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Samantha Hayes ReportingWhen you see your next-door neighbor, do you wave and maybe smile? Most of us do try to keep things friendly with those living next door. But in Holladay, one man finally had enough after his neighbor moved in, in a big way!
They say a man's house is his castle, but Josh Brumental doesn't want to be the man living next to one.
Josh Brumental: "We noticed the house was going to fill the entire property line, from maximum setback to maximum setback."
Brumental made up his mind about what's going on next door. His new neighbors liked the lot, liked the location, but they weren't sold on the house. So they started from scratch and built a bigger one -- 13-thousand square feet.
Josh Brumental: "We have no legal recourse to stop what they are doing."
But there is nothing illegal about residential retaliation in the form of pink paint and smiley faces.
Josh Brumental: "The smiley face is just an ironic way to say we're not happy about it. This is about the most obnoxious way I could let them know."
Holladay is not the only neighborhood where this is happening. Mini-mansions are popping up all over the valley, a new issue for city planners.
Paul Allred, Community Development Director: "The issue we're facing in Holladay is very high property value and people are willing to pay a lot for a piece of ground and they would like to be able to put the kind of house on it that they feel is justified."
For different reasons Josh Brumental feels justified too.
Josh Brumental: "I have to look at their house, so they have to look at my house."
We contacted the new home owners and they didn't want to comment or fuel the feud. Holladay city has no zoning regulations against a house that size. City officials say they are studying the issue.
