4.11.2012

.What a roller coaster ride.

Remember when I wrote this brief post about having a rough week?--I was pretty vague and did not include any detail of the home improvement project I mentioned. Well today I am going to explain and at the end of it, ask you for prayer.

First, a little background:

Adam and I bought our home in June 2011 and have dreamed of having a fenced in backyard. Last Summer we had different fencing companies visit our home to give us estimates. We were horrified at the prices we were told and knew it was not the time to begin this very grand project.

Since then, Adam and I have been saving our money wisely and working extra hours (for him at the office, and for me keeping the girls I nanny over the weekend) to buy a fence, a big wooden beautiful privacy fence. We successfully reached our goal in March 2012 and were thrilled to inquire about the fence with the companies we contacted almost a year ago. After a meeting or two, we planned out the perfect fence to give us privacy and a yard where Colden (our dog) and his friends could run free.

We encountered our first problem when the men from utilities came out and marked our property. They sprayed those fat, neon orange lines along the exact edge we wanted and needed our 8 foot privacy fence. This is the issue I was referring to here. Adam and I were both feeling discouraged about the news that was awaiting us..

This is when our roller coaster ride picks up: We heard GOOD NEWS! It turned out to be only cable wires underground and not piping! How wonderful and so our fence building dreams began.

Today is day three of the men working on our property. So far the holes have been dug, and posts cemented in the ground. Sounds all fine and dandy right?!--Wrong. This is where our ride takes a turn for the worst..

The fence builder called me outside about an hour ago to explain why they had to end working on our yard until further notice. I felt an ache in my stomach as he showed me the property marker he had discovered under ground while digging a hole for the fence. Sure enough the property marker showed we were building our fence on our neighbors yard.

Sad day my friends, very sad day.

When we purchased our home last Summer we were told the property line was the line of pine trees and our property began on the other side of those trees. The paperwork we received even showed this and so we did not think it was necessary to communicate our plan with our side neighbors. Unfortunately the property marker underground tells a different story.

I am encouraged knowing Adam and I have always been friendly with these neighbors and hope our actions and kind demeanor will be noticed.

The scary part is we were told recently by a neighbor across the street horror stories of how these particular neighbors raised hell for every single previous owner of our current house.

Oh dear.

I am asking you to lift this situation up in prayer. I know it may sound small and not important but for us and our family--we need and deserve the privacy this fence would grant us. I pray our neighbors will see our intentions as sincere and appreciate our honesty in this whole matter. I pray our conversation goes well and both parties are able to communicate openly without hurt feelings or judgements.

Please lift us and our crazy up and down roller coaster ride in prayer and please feel free to lend any advice in the matter..maybe you have had a similar problem?

Thank you for reading and I am feeling a peace in my heart everything will work out in the end. It is simply the "unknown" that is scary.

*update as of 3:50pm: thought about it and the fence has to be on our property to add value to our home..finding a land surveyor this afternoon..many issues to be worked out: moving cable lines, breaking up part of our driveway--all things that sound expensive! yikes.*

7 comments:

  1. I dont have much knowledge or advice but I do know that my parents went through two easement lawsuits because of property lines that were not fully known before buying. One was a lawsuit that happened years after they had sold and moved out of the house. it was more complicated then the fence one in the fact that the easement (which means it is not your property but you are allowed to use it to get to your property) was a main road out to the house, but the lines were moved and the road wasnt so the people who bought the house weren't legally allowed to use the road to get to the house (and this was a looooong road, we are talking miles) But of course my parents didnt know but still got dragged into the lawsuit about it, and it was bad and lasted years.

    I know that all doesnt relate exactly to your situation but what I would apply from that one to yours is you prob dont want to, even with those neighbors permission, put your fence off of your property without buying it and legally having the paperwork that it yours according to the state. Because if they move, or your move it could still cause a huge legal issue for you.

    I wish you the best and hope your neighbors are understanding!

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  2. Will be praying everything works out for you and Adam. I can't believe it has almost been a year since you bought the house. Time is flying!!!

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  3. Oh, so sorry! It's so hard when you run into road blocks!!! Kind wishes that you are able to make things work out. Good luck with it all!

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  4. Katie, get the survey and put the fence in the correct place to avoid any problems in the future. I know it is stressful, but most home improvement jobs are, there is always some bumps in the road.

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  5. Katie - I agree with cjmrrw - get the survey and keep the fence on your property (and I might add to check with your community - some say you must keep your fence so far within your property line, so check just to make sure!)

    I know that it is a hassle, but I agree with everything that people have said. You don't know what a future owner would say or the legal issues that might arise in the future. So, while it is a pain, it is better to be safe than sorry.

    Keep the faith, girl, it will all work out!

    Carol@arewethereyet

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  6. Melanie here! I enjoyed this piece, please email me--I have a question about your blog. MelanieLBowen[at]gmail[dot]com

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