Do you know your neighbors?

[haha]

I know my suburban neighbors and have lived here long enough to see most of them move in... I always make it a point to find new neighbors stick out my hand and be sociable.

The most recent newbie lives next door and seems charming, retired, home a lot, etc but has us seriously considering a move from the neighborhood. They installed a wood stove that has caused us some substantial respiratory distress this winter and seem disinclined to make changes to it.

I thought Washinton now had very strict environmental controls on woodstoves. They can really ruin a neighborhood, and I believe they may actually cause long term disease. One reason why I do not want to live in an area where there are small single family homes, because these are the type that actually try to heat with a woodstove.

I hope you can get a resolution. If you can see their chimney smoke, the smoke cops might cite them, and even if there is no smoke you might be able to get them to take some environmental measurements.

Ha

 

[bbbamI]

I've lived in my current house for 21 years. I know a few neighbors on each side, but the rest of the 30 or so houses are strangers. It seems that almost everyone has a lawn service and snow removal and the neighbors drive into their attached garages, shut the door and that is their interface with the neighbors until they drive out again. Occasionally I see a few as I walk my dog or clear the road of snow with my tractor, but the interaction is rarely much more than a nod on their part.

Is this typical of where you live, as well?

Yes...it is for me. Well....except the snow part....

I've seen a lot of foreclosures and divorces during the past 17 years. As a matter of fact the neighbors I do know pretty well are all divorced....a woman that lives behind me, the men that live next door on either side of me and the guy across the street.

 

[grumpy]

This is a big reason we chose to move to a "55 or better" community after we FIRE'd. In our previous house we had lived there 25 years and hardly knew anyone in the neighborhood.

Our current community of 800 homes has a great clubhouse that we use daily. We see our neighbors there often and socialize with some outside of the community too.

We don't have much contact with our immediate next door neighbors. One is a renter who will be moving out shortly. The other side is a single man who we hardly ever see.

We have good friends who live within a few blocks, which is great.

 

[Tiger]

I moved into my girlfriend's house 1 year ago. We are friendls with the woman that lives across the street from us. We are friendly with the people that live on either side of us and behind us. We are on a friendly (nodding) basis with a lot of the people on our block but other than our neighbor across the street we are not friends with anyone else. My gf has been living here for 6 years and things have not changed since I moved in.

For the 10 years prior to living here I was friendly with the neibhors on one side of me and hated the noisy people that lived on the other side and behind me. I knew 2 other people on the block to say hello to. The people in general were not friendly.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I moved to my house in 2004 as a singleton. The people I do stuff with socially are mostly co-workers and the occasional friend/couple from my "old" life. I know my neighbors on either side somewhat. The lady next door and I have had dinner together in a restaurant twice. She is also a widow, about 15 years older than I, and she has a daughter and grandchildren nearby that occupy her time. She travels a lot in winter. The young couple on the other side just moved in a year ago, and we mostly wave and say "hi" (they have no kids or pets and work a lot, she's a nurse and he is an electrician). Our houses are close together, but I never hear a peep. I have a nodding acquaintance with the other people on the street (of 15 homes). They are all quiet people, a mix of ages, and everyone minds their own business, keeps up their properties nicely.

 

[FreeAtLast]

I know my neighbors for about 5 houses in each direction. My son got friendly with their sons and daughters so he knows them better. I stop and talk now and then. I had them to a few parties, they had me over also. We used to have block parties but that stopped a few years ago.

 

[obgyn65]

Very little interaction with my neighbors. Don't even know their names.

 

[Janet H]

I thought Washinton now had very strict environmental controls on woodstoves. They can really ruin a neighborhood, and I believe they may actually cause long term disease. One reason why I do not want to live in an area where there are small single family homes, because these are the type that actually try to heat with a woodstove.

I hope you can get a resolution. If you can see their chimney smoke, the smoke cops might cite them, and even if there is no smoke you might be able to get them to take some environmental measurements.

Ha

At 3800 sq feet - I wouldn't really consider their house small, but they are definitely heating with that stove. Most houses around here have a fireplaces and most of us use them occasionally, but the 24/7 nature of the smoke is a problem. While there are some regulations about wood smoke, there are many exceptions for heating. I have already looked in to this kind of code issue and turned up empty.

 

[Moemg]

We know most of our neighbors and have been invited to some parties but mostly we just chit chat a little and wave . I used to live in a community with a clubhouse and everybody knew everybody and partied all the time together . I liked it for awhile but then it became a little too much .

 

[haha]

At 3800 sq feet - I wouldn't really consider their house small, but they are definitely heating with that stove. Most houses around here have a fireplaces and most of us use them occasionally, but the 24/7 nature of the smoke is a problem. While there are some regulations about wood smoke, there are many exceptions for heating. I have already looked in to this kind of code issue and turned up empty.

I didn't mean to imply that you live in a neighborhood with small homes, or that all homes that are heated with wood are small. I was speaking only of a concern that I have, and the type of local environment where these conditions are typically found. There are lots of North Seattle neighborhoods with much of that type housing from '20s on that can be so smokey in some weather conditions that you choke just to drive down the street. A burning fire in a fireplace is very different from the smoldering all day and all night fires burning in typically air constrained wood stoves meant for heating.

In any case, as you know, in Seattle small does not mean cheap.

Ha

 

[LOL!]

We have lived on a cul-de-sac of about 20 homes for last 15 years or so. I chat with everybody and we all know each others kids (for those that have kids). We also all know each others' dogs.

I always make it a point to chat with the teenagers as well and the young adults back from college.

But I have only been inside 3 of the other homes on my street. We have pet-sit for one of the those neighbors. Another had washer hose break while they were on vacation, so I was first-on-scene of water running out of the back door. The third was a neighborhood party.

 

[tangomonster]

We live in a small (76 homes) condo community of mainly 55+. We know about 90% of the people. About 60% participate in monthly or quarterly activities (homeowner meetings, parties). Because we live in close quarters (ranch condos in a quadraplex), we are careful to respect each others' privacy. We would never drop in to someone's home without calling.

But knowing and being on friendly terms with neighbors doesn't make them friends! It's only the next door neighbor and one very elderly neighbor who we get together with on a regular basis. Most of the neighbors are a good twenty years older and much more conservative than we are. With gas creeping (skyrocketing?) up, I wish that there was better social opportunities right in the hood, but geographic desirability doesn't necessarily correlate with compatible interests and personalities.

In our last condo community with much younger people, we barely knew any of the 276 neighbors. They worked and kept to themselves.

 

[Martha]

This scenario unfortunately soured our relationship. I've noticed that he avoids saying hello to me or making much contact when we are both outside working in our yards. I can't figure out why he would expect free tech support for life just because he cut my lawn twice 5 years ago. The situation is a little uncomfortable and it baffles me.

He probably is embarrassed.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Suburban Los Angeles area, same house for 23 years. I only know 1 neighbor (barely), but I know alot of the dogs in the neighborhood.

 

[Ronstar]

I know about 4 or 5 of them. We live in a wooded, lake area of 5 acre lots so we rarely bump into people. But I know the builder across the street, the heating a/c guy 2 doors down, my doctor behind us, my coworker's parents and the HOA board member down the street, and to a lesser extent the retired next door neighbors on each side.

 

[Walt34]

We're friendly with the neighbors, have been out to lunch a few times with some, and one insists on taking me and DW out to lunch when I use the snow thrower to clear his driveway. With even a heavy snow it takes all of about 15 minutes and I spend that much time getting dressed to go out and firing the thing up so it isn't much effort.

In the summer we'll walk around and chat a bit with the others but that's about it.

 

[deserat]

Yes, I know two of my neighbors - on another thread I depicted the snow shoveling drama of the newer neighbor - oh, and the other neighbor just doesn't shovel - hidey-holes in his house until it's all cleared.....the neighbors before were awesome - we had summer 'picnics' outside and then he'd bring out the schnapps - yowza - first time I did that, realized not good the next day.

The neighbors on the other side are an interesting source of amusement for my other neighbors - he lives there (they have a big house and two barns). I see him constantly doing work in the yard, chopping wood, taking down fruit from the trees, etc. His 'wife' works in the next town over and lives there during the week, only returning on the weekends. Apparently he is quite 'rigid' and has made comments about the sidewalk and other things (fences) etc, that have caused confusion, resentment and amusement for the neighbors - remember this is all in German, so I don't quite catch the drift all the time.

When I lived in CA, I did know my immediate next door neighbors and felt bad as when I was in Germany the first time, I rented out my house - apparently the property manager I hired wasn't picking very good people - both neighbors told me they were ecstatic with joy when they heard I was returning - then proceeded to tell me about the ruffians that came by and the police, etc. I was mortified and asked whey they hadn't emailed me - they told me they were on the verge when they heard I was returning.

We didn't really socialize so much, but we waved to each other and helped out when we could - being 'neighborly.'

When I was a kid, we did have a neighbor that Mom and Dad hung out with - he was a nice guy - his wife was weird - Dad told me about some of the crazy stuff that happened in that neighborhood later - wife swapping, etc. Wow. I was oblivious - usually am Ignorance can be bliss sometimes.

 

[Rustic23]

Our neighborhood is remote. There is little commercial development around, and the closest town is about 15 min. away. The subdivision was built around a golf course and club house. Hard times forced a close of the club house, and the course is being maintained by members of the community. This has brought us together. Most Friday evenings there is a 'Wind Down' at someone's home. Therefore we know about 50% of the people that live in the community. Of those we play cards once a week with 30 or so and know them even better. It is really like living is a real small town. Just about everyone know something about everyone. I know last names of everyone on our block and first names of most.

 

[unallowable]

Two of my neighbors are my tenants. Both families are long-term renters and we do cook outs or birthday parties together occasionally. The only other neighbor I have are a couple that have lived next door (we live in rural area so not close enough to see each other's house) for the 20 years I've lived on my property. We would call each other anytime day or night - and have done so in the past - in case of need. I feel fortunate to have good neighbors, however few.

 

[Fireup2020]

Yes - our neighbors are awesome! No one across the street, so just the "side" & "behind" neighbors. Next door is a 9/11 widow who is the mother of the lady who lived there two owners ago (we call her Mom!) Mom & I have shared many glasses of wine and lots of laughs. Her DD & SIL moved down the street. On the other side a family of 5 - they are awesome parents - we heckle the kids (3-12) and socialize on their deck during warm weather. He is one of two contractors we have for neighbors, and we are farming out our projects between them. New (and nice) couple with a dog moved in behind us. Between those two is a family with a teen son or two still living at home (4 boys total - DBF has watched them grow up) and they have a (suprise) 3 yr old daughter. Drinks on their deck too! Our neighbors are priceless! I grew up on a few hundred acres in the "sticks", and LOVE having neighbors you can just run across the driveway or lawn to hang out with!

 

[Westernskies]

My closest neighbors are here on e-r.org.

 

[Retch The Grate]

My landlord owns the other part of the Duplex that we rent, so I know my immediate neighbor, but not anybody else on our street.

I wish I lived with a bunch of my friends as neighbors. With any luck we will manage to arrange that someday.

 

[Khan]

Lived here more than 30 years. Married when moved in. Blue-collar neighborhood being infiltrated by college students.
Neighbor across street is about a year younger & works in a factory. I pay him to to yardwork & house maintenance; I pay his daughter (~35) to do housework.
We gather each other's mail when on vacation.
Folks next door (duplex): talk occasionally.
I have very little in common with any of them.

 

[ziggy29]

Some of ours just got foreclosed on. Unfortunately, they also own (for now) the adjacent vacant lot which adjoins my property, and some of them are using it as a Hooverville sort of quasi-permanent housing complete with broken down van for sleeping, some old beat up benches to hang around on, and a generator to keep the TV going (so we hear the humming of a generator frequently when we go outside). And they have people coming and going frequently to hang out and drink beer all day and evening. They also "borrowed" the trash can of the house that was foreclosed on and started filling it with junk despite not paying for the utilities.

 

[Gumby]

Except for the new people who just moved in three doors down, I know everyone who lives in the 16 houses on my street. It is a very friendly and close knit place. We shovel each other out when it snows, pick up the mail and mind the cats during vacations, lend each other tools, go in halfsies on CSA shares and other such things. A number of us belong to the same church and we often get together socially as well. In fact, a majority of the neighborhood women are having their annual pajama party tomorrow evening to watch the Oscars together.