If you saw a neighbor building a tall wall or fence on their property that seemed like it was taller than the HOA rules allowed, what would you do?

Would you ignore the situation, or would you do some digging to make sure the neighbor was following the rules?

In today’s story, one man takes the second option, and his neighbor is left to pick up the pieces.

Let’s see how the story plays out.

Illegal wall-building neighbor gets her 7ft wall torn down and rebuilt.

okay, so this ain’t mine, but my dad’s.

The next-door neighbor and my dad have this old emnity because of a small invisible line between our house and theirs outside in the street (even though any space past the gate or fence is public property), and the neighbors were complaining that our trash bags were getting onto their grass.

To define that line, my dad built a small (~2ft) concrete wall (kind of like the Great wall of China or the Berlin wall. you get the idea).

This sounds dangerous.

Fast forward a few (quiet) years later, the neighbor starts building a new wall directly next/against the dining room wall (the entire side stretches about 60ft long).

Over 9am breakfast you can hear guys slapping concrete blocks on the darn thing, and it’s pretty terrifying because the wall is years old (the whole house is years old ffs) so it has a fairly nice chance of breaking and falling.

Not to mention that the original (kitchen/dining room wall) is only about 6ft tall; the neighbor is building a freaking 7 FOOT WALL.

Dad does some research.

Because my dad oversaw the reconstruction of the house (he’s also an engineer btw), he knows the ups and downs and laws of house construction in our area.

But just to be sure, he asks my lawyer godmother for some legal help, and the rules from the homeowners association (HOA) engineers as well.

So, you can’t build a wall over 6ft without a permit, and if you start building over 6ft, either you’ve got a hefty fine to pay and get a permit or it gets knocked down, pay a fine, get a permit, and restart construction.

Dad asks about the permit.

Then, he knocks on the neighbor’s door and asks about the wall.

The guy that comes out is the Son, and is pretty chill to talk to.

And then my dad asks, “Is there a permit for building that wall?”

This is because you need a permit to build anything over 6 feet tall.

Dad asks about the permit again.

Son didn’t say anything, but he said he’ll ask his Mom.

Mom comes out, wondering what the heck is going on, and my dad politely asks what’s up with the wall.

Mom says it’s fine and dandy, until my dad asks Mom if they have a permit for the wall.

She says they don’t need one.

Consider this a warning.

Politely, my dad tells Mom that they need to get a permit for it.

Of course, he said he’s willing to wait until they get a permit and that this is just a small warning, and he goes on his merry way.

He clarifies he only asked if they had a permit; he didn’t say anything about what happens if they didn’t get a permit and the HOA engineers found out.

A month passes, and he’s back, this time with a recorder.

She must not have known she was being recorded.

He again asks if they have a permit for the wall, and Mom immediately snaps at him. (Obviously they don’t have a permit yet lol)

She cusses at him, screaming for him to get out or she’ll sue him for invading the house and her privacy.

Well, what can you do but get out if a witch starts yelling at you?

Dad did some more research.

Anyway, my dad re-consults the lawyer and the HOA engineers, to make sure that all the information he’s got is correct.

Oh, and the lawyer told him that swearing or cursing someone can be taken against you (hence the recorder).

And he goes back to the neighbor’s house two weeks later with a HOA engineer.

Here’s how the conversation went.

This conversation I heard from inside the house:

My dad: speaking normally, couldn’t hear; probably asking if they had a permit again

Mom: OF COURSE NOT; WE DON’T NEED ONE (as in, legit screaming at the top of her lungs)

My dad: Then you wouldn’t mind if the HOA engineer inspects that wall of yours?

And I was like ‘aww man’, and me and my mom were giggling inside the house.

Goodbye, wall!

The HOA engineer confirmed that this was a >6ft wall they were building, and that they didn’t have a permit.

I guess the neighbor thought it was cheaper to knock it down, pay a fine, and have it rebuilt rather than pay the hefty fine.

We could hear the wall getting torn down a few weeks later. OR, ofc, the HOA engineer said it was the only thing they could do :))

Oh the recorder?

He didn’t even use it anymore; the stupid reconstruction of the wall was enough music for him.

That was effective! She really should’ve gotten a permit.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person was confused.

I think the wall was a safety issue.

This person calls the dad petty.

Justice was served!

Always get a permit!

That’s renovation 101.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.