. It seems shady that he was on a committee that helped change the setback distance.

I think that should have been a conflict of interest he probably should have disclosed to sit on that committee. I hope he wasn't paid, that could affect his license from VADPOR. If his neighbors wanted to get him back, they should report him for not acting ethically to the licensing board. It would probably make his life miserable for a while.

1 ft setback! How could any work be done on that side of the garage? How can it be built without going on the neighbor's property? i hate no fence deed restrictions and restrictions on type of fences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. It seems shady that he was on a committee that helped change the setback distance.

I think that should have been a conflict of interest he probably should have disclosed to sit on that committee. I hope he wasn't paid, that could affect his license from VADPOR. If his neighbors wanted to get him back, they should report him for not acting ethically to the licensing board. It would probably make his life miserable for a while.

1 ft setback! How could any work be done on that side of the garage? How can it be built without going on the neighbor's property? i hate no fence deed restrictions and restrictions on type of fences.

Meh. I live in a ghetto hood with tons of chain link. I wish we had restrictions on that shit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually think the couple who feel entitled to a view of his yard and are filming him are the asses here.

Agreed. If you want control over your view then go buy 50 acres somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think the couple who feel entitled to a view of his yard and are filming him are the asses here.

Agreed. If you want control over your view then go buy 50 acres somewhere.

Really? You think it's ok for him to buy a plot of land, petition to be allowed to build 3 houses on it, sell the houses to unsuspecting people, join a zoning board and help change the rules to allow himself to build a garage next to the property line, then purposely build his garage directly in front of their kitchen window? It may be legal but it is a very jerky move. I live in the neighborhood and see his signs all the time and I will never hire him after reading this.

[Anonymous]

I hope they have a very much mural painted on the garage when Nichols is away.

[Anonymous]

If they had bought the house with the current setback rules in place, I would have no sympathy for them, but they bought the property when the requirement was one thing and then Jerkitecht changed the rules, right?

I'm in Arlington, and there are rules about the distance between buildings and rules about the setback. A lot of the houses were grandfathered in. So your neighbor may have a house that comes within a yard of the property line, but you can't build something that does the same, because there has to be 12' (I think) between houses.