An Illinois homeowner decided to add a second story to his modest ranch house. Then he set his sight on further expansion. Over the years he added on the house bit by bit until it looked like a 3,300-square-foot Taj Mahal, and he had plans to expand it still further to 5,700 square feet. For fifteen years his neighbors put up with noisy construction equipment, piles of lumber, stacks of clay roofing tile, and giant sewer pipes, with constant dust and debris. Fed up, the neighbors joined forces with the village to try to get the man to complete his project. The case festered in court for years, with no end in sight.

What your neighbors do with their homes may well affect you, whether because of the high fence blocking your view, the overgrown yard bringing down your property values, or the din of the teenage rock band practicing at full volume in the garage. This chapter addresses what you can do to cope with problem neighbors.

Subsections

1. Handling Disputes
2. Pets
3. Trees
4. Views
5. Fences