 
Dave70
Member
Username: Dave70
Post Number: 17
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 8:14 am: |    |
"Yes, I lived here 20 years ago. Kelly was nicer and its not now.
Does that mean I should "get out" as soon as I can find a buyer? Should I fear for my safety? Is this not an area to raise children?"
So you are not concerned at all about the quality of the neighborhood? If you've lived in the area for 20 years you HAVE to note how much it has gone downhill. I'm talking about the bordering Detroit areas. Morang/Kelly/Moross.
You don't see the bars put up to keep out burglars?
You don't see the bullet proof glass?
You don't see the shabby businesses/vacancies that have replaced the ones that thrived there 20 years ago?
And I don't think it's just older folks that are not keeping their homes up either. |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 50
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 8:21 am: | |
harper woods is going down quickly, get out while you can |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6413
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 9:19 am: | |
Yes, because white folks are leaving and black folks are moving in. |
Detroitej72
Member
Username: Detroitej72
Post Number: 627
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 10:07 am: | |
"harper woods is going down quickly, get out while you can"
______________________________ ___________________
That is today's winner for the least intelligent post. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 76
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 5:57 pm: | |
Harper Woods is in no way anything like Detroit is now. However, I grew up in Detroit (like many of you) near Denby High School (70s/80s). It was a great area & I have fond memories, but I remember back then how the neighborhood was changing. I drove through there a few weeks ago & couldnt believe what I saw. It looked like a war zone.
I can see changes in my neighborhood taking place right now. Changes I've seen before, & that were not present just a few short years ago. Many homes for sale, rentals with high grass, cars speeding through the neighborhood at all hours with loud booming music. People walking down the middle of the street instead of the sidewalk. I've also got new neighbors that walk their pitbulls up & down the street. I know pitbulls are taking a beating in the news right now (no pun), but just the same, I dont like them around my children, thats just me I guess. Now, with all of this in mind. Would a reasonable person use the terms "going downhill", "just a matter of time", & "scary"?? Would a father of 2 young children be reasonably worried about the safety & well-being of his family, especially in the near future? Yes.
For me, this is not a black/white thing. I have next door neighbors that happen to be white that have caused their share of trouble for me & the neighborhood.
We also have neighbors that happen to be black & are the best neighbors anyone could want. Respect is all people want in a great neighborhood. People getting along, helping each other, taking care of their property to ensure a collective beauty. When "respect" is not reciprocated & there is little evidence of a turnaround, then its time to find another neighborhood. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1837
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 7:11 pm: | |
"I have next door neighbors that happen to be white that have caused their share of trouble for me & the neighborhood. "
no SHIT ! I used to have the perfect-storm nightmare neighbor. They are gone and the new family is quiet and calm. But the point is that it really dont matter what color anybody is, I just want peaceful neighbors.
But yeah, the new onset of subwoofer noise pollution, pitbulls, wandering bands of kids walking down the middle of the street at all hours, cars no longer using stop signs - its all quite troubling.
And am I the only person in this place who cuts my grass myself ? Every single person on my block but one has a lawn service. This results in dozens of companies with trailers parked up and down streets with their industrial lawn machines blasting out incredibly high decibel noise. Those freakin leaf blowers sound like the end of the world when they fire them up at 8am on a Sunday. |
Dave70
Member
Username: Dave70
Post Number: 18
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 7:24 pm: | |
Hell yes, it's not about race. We also had next door neighbors who were evicted (thank god) last June. They were white, black ,and latino and were a group of thugs. Pit bulls, subwoofer noise, loud cars that they were always working on and blocking our alley entrance to our garage... etc.
The block was rejoicing when they were booted, the landlord was foolish enought to let 'em in and suffered thousands of dollars in property damage.
We also have peaceful neighbors now. It's great!
Maybe the landlords need to do a better job screening the tenants! ;) |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6416
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 7:39 pm: | |
Twenty years from now the neighborhoods of Harper Woods will be shifting from mostly white to mostly black. Today only about 5 to ten black folks living off blocks just east of Kelly Rd. By 2010 it would be 10 to 30 black folks per block. by 2020 it would be 50 to 100 blacks per block, but mostly the neighborhoods will not be a total instant ghetto. |
Ahartz
Member
Username: Ahartz
Post Number: 6
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 - 8:36 pm: | |
I like the reference about walking down the middle of the street. Why is this done??...or is it just a stupid act of bravado.
Running stop signs, walking down the middle of the street, trash scattered...all signs that the street is changing.
We lived in HW for 10 years, it was great. none of that crap above... great neighbors, good schools (gp) but the house was too small. Most of my nice neighbors have left as well.
I am worried for HW...andy |
Norwalk
Member
Username: Norwalk
Post Number: 120
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 11:58 am: | |
I have been a member of the Harper Woods Dads Club for about 15 years when I joined the club we had well over 120 members. We supported the Harper Woods School district with hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was a great group of dads who took great interest and pride in our small school district and it gave us and the students a great sense on community. Today, sadly we have 19 members and of them only 1 dad has students in the HW school district.
To me that makes a statement as to where the community is headed. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 77
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 4:52 pm: | |
What do you think the new high school is going to do for the neighborhoods/city? Did they build it because the old one is just too old, or cant accommodate the surplus of new students? Do you think it will alleviate the influx of students of the GP system? Maybe boost property values? |
Pgn421
Member
Username: Pgn421
Post Number: 121
Registered: 02-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 7:55 pm: | |
they made us vote 3 times on the school issue till it passed. our taxes went up 300,00 a year |
Dan_the_man
Member
Username: Dan_the_man
Post Number: 33
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 8:37 pm: | |
They built the new school because the old one had major structural problems and it was horribly disability non-compliant.
It's not going to do anything to the GP schools because it's a completely separate school system and nobody would choose HW schools over GP. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6434
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, September 01, 2007 - 5:48 pm: | |
Back to the Harper Woods comments please. |
Lefty2
Member
Username: Lefty2
Post Number: 71
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, September 01, 2007 - 9:54 pm: | |
Harper Woods is a great city
For Me to POOP on! |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1860
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 5:36 am: | |
Anyway, back to regular programming:
Has anybody else noticed the problem with gas lines ? Seems that the sinking issue affects the underground gas lines, especially under driveway skirts. The base of our driveway was dug up and replaced a number of years ago, and last week they dug up my neighbors driveway to get at a gushing gas leak that has been going for over a year. The repair guys said the sinking disrupts the lines causing leaks and breaks. |
Buddyinrichmond
Member
Username: Buddyinrichmond
Post Number: 215
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 8:42 am: | |
Fascinating! |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1874
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 11:40 am: | |
There was a thread awhile back about "backward" houses in the Fleetwood subdivision, and speculation that they were meant to face an alleyway that didnt materialize.
I looked around and this odd floorplan exists on a few different streets. I think its just that, an odd floor plan. The picture window faces the back yard, and the front door enters a kitchen area. The front windows are small, like you would expect in rear bedrooms, kitchens or a half bath. Quite strange.
Anybody know if floor plans from the build era (c.1950-55) were things that people purchased, or did the contractor build groups of similar homes ?
My grandfather purchased a standard bungalow design for this house, and then redrew it to create a full upper floor - moving the staircases, adding a full upper bath and putting a dormer on the back. One of a kind in this hood.
;)
But that was before Harper Woods.
Theres streets with very long lots south of here that have ranch and Cape Cod designs, some with tiny single car attached garages. Theres many shoebox starter floor plans, single level homes. The ones a street over have a back door that exits through a small bedroom.
South and west a bit are a lot of clapboard and aluminum sided homes, much like I see in Ferndale and Oak Park. Bungalows and single level square plans. |
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 99
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 10:55 pm: | |
Its funny that this subject comes up on the forum. I almost purchased a house like this on Lancaster. I think this floorplan starts on mass scale at around Fleetwood. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1886
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 6:20 am: | |
There are some over by Poupard too, closer to Harper. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 78
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 10:57 am: | |
Anyone ever have to deal with basement water leaks & mold? |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1888
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 11:31 am: | |
I have the leak problems, but kept up enough not to have to deal with mold. The building inspector says its due to ground shrinkage and "sinkage". When the dry part of the summer comes (now) the ground shrinks and pulls away from the foundation allowing water to form pathways to the basement cold joint.
I have a marigold tree in front and back like many people on my street do - B.I. says those tend to leach out the rest of the moisture increasing the problem.
My issues are being solved via water diversion. I had some old gutter issues to figure out - the main battle is to get as much water away from the sides of your home as possible.
Mold ? Eeeee. Dont know about that end of the problem. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 79
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 1:34 pm: | |
I've got a leak in the corner of the basement. This is due to my driveway butting right up against the house & settling a bit. As far as the mold, I found a white chalky type substance on the underside of the floor joists. Its in a few spots, mostly where the water comes in. I had a mold guy come out & take a scrape. They sent it to a lab & it came back as a common household mold, non-toxic. I guess I can clean it up with a bleach solution. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1896
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 1:56 pm: | |
Also when you have water coming in, you get efflorescence. Thats salt and minerals that crystallize and form a powdery chalky crap on mortar and such. That stuff is a bitch to deal with.
The driveway deal is tricky since you cant gutter or regrade. Look at the back of the city hall, they have the same issue. Theres a giant bead of clear plastic sealer they put down at the joint. Ive seen homes with that along the driveways too around here - so maybe ask the building inspector what they use or what to do with that. I always talk to Gerard. Hes very nice and very informative - AND lives in Harper Woods, so he deals with the same issues on his home. He had the driveway side of his house get a spider crack in the masonry - THAT sucks. |
Applesauce
Member
Username: Applesauce
Post Number: 80
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 2:29 pm: | |
Thanks for the info. I talked to a licensed contractor/builder. He recommended a caulk made by Quickcrete to shoot into the joints/cracks as there's not much I can do short of busting up all of that cement & repositioning it. The previous owner put the black tar in the joints but has long since disintegrated and failed to deal with the water leak. I've also got B-Dry coming out to give me an estimate for the leak. I believe their system is the best solution for my situation. |
Meaghansdad
Member
Username: Meaghansdad
Post Number: 104
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 3:24 pm: | |
Mauser,
Tell "Gerard" to be gentle when he comes to do the 60 day inspection on my home. He cited some repairs on my home that are cosmetic and have nothing to do with the safety of us living in it. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1897
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:14 pm: | |
`Applesauce - Ive got about 100 pounds of Quickcrete caulk on my house alredy - hahahaha !
Meaghansdad - yesssss, the list for inspections includes shit like peeling paint. Ugh. You can get the list (he probably gave you one) from the city of which stuff they care about, and what they dont. No peeling paint on a gutter downspout - yet if you take it off completely they are fine. Hilarious. |
Eec
Member
Username: Eec
Post Number: 135
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 7:37 am: | |
Hey, I'm back. Nice to see you all.
I've been warned not to "needle" members, so I'm going to be conspicuously avoiding that in this post, but with the wholesale deletion of my responses to this thread (though not the little bit of libel that started them), something got lost that I wanted to add back in.
I know several people reading this are parents of school-age kids in Harper Woods. I've made it clear (though it's since been deleted) that I don't work at the high school, but I know several people that do, and through them have met other members of the staff on several occasions. My opinion of those several teachers is very high. Without exception, they are very conscientious about their jobs and the example they set for their students. While I don't claim to be infallible, nor to know every teacher on staff at that school, my opinion is that if one of the others was presenting a bad example for students, the ones I know wouldn't be likely to let it go on for very long. It's also my opinion that anyone who claims otherwise is doing so for ulterior motives, though I'll refrain from guessing what those might be. |
Danny
Member
Username: Danny
Post Number: 6503
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 9:19 am: | |
Mauser765 and Applesauce,
The best way to fix up your leaking basements in your Harper Woods home is get a contractor to drill a trench near the concrete floor, drill some holes in your basement walls to let excess water in. Cover the trench with PVC pipe with drainage holes and cover the drainage holes and wall with a plastic damper and formica. Fill up the basement floor with concrete and your basement will be dry and waterproof for over 50 years.
If your basement brick walls has a partially open crack. That means your basement has a broken settling foundation that needs to be put back in place by digging a trench meeting the partially broken basement foundation. Make sure your contractor install some steel posts between the main wooden floor ceiling and concrete basement floor. Then your contractors will cover the foundation with new basement bricks and fill up the foundation with dirt. Your house will not settle for the next 75 years. Also your leak in your basement could be the cause from your roof. You can stop the leak by covering the ground and each corner of house with dirt or concrete. Have your gutters clean, your roof repaired and buy rain guard gutters.
Using concrete crack fillers only works for temporary non-water seepages, not to seal up water seepage cracks. |
Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765
Post Number: 1925
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 - 2:56 pm: | |
Danny, I had a similar system when I lived north of Rochester, there were drainage bricks along the floor I believe. That was due to basement windows which were cut down into the ground on the outside - couldnt divert that enough. Also had to remove little frogs all the time !
There was a big fat woodchuck that would come eat them. He also dug up the barns foundation. |