It can be pretty testing being a neighbor sometimes. Especially when the house next door is having work done.

In this story, the poster was living next to a home that was being redeveloped – but the work had a huge effect on their home too.

Add to this an unhelpful developer, and the situation became a complete nightmare.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the story.

Don’t worry, I installed the gutters for you

I live in a neighborhood with very densely packed single family homes separated by a small alley.

This means that the gutters are often connected, share downspouts, and oftentimes are only accessible via the adjoining property.

The house next door to mine is being redeveloped and my gutters (along with theirs) were ripped off as part of the demo – specifically the downspout extensions and elbows leading away from my property.

When it rains our unfinished basement gets water. Not enough to be a big deal but enough to annoy me.

This inconvenience only got worse when the homeowner tried to speak with the developer.

Dealing with the developer has been a nightmare and every time I asked when they would be reinstalled he’d either ignore me or “check with the team.”

This was my first experience as a homeowner and if I can give one piece of wisdom to anybody, it’s to send a demand letter as soon as possible in a situation like this, because going back and forth is stupid and wastes time.

What started off as a frustration suddenly got a lot more serious.

Flash forward, we are facing a rainstorm this weekend. I tell him that if he doesn’t install them, I will.

He gives me the usual “team is on it” note and nothing happens.

7am on Saturday comes and, in the words of Czarface, “if you doubt my word, test me.”

The poster took matters into their own hands!

I run to Home Depot, get three 10 foot extensions, elbows and zip ties. I perform a very hideous install that criss-crosses the deck.

I make no cuts to the downspouts and they hang 3-6 feet off the deck rail, secured by zip ties, emptying into the yard where they exited 3 inches of rain over the course of the day.

A truly garish job. The whole thing was a blast and I finished by 9:30.

Anyway, the open house began at 10:30.

Whenever he gets around to asking me what I was thinking, I’m going to tell him I need to check in with the team first.

Let’s see what Reddit made of this whole situation.

Some commenters were impressed with the homeowner’s quick thinking handiwork.

This person had a few ideas about how to get revenge by making the open house memorable.

While this person suggested taking things a step further!

The home may not have sold, but at least the basement didn’t flood!

They should be thankful, really.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.