How to Be Courteous With Home Projects
By:
Cherry Creek Mortgage Company - Market Street
| Published 08/02/2018
Routine outdoor maintenance and home renovations can greatly improve the appearance of your property. Some projects can even add to your home’s value. But if you’re not careful, some home projects can cause tension between you and your neighbors.
You don’t need your neighbor’s permission to make exterior or interior changes to your property. But since you’ll live next door to these people for the foreseeable future, being courteous and respectful with regard to home maintenance and projects contributes to a good relationship and peaceful living conditions.
How can you demonstrate courtesy when planning projects or doing work around the house?
Give your neighbors a friendly “heads up”
Depending on the type of home project you have scheduled, the work may encroach or impact your neighbor’s property in some way. This might be the case if you’re removing large trees from your property and several branches or leaves fall onto their property.
Or, maybe you have an extensive home improvement project lined up and contractor vehicles will be parked in front of your neighbor’s home for several days at a time. Paying your neighbor a friendly visit and alerting them to upcoming projects is an excellent way to keep the peace. If debris or items from your project fall or blow into your neighbor’s yard, make sure your contractor cleans up their mess after each day.
Clean up behind yourself
Then again, maybe you’re tackling your own routine maintenance. Mowing, trimming and raking are common with homeownership. When you’re rushing to complete these chores, it’s easier to cut corners and not clean up after yourself. As a result, you might leave grass clippings and leaves behind.
You can use a power blower to break up a small pile of debris. On the other hand, you could run into problems if you were to blow a large amount of grass clipping or leaves into the street, or onto your neighbor’s property. It takes time for leaves and grass clippings to break down naturally. On a windy day, your mess could blow onto your neighbor’s yard, creating additional work for them.
Don’t start too early, or work too late
Home improvement projects can get noisy from time to time. This might be the case if you’re replacing your roof, windows, fence, or if work inside the home requires the use of an outdoor saw.
There’s nothing you can do to eliminate all distractions and noise. Even so, be courteous and don’t schedule work too early in the mornings, especially on the weekends. Your neighbors may not have a problem with projects starting as early as 8 a.m. on Monday through Friday. In most cases, they’re awake and getting ready for work themselves.
Keep in mind that most people prefer sleeping in on the weekends. So, if you’re hiring a contractor for weekend work, see if their crew can start the project later in the morning. Also, make sure that your contractor stops working at a reasonable time in the evenings to avoid disturbing your neighbors.
Respect your neighbor’s property line
Another way to get on a neighbor’s bad side is to ignore property lines when completing outdoor home projects. Whether you’re putting up a fence, installing a new deck or planting trees and shrubbery, make sure you know exactly where your property line stops and your neighbor’s line starts. If your project spills over onto their property, your neighbor may ask you to remove the offending structure.
Don’t assume that your neighbor won’t care if your project spills onto a few inches of their property. If you encroach on their side, they could ask you to remove a structure. So make sure that all projects take place on your land.
Bottom Line
Rather than sell and buy a new home, some people embark on home improvement projects and renovations to give their home a fresh look. An update can increase your home’s equity make you fall in love with your home again.
Cherry Creek Mortgage offer a variety of lending options and we can help transform your home into a space that’s more modern and stylish. Our product lineup includes loans for new purchases, refinances, and home equity solutions to help you afford a much-needed update. Whether you’re considering a big project or a small project, contact one of our loan experts today to discuss your options.
