Update on our landscape situation

13 years ago

Many of you may remember my post from early last week about our builder taking down the trees in our yard and the upset neighbors.

Well, almost a week has gone by and the situation is looking better, but still stinks.

The good news - most of the neighbors have been pretty nice and once everything is in place I think things will be fine. We have one mean, kind of known to be a bit unbalanced neighbor who I think would find a problem no matter what we do. However, by agreeing to put a privacy fence on her side (in lieu of greenery in front of existing chain link) I will hopefully get her approval). The rest that I've spoken with have been friendly and willing to work with us and give constructive feedback on our plans.

The bad news - we didn't realize it, but as part of our historic district we were supposed to get approval to remove any trees (even scrappy, weed trees grown through lack of upkeep) and for any landscape plans. We are pretty pissed at our builder for this as he should have done the due diligence to know this. We should have also, but he is supposed to cross the t's and dot the i's and check out all city/district codes for building.

Now, we need to go in front of our historic district committee to get approval for our plan going forward. The HDC has some real a** holes on it who get a power trip and I'm sure will try to scold us like bad children. Yes, we made a mistake and we admit it. I've suffered with lack of sleep, guilt, being unable to eat, and was on the verge of a panic attack last week. I still feel bad, but I know we're doing the best we can to make the situation better. Do I need some jerks, none of whom even live in the district to scold me further? Not really. But, it is what it is and we're hoping to have some letters from neighbors saying they are good with the plan to make the approval easier.

More bad news - we will end up spending much more on our landscaping than we planned. This with a project that is already costing much more than we expected in a terrible real estate market. While excited about our house, we are regretting the decision to build. We are now going through and trying to figure out ways to cut costs in other areas - going with porcelain instead of marble in master bath, perhaps not installing our free standing tub right away, not painting everything immediately, etc.

We will get through this although it has created additional strain with the builder and stress on the entire project. It will also hold up being able to build our garage. We can't build it until we put in the big trees we now have to put in the backyard. We can't put in the big trees until we get approval from the HDC on August 3.

Thank you again to all of you for your supportive words last week. I will keep you posted. Keep your fingers crossed we do get approved when we go in to the HDC.

Rachel

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Comments (10)

flwrs_n_co
13 years ago
Rachel, I'm so glad you posted an update as I've been wondering how things have been going for you this week. It's good to hear that most of your neighbors are working with you on your landscaping. Why does every neighborhood have one cranky soul who gets their jollies from making everyone else miserable? I'll keep my fingers (and toes) crossed that everything goes well for you with the historic district approval board. Hopefully they'll be pleased with your plans and realize that although you made a mistake, you're doing your level best to improve the property and the area property values. Best of luck and please post another update!
eustacem
13 years ago
Sorry to hear about your troubles. It's so frustrating to have to deal with the town councils, etc. sometimes. I always feel so torn about it; we have our property which is our own little corner of the earth (and which we often pay dearly for) and then there are all these rules about what we can do with it. And I see why there need to be rules but sometimes it seems excessive.

It sounds like you are going way out of your way to do the right thing and I'm hoping that the historical committee will see that too. Best of luck to you and thanks for the update.
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Hey Reed I cant remember if you saw my earlier post or not. If you did You know I just went through this. It was final about 2 months ago. I know exactly how you are feeling. I have and had huge faith and trust in God that he would make things better. even if you arent a believer trust me that it does get better. The pain fades, the time goes by, youll have good days and bad days.but take comfort in knowing that this isnt the end of the world. If you arent dead you arent done. There is lots of life ahead and if you can see beyond the now it does look a lot better. Ironically I have a better relationship with my ex than I did in the final years of our marriage. I think the single most important piece of advice is I can give is to spend as much time with the kids as you can. Find time to call them when you dont have them. I call my kids minimum 2-3 times per day when they arent with me. Equally I have them call their mom also when I have them. Help take them to school and events if you can. Even though its not "your "day to have them ,spending just a few minutes a day makes all the difference. Email me if you need and advice or suggestions. Just remember. It does get better. Mike
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I'm just now seeing this post. Seeing pics of your many birds and hearing about their antics has been enjoyable, although I feel for poor little Scout. I hope that you'll continue to keep us posted on them all, as I'm a huge lover of birds of all kinds. I'm loving the landscape progress, too. Regarding Xeriscaping with rocks, gravel, etc. It gained great popularity here in New Mexico, as it did in many other arid and semi-arid locals across the Southwest, back in the early-Eighties. This was when I was studying to become a Master Gardener. I still recall many of my instructors telling us that people would soon see "the dark side" of using rock as mulch in their xeriscaped yards. And we did. On one hand, it's very practical, but even with the best weed barrier put down underneath, you'll end up with weeds within a year. That's because the wind will always blow dirt in, which settles down between your rocks, gravel, etc., thus creating a good environment for many weeds. The heat from our intense southwest sun is absorbed by the rocks, gravel, etc. It can easily create an environment too hot/ harsh for many flowers to do well, but our feisty, tough SW weeds seem to thrive on it. Yes, the accumulated dirt may be shallow, but those tricky weed roots can easily grow sideways to take hold. So then you're stuck with what to do with the accumulating dirt between the gravel, etc. You can, of course, pull out the weeds as they sprout, but you'll eventually need to shovel up the rocks -especially if you're using gravel or the crusher fines- get rid of the accumulated dirt around them and start over again. Gardening here in the Southwest can be trying, to say the least! I've used the crusher fines. I've used larger rock. I've left the dirt exposed. There are pros and cons to them all, but you end up with weeds, regardless (LOL). What works for me here is to forego the weed barrier and just use several inches of treated bark mulch around my plants. The blown in dirt just drops down to the dirt below. I add more bark on top every couple of years. It works for me, But regardless of what you go with, invest in a good narrow headed, long-handled weeding pronged rake for working around your cacti. The breezes and winds also blow in trash that is much easier to pull out with the right tool. Those cactus spines are vicious!
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@ junco ... it CAN ... but .... A garden, per se, can be a random collection of plants that need no justification for their being included in a garden other than that their owner wants them. A landscape is a highly specialized garden in which the plants are usually part of a larger structure of plants, and specific demands are made on their abilities (to screen, produce shade, avoid looking bad, be maintainable at certain sizes, be permanent, etc.) In a non-landscape garden, very frequently the number one criteria for plant selection is its flowers. In a landscape garden, that is often the last criteria to justify selection. If one is buying plants and asking where they can be planted, that is likely gardening. If one has a place for a plant and is asking what plant will best work in that position, that is likely landscaping. A garden CAN be an adornment for a home, but it requires that one be more discriminating about what plants are chosen and where they are placed. Sometimes it can be very charming, but on the other hand it sometimes comes with higher maintenance. MOST people do not want to put forth the effort so gardens, per se, usually only work out well for a small percentage of people.
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weissman
13 years ago
Just curious, what can the HDC do besides scold you? They can't exactly make you put the dead trees back :-)
rjr220
13 years ago
thanks for the update -- I'm glad the neighbors have softened. I feel your pain, having previously lived in a historic neighborhood and having to wait HOURS for a simple approval to come up . . . .
michiganrachel
Original Author
13 years ago
The HDC could fine us, but the city planner feels like he'd rather us put the money into trees than pay any fines.

At least we won't have to wait hours. We will probably be just about the only things on the agenda.
ebean
13 years ago
if there are fines, make your contractor pay them. or take them off the bill. he should have known better. just accentuate the positive! good luck.
kitchenaddict
13 years ago
Hi Rachel..

I was reading your post to my husband, and the first words out of his mouth were, "She should sue her builder." I don't know if this is good advice or not. He's not a lawyer. But maybe the fines you are charged should at least be paid by your builder.

KA:)
marthavila
13 years ago
Sorry to hear about these bumps in your road, Rachel! Still, the fact that most of the neighbors have calmed down and, in fact, are now working with you on your plans is really helpful. Plus, it looks like the hold-out curmudgeon will be mollified by a privacy fence. So that leaves the HDC as your biggest worry for the moment. Have you talked with any of the friendlier neighbors about how best to work with the HDC? Who will be making your case before that body? You, your builder? A landscaper? I ask because here in NYC, for example, homeowners in historic districts who are looking for the city preservation commission to approve exterior alterations, usually retain the services of an architect and/or builder who has a track record of getting plans approved before that body. If you've not already considered bringing in an outside "expert" to help you make your case with these plans, you might want think about doing that.

Good luck!
plllog
13 years ago
I could say a lot, but not sure you need any of it. Instead, I'll just send

(((((HUGS)))))
twosit
13 years ago
You never know what will happen with your neighbors. In my old neighborhood, we had some friends who had built on an interior lot. There was nothing behind them for quite a while. They got quite used to all their privacy when suddenly the lot behind them was staked out and a house was going in. They were pretty upset and did a lot of complaining. There was nothing they could do...until the soon to be new neighbors built a play house for their kids. It was adorable--quite well done, and a miniature version of the house they were building. Our friends complained to the neighborhood association--it was against the covenants to have anything like that without approval. Of course, there was a lot of bad feelings between the two families. They could see eachother from their kitchen windows--yet they did not speak.
Making a long story short...they ended up being best friends!! I mean really close friends. You just never know how things will turn out. I hope you and your husband end up with a similar ending.

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