I was feeling smug about fleeing New York for more space in Philadelphia – until I found out about their construction laws, writes Arwa Mahdawi
I was feeling smug about fleeing New York for more space in Philadelphia – until I found out about their construction laws
‘When I mentioned my concerns to the developer he said: “This project is bringing up the neighbourhood!” He then hopped in his car and fled the neighbourhood’‘When I mentioned my concerns to the developer he said: “This project is bringing up the neighbourhood!” He then hopped in his car and fled the neighbourhood’njoy schadenfreude? Well, lucky you, there’s an oversized slice of it coming up – prepared entirely at my own expense.
There was good reason for that: we didn’t have any neighbours on one side. I thought they had just gone on holiday; however, it soon became clear that the house next door was empty. What’s more, it looked like the tenants had left in a hurry. There was a knocked-over fire pit in the garden, with a piece of half-burnt wood in it. There was a deflated paddling pool hung up to dry on the fence. And, strangest of all, it looked like someone had been digging an odd-shaped hole by the deck.
It turns out the truth was far worse. A little sleuthing revealed that the house was owned by a property developer who had a permit to turn it into apartments. That meant demolishing the interior of the original house and adding a three-storey addition in the back garden. Nice for him, I suppose. Not so nice for my toddler’s nap schedule or, since I work from home, my sanity.
My wife and I deal with stress in different ways. She blocks out stressors. I open the door as wide as it will go for them, and say: “Hi, so glad to see you! Let’s get to know each other better.” While she went on with her business, ignoring the fact that we were going to have nonstop noise next door for the foreseeable future, I immersed myself inconstruction laws.
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