'Am I hammering louder than needed? Absolutely': Bird-loving homeowner builds an even-bigger aviary on their property after their Karen neighbor reports them to a non-existent 'HOA'

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Sep 11, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

Nobody likes an HOA–except, of course, the overinflated, pompous, self-elected members. So when independent homeowners finally claw themselves out of an HOA dictatorship of a neighborhood, the quasiHOA vibes of an unruly neighborhood Karen can certainly rub them the wrong way. That's why the homeowner in our next story decided to get petty when faced with the baseless complaints of an inhumane Karen.

Because u/AnimalEditor works as a vet tech at an animal rescue, he often finds himself bringing work home with him. With precious little birds needing to be hand-fed their meds, what's an animal lover to do? But after he built himself a humble outdoor aviary on his property to house the poor, sick birds who needed 24/7 care, the woman next door awoke from a distant slumber to rain on his whole operation. 

As if she were emboldened by some non-existent HOA, she complained incessantly about the bird enclosure, resistant to its inherently altruistic purpose in her neighbor's yard. Finally, her complaints inflamed the vet tech's passion for birds even more, so he decided that he would do whatever he pleased with his property–which included building an even larger, even more obscene bird enclosure to act as an outdoor scullery for the birds he brought home with him. 

Take that, Karen!

Because there was no real HOA to answer to, the Karen could do nothing but seethe and wriggle in anger behind her heavily shaded windows, listening to the construction noise of an even more epic "eyesore" next door. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10401609472
    via Juhku - Getty Images via Canva
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    Keeep complaining about my aviary. Now I'm hammering away in the back garden.
    via AnimalEditor
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    So I volunteer as a vet tech with an animal rescue and I often bring home birds to treat. I set up the outside scullery by the front entrance as a medical aviary as it was completely bricked in and we put roofing over. My one
    via AnimalEditor
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    neighbour took great offence to the adjustments that I did to it. - we are no in an HOA and are allowed to change our property but it didn't suit her and she complained. She also complained that I don't keep my grass super short
    via AnimalEditor
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    but I have wild flowers in it and I love the bees. Anyway. I'm now building a permanent aviary at the back garden but I have to hammer away putting up the frame and mesh. She runs a small business from her house.
    via AnimalEditor
  • 06
    Already 2 clients have pulled up and frowned at me - I'm on a ladder working on the high parts. Thing is. It's day time on a week day and I'm doing minor work in my back garden. Am I hammering possibly louder than needed?
    via AnimalEditor
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    Absolutely. Will I be using as many nails as possible so it will be the sturdiest structure? Definitely. Am I taking breaks when there aren't clients and getting back to work when they roll up... I'm not admitting it anything.
    via AnimalEditor
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    Update: I mis measured a piece of wood and now I have to use the handheld power saw to trim it. Think I'm going to send a message to the neighbourhood group chat to apologise for the loud noise.
    via AnimalEditor
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    Embarrassed-Dot-1794 You don't seem to have that great of aim either, you seem to be missing the nail every second or third time. P.S. air compressors are great as well, just have it going but the drain valve is ever so slightly open so it has to repressurise more often.
    via Embarrassed-Dot-1794
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    CrazyCatLadyRookie I think a rooster would make a good yard mate.
    via CrazyCatLadyRookie
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    Sean BZA Are you going to make sure the parrots being treated are as close as possible to her WFH office......
    via SeanBZA
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    Plus toss a few handfuls of bird seed over the fence when it is raining. Make the garden more biodiverse, as a monoculture is boring.
    via SeanBZA
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    Dashqu "I'm not admitting it anything" Good, keep plausible deniability!! XD
    via Dashqu
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    moonahmoonah Think I'm going to send a message to the neighbourhood group chat to apologise for the loud noise. ** Please quote your towns noise bylaws in that post, too, and start and end your work at those exact times
    via moonahmoonah
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    koalarusse The day my neighbors try to set up a group chat is the day i move out
    via koalarusse
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    fatwoul "What was that? Sorry I can't hear your complaining because of my loud hammering."
    via fatwoul
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    Mondschatten78 If you ever end up with birds of prey to care for, she's really going to be giving you the stink eye when they get riled up! (If you do care for any, rile 'em up good!)
    via Mondschatten78
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    teambrendawalsh You are a petty Snow White and I'm here for it.
    via teambrendawalsh
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    notcomplainingmuch Hint: big screws in wet wood make a jarring screech when screwed in slowly. It really grates on your nerves.
    via notcomplainingmuch
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    Another Toss_Away I used to crank up my six cylinder 150 HP Mercury outboard motor hooked up to the water hose. Let it run for 1/2 hour or so, Now my crappy neighbors really have something to _ about.
    via Another_Toss_Away
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    Nimindir I love this. One of my mom's across- the-street neighbours has an aviary. I don't know what all they have in there since they have one of those lattice privacy fences so you can't just peek in, but when I stay over at her place I can hear
    via Nimindir
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    them singing in the morning Apparently, some of the neighbours complain about having to listen to them. We think they can go eggs. And so does the township, looks like, because the birds have been there longer than my mom, and she's been there over a decade.
    via Nimindir
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    SamuelVimesTrained Yep, use more nails. We want those birds to be safe after all. Keep it up, you`re doing good work here.
    via SamuelVimesTrained

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Tags

hoa neighbors drama aviary birds neighborhood revenge homeowner petty revenge petty fake hoa vet tech bird vet property reddit thread Reddit karen neighbor
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