Homesteaders?

steelslaver said:
I would put a hasp on the door of the out house and call it a storage shed myself. If an inspector showed up I would meet him at the property line and ask to see the warrant. Inspection, search all the same. To many people are way to willing to surrender their rights to agencies like this. Your place must have some acreage if it has 6 frack sites I would like to know how a out house in the middle of it is more of a problem for any neighboring owners than a septic system. I can see that kind of stupid on a city lot or where there is a lot of small parcels, or near a water way, but not in the boon dock.

A good outhouse hole will compost down a lot of waste for years. Some quick lime now and again will help. There are still a lot of them in this state.
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Shortly after acquiring the property I got a tax map and sent letters to the neighboring properties asking permission to hunt. I didn't know it at that time, but the lady up the road was the County Health department Field Inspector. She inspected without my knowledge.

The claim was that because of using the well, and because the water table rises and falls with seasons, I might be contaminating some of my neighbors wells. If it had simply been a compost hole that i dug myself, there would not have been an issue.
 
sjbrdn said:
My neighbor has spoken to them. His description of the man is "wild eyed and carrying".

Their long term plans are to live there permanently as "homesteaders". They couldn't get the house up on the flat (or didn't try--money, time, too challenging?) so they put it literally on the edge of a private but shared road. We have subdivision requirements that stipulate a 40' minimum setback. I'm sure county ordinances have set back requirements also but this is a private road so that may not apply.

The county code enforcement officer had spoken to them previously when they were living in a tent. The owner said they had already pulled permits for the coming build. It was a lie, no permits have been applied for.

In Georgia, a waste disposal plan has to be approved by the health department before building permits will be issued and building can begin. They got around all that (for now) by bringing in a factory built "shed" that does not meet the state and national building codes for a residence.

To put the house where it is shows a lack of common sense, a lack of consideration for the other property owners, and a lack of respect for the law. What it does not lack is planning (albeit nonsensical) and deception.

Because they are literally on the property line on the side of the mountain, the road is being used as their "yard" by the kids with trash and toys already littering it.

I am not a "new, rural landholder". I have land in three different counties. I am a professional builder who follows codes and respects his neighbors. I am nothing like these people. Their actions tell me all I need to know.

They obviously are not destitute as they paid $30,000 for the lot and probably at least $10,000 for the building and delivery.

No bleeding heart here..."just saying".
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This is the reason I never invested in rural property even though having a hunting retreat was always a dream of mine.

Too many stories like the one described in this thread have kept me away. It is a shame, but the reality of rural property ownership.

At this point, selling isn't really an option because the first thing a rural purchaser ought to do is investigate the neighbors.

Maybe the pressure from the establishment will deter them, but I have a feeling their roots are already established.

I wish you the best.
 
Twenty years ago when my wife and I were looking at rural properties we found many more we didn't want relative to those we desired. I remember several, otherwise nice, properties in the Hill Country plastered with hand-lettered signs proclaiming "No Trespassing" or a version of that sentiment. Invariably one or two letters were backwards or transposed. Whether inadvertent or intentional we had no interest in being their neighbors.

We lived in Austin at the time and the great compromise was going sufficiently far from "town" so the divorce lawyers and orthodontists balked at the weekend drive. The farther we went the more affordable land seemed to be but we had limits on drive times too. Turned out 90 miles was the magic mileage number.

Fifteen years later we moved to the town closest to our ranch and it's now 15 minutes away. We are very blessed to have both excellent town neighbors and superlative ranch neighbors. The timing was good as there is no possible way we could buy our same ranch today at "market" which is about four times what we paid 20 years ago.

Our county has seen an incredible influx of new property owners since the "pandemic" most of them buying up 10 acre tracts from "developers" who bought and broke up much larger properties. No idea what they are going to do with them as it's not possible to have 100 water wells on a 1000 acres in this part of the world. Lot of ranches were purchased sight unseen and the "for sale" signs were never removed.
 
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llowry61 said:
This is the reason I never invested in rural property even though having a hunting retreat was always a dream of mine.

Too many stories like the one described in this thread have kept me away. It is a shame, but the reality of rural property ownership.

At this point, selling isn't really an option because the first thing a rural purchaser ought to do is investigate the neighbors.

Maybe the pressure from the establishment will deter them, but I have a feeling their roots are already established.

I wish you the best.
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As a kid, my Dad and I went hunting and every year was the same thing. The old property owner that Dad knew from years and years just got 2 new son-in-laws and he didn't want anybody else hunting any more.

Hunting on State land was out of the question. All the nuts were there.

Dad couldn't afford to buy a camp, but I could (after college and a good job that is). It took me 10 years to find the right one.

We are on a paved road with only a few houses. Those were built in the early 1900's. No new land to acquire so no new houses going up. Most plots are 50 or more acres, and other than the few houses most are hunting / camping properties.

Our land has 3 campsites - one for us and one for each son.

I agree that some places can be problematic. One must do their homework and due diligence. Our place is the best investment I ever made. It cost the least 35 years ago, and now is worth more than all the others.

Some years ago I gave up a big promotion with a significant raise, just because I refused to move away from my camp.
 
Many years ago, I bought a half section south and west of San Antonio. Nothing on it cept cactus rattlesnakes etc. Everything bites scratches or sticks you... two or 3 tanks etc. Only paid almost 10 grand...taxes are almost nothing. Fellow rents it for cows and hunting...and keeps trying to buy it. I keep refusing. Paid for itself many times over. Big rattlesnakes and cactus though

No neighbors though!!
 
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I would much rather have a half illiterate person on the next place over that was "neighborly" than a person who was away sticking their nose in my business and was all worried about what I am doing with my own property.

One of the reasons Montanas can't stand most people from out of state is because they can't stay in their own lane. They come from somewhere that had to many rules and regulations, then get here and want rules and regulations. Of course like all people who want rules and regulations they just want the ones THEY feel WE need.

We were all getting along just fine before they got here with their rules.

My one neighbor is a retired judge. He mows his lawn just so every week, has an underground sprinkler system and flowers. I never water most of my grass, I mow it when I feel like it and drive my mower in circles and zigg zags to hit everything, a couple times a summer I will bust out the weed eater and nail the edges etc. I also have 2 boats, 2 pick ups and 5 cars a nice camper trailer and 3 utility type trailers. I do keep them neat and lined up. I have a 9' diameter plastic livestock tank along the shrubbery that separates us that we use for a cool pool. In the fall he brings me apples, in the winter I plow his circular drive, he comes over with gift cards to the gas station a couple times a winter. He never once asked me to plow, I simply saw a neighbor with no plow and started doing it when I got one I wave at him and he at me. My other neighbor has a loud car and about 5 others rigs, I saw a pot plant in his yard. Time to time it sounds like they have some fair to middlin parties. In the winter I make a pass down his straight drive and back once in the while, his wife brings over cake from time to time. When I refill up my ducks pool I sometimes stick the hose though the fence and put water in one he has for his chickens. He works at the dump. The people back behind us we do not see much of because they have a huge shop along the lilacs (mine) between us.. I hear him in his shop time to time. Back in that corner we have an old claw foot tub hooked up with a tankless propane heater. Tutn the valve on where a garden hose is connected tpo it and it fills fill piping hot water you can recirculate with a RV pump and keep it at 105 for as long as you want to soak stip naked. I have 7 chickens and a duck. The duck runs free. So do the deer who use my pool to water and lay in the shade under the girls trampoline. I am sure many would get the undies in a wad about my place. We love it and so do those who visit. Not a Home Owners Association. We are all something called neighbors. I got a problem with bob, I will simply go talk to Bob and see what it will take for us to both be happy, So far I have never any problems worth talking to Bob about.
 
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I used to live in the country on a deep narrow lot and our house just happened to be next to the neighbors garage/barn/shop. When we moved there, the old neighbors had a dog tied up next to the barn that barked ALL THE TIME 24/7, a real nuisance. The dog finally disappeared and peace and quiet was restored, I swear I had nothing to do with the dog's disappearance. The neighbor's young adult sons also LOVED to rev their engines and spin tires in their own driveway (Why?). That was a real nuisance but we didn't have to put up with it for very long.
Shortly thereafter the property next door sold and the retired guy who moved in accumulated old farm equipment and just a bunch of stuff. Yes it was unsightly, but you could not see it from the road, but we saw it every time we walked out the back yard. But the kicker was, the guy and his wife were just the nicest folks, he and his wife were very quiet and he would do anything for you. He even cut my 6+ acres for me every week while I recovered from spinal surgery and never asked for anything in return except fuel. We became good friends and when scrap metal prices soared, I offered to help him load up a bunch of the old equipment to sell and he was not interested, so I just dropped it. The messy lot wasn't that big of an issue for my wife or I and it wasn't worth losing a good relationship with a neighbor over.
 
I've read all the replies and agree with most in some way.

As a builder, I think modern building codes, electrical for example, as getting out of hand. Some of this, I believe, is the manufacturers pushing new product and some is the environmental movement (new energy codes).

As a home and land owner, I do not belong nor do I want to belong to an HOA. I believe in common sense subdivision requirements such as type of structure, minimum square footage, building setbacks, etc. Don't tell me what kind of flowers/trees I can plant or what type of window I have to use.

I get all that and agree with you all on those points. This is not about junk cars or purple houses. The subdivision in question is on the side of a mountain. One road in is county owned and maintained. The road in question was developer built and is privately maintained by the various land owners who have lots along it. Most lots are 3-8 acres. Nice mountain style houses and cabins all along there. Each lot was set out with a buildable sight on it. Some have natural flats while other have ridges that have been flattened.

This man's lot has a flat building sight farther up slope and he has a deeded easement for access to that sight from a point farther up the road. Instead, he has placed a pre-built shed/office building (brought in on a rollback) literally next to the road (see the pic in OP). The road in the picture is not his driveway, it is the common road shared by all the land owners.

He is violating the subdivision covenants (he would have received a copy at closing), county ordinances, and state and national building codes. He is creating a nuisance that will affect not only property values but will cause washing out of the common road. Not to mention his 5 children living without power, running water, waste disposal, HVAC (it gets HOT in GA), etc. He will not be able to get any of these utilities legally in the future unless he moves this structure and builds a home that meets basic residential requirements.

I don't consider myself "butting" into his private affairs and freedom as a land owner. I do, however, object to his intrusion on the property rights of the rest of the homeowners who share the road and wish to protect their financial investments.
 
Sjbrdn, you are not the bad guy here. I don't understand why some people become offended that people spend a lot of time and money on their place and want it to look nice. I also want my neighbors place to look nice because I have to see it. Even if it's just driving by going to my place. Especially when the place is in a rural area. I want to see nature in all its glory. I don't want to look at cars lined up by the hedge row, or a boat in the middle of an alfalfa field. And I certainly don't want some idiot "homesteaders" tiny house blocking my right of way. This tells me all I need to know about this looser. He's going to be a thorn in the side of everyone who worked their *** off to build their dream place. …….. all that said I will make an exception for an old tractor or hay rake abandoned in the field. That's ambiance.
 
Well if he signed on the line buying land with covenants on them he is out of line.I agree that putting the building right on the road is stupid and as a site was available probably lazy. Buying a place with covenants on it is a straight up agreement. He isn't holding up his end of something he agreed to. That ain't neighborly for a fact and now I see why you are hot.

Lots of kids grew up with out all that. My best freind in grade school had 2 brothers and a sister, they lived with their dad in a 3 room shack with no bathroom. Had a outhouse, and they bathed in a big galvanized tub using water from the stove. The daughter became a comptroller for a construction company in Seattle and a multi millionaire. My friend became a CWI and is well off, the other brothers both did very, well own property and have nice families. The father? He started a concrete contracting business and did very well. He also married my mom. He was one of the greatest men I have ever know in my life. He never made it past the 8th grade.
 
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Herself and I moved to Ashtabula County just 14 months ago. One of the first things we learned was the previous owner had a feud going with our current neighbor. Went on for years. Had the poor guy in court about a dozen times and lost each time. We were here less than a week when I went over and introduced myself. Vic is retired from law enforcement. I quit LE so we had something in common. I told him flat out that my wife and I are not like the previous owner. We told him we intended to be as neighborly as he would let us. His property is a commercial lot. He does some scrap buying but mostly he buys up out of business machine shops and sells the used machines. He must have thirty lathes from table top size to ones with beds 6' long. Multi spindle machines, grinders surface grinders etc. Everything you would need to open a machine shop. He is also a locksmith and has 10-20 safes for sale. His stock moves rapidly, so he must be able to price it to make a profit. When we travel for business, he watches our place. When he and his Mrs went for a three week vacation, we watched his. Heck, we watch his place even when he is not on vacation. I hear a noise over there, like on a week end or after hours, I check it out. Several of the folks I checked out were friends with keys. The way Vic tells it, they seemed surprised when the "old guy next door came over and wanted to know who they were and what business did they have on this property". One even commented he started to put his hands towards the sky to make sure I knew he was friendly. Now, I have a list of acceptable people,

Good neighbors are necessary in an area where the law can be an hour or more away.

Kevin
 
SJBRDN - there is no doubt you are not the bad guy as mentioned in another post. People like your new neighbor think that if they buy a piece of land no one can tell them what or how to do anything. I am not a fan of overtly attempting to control others, but he and they are jeopardizing the entire communities' investments and you just can't have that in modern society.

I hope you get the support you need from the local agencies. I had a buddy who had problems with some folks when he bought 45 acres and built on it. It is no fun and can get really bad depending upon the disposition of the other guy.
 
I understand and can accept why people that own property where there are restrictions get upset when other property owners don't follow the rules.
What I can't understand and won't accept is people that move to an area without restrictions and want to make rules for the other land owners.
I live in a rural area and sometimes a farmer leaves mud or manure on the road when moving equip but I figure that's just part of living in the country. Junk equip. setting around is parts that may be repurposed later.
When I see a place that is not up too my standards I just look the other way when I pass. Not my land or my problem. If I cared how the neighbors property looked I would move to a place that had those restrictions and I expect others too do the same. Years ago a county commissioner wanted a law passed the all mobile homes had to be underpinned. I agreed that they look better but I opposed it because it's an added expense that some can't afford. The commissioner told me I was ignorant and I needed someone too look after me. I never voted for him. Larry
 
tops said:
I understand and can accept why people that own property where there are restrictions get upset when other property owners don't follow the rules.
What I can't understand and won't accept is people that move to an area without restrictions and want to make rules for the other land owners.
I live in a rural area and sometimes a farmer leaves mud or manure on the road when moving equip but I figure that's just part of living in the country. Junk equip. setting around is parts that may be repurposed later.
When I see a place that is not up too my standards I just look the other way when I pass. Not my land or my problem. If I cared how the neighbors property looked I would move to a place that had those restrictions and I expect others too do the same. Years ago a county commissioner wanted a law passed the all mobile homes had to be underpinned. I agreed that they look better but I opposed it because it's an added expense that some can't afford. The commissioner told me I was ignorant and I needed someone too look after me. I never voted for him. Larry
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It's not about making rules for others. It's about being a blight on the neighborhood. Even if the neighborhood is made up of 100 acre parcels. My moms family owned and operated one of the largest dairy farms in West Virginia. No junk laying around, no dilapidated out builds etc. it was a working farm. It looked and smelled like a working farm. Which is a beautiful sight. The thing is, it doesn't cost a penny to be neat and clean. If someone has difficulty keeping up their property but is trying, that's a different story. The people who have no pride of ownership tells me a lot about that person.
 
Bald1 said:
It's not about making rules for others. It's about being a blight on the neighborhood.
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It appears too me if someone wants other people to conform too their standards that is the same as making rules for others.
Who and what determines what a "blight on the neighborhood" is? Also what is a neighborhood. In my area of the world there are several acres to many of the houses. In some areas of the world there are several houses to the acre.
Sometimes when a developer tries to get permits for a housing development the locals protest. That leads me too believe that many people consider a housing development a "blight on the neighborhood". Larry
 
One man's blight may well be another man's treasure. I may well think the house that is purple with green trim is a eyesore, but, the owner may love it. Why am I right and him wrong? One guy builds animal sculptures out of scrap metal, one person hates it another pays the guy $1000 for it.

One guy on a 40 acre plot puts in a pistol range and is in heaven. His neighbor hates him.
 
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