Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/07/22/man-saws-neighbors-garage-in-h.html
…
4 Likes
Self Help.
4 Likes
That escalated quickly
17 Likes
You need permits to modify an accessory structure.
If he had to access any part of his neighbors property in order to perform this stunt, that’s trespass. Because he did so without permission and in order to vandalize, that’s criminal trespass.
I think a mean spirited attorney could make an even longer list of civil and criminal charges.
19 Likes
-
I find these situations weird, why is there never a peaceful solution available? I mean if I found out that part of my garage was on the neighbor’s property, I’d want to find a solution too…not just say “fuck it, what’r ya gonna do?”
-
That video had to be one of the most painful things to watch, I want to saw someone’s garage in half now after having watched it. I implore you @frauenfelder find ANYTHING else to link to for the story, but remove that horrendous video.
25 Likes
I suspect that reasonable people resolve similar disputes all the time in ways that don’t make the news.
But when you have not one but two unreasonable people involved in such a situation things get ugly fast…
20 Likes
Are you from this town in Maine? Because zoning laws vary from township to township and state to state.
Plenty of work can be done by a property owner on their structures and home without permits being required in many places. I also find it odd you are taking the side of the person who built their garage partially on someone else’s property. I can understand seeing them both as assholes, but one is clearly more wrong than the other.
3 Likes
I’m a little angry at that useless “video.” Just post a still.
26 Likes
Is there any way we can saw that video in half?
26 Likes
Yes, the one who destroyed property without following process is the bigger asshole for escalating. Generally even a structure built out of compliance can’t be destroyed without some type of court process. A surveyor’s line doesn’t change that. A surveyor can’t account for claims of adverse possession or other finer details of ownership and property laws.
12 Likes
I don’t think there is any incorporated area in the US where you can demolish half a building and leave the other half standing without a permit. Or with a permit for that matter, unless it is part of a permitted complete reconstruction that will result in a non-hazardous structure at the end.
According to the linked article, the person who built the house is now dead, and was friendly with the sawzall weilder. The dispute is with the new residents of the house, who are apparently renters, so wouldn’t have been expected to do a property survey before purchasing. Also, it was originally a single lot and was divided at some point, its unclear if that was before or after the offending structure was built, but it is certainly possible the owner of the now half-garage has some implied legal right of use to the property. It sounds like there is even more backstory to how this went down, but based on what I have heard, the dude with the sawzall is probably the most wrong.
Yeah, that’s totally not how that works.
11 Likes
Did you read the same article that I did? It seems they did try to resolve this in other methods and it…shall we say, fell on deaf ears. I am not stating the Brawns are angels oin this scenario…but I find their actions less reprehensible than the Ritter’s who clearly for years have just been the worst.
@ejeffrey it depends on what type of out building it is and the zoned definition of “structure”. In some places the zoning will state that a structure that needs a permit is one with a foundation. A garage may not fit the bill depending on how it is built. I do not know the specifics of the zoning laws of this town, I suspect neither do you. So my statement still holds…it can vary from place to place and perhaps such an “alteration” may not warrant a permit.
2 Likes
Good thing the dog wasn’t napping on the property line at the time.
13 Likes
All I can say is Maine… the way life should be. Or not. The Bangor Daily News had another article about a guy using his tractor to plow up a gravel road because the town treated it like a public road and he thought it was private. This is yeah… pretty typical stuff for Maine. We pretty much leave you alone until you fuck with us, then we get out the power tools and start rearranging the view.
13 Likes
And if he had gone through the legal channels to have it torn down, I would still be on his side, but instead he destroyed a building and created a hazard without legal standing. If it is an area covered by zoning he can reach out to the local zoning board and give the survey as evidence to have the government compel the demolition… If it is an unzoned township, then it is a court matter. Even if the structure is completely illegal and the residents were assholes, he destroyed their property. They deserve the chance to challenge his survey or present other claims on ownership. If my neighbors throw a party and their guests park in my drive, I can have their car towed, but I can’t smash the thing to pieces.
7 Likes
I find it amazing how some people can justify not using or using the legal system at hand based on what ideals suit them.
Eventually people being taken from get sick of being taken advantage of and sometimes decide to take matters into their own hands. Whether that is between two neighbors or on a more national scale.
We can agree to disagree and move along.
1 Like
I dodged the video, but a lot of them you can set the speed to 2x’s. I either waste half the time watching that sort of video, or waste my time watching twice as many worthless videos, depending how you look at it.
3 Likes
I’m surprised I have to be the first to point out a major inaccuracy in the article:
That garage was not “cut in half” That’s got to be at least two thirds of a garage left there. Maybe even three fourths.
15 Likes
I wonder how long that channel will last?
They’re scraping stories off of news sites and turning them into videos. (I bet I even know the Python package that they use to extract the text and images from the news article pages.)
I doubt that they have permission, and will eventually gain copyright strikes. Still, they must have a model that lets them cash out revenue before that happens. And then they’ll pop back up again.
eta: Hm. Joined May 13, 2009. Someone’s old account got hacked and repurposed?
5 Likes
Hey, at least it was COVID-free (even though it mentioned COVID more than an actual new report on COVID would).
1 Like
