Sometimes a new bit of construction makes things unfortunate for everyone. Like building a gas station that completely changes the traffic flow that has been going for DECADES.

So when this user’s in-laws started construction on their new house, their neighbor tried to protect their view by citing a rule that affected the roofs of houses in that development.

But the joke was on them when the rule only made the new house have an even taller roof! Check it out!

Neighbour goes to developer to enforce a rule to protect their view. It backfires.

My girlfriend’s parents were going to build a house in a new development in a lot that was in front of their future neighbors.

The lot is on a hill, so it is in front of the neighbors, but below them.

The neighbors decided they wanted to build a 1 story rancher on the lower part of their lot, instead of building something like a 2 story on the higher side of the lot.

They assumed that whoever was going to build in front of them would only build a 1 story themselves, which would keep their view unobstructed.

Having a great view was apparently very important to them, and a big selling point on the lot.

Unfortunately for the neighbor’s users in-laws had other plans!

Her parents start to build their 2 story house on their lot, with tall peaked gables.

When the neighbours realize their view will indeed be obstructed, they offer to buy the lot off of her parents.

Her parents give them the price of the lot (which had increased in value since it was originally purchased) plus the cost of the materials already purchased for the build.

But after sending the numbers, the parents only heard crickets from their future neighbors…

They waited for a response, but didn’t get one, so they just continued on with their build.

A month or two later the neighbors respond to the offer saying they’ll accept it.

By this time of course, more time and money has been put in to the build so her parents told them they can still buy the lot, but the price has increased.

The neighbors reject the offer.

In this new development, all house are required to have a two foot overhang, but many of the homes haven’t actually been following the rule, and the developers haven’t been enforcing it.

So the neighbors tried to get the developer to enforce the long-forgotten rule to sabotage the parents…

Her parents decided to, also, not follow the rule. The neighbors then go to the developer to remind them that her parents need to have 2 foot overhangs.

They thought this would decrease the pitch of the roof, meaning the gables wouldn’t be so high. The developers tell her parents to make sure they have the two foot overhangs.

Her parents go to the architect to find a way to keep the tall gables they wanted, while also having the two foot overhangs.

Ironically, this attempted sabotage only made the roof even taller!

The architect tells them to just raise the roof two feet to create the two foot overhang, so the angles on the roof won’t be impacted at all.

Her parents keep building with these new specs. The developers approach her parents to enquire about the overhangs and if their roof was impacted at all.

The look on his face when her parents told him that they just raised the whole roof by two feet was priceless.

The neighbors avoided her family the entire five years they lived there.

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Not only did you wait a month to accept the offer on the lot, but your attempt to keep the roof low only made it taller!

Reddit agreed, saying if they really cared that much they should have responded timely to the offer to buy the property!

And this user told their own story of a ridiculous neighbor making demands for other people’s property.

Another user revealed that an imposing neighbor actually was the deciding factor in their choice NOT to buy a house.

And finally, this guy said that if you find yourself in the same situation as the neighbors, going to the construction crew won’t do anything to help!

You had the opportunity to buy the lot, and you didn’t!

Too bad for you.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.