The city thinks my fish house is "unsightly"

[merkman]

After years of storing my fish house in my backyard unsheltered... this year I was notified that I can no longer store my fish house that way because it is "unsightly" and needs to be stored behind a privacy fence.

So a half hour of work, two 8 ft fence panels cut to fit and screwed on to the side of my fish house it looks Soooooo much better now....

Sometimes I hate living in the city!!!!

at least it is a nice day to be working outside. :-)

[MJ1657]

That's awesome Merk!

If they hassle you any more bring it out here.

[Neighbor_guy]

Wow...

Let's not worry about how to fix the potholes or revitalize Main Street. Let's make sure merk's fishouse is hidden. You had it on concrete too.

Sadly enough it's often someone in the neighborhood that filed a complaint. But hey, they say good fences make good neighbors.

Now the question becomes do you take the picket fence off when you put it out on the lake or leave it there?

[jentz]

Ya hahaha the cities?????? Did you procure a fence permit?? Who ever complained if they got it out for you and know anything can get the permit enforced.Especially when posted on the net.Bad news travels like wild fire good news travels real slow.Someone down there is wild fire cause they are bad news every where they go HeheheThe fence permit has rules to follow.I dont believe you meet them if your inspected.

[Ryan_V]

I have storage space available as well! 1 hr west of mpls. Sometimes I miss having neighbors.... most of the time.... not so much!

[merkman]

Now the question becomes do you take the picket fence off when you put it out on the lake or leave it there?

Of course it needs to stay there!!!

I wouldn't want someone to think my fish house is "unsightly" on the lake.

-Merk

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[eyeguy 54]

don't know if I could move into your neighborhood with that roof line showing..... lol

[Gordie]

That fence needs to be painted and I think I have a gallon of that green from painting the house originally.

[nofishfisherman]

What city do you live in?

I'm sure it was some crabby neighbor that complained. I live in St. Paul and seems like the city leaves things like this alone unless someone complains.

I'm curious, did they say what would happen if you didn't hide it behind a fence?

I guess on the bright side the house is now harder for the neighborhood hooligans to break into.

[harvey lee]

I thought about putting my fishhouse in the back yard but figured just maybe the neighbor's would not like looking out their window at my fishhouse so, I rented as spot for it.

I did this only because I would like it if my neighbor's did this also otherwise the neighborhood would get pretty junkyard looking.

Some people have nice untis but I can only guess some would put something in their yard that was nothing more than an eye sore.

One has to think about the neighbor's also.

[merkman]

That fence needs to be painted and I think I have a gallon of that green from painting the house originally.

hmmm... and I was thinking of a hot pink..... :-)

[jentz]

HarveyLee you sound awful condescending.I thought from reading your posts you're in the country?

that old looking roof line above the fence not a solid color and worn is a eyesore?? Merk buy a new one like harvey has!

[Dave S]

HarveyLee you sound awful condescending.I thought from reading your posts you're in the country?

that old looking roof line above the fence not a solid color and worn is a eyesore?? Merk buy a new one like harvey has!

In a way I agree with Harvey and he didn't come off as being condescending. No need to be busting his balls because he offered a little CC.

I have neighbors at odds about a dog. Cats have been shot cops have been called and I'm stuck in the middle. Angry neighbors can make for a lot of trouble.

[MJ1657]

I think if were banning fish houses we should ban swing sets. That's about as wise a move.

Sad that cities have nothing better to do.

[169Sportsman]

People that don't like what is in there neighbors yards should put up a fence so they don't have to look out of it not the other way around. I don't even have neighbors and I still get complaints about stuff on my property. Luckily it is the old cars that I use for demo derby and not my fish house.

[RumRiverRat]

I would have told the city to pound sand.

Busy body neighbors with zero power in their own lives try to make others lives miserable by getting the city involved or trying to start HOA.

[leech~~]

People that don't like what is in there neighbors yards should put up a fence so they don't have to look out of it not the other way around. I don't even have neighbors and I still get complaints about stuff on my property. Luckily it is the old cars that I use for demo derby and not my fish house.

Do you have a dog chained to the clothes line and a motor hung from a tree?

Buddy, you mite be a Red Neck! "Jeff Foxworthy"

[skee0025]

hmmm... and I was thinking of a hot pink..... :-)

Anything Day Glow....

[Gordie]

hmmm... and I was thinking of a hot pink..... :-)

Could always go with the old standby of Firetiger

[merkman]

Could always go with the old standby of Firetiger

I think that is illegal in 9 states and the District of Columbia. :-)

.

[mwal]

I once painted my fish house on Mille Lacs Clown Suick. Chartreuse with Black spots. The resort used it to give directions by. LMAO Was a sad day indeed when it rotted to far to be salvaged.

Mwal

[leechlake]

I'm going to be bold here. From my deck I can see a boat on a trailer that's about 200 feet away that somebody parks in their backyard/or maybe common ground of the neighborhood. It's got a big green tarp on it and it seems to sit their Memorial Day-Labor Day and it's probably 24 feet plus. Frankly I don't like looking at it but after a while don't notice it and would never tell the guy he should move it or worse yet call the city. I wouldn't park it in my yard but it's his choice and I've got bigger fish to fry. Maybe I'm a high brow...

[harvey lee]

HarveyLee you sound awful condescending.I thought from reading your posts you're in the country?

that old looking roof line above the fence not a solid color and worn is a eyesore?? Merk buy a new one like harvey has!

Moved to town 11 years ago. Trouble with letting a few put items like a fishhouse in their yard, some are unsightly and others look nice but how do you stop the garbage in ones yard when you allow another?

The town's have certain regs in place due to the fact some people think that they can have a used junk car lot in theor back yard and that is not all that nice. let a few due this and that and dooner or later the city Fathers have to adopt policy.

I can understand how and why the town's have policies against this.

The town I live in has a fence ordinance due to the fact some people put up some very messy fence. So, now one can still have a fence but it must be approved by the city. Only seem's right that the city fathers try to control what is in one's yard or the town would look like a junkyard in some locations.

Really not fair to those who keep their place up and store the nicer items but to try and control it, rules have to be made.

My fishhouse sits on the street at this time as I have a few more things to get done on it, then it will go to a storage place for the summer. I did tell my neighbors it would not sit out in front of their houses for the summer.

My boat I store in the winter, thought about the back yard but zI figure my neighbor's would rather not look at the boat every time they look out their windows.

Same with the wheeler.

I had plenty of shed storage when I was out in the country and now in town, I rent space for about everything so my neighbor's do not have to look at all the stuff in the yard.

I have to believe thwe city he lives in has a policy for storing items in the yard, it may not be unsightly but they have to have a policy or some would store one there in the yard, not move it for years and it would rot and critters would move in, this happens so there is the need for city ordinances.

[Neighbor_guy]

Hahahaha!

Harvey, in the city Merk lives in he could rent his fish house, it would be an upgrade compared to many of the houses people were living in.

[pikestabber]

After years of storing my fish house in my backyard unsheltered... this year I was notified that I can no longer store my fish house that way because it is "unsightly" and needs to be stored behind a privacy fence.

I had a functionally sound but "aesthetically challenged" fish house when I bought my house in town a year and a half ago and had the same thing happen to me. This threat went as far as to say "all of your valuable and important assets will be removed from your property if you don't comply by this weekend." Of course, that threat was from my girlfriend, not the city. I painted the fish house.

[Gordie]

One mans garbage is another mans gold

[merkman]

It only seem's right that the city fathers try to control what is in one's yard or the town would look like a junkyard in some locations.

The "problem" is there is that the term "junkyard" is really rather subjective.

I would much rather leave the definition of "junkyard" to the various homeowners associations and other groups that people willfully join to keep their neighborhood standards above their common definition of "junkyard" that is a choice they consciously made when moving into that neighborhood. And yes Harvey Lee you parking your fish house on the street... even overnight would be considered my most of those groups as the definition of a "junkyard". I spoke with one guy who lives in an association and they can not have any vehicles parked on their own driveways overnight... All vehicles go in the garage period.

I do not hold those same beliefs and that is why I consciously chose to live in a neighborhood without an association. After 13+ years of paying taxes on my property, along with working my a$$ off though the recession to keep my house and not turn it into yet another forclosed bank owned home that the city does not even require the banks , mortgage companies, and builders to mow the lawn on properties they own but twice a year.... The thanks i get for this is that i can not even store my fish house on my own property (that i pay rent on in the form of taxes) without applying for permit after permit and giving menards even more and more money as the city fathers sit in their cush office chairs and continue to make proclamations and silly ordances that really don't do much more then provide them an additional revenue stream in this age of tightened budgets and increased "fees" every time you turn around.

I guess in the end I can't expect much more of the new neighbors and others who have moved into this town... after all they are the ones who came from these various associations and other areas that require you to pay taxes and storage fees on everything you own..... just wish they would move into their own neighborhoods with their own associations and leave this grumpy old man in training alone..

I highly doubt looking at a 4 ft ×5 ft ×6 ft fishouse over the summer is really that much of an eyesore... and as others have posted here... if it is an eyesore for them, they should pay the city for the permit, pay menards for the lumber, and build their own ding dang fence......

The old man rant is now over.... Now GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!

P.S. I am really liking the dayglo recommendation for the fence color!!! :-)

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[harvey lee]

The city I live in has no issue with my wheelhouse parked on the street. I have seen the police car go by many times with it on the street for the past 6-8 weeks with n0othing said.

Many town's have parking rules in ones yard and the strret that are not in association. Fence rules on how high and where built in your yard. Heck, when I was a young lad and lived in SSP, they had a ordinance on what type of fence back in the mid 60's. Many of these rules have been around for years or a decade or more.

Had a fellow I know in town that wanted too build a monster 2 story storage shed in his back yard. He needed a permit to do it but the permit was like $100 so he decided to put a wheel on each side and told the city it was a wheelhouse. Well, the city is not that dumb so they sent him a letter and said move it or it would go fasrther than a letter.

Long story short, he had to move it, guess it would have been much easier to just pay the permit fee. The neighbor's did NOT want that eyesore in their view in their back yard, a simple building permit would have took care of the issue but the city would never have permitted that large of a 2 story shed in a very small back yard up against the alley.

It's a tough deal for the majority that have nice well kept items in their yards but due to a few qwho let dump all over their yard, the city is forced to make an ordinance. I guess it would be hard for the city to say a nice house can stay but a messing one has to go. They one would have o0ne persons opinion on what was nice or junky. So, no fishhouses I guess.