My neighbor called the police on me for noise pollution

When you're welding, perhaps put up a solid screen. I'd wager that you'd be liable for flash damage.
I'm thinking mainly young children and animals, but with a whiner like you have to deal with he could 'fake' it.

erikmannie said:
Why not just wear headphones?

I got the full update from our next door neighbor who has lived across the street and one house down from this baby for 30 years. He complained about her boat on their side yard, and she got two citations and had to build a higher fence to hide the boat. She extended this high fence all the way across her front yard, and she said this was entirely for the purpose of insulating her family from this clown.

She said that he is widely known as a compulsive complainer by both LE and anybody in the neighborhood who has been unlucky enough to end up in his crosshairs.

She says that he is a huge bully (“I’ll call the police!”) who has had a short range reign of terror here for decades.

I am going away for two months, but when I get back home I will weld & machine like I do, wear headphones if I want the music loud & this guy can go suck an egg if he doesn’t like it.

Today I was out there doing just what I did yesterday: lathe work & music at the same level as yesterday which is not very loud. He did not call in on me. I now have a wide angle camera on my bench facing the street so if anything interesting happens I will have a record of it, as well as upload it to YouTube and insert a link in this thread.

If I had to guess, I would say that he is one of those people who is miserable and wants to make sure that nobody else has any fun. I am still going to have fun.
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middle.road said:
When you're welding, perhaps put up a solid screen. I'd wager that you'd be liable for flash damage.
I'm thinking mainly young children and animals, but with a whiner like you have to deal with he could 'fake' it.
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I have a proper welding curtain, but he definitely complained about that, too. This occurred at night. I have no problem making the welding curtain opaque.
 
erikmannie said:
I would be inclined to confront him and tell him to chill out, but my wife doesn’t want me to say anything to him because she runs a daycare out of our house so she has an additional interest in keeping the peace.

Have any of you guys experienced this? I leave the garage door open for light and ventilation.

I called the police station, and they said not to worry about it. There was no follow up to be done.
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Sounds like you have been polite and a nice guy towards him which is always good, it's a difficult balance taking your neighbors feelings into account and when it's they are just being an ass.

Stu
 
I definitely have a crybaby on my hands.

I haven’t spoken to him since he called the police, but I was as polite as can be up until that point. He asked me to turn down my music, and I did. And then he called the police.

I have no problems wearing headphones now if the music is going to be even the slightest bit loud, but I don’t want to encourage him in any way to continue his bullying. I have the understanding that the way to deal with a bully is to confront them (“call them out”, “call their bluff”).

I am also a big fan of the Rope a Dope strategy: give these people all the rope they need, and let them hang themselves (speaking metaphorically, of course). Somebody told me that Muhammad Ali used this technique; I don’t know if it applies here. If it does apply here, this would involve me continuing to do what I am doing, and maybe at some point if he calls the police, then the police will end up telling him directly that I am not doing anything wrong.
 
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middle.road said:
As stated above, there will be no way you could ever appease this whiner short of moving out of the neighborhood.
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Not going to happen. We both own, and I’m sure that neither one of us will ever move.
 
erikmannie said:
Not going to happen. We both own, and I’m sure that neither one of us will ever move.
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It wouldn't hurt to let them know how really bad things could get.
I actually have a few things (leagal in my town) up my sleeve for when my busy bodies start their bs in the spring.
 
Shootymacshootface said:
It wouldn't hurt to let them know how really bad things could get.
I actually have a few things (leagal in my town) up my sleeve for when my busy bodies start their bs in the spring.
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ow no man your not going to encourage him to take up blacksmithing are ya ?


;)
 
I'll bet that pre-trial representation by a lawyer, for a misdemeanor, would cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $3-$4K.
It's important that you protect yourself from having to throw that money away.
I suggest you do a few things to protect yourself.
Have a consultation with a lawyer and find out if it's legal for you to protect your property with video and audio surveillance. Then follow through with the installation of what ever equipment you need to cover the threat.
Also from the lawyer, find out what it will take to get a restraining order against him requiring him to stay off of you property (at least).
Don't engage with him at all. Ignore him completely. After all, it's the general consensus that he's a trouble maker. You're not going to change him.
And last, but not least, know the law(s) (local ordinances) and ensure that you can not be found in violation.

Good luck.
 
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