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Will Garden Tract Home Owner Throw in the Trowel?
You’ve seen those inspirational remodeling shows where some visionary guy buys a dump of a house, and by sweat and by golly he transforms the shack into a dream home in about one hour, not counting commercials. Neighbors give enthusiastic thumbs-ups, bring iced tea and cookies, cheer him on and say things like, “Wow! That house is coming along beautifully! Thank you for improving the neighborhood!” Those TV neighbors see the big picture. They understand that every improvement the remodeler makes to his house, the better it is for the whole neighborhood.
Michael Roberts of Redding cannot relate to that idealized TV show.
His story is not so happy.
In April he bought his fixer-upper investment, a dilapidated former drug-house in the Garden Tract, a run-down structure into which Roberts continues to invest every spare dollar and extra minute into fixing the place up.
Roberts’ American dream turned into a nightmare, not so much because the house he recently bought was rodent-infested. Not because the house was so steeped in drug-making chemicals that Roberts had to tear the house down to sub-floors, studs and beams. Not because he had to replace every window, tackle an overgrown yard. Not even because he’s spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to remodel the neglected house in which Roberts looked past the flaws straight through to the heart of the home’s potential.
No, the real nightmare has been with people who’ve called city code enforcement and even the police to complain about the tool trailer and camper Roberts keeps out front. Roberts sleeps in the camper.
He keeps supplies in the trailer.
Wednesday morning his trailer was towed away after someone complained to the city of Redding.
Roberts, who works on the house almost every evening, grew so frustrated by fighting citations that the Chico State business degree-holder appealed to his Garden Tract Neighborhood Association:
“I wanted to post a letter to all the neighbors in regards to my residence,” he wrote. “My trailer on the street, which I keep my tools in, has been cited.”
Roberts went on to say that every time someone complains to the city it causes trouble for him, and the result is that it takes that much longer for him to finish his job. His frustration has grown to the point where he’s tempted to say forget it, I’ll just get the house good-enough, and find some renters to put in there.
“I don’t want to do this, but at this point I’m running into issues, like being turned in for my pond and grass that is growing,” he said.
“Would they like me to work on stucco on the house or cutting down the weeds? Would they like me to paint my house and put a new roof on or keep the street clear of my trailers? Would they like me to invest another $75 thousand into this house, or go invest that money into another neighborhood? Moreover, if any of the neighbors have an issue with me - a nice guy - come tell me your problems with my place.”
Most likely the neighbors who reported him to the city saw the issue as a black-and-white code enforcement situation.
But to other neighbors, especially those who’d also remodeled their houses, they viewed Roberts’ construction zone as noble and worthwhile.
Monique Gaido, president of the Garden Tract Society, sent out a neighborhood-wide email in which she explained Roberts’ situation and asked for patience.
“We hope you might all understand that he is doing our neighborhood a service and will happily comply with all standards, but we must allow him to reach a point where he can live in this home,” Gaido wrote. “I am afraid he is tempted to abandon his efforts and leave the neighborhood at this point. I ask you all not to file complaints on him and to be patient in cases when we know we have upstanding citizens who are working to improve the properties in our neighborhood.”
Even so, Roberts has hours and hours more to go before he’s finished. In the meantime, his neighbor, Rachel Freemon, who lives directly across the street, said she wishes people would just chill and have a little patience.
“You know what?” Freemon asked, “I think he’s making the neighborhood better. It’s not like he leaves his stuff here and drives away. He works there every day. It was vacant before. Now it’s being fixed up. It’s definitely going to be an improvement.”
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YOU GO, MICHAEL . . . and the rest of you doomkoffs need to get a grip on reality. I would bet that it’s only one or two people who are making all the noise and the dozen or so neighbors who applaud Michael’s efforts are the great, silent majority. Hey, folks, why not stop by in the evening and lend a paint stroke or hammer a nail? That would be an investment in YOUR property values and YOUR neighborhood.
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Monique Gaido Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
You’re right, actually, Adrienne. It is only one or two people who are making some noise. I haven’t heard anything about who’s been complaining. I’ve only heard neighbors commending Michael. In fact, Michael wrote to say several neighbors stopped over to check out his work and express their support. Others were ready to write angry letters to City Code Enforcement and to collect money to help him pay towing fees, which in the end he was not required to pay. But all is well now.
I believe, it’s wrong to imply that this neighborhood is full of rodent-infested drug houses. Michael’s case is really the extreme and I imagine the house was quite a bargain up front, but the fixing up is a lot to take on. Michael is a brave and determined young man to attempt to complete this large task in a very short time. He plans to be in the house on August 15th, and I told him our neighbors will help him celebrate!
Thank you, News Cafe Staff, for showing your support for Michael.
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überglücklich dummkopf Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Thank you for giving me a reason to think about my deceased father, and my numerous uncles and aunts. The world is full of dummkopf, and we somehow get by. We sometimes even excel at something or another. Go figure! : )
Go Michael Go! I grew up in houses in various stages of rehabilitation. That was an education I will use over and over, and I treasure it as the legacy of those who came before me.
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On Saturday Night Live they have a comedy sketch they call “Really”. They mention something and say, “Really…..” To the folks who are looking at a house under remodel construction or a rat infested/drug infested/ crack house…. to you I say…… “REALLY?”
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One side note, as an explanation for why Roberts doesn’t park his vehicles elsewhere on his property. First, his driveway beside the house is so narrow that even his pickup won’t fit.
Second, there’s an empty lot next to his property, and the owner was unwilling to allow Roberts to park his vehicles there.
But third, the biggest issue is an alley behind his house that, if accessible, would have given him a way to get into his nearly half-acre lot from the rear. He could have brought equipment in via the alley, and parked his vehicles in the back area via the alley.
But the alley is blocked because of a permit-less carport that was built decades ago. The huge carport belongs to an East St. apartment complex. Roberts contacted the apartment manager in hopes of contacting the owner to figure out a solution, and even offered to remove the carport long enough for Roberts to finish construction, and then he’d reassemble it, to which Roberts said he was told to f —off. He called RPD to point out the safety hazard of having an alley with no access for emergency vehicles, and was told it wasn’t a police issue, but construction coding and easements. He called the county for help, where he said he got the run-around.
Finally, he wrote a letter to the city manager, and the letter was passed onto Bill Nagel, who’s in charge of code enforcement. His office found no permit for that structure, which makes it technically illegal, or, Nagel said it might have been built prior to 1978, before city records were as well documented Since beginning construction, Roberts’ home has been crow-barred into, which he didn’t report to his insurance company so his rates wouldn’t rise. Twice he’s had to call the police to report a man in the back yard who seems to have some mental health issues.
Late last night Roberts sent me an email in which he admitted the home project has turned into a much, much bigger project than he’d anticipated. Basically, he’s gutted it, and the house needs new everything: plumbing, framing, flooring, heating/AC, sheet rock, siding … you name it. He said he hopes that in this economy, with with people struggling to keep their homes, he hopes he’s made a wise decision to invest in this house in the Garden Tract.
He ended by apologizing to neighbors for the extra vehicles out front, and the commotion and construction. But he asks for patience and understanding, and for neighbors to realize he’s doing the best he can with limited finances, working a full-time job by day and working on the house every other spare minute. He said that his hope is that in the end, his house will no longer be the eyesore of the neighborhood.
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rusty Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 10:40 am
If there is a question of emergency access in an alleyway, the code enforcement officer is not the correct route every time. The FIRE MARSHALL is the person you want to talk to. Contact the fire marshall
and arrange a meeting to discuss the issue in person. This will usually get issues resolved one way or the other because emergency vehicles take priority over all building codes. Good luck Michael.
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Wow, what a story. I’m buying a new (old) house & this sends shivers through me!
Frankly, I can see the neighbors’ point if it’s a matter of loud noises and trucks late at night or in the early hours of the morning, but if he’s being as respectful as possible of them, then it sure would be nice if they could let him get the job done. Heck, maybe instead of running to the gym on a Saturday, they could spend an hour here or there nailing boards or shoveling dirt alongside him!
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Michael Roberts Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Good point.. I have contacted all my neighbors and asked them if I was being to loud.. they all stated they can’t hear me at night…At night, im not doing anything loud with air tools or hammers or anything! I have made sure I have respected the noise and the hours of the noise, further more I have a million and a half broke pipes in my front yard and I sweep or wash the walkway everytime it becomes dirty.
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Bravo Michael! Keep it up. All neighborhoods need a Michael.
We should consider ourselves lucky to have you.
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Garden Tract IS lucky to have someone like Michael. I hope this article will bring forth a groundswell of support for MIchael…and in the form of more practical substance than verbal “atta boys’”.
Shame on those who can’t see beyond the work in progress….certainly not very neighborly to cause Michael so much trouble, when, ultimately, he is doing the entire Garden Tract an enormous favor. Aren’t there reimbursement/incentive programs to reward people like Michael, who tackle such a daunting project as gutting and rebuilding a former drug house?
Thanks, Doni, for bringing this situation to light, and to Monique Gaido, as president of GTS, in keeping neighbors informed of Michael’s plight. Michael is long overdue for a well-deserved break in all this mess, and I hope his regret of choice of neighborhood is short-lived.
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Michael is doing his best, and seems to be contributing a lot to the neighborhood and the community. I’d like a neighbor like him. Please help him get this house built and let him get on with his life.
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Isn’t this the same neighborhood where some residents crabbed about the ice cream truck that made a lot of noise?
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Anonymous heckler Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Nope, those are the other crabby neighbors, across Cypress in Parkview.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if the neighbors who complained went over to the house one evening a week and offered a helping hand instead?
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Shame on those who anonymously complain and wreak havoc instead of constructively working to help the community as Michael is doing! Shame on a city and county who listen to such peevish complaints instead of honoring the spirit of the law. How can constitutional rights of private property, etc. be shoved aside for “code enforcement”? Which is more important?
We also suffered in a similar way and are definitely pulling for Michael and the many others who find themselves challenged as they are working as hard as they can to construct and improve. We need visionary leaders who will keep these bureaucrats and complainers in check and guard individual freedom and good work ethic. Thanks to Doni Greenberg for telling this story.
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Shame on the old Garden Tracters who’ve complained about Michael Roberts’
nobel work in rebuilding this house. Get on with your life, if you have one. Get over your “not in my backyard” attitude. Maybe you old farts have too much time on your hands. Get out of your Lazyboy and do something other than bitch.
Good report Doni. I’m hoping it will improve the situation.
Sincerely, Budd
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I have a friend in another part of town whose neighbor has been horrible. Every time he tries to finish the siding on his house, the lady calls the cops, who tell him to not use power tools even though it is the middle of the day.
Contrast that to a different friend whose neighbor is working on a deck at 6 in the morning before work to midnight after. The power saw and nail guns wake him every morning and rock him to sleep each night. They didn’t complain since they thought it would end soon, but it has been going on all summer.
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Tsk, Tsk Mr. Hodges, so how is it that you seem to know that these are old farts sitting on a Lazy Boy? As a City of Redding emloyee, I used to work with folks in this area, they were tuned in to keeping their neighborhood safe, clean, and very liveable. I never ran across any old farts…
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Michael Roberts Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
If you worked for the City of Redding, maybe you can HELP!!! Maybe you know some people that can help me and also help a local Neighbor. This neighbor lives down my back alley. I called the planning, code enforcement, the Mayor, Fire Dept. and everyone to help “HER” to be safe incase there is ever an emergency. There is no other access to her place except through a one-way Alley that a FIRE TRUCK CAN’T FIT down! Heck, I tried to order a garbage container, from the city so I wouldn’t have to make a million trips to the dump and they can’t get a truck to drop of a garbage container down the alley, as they said, “It just won’t even fit “. My 07 Chevy gets stuck on the barb-wire on both sides of the mirrors just going down the alley. SO, if you’re connected with the city, maybe you can HELP make it possible for an emergency vehicle get down the alley to this residence house! I would appreciate all your help! If they can get an emergency vehicle down the alley I would also be able to get my stuff off the street and into my backyard!!! WIn-WIN! Thanks for the help!
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Wow, what a great story. Excellent reporting and follow-up background by Doni in the comments section. No personal attacks, either! I wish the owner success, and I hope he finds the flexibility he needs from the city and from the neighbors. What he is doing is highly commendable. Have served on the Methamphetamine Task Force for 10 years, I understand the horrible effects that must be corrected in a drug house, further compounding the challenge of a remodel. Fortunately we are seeing a high level of “Pride of Ownership” in the Garden Tract. This can only be a good thing. If anyone ever decides to establish a fund to assist Michael, let me know so I can make a small personal donation. Frank Strazzarino, Chamber President and CEO
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Thank you for all your Help with the Article! I appreciate everything and all the comments I just read are very sweet! Thank you!
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Michael, keep up the work. Don’t give up or you’ll let the busyboddy win. My guess is you only have one very cranky neighbor with too much time on her hands and that the rest of your neighbors are cheering you on.
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I love to hear the sounds of a man or woman working. Repairing, building, cleaning, doing laundry, mowing, weed-whacking and making things better. Michael, you can be my neighbor anytime you want.
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Last night I had to call the Police again! I was verbally threatened by an apartment drunk. This residence started yelling at me because I called the apartment owner, this drunk stated he was getting a 12 gauge and going to have some real fun, I told him he needed to just relax go get another beer and have a smile. They stated they would break out my windows of my house and cause other damage. He told me it was whisky talking and that he wanted to kick my a**, as he called me ever name in the book. Several residents heard him yelling for no reason and quickly jumped to my aid. At this point, I called the police and they scattered when the police showed up. The cops asked me if the people running back to their apartments were the ones involved, as I responded “Yes, that would be them!” It started out with me calling the apartment owner or son of the apartments, Paul! I stated that several of his residence were pushing the fence over and cutting trees, the fence was about to fall, and that I was upset that a 60foot hendra helix on my property was cut. This plant “was” an English Ivy with white flowers is now dieing in my tree and is going to have to be pulled out. So, the question is what do I do now? Do I really want to live near an apartment complex that is saying they will destroy my place and possibly get a shotgun? Its just one more thing added to the mix, is there anything the garden tract society can do to clean up this apartments? Do the landlords get fined for having the police called out to their apartment complex on a daily basis? What would you do?
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Sounds to me like those apartment folks are a little upset you bought that place….maybe they liked the meth house so close to them. Didn’t have to walk to far to visit their friends?
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Wow, what a tragic and ongoing saga. Poor Michael. I do hope that you will win this battle with those threatening apartment dwellers, and that law enforcement will not ignore this incident. It’s no wonder you are discouraged, I hope that your “good” neighbors will step in and give you a hand and that this story will have a happy ending.
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The problems that Michael are going trough affect all of the garden Track neighbors…
This neighborhood is a gem… the property owners pride themselves in having neat and old growth gardens.
We welcome the community into our neighborhood every forth of july (flaggs flying). We don’t complain about the traffic the loud noise or the fact that you can’t get out of your driveway until after midnight.
We are hosts of the Christmas Parade.. weither we like it or not. We are not flashy, we boast well cared for houses and lots that are worth well under the median prices.
We are the victory garders the steady as you go regular Joes. We take pride in our little piece of the american pie where less is always more.
We tolorate transients that use our streets as a hobo highway from the river to the hart of downtown:(
We are aware that their are less desirable parts of our beloved neighborhood.
It seems to me that those who are so eager to complain about Michael may better put their energy and talents into addressing those issues…The problems from the appartment building, or perhaps we should address the fact that you can not shop at our neighborhood grocery with out being panhandled.
I applaude the Michaels in the Garden Tract. Thay pump their hard earn
ed cash and their sweat equity to improve my neighborhood and increase my property value… I just hope that we can help to make this neighborhood a worthy investment…
Michael, I am no stranger to a painbrush….let me know when the paint party is…
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