House should be condemned

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I'll speak for myself on this one... (I do most often anyway)

There is a perfectly good structure to mount service and panel to in the first 3 pictures. THE POLE! No need to even touch the house... (Well it is leaning a little bit....) Maybe straighten it out with a come-a-long or drop in a new one.... Just a panel on a pole with an outdoor light and an outlet - let everyone else make decissions on the guy and the fate of his house.

This guy is 70+ years old? - probably in the last place he'll ever live... Who cares if it's shack! One mans blight is anothers paradise IMO. At his age most are dead or in a home rotting away. That shack is probably all he has left - why take that from him?
 
ryan_618 said:
Do you support the person being able to invite people to his house that could be injured?
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Yes, absolutely.

Unless this is a place of business I fully support this persons right to invite his friends to his home.

His visitors have (or should have) personal responsibility for their own actions.
 
ryan_618 said:
That house gets the "unlawful to enter" sign from me, and I don't hang that sign very often.
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I doubt I would ever hang such a sign on a privately owned single family, so where would he live then?

The street?

As long as this guy has payed his taxes, paid for the property IMO it is his to sleep in.

Personally I can't imagine setting foot in there.

My tune would change if this was a multifamily or business occupancy.
 
I can't help but wonder what sequence of events led to this person living here. Is there no family around?

What responsibilities do we have as fellow humans to try to help this person (actually, does he even want our help?)?
 
Minuteman said:
On most of the early ice damaged homes, we picked up the line and restored the power. Then later, the poco started coming through and re-hung the wire to an insulated knob, waiting for an electrician to make repairs and reconnect.

We also disconnect and reconnect for ourselves on panel upgrades.
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Lucky you.i work around two power companys,one,don't touch our lines.one,oh,you know,we unofficially say go ahead.
 
I think a phone call to adult protective services is in order. We had a house collapse nearby and the old man was a recluse, the house had to be condemned. Turns out the man was a retired vet, reclusive since his wife's passing, estranged from his kids, but had over 1/2 a million in the bank. He just didn't know what to do with it.
 
LawnGuyLandSparky said:
I think a phone call to adult protective services is in order.
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What about Habitat for Humanity? It probably wouldn't take that much money with a little donated labor & materials to fix up his shack. It would be cheaper than putting him in a home and the old guy would be happy. :smile:
 
LOL making a huge deal out of poverty apparently you do not see enough poverty..I know this lady who lived out of her car with 2 kids and they got some property from the reservation and put up a cardboard house I wired here a temp service on 2 posts and installed a light and couple of outlets..couple years later I wired her house that her an her kids built with help from friends..I was so amazed at her attitude and fortitude all the work I did was free and so were the materials..poverty is were we as humans have opportunities to shine as individuals..The problem I see is no one cares anything about an old man who is all alone how sad hope i am not discarded and forgotten when I get older..
 
growler said:
What about Habitat for Humanity? It probably wouldn't take that much money with a little donated labor & materials to fix up his shack. It would be cheaper than putting him in a home and the old guy would be happy. :smile:
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Well, I tend to attack the cause of the problem rather than provide a solution which may well turn out to simply mask the actual problem. Providing a decent "shack" might solve this man's immediate dilemma, but it probably won't prevent it from recurring.
 
LawnGuyLandSparky said:
I think a phone call to adult protective services is in order.
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Why is it any of our bussiness.

I really find it disturbing that an adult can not just be left alone.

He does not live like we do.....we must do something about it.:roll:
 
I knew an 85 year old man that lived in a house slightly better than that shack. He burned coal, lived in one room, and was content. We could all use a little contentment IMO.

If he wants help he can and should receive it. I have a feeling he is content, except for the temp. loss of power.
 
ptonsparky said:
I have put Midwest temporary services on poles before and told owners we would not connect any power to the building. They get a GFCI protected outlet or two and the extension cord is many times better than what is in the building.
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Yeah, but it's FEMA money through the City, and our contract and permit was to restore original power. In the contract to be signed by the home owner it states,

"I understand that this permit is not an obligation upon the government to restore electricity".
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I called the City and told them about the home and they told me to hold off until they inspected the property. Hey, I would put a temp pole with a Midwest box on it, I would even add a security light too, just wanted FEMA to pay for it. Hadn't thought about donating it.
 
Minuteman said:
I called the City and told them about the home and they told me to hold off until they inspected the property. Hey, I would put a temp pole with a Midwest box on it, I would even add a security light too, just wanted FEMA to pay for it. Hadn't thought about donating it.
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Call a local newspaper. They will send out a reporter ( great human interest story) and before long there will be enough money donated to buy this guy a new house.;)
 
iwire said:
Why is it any of our bussiness.

I really find it disturbing that an adult can not just be left alone.

He does not live like we do.....we must do something about it.:roll:
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I agree none of our business, there are millions of people living like him all over the country.
 
The problem for me is purely engineering. I wouldnt feel right attaching a service and meter can to that rickety old house. It looks like a good wind would uproot those walls.

The construction pole idea actually works for me. Extension cord, and the old fogey can fire up a hot plate.
 
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