And here is what they just did. They buried part of the trunk of 2 trees.

Is this anywhere that code enforcement can get involved? If so, call them.

I don't think codes apply to this unfortunately. My husband contacted the HOA but I have a feeling they won't do anything. I think they only deal with the architecture of the house. They are more concerned about someone having an RV visible from the street but won't do anything about the wall of dirt I now have to look at. The front of our house faces this mess. And they went and added more dirt since that previous picture was taken. What a nightmare.

No your county code might have something to say. Call your county inspector.

We had a similar situation with the guy who built next to us but obviously not as big a hill and it ruined a lot of our plantings in our backyard.

It is a beautiful house. I’m pretty sure they will seed it or plant bushes. But they do need some kind of permit to build, site disturbance etc. Check with your county.

I often comment about the need for a house to fit the site. Here they altered the site (perhaps unsuccessfully) to attempt to fit the house. The house was not plopped on the site, the site is being plopped under and around the house.

Fill dirt can be built on as long as it is compacted to meet the bearing capacity required by the structure. Many times testing and an engineer report is required.

It took us 21 months and eight applications for our grading plan for an essentially flat 2/3 acre lot to pass. And that whizzes by holus bolus!

Check beyond the HOA. Contact county, town, whatever. Or even your local pol for direction.

Thank you. I will have my husband call the county inspector. They are pretty lenient around here so who knows if they will do anything.

As far as compaction goes they ran a bull dozer over the sides and then proceeded to pour more dirt on it. They didn't do anything with the sides as far as compaction with the new dirt and just ran a dump truck over the top flat part a few times.

Here are some more pics. It was nice of them to dump trees and roots all back here too. Will be some great tinder for forest fires.

Not sure if this tree will survive. It's not our tree but it does provide some shade on our house from the setting western sun.

I think the thing that gets me the most is people have no respect for others. This guy took no consideration into what we would have to see outside our front door. I am the total opposite of that. I try to be considerate of my neighbors. We have fire wood behind our garage. We keep it very organized with covered racks so it doesn't look unsightly. In the winter is about the only time our one neighbor could see it but its far away from and off to the side of their house. Most of the driveways in our neighborhood are gravel. We always make sure to maintain any gravel that should get in the road from our driveway. You should see the complete mess in the road from that house being built and no one does a dam thing to clean it up. My neighbor who lives up from that house came down once and cleaned it up but he said that's the last time he is doing it.

With no good compaction, it will subside, the house will collapse, and natural order will be restored.

@User the house is actually on good ground. The house was dug into the side of the hill and is not on fill dirt. It's everything else around it and where the garage will be that is on the fill dirt.

in general too much dirt will require a retaining wall, and yes - if he didn't compact enough - garage will settle. The method to compact is usually running the bulldozer - but soil SHOULD be tested and done in layers.

Overall - fairly rude to others and he'll kill his own trees, too.

If the garage falls down the manmade hill, that will be bonus.

Ok my husband just told me he had called the county back in May when they built up the first platform before this latest dirt dump. They said they don't do anything about it. If they don't deal with their water runoff and erosion then we can call someone about that.

Are you in the US? The USDA‘s Department of Natural Resources/Soil & Water Conservation Service may have some regulations that come into play. It looks as though the natural flow of water runoff may have been altered.

If your county has an arborist give him/her a call too. often the tree people react faster then other county employees.

Yes we are in the US. We are in NC.

IME - in NC they only care if you have messed with a riparian buffer, stream or wetland. Impacting your neighbors with runoff - not so much - unless MAYBE you are in the city. Moving dirt - they don't care, and killing your own trees, they don't care. They MAY care about a grade that should require a retaining wall and doesn't have one. I didn't have any inspector ask to see the soil compaction readings from the independent company we hired before they signed off on the dug footings.

Begin working on your landscaping plan to improve your view.

Guess he wanted to be king of the hill.

I agree they should have something in case of heavy rain to keep the mud off of your property. In my area the township would be the identity to contact. I would wait until he is finished to do anything else Now it is a pile of dirt, but it is a nice house and he probably has a plan for landscaping. It isn't that steep of a hill. You can't expect neighbors to keep trees just because it shades your house and the only view your entitled to is the view within your property line as long as they follow the township ordinances.

I didnt say the neighbor has no right to get rid of a tree on his property. The neighbor didn’t get rid of a tree. He buried part of the tree so it may not surive.

That hill he built is very steep it just doesn’t show how steep it is in the pictures.

Yes I am only entitled to the view within my property but it would be nice if neighbors had consideration for other neighbors.

He is doing the prep work for his landscaping and to build a garage for his new house. Construction of any type isn't pretty until it is done. It's is messy, dirty and noisy. I'm sure your neighbor wishes he could wave a magic wand and have it completed also. Remember he is also looking at a pile of dirt. Probably when it is all done the home and landscaping will be awesome. . Yes, the tree may die, but that is his problem not yours.

vinmarks:

You should mind your own business. You could have bought this lot; you didn't.

I think that @Joseph Corlett, LLC is a little harsh, but he has a point.

@vinmarks - you are upset about the view and changes. I get that.

It's reasonable to expect your neighbor to put up a silt fence and protect your property from mud flows. Most everything else you have mentioned - from the trees, to building on fill dirt -- is not your business.

The problem with "This guy took no consideration into what we would have to see outside our front door..." is that giving the neighbors a say in how one builds their house opens a huge can of worms that nobody wants when they are building a house.

Many people move out to the country so that they don't have to deal with rules, neighbors, zoning, etc. Many of those people are not communal by their very nature. That's fine until the neighbors from hell move in and want to put a mobile home next to you - or a bunch of broken down vehicles.

Here's a tip: Choose your battles carefully. Getting along with your neighbors is important. An openly hostile neighbor is far worse than your view being changed.

It is your business if your neighbour is violating governmental regulations or laws or Common Law with their use of the property. Even North Carolina isn't Somalia.

I've reported neighbours regularly setting illegal open fires, keeping cages of infernally barking Beagles and mucking up the streets with muddy dump truck tires.

(Of course, if they're connected, Mum's the word.)

How am I telling anyone how to build their house?

As far as picking battles the only entity we contacted was our HOA specifically about water and mud runoff coming onto our property. And when we contacted the county inspector back in May it was about water and mud runoff not about the ugly hill.

I really don't care about him building on fill dirt. I simply asked if you can put a structure on fill dirt out of curiosity and for my own knowledge because I have no clue.

As far as the tree goes I really don't care about that either. That was me pointing out the dumb that is going on up there. When it dies and falls on my garage then I will care.

Read my original post. I wrote: My worry is that we will end up with all his water and mud coming over to our property.

I also wrote: "And we are the lucky ones that get to look at the dirt mound. Needless to say we are not happy but not much we can do." Would it be nice if someone exhibited some consideration for their neighbors view? Of course but he can do what he wants on his property. Doesn't mean I have to like it. And of course I understand building is messy, loud etc. I've built 2 houses and have lived next to houses being built.

And all you saying he has a landscaping plan. He didn't even have a plan on how to fit the house and garage on the platform he had built up in May which then had to be completely redone in January because the garage couldn't fit and you think he has a landscaping plan? And I really don't care if he has a landscaping plan or not. My worry as I stated in the original post was about water and mud coming onto my property.

This is not the first time something had to be said about what has gone on up there. My neighbor up from him had to contact the county because part of his structure was going to be put on the no build zone.

We had a visit from the HOA today. They are sending a letter to the guy just reminding him he needs to take care of water and mud runoff and needs to have that hillside compacted.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC If I was rolling in money I would have purchased that lot. And it is my business if it is something that will affect my property.

"And it is my business if it is something that will affect my property."

Excessive runoff? You betcha. Changed your view? Nu-uh.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC I didn't contact the HOA complaining about the way it looks.

I am allowed to rant all I want about not liking the way it looks. Most people wouldn't be happy with it. Doesn't mean it will change a thing but I'm allowed to not like how things look.

The project does have signs of poor design decisions.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Vinmarks has an absolute right to be concerned that run off from the altered and elevated slope will damage his property. Vinmarks, are there any city or county departments that deal with drainage, washes and run offs? In my state, the city is very concerned about altering washes, to the extent of having a neighbor rebuild one that was altered at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars. Also, check your CCR’s. Was this construction permitted?

Edited to add it cost several HUNDRED thousand dollars to restore the wash.

The project does have signs of poor design decisions.

Enjoy your daily dose of understatement, courtest of MB, A...

I was wondering about runoff as well. I hope you get a really good rain before they sign the CO so you can see how drainage is working. I live in an area with lots of in-fill building (older homes replaced by those that many would consider too big for the lot.) My friends lived next to a new build where the runoff was draining like a river down my friends' driveway. They took a video, brought it to the Village office (zoning, building, not sure which dept.), and the builder had to move a downspout and add a swale or something before the new owners could get a CO.

I haven't heard one person state that the neighbor isn't responsible for any run off on to your property.

Is the neighbor building the house or is he having it built? There is a huge difference between building your own house and paying a contractor to build it for you.

"Was this construction permitted?"

Not if vinmarks had their way.