Blendon Woods Civic Association

    Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mindy Shulak. I live on the corner of Swingley and Boulder Dam and have lived in this neighborhood since 2004. I bought my house at age 24 and was very proud that I was able to accomplish this at such a young age. Up until this past week I was proud of where I lived, felt a sense of community and often suggested this neighborhood to friends that were looking for a great place to live.

     When we (Nathan and I) moved into this house, it was a disaster. The inside needed completely renovated, the backyard was not a yard but briar patches, poison ivy, weeds and debris. There was NO landscaping, the grass was in poor condition and the deck was falling apart.  Over the last 8 years we have spent in excess of $50K (inside and out) to make it our own and are very proud of what we have accomplished.  We take a lot of pride in keeping our home looking clean and presentable and our yard well groomed and beautiful.

     We are expecting our first child in August and needed to make some changes in our home to accommodate a baby, adding an outdoor shed was something that had been on our to-do list but became more urgent after receiving this news. We spent months researching styles, reputable builders, debated on size and shape, locations, permits, DEED RESTRICTIONS etc before making our choice. We had the building base profesionally laid and even added decorative accents to make our building aestheically pleasing. 

 

Since then we have received a phone call from the vice president of the association, stating that neighbors feel the following:

- It's too big (It's 10x14, and yes we needed that much space)

- Which house does it belong to? (clearly it matches our house and not the one behind us.... it's not rocket science people.)

- Why did they put it there? (It's in the back corner of OUR property) 

-  They should have asked us before they put it up. (I'm sorry but when did any of YOU start paying my mortgage and property taxes?)

 

     On April 3rd, I lost my best friend, Sophia, to Lymphoma two months after I lost my uncle to Leukemia.  I am a critical care nurse at a major Columbus hospital.  On a weekly basis I have to help people cope and mourn the death of their loved ones.  I deal with the raw and vulnerable aspects of life every day that I go to work.

     There are children being molested and abused everyday, there are animals that are being abused and neglected.  There are soldiers at war that their families may never see them alive again.  There are kids at school just trying to cope with day-today- life because they are different and/or being bullied. Crime is at an all time high because of our economy.... BUT MY SHED IS THE FOCUS OF PEOPLE'S PATHETIC LIVES RIGHT NOW????

 

     Obviously my post is directed at those that have nothing better to do than pay attention to my business. For the rest of you that have lives and didn't notice or care, I thank you and hope that you are the ones that have found humor in our large red "nosey neighbor" sign.

 

     I hope that in time people can find a way to cope with the apparent tumor in my yard that has effected their lives and somehow they can move on and realize in the grand scheme of things.... it's just a shed.

 

Thank you,

 

Mindy Shulak

 

   

I think the shed looks nice.  I walk my dog past your property almost daily and have witnessed the improvements you have made.  Stick to your guns.

 

Mindy:

I think the reason that people thought it was on Mark and Trish's property was because they couldn't believe that someone would purposely errect something that close to a neighbor's house.  When looking at it from the street, you wonder how Mark and Trish will be able to get any work done to the side of their home, do lawn maintenance, or if there are any electrical issues that need to be taken care of because it runs into that side of their property.  Another neighbor brought up the point that if the shed were to catch fire, it would also catch Mark and Trish's home as well. 

 

I do believe that  it is your property, the problem I have is that it just negatively effected Mark and Trish's property value.  I don't think there is a realtor out there who would disagree.  They have lost in essence,  their side yard (which wasn't much to begin with.)

 

There has been a lot of discussion about whether the shed is allowed according to our deed restrictions. When we had our front door replaced and our fence put up, we had to get permits.   If you had the proper permits pulled, then I am guessing it really isn't an issue and everyone will just move on to something else. 

 

Best Regards!

Tracy Stocker

 

 

Tracy, We did our homework. We do not do anything without thorough planning and research. And no deed restrictions were violated The Skaggs have no problem with the shed or the location as we have discussed this with them. I would also like to note we consulted with a realtor as well and were informed that sheds/storage is a bonus. Finally, The Skaggs have NO side yard and are never on that side as my property line runs up to approx a foot from their foundation. If we put up a fence or bushes or anything else for that matter it would have gone up to the property line. I think if people actual drove around the neighborhood they would find many more distressing sights than my shed. We are just getting the brunt of it since we are on the main drag.