Allow me to rant a little. I am trying to avoid stress but this makes my head ache. Two years ago, my immediate neighbor (our properties are divided by a fire wall and since our house is on a corner lot, it is the only house next to us) decided to have a second floor of their house. My problem started then because our roof near their house was destroyed when debris of cement and hollow blocks rained on it. They didn’t have protective covering so I have to make a proper complaint to our homeowners’ association to remind them of it. After two weeks I went to the engineering office of our town, showed them the pictures of the damage done by our neighbor to our roof. They sent someone to inspect a week after several follow-ups but at that time, no worker was around so they didn’t talk to the owner. In short, they left the project hanging, with just plain hollow blocks encircling the structure, no beams to speak of (and that is dangerous for them and for me too), no enough steel bars to hold it and I presumed seeing the site, there was no building plan and building permit. The framework looked pathetic.
My brother is an architect so I had him check the site from our end and he said the building was not safe. I had a few arguments with the owner to no avail. We had our roof repainted and repaired three weeks ago. Our two painters even cleaned the area where bits of cement got stuck. Two days ago, while Mom and I were having naps, we heard a loud noise coming from our roof in three successive times. Since it was my son’s day of, I asked him to check it, true enough, some debris were there, and it was like our newly painted red roof was scattered with cement powder. I talked to them and we argued, the owner (the wife, I mean) was like a tiger let loose on a cage together with her daughter telling me that I am always complaining so I told her I have a right to complain because this is my property. She hurled insults that were too personal and has nothing to do with what we were trying to resolve. I told the story to some of my friends and most of them told me to sue her for slander and oral defamation. I don’t want a stressful life so I’ll just probably make another visit to the engineering office of our town so they could visit it. Her husband promised that they would put a net but until now, they haven’t done yet and the debris kept raining on our roof. My son took pictures again and we haven’t removed all those debris yet. Come to think of it, at least they should offer to clean it, right? The half sack of cement, sand and hollow blocks we collected two years ago from our rooftop is still lying in a corner of the garden, evidence of their not so neighborly attitude.
I get along well with our neighbors across the street where we live, they are like extended family but this particular one is a pain in the neck. How I wish we could choose our neighbors but they are here to stay. Inconsiderate people never learn.
And if I may add, this is how their structure looks like.
Look at our gutter, it is full of debris. and that dent on our roof….it was two years ago when they started their house renovation.
Look how poorly done it is, this is on our side and those hollow blocks….crazy….
Crude….the coco lumber they used two years ago were left hanging on our property line and when the two painters removed them they crumbled into pieces.
No corner beam done here…..that’s their roof.
Dreams And Escapes 
Oh my. It is so incredibly difficult when you must live by someone who is so nasty. Shouldn’t your neighbor be responsible to fix the damage to your roof seeing that it was their negligence that caused the damage? I am unfamiliar with your legal system but surely there is something that can be done to make them do what they are supposed too. I have only had a couple good neighbors throughout my lifetime. I have lovely neighbors where I live now and I highly value that asset. I will pray that this situation will be resolved and for safety. What if something falls upon you, your mom, or even your grandchildren? I would be quite angry.
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I finally found your earlier comments. I was about to make a reply when it crashed on me. Thank you so much.
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They are thugs. Don’t ever be friends with them. Nothing good will ever come out of these neighbors.
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They are here to stay, unless they move or we move. I am planning to have our firewall be taller than their structure so i won’t see their faces. Come to think of it, that wall you see in the picture does not even look straight.
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I think my younger brother can totally relate to your case po. It’s been years since we filed the complaint but nothing has really happened. My Kuya is a Civil engineer so he also knows how dangerous it is to live inches away from our neighbor’s unfinished substandard two-storey house.
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Hay Maricel, nakaka stress talaga. Ngayon nga nagpupupokpok sila so natatakot ako na may bumagsak na naman sa bubong. Mamaya pa nga ako magsisimba around 5pm para masubaybayan ko. I wonder, may right naman ang affected na neighbor di ba? Even Matt told me na mukhang di straight yung structure pataas. I-close up mo yung pic ng palitada nila, durog durog ang hollow blocks.
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Siyempre naman po, me right kayo. Afterall, you are just after for your safety and actually your neighbor’s as well. Sa case po ng brother ko, yung wall ng kapitbahay nila eh saktong tapat sa room nila. Mas lalo kami natakot nung lumindol sa Cebu kasi baka tuluyan bumagsak yung bahay.
Ganyan din po pagkakagawa nung bahay. At makikita mo talaga na substandard yung pagkagawa. The worst is the other side of the structure where one of our closest neighbors reside kasi para tabingi na yung wall. To think ilang years pa tong bahay na to nakatayo. Ingat nalang po talaga.
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If worse comes to worse, I will send a link of this blog to our mayor, para makita niya. It is so frustrating talaga na may mga taong di sumusunod sa dapat. Di nila iniisip yung mangyayari kung sakali. Yun ngang nilagay nilang coco lumber, int wo years nabulok sa itaas, di nila tinanggal, yung dalawang pintor ko nagtanggal three weeks ago.
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Carelessness knows no bounds. Sana po me magawa mga elected officials natin para panagutin yung mga me mali kasi buhay nakasalalay kaya.
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Sinabi mo….nakakatakot eto pag may malakas na bagyo o lumindol ng malakas.
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Maricel, can you check our Tambayan site, i posted a link there Re: my friend’s one year old son is sick, he needs prayers. Will you please include him in your intentions? Thanks a lot.
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Na check ko na po te kanina. I’ll pray for baby Nathan po.
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Thank you so much Maricel 🙂
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Having issues with neighbours can be life-changing, and not in a good way. In the UK, we are lucky to have very strict planning regulations, so this would never have been allowed here. They would have had to demolish it, had they built without permission, or in such a shabby way.
When we moved, we decided to buy a house that did not touch any neighbouring properties at all, in the hope of avoiding just such problems. Only two fences in the garden are next to the neighbours, so we should never have any issues about extended properties.
Good neighbours are worth their weight in gold.
I am sorry for your difficulties Arlene, and hope that they are resolved, in Court if necessary. Best wishes from England. Pete.
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We were here since 1995 Pete, close to 20 years and earlier than the neighbors in question. That affected part is our laundry area and close to our dining area. It’s really a problem when there are no strict planning regulations. Even that kind of sub-standard construction would not pass even for a person who does not know about building structures like this. They definitely have no building permit, no proper plans to follow. All I am asking from them is to place a protective cover for our roof while they are in the middle of construction. They didn’t even apologize for what happened. Thanks Pete, I am really hoping it would be resolved soon.
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The city should have inspected it while they are building so they could correct it while building. What happens if that house fall during a storm where there are strong winds – all the debris will fall over your roof and might even harm you. You need to go to city hall to stop this madness because it seems like the owners are contended with the shoddy work.
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I already reported it two years ago when they started it and I think the only sanction is to stop construction and since around that time they visited and even took pictures, the construction has already stopped so they didn’t approach the owner of the house. I’ve not heard from them since then. Mukha ngang tinipid ng husto Lou, imagine a house na walang biga at buhos sa mga columns dapat. eh ginawa lang parang kulongan ng manok eh.
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so sorry, Arlene! grrrrr
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I am praying for them lolaWi that hopefully they see the light, assess what they are doing…baka sila rin magsisi sa bandang huli. Nagtitipid sila sa paggawa, di naman matibay.
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[…] before they started”. I am glad they realized their mistakes. For those who don’t know the whole story, let’s go back to a few […]
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O’ my, wow, that really is a drag! That would not be allowed in our subdivison. It’s been a long’ while since you posted this. I hope officials have taken action. The structure is dangerous and can pose grave consequences in case of an earthquake – or even storm! It looks crazy! Everyone can see it looks crazy! Even your flippy’ neighbor is well aware that it’s a crazy hodgepodge heehaw structure – which is why she goes ballistic. This is a test of patience. All the best!
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They are now in the process of plastering the walls but it still looks crude from the outside. My side hasn’t been touched yet. She came over to apologize about and said that they will clean my roof once they are finished but I insisted that they put a protective cover. I even suggested in a polite way that they both read the National Building Code. I got tired of following it up. She bragged that she has money then why would they build an extension which is dangerous and not safe, they don’t even have building permit. And you are right, it is a test of patience. Thanks Roselle for dropping by.
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hello.. na curious ako ng makita ko ang picture sa google kse naghahanap ako ng images or sample drawing about inside gutter because i’m doing a two storey residential drawings for building permit.. your picture caught me kse sa itsura palang alam ko na pinoy ito.. and then when i clicked it hindi lang basta picture pala na sample ng isang company na nagbebenta ng roofs etc. pero meron palang story.. na engganyo ako basahin to although this was posted 3 years ago na pala. while reading it i discovered na ganyang ganyan ang dinaranas ng half polycarbonate half G.I. sheet sa laundry area/dirty kitchen namin dahil din sa walang pakealam na kapitbahay sa likod namin. dito na kami since 1989 at nauna din kami sa kanila sa pagtira dito.. to think na nakiusap pa sila sa mother ko that time na tumira sila sa likuran namin na makikigamit sila ng pader namin dahil wala pa sila panggawa ng matinong bahay that time e pumayag naman ang mother ko. ngaun after 3 decades at naisipan na nilang gawing matino ang bahay nila at magtatayo sila not just 2 storey but i think 3 or 4 storey pa ata (kc ongoing ang construction which just started late february this year 2018). and just like what happened to your roof sa laundry area ganun din ang nagyari sa roof namin sa side ng G.I. sheet.. nagkalat ang talsik ng cement at ang pinaka nakaka irita is during the construction ng sarili nilang wall, nasira ng mga gumagawa ang gutter ng bubong ng laundry area namin and to top it all malapit nang mapuno ng cement ang natitirang portion ng gutter sa pinaka corner na di sira.. di ba nakaka gigil din to think na ako bilang nag aral ng architecture though not licensed e di maka reklamo because i learned from my mother na yung husband nung nagpapagawa and at the same time eh ksma sa naggagawa ng bahay nila e nagtatrabaho sa city hall.. walang pang salo ng mga debris or something na hindi makaka perwisyo sa kapitbahay nila at higit sa lahat no apologies.. hay buhay.. we leave it all nalang to our Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, ika nga sa movie “Isusumbong Kita sa Diyos”.. 🙂 🙂
(just sharing story)
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Oh wow, what a similar case we had, mga pesteng kapitbahay. Di maruong sa tamang paggawa ng bahay. Pinatignan ko nga din sa isang civil engineer na friend ko yung structure eh mukha daw tabingi yung second floor nila. Ang yabang nga nung babae kinahulihan, sabi niya yung mga trabahador na lang daw namin ang maglinis at babayaran daw nila. It never came to fruition. Until now ganyan p[a rin itsura nung wall nila sa side namin, walang palitada ang hollow blocks, walang biga sa flooring sa taas at sa inttas before the trusses. Iwan ko, babagsak na lang yan pag nagkataon at madadamay pa dirty kitchen at side ng dining room namin. Thanks for sharing your story. Hindi pala ako nag-iisa.
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