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By-Law officers killed my home business

11 years ago

By-Law officers killed my home business

Had a great little business going for the last few years. I worked out of my garage. I guess one of my neighbors saw that a bought a 335 BMW must have gotten jealous and reported me to the by-law officers. Bottom line I was given 30 days to stop if I continued I would get a $50,000 fine. I just switched to doing house calls so far not bad.

My little story.

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Comments (12)

andyma_gw
11 years ago
And the difference between your thing and a home office is..
1saxman
11 years ago
Not meaning to speak for Rolm, but in my area the difference is customers coming to your home in a residential district. This constitutes a zoning violation. You can sit in your house and buy and sell millions of dollars worth of securities, for example, and as long as that does not generate commercial traffic in the neighborhood, you're okay. Exceptions include special events like yard sales, that are individually licensed and limited to so-many per year.
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I like the room. The art is nicely selected although I, too am wondering what the pictures above the sofa would look like in your living room. The clock doesn't seem well balanced in relation to the other side of the art. The loveseat looks a little cramped and I think you should consider either replacing the nightstand or nixing it altogether and using a floor lamp in it's place (that might help solve the balance issue). I like the bookshelves but would like to move the oranges and lemons to the kitchen. I think the desk should be addressed. It looks a little um, rustic, so perhaps a refinish or a paint finish. I hope you don't get offended at my nit picking. I happen to like your style very much and with a little tweaking in a more risky fashion, I think your spaces can be really fabulous.
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I feel like lighting will make a HUGE difference. Usually when people say "busy" I imagine cluttered, but your decor looks intentional and your house looks lived in but not like a completely kitchy mess. I think it's just the light/contrast letting you down. So don't be so hard on yourself! I'm a photographer and the think that always stands out to me in houses that are really beautiful is how much light gives the spaces texture, definition, and brightness. Because you have darker floors and some darker pieces of furniture in some spaces they all kind of blend together and look really heavy even though they aren't packed too tightly. It's super easy to just plug whatever lamps you have into outlets and flip a light switch that turns on some lights on your ceiling and stop there, but I think the big difference between really put together living spaces and those that don't quite feel as polished is often the intentional use and choices of light. Layering lights at different levels, paying attention to task lighting, and being selective with fixtures can really make a huge difference. I've no where near perfected this in our house yet, but the few changes we've made in some rooms have really had a big impact. I think the right lighting in your home can do wonders and really help establish the ambiance you are going for.
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twelvegauge
11 years ago
This SO reminds me why I love living out in the country. Why, I can even pee in my front yard if I take a mind to.
KubotaMaster
11 years ago
Lmao @twelveguage!! Me too nuthing like a good piss off the front porch(or back if you choose) to get the day started.
roadbike
11 years ago
Your description was purposely vague so lets fill in the blanks. I am imagining car repair with parts and disassembled vehicles strewn about like some West Virginia wrecking yard. Probably have a refrigerator and couches on the porch too. Customers coming and going in a residential area. I sure would not want a mess like that next door. If you want to play car repair business then do it by the rules.
evdpgh
11 years ago
"Why, I can even pee in my front yard if I take a mind to."...So can I and I have lots of neighbors around. Of course the police have been here a couple of times to speak to me about it.
evdpgh
11 years ago
"By-Law officers killed my home business."...No the local zoning laws killed your business. The officers were only enforcing them.
rolm
Original Author
11 years ago
The Mobile business is better then I thought. I found the day is mush shorter The customers love to watch and I was given a battery powered lawnmower that worked perfect and I sold it for $220 "nice bonus" oh did I mention an almost new set of snows for free.

As the old saying says when you are given a bunch of "lemons make sweet lemonade"
lbpod
11 years ago
Sounds like the only thing you got to worry about now,
is the IRS.
twelvegauge
11 years ago
Nah, the IRS won't bother him in Canada.
rolm
Original Author
11 years ago
Revenue Canada (our IRS) is well looked after. My account said I can not write-off the BMW as a service vehicle. Oh well can't have everything. Now what if I towed a trailer just thinking.
twelvegauge
11 years ago
In my humble opinion, you would fall short of looking cool if seen towing a trailer with your BMW.

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