His Duplex Neighbor Wants to Add a Fire Pit to Their Shared Space—But He Says No
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Shared property lines can make one neighbor’s backyard upgrade another person’s daily headache.
In this story, a planned entertainment area would sit just six feet from several bedroom windows.
Open windows, late-night conversations, and future resale concerns quickly turned the project into a heated dispute.
Check out how it all went down.
AITA for stopping neighbor from installing fire pit and seating just outside my bedroom window?
I live in a duplex.
I own the north half, and my neighbor owns the south half.
I have a deck on the north side, and he has a deck on the south side.
The front is the west side where we have garages and our front doors.
The backyard is the east side (only windows on this side, no doors) and is a lawn.
This man’s neighbor wanted to install an “entertainment” area on his lawn.
My neighbor wants to remove the lawn on his side and install a fire pit, chairs, lights, etc.
However, the location he chose is right up against the property line. This was also 6 ft. from my bedroom window.
I don’t want to hear them “entertaining” out there all the time.
He doesn’t approve of his neighbor’s plan.
I pointed out that we both have decks on opposite sides for this reason.
So we don’t disturb each other.
Additionally, three of my four bedroom windows are within whisper distance of this area.
The backyard has always been dark and quiet, and I see no reason to change this.
I told him I would only approve if he mitigated the noise with a privacy wall or something similar.
He thinks that the new setup might affect his property’s value.
Furthermore, I am worried when I decided to sell it the buyer will see a fire pit from the neighbor near their bedroom window and not buy it.
I don’t have air conditioning, so the windows are all open from April through October.
Now, his neighbor is calling him a jerk for not agreeing with the plan.
I love how everything is currently set up.
We can both entertain and not disturb each other, because we are on opposite sides.
My neighbor says I am the jerk for not allowing it.
AITA for vetoing his request to add an entertainment patio here?
Is this neighbor right to be concerned about his neighbor’s plans?
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Let’s see how others reacted to this story on Reddit.
This person offers some serious advice.
You are right to veto it, says this person.
This user shares their personal thoughts.
People are giving out warnings.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a home buyer who was surprised to learn his neighbors were upset about him removing a fence.
Finally, short and simple.
The homeowner objected because the proposed fire pit would replace a quiet lawn beside several frequently opened bedroom windows.
He offered conditional approval if his neighbor added a privacy wall or another form of noise protection.
A reasonable barrier could preserve the new patio without turning someone else’s bedroom into overflow seating.
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