21 April 2008

The joys of townhouse/unit life

| Velveteen Rabbit
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I live in Beechwood in Florey, a hive of 130 or so little units all jumbled in together and feel the need to have a fuddy duddy rant and ask other Canberra unit dwellers:

  • What is it with visitors parking anywhere, nay everywhere so you can’t get into or out of your garage? I am not good at 17-point turns in order to get anywhere.
  • Why oh why do people continue to stuff the recycle bin/normal bin when it’s overflowing? And please, can you bag your rubbish so I don’t step on your rancid old sausages when I go past.
  • Why do people feel the need to dump their old tables/fridges/computers/kids in front of the bins? Are we having some sort of a white elephant stall thing?
  • What’s with the doof doof music till 2am? Just cos we share a wall doesn’t mean I want to share your interest in Metallica/Britney. Also if your mates get into a fight, kindly tell them to bleed on YOUR side of the porch.

Now, I feel better. 🙂

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richardwhite said :

Velveteen Rabbit, sounds like you live where I do in the “New York” appartments in Queanbeyan. although I am lucky as I only rent! and yes happy to stay in the dump just because it is so hard to rent in Canberra and not get treated like dirt by some 22year old property manager, although Zoe the one I deal with does just that! Hopefully there will be huge job cuts in the public service which will make it a little easier to find decent rental accommodation and get some self centered tools out of Canberra!

Yes because your odd hatred of young people and wish list for massive unemployment makes you quite a Ghandi like figure. Not like those self centred tools…

nazasaurus said :

If you own the townhouse, join the body corporate executive committee and have your say in improving the complex. I understand that you can enforce no parking areas through having parking inspectors issue fines if the area is deemed ‘public’ – you will need to talk to the strata manager about it but apparently it can be done.

Time machine would be handy too.

If you own the townhouse, join the body corporate executive committee and have your say in improving the complex. I understand that you can enforce no parking areas through having parking inspectors issue fines if the area is deemed ‘public’ – you will need to talk to the strata manager about it but apparently it can be done.

richardwhite3:26 pm 13 Feb 14

Velveteen Rabbit, sounds like you live where I do in the “New York” appartments in Queanbeyan. although I am lucky as I only rent! and yes happy to stay in the dump just because it is so hard to rent in Canberra and not get treated like dirt by some 22year old property manager, although Zoe the one I deal with does just that! Hopefully there will be huge job cuts in the public service which will make it a little easier to find decent rental accommodation and get some self centered tools out of Canberra!

Danman if you knew the man in question you would have never uttered (typed) those words. I feel ill now, thanks!!

I would have used the opportunity to rub one out at the same time 😛

lemaChet – The third had very thin walls, and you could hear *everything* the neighbours said and did…

Like waking up at 1am to hear your weird next door neighbour having very loud, middle-aged s*x…. *shudder* not good to 22 (at the time) year old ears.

Hamilton, did you get kicked out of Quenbeyan for being too civilised ?

Dude, i’m in the market for a few things, can you keep an eye out for the following in your trash pile:

*3 seater sofa – preferably with no urine stains
*One of those old TV’s with the wood panel look around the outside
*A BBQ – bonus if there is a gas bottle
*Any form of food that doesn’t have mould on it, unless its cheese of course!

Cheers.

I am starting to think that maybe you two are actually in love!! The s*xual tension is bubbling off the page!!

Deadmandrinking10:17 am 23 Apr 08

I’d wager my life savings if you kept bringing that joke up when nobody laughs.

Yes, troll. Flap, flap, flap.

Deadmandrinking9:13 am 23 Apr 08

Troll???? TROLL????

No typing can describe my silent, roaring laughter.

Take a look at your comments and shut up.

@WMD – I note that there is not an admin logo next to your login. What that means is equally, feel free to return to your hole, troll.

flap flap flap.

Deadmandrinking8:54 pm 22 Apr 08

That wasn’t even funny once, you know…

Okay, maybe a chuckle, but that’s it.

No, the font’s different!

Deadmandrinking6:21 pm 22 Apr 08

I knew you were going to say that, Tap. *rubs forehead* oahhhhhmmmmm

Maelinar..I think this post has evolved from a possibly interesting discussion over the future of housing in the ACT to an example of your utter, utter dear so utter wankery (as usual). For future reference…if you didn’t learn anything from a thread or did not have anything useful to add…uh, don’t comment on it. Simple really! And also, when you say you’re going to go away, then actually f-k off. That’s what everyone wants you to do usually anyway/

CanberraResident, couldn’t help but notice your predictions a while ago covered almost any possible response! Where did you get such foresight? I predict you either will reply, wont reply, be pleasant or unpleasant, take the high ground or have a go at me, etc… lol.

information? i chanced only upon opinion. different beasts entirely, my good chap. entirely…

pffffft.

There ends my response back. Scroll up if you want to find out any more information.

CanberraResident4:17 pm 22 Apr 08

No need to get so worked up my little petal Maelinar.

that’d be “the side you’re taking…”, mael? i think bean’s invocation to chill was to us all… s’nice to be nice.

anyway, s’all good to have a free voice in an open debate – wouldn’t take anything to heart, or as danman suggests, just hit the ‘off’ switch. not that i’d canvass a move to florey any time soon, either!

…and like, who drinks lattes anyway?

if the coffee is good, straight up – black and strong, like my men… did i miss the pies thread? used to rekkun dobinsons did some good ones, always liked their frozen pack – did me a nice treat heated up on the radiator in my office when i had that job with said office. damn change, damn damn damn…

The one good thing about the beachworth ghetto is that someone has left of the security on their wifi so free internet downloads!

Err – closing statement on the first sentence is (canberra is a big enough place afterall). – Other than to not move to a shithole complex in Florey.

but can be quite informative too, if you let all the crap go to one side – like this entire thread. Name any item of information anybody would gain, other than all of us, whom already own/rent/dwell in houses NOT near vanilla bean (canberra is a big enough place afterall).

Consequently this is a self-gratification post, nothing more, nothing less.

Engage your oh Mælinar’s a wanker comments then at your own peril, since the side your taking makes you look like a bigger one just by hitting the post button.

CR (Can I call you that) – I have disagreements here not regularly, and not infrequently – somewhere in between.

Having not been able to communicate my difference of opinion in the past, I have offered individuals free beer for their time to discuss face to face.

I am yet to have any serious offers.

Only really lock horns on subjects that I am passionate about – I can still think someone is a dickhead and be laid back and chilled in thinking so.

Additonally, just because I think it, need not mean I make my thoughts of that person public, like what I may be thinking about you, or you, or you (Points finger around room at random people)

This may be the difference between you and me, then again it may not, I don’t know, I do not know you, but needlessly name calling and swearing detracts from the real issues at hand and is usually a tactic used by those who have already lost the discussion point.

kapish ?

CanberraResident said :

so then, you’ve never read a blog comment and thought … “what a dickhead?”

I think quite a few people are thinking exactly that…

CanberraResident3:27 pm 22 Apr 08

Danman, so then, you’ve never read a blog comment and thought … “what a dickhead?” I think you’d be lying if you said no. I’m not claiming to know everyone personally (Heaven forbid), but you can get a good idea of who’s half normal, and who’s walking around with a broomstick up their latted-farteed aaaaase, pretending to be cleverer than the next. And if cleverer is not a word … I don’t care.

Oh and not here to take english lessons, so excuse my poor keyboarding skills.

Canberra Resident
I’ve never seen a bigger bunch of pompous “aaaases” in all my life.
Presumptious when you do not even know me
I’m chilled – I’m one of the friendly ones around here 🙂

Put me in the chilled out basket as well.

usually if I have a disagreement on RA, I ask the part involved if they want to have a beer and discuss it, my shout of course, but only ever had one offer, and was stood up. However, Mael, i think, volunteered his time that day as well, but I missed him.

Then there was the many times I wanted to get into the ring with Bonfire, but thats another story.. got a year or 2?

RA is just another blog, if you lose sleep over what someone says, then maybe you best switch off your computer now.

PS I am passionate about cooking and customer service and have come into bat for many canberra restaraunts in their defence, so read teh reviews with a grain of salt, and try risking a dollar or so to form you rown opinion.

Main thing is to not be a sheep and think free, and enjoy your time here Vanilla bean.

CanberraResident2:58 pm 22 Apr 08

oh, and here we go, a prime example, from none other than pee-beau ant. Having a go because you spoke your mind. But he’s allowed to speak HIS mind because he’s a VETERAN rioter and we should all be scared … ooohhhh

Career move? Who said anything about career? Very sad if you regard RiotACT as the be all and end all of your career …

Hit ’em with the ol’ Pea Beau, Hit ’em with the ol’ Pea Beau, Hit ’em high, hit ’em low, Hit ’em with the ol’ Pea Beau!

ant said :

Posting a “you all suck” when most replies were in support of one’s article is an inadvisable career move in most places.

Well, it is true – we do all suck. 🙂

And as for CanberraResident, get a big dog up ya: I love meat pies! In fact there was a thread on here last year about finding a good meat pie in Canberra.

I’ve never seen a thread about where to find a good latte though. 🙂

Posting a “you all suck” when most replies were in support of one’s article is an inadvisable career move in most places.

CanberraResident2:38 pm 22 Apr 08

S4anta said :

Therefore, i would like to take Ms Resident out to tea.

She’s married … to me, so keep your filthy paws off or join RSVP or something.

bleeding on your side of the porch… thats a ripper.

oh, and in the case of the post in front mine, i’ll add a fourth point that being that i prefer to read half of what anyone has read and then make broad assumptions about the rest.

Therefore, i would like to take Ms Resident out to tea.

CanberraResident1:47 pm 22 Apr 08

VanillaBean, don’t worry mate. I’ve only been here about 6 or so weeks, and I’ve never seen a bigger bunch of pompous “aaaases” in all my life. Don’t dare have a joke, or someone will pounce on you in a minute. Honestly mate, it’s a venomous place, but can be quite informative too, if you let all the crap go to one side. It’s hard to ignore sometimes though. Oh, and if you’ve been here less than five minutes, then you can expect to be told that you don’t have a voice because you’re a “newbie”. I’ve managed to get to Anarchist status after 6 weeks – go figure! Anyway, something keeps bringing me back; probably the fact that every now and again you come across a normal person who doesn’t drink lattes and knows what a meat pie is … I predict the following. 1. I’ll get ridiculed for saying what I’ve said.; or 2. They’ll ignore what I’ve said to show me they are boss, or 3. they’ll respond to your original thread and pretend they never read this or they simply don’t care …

I’m chilled – I’m one of the friendly ones around here 🙂

welcome aboard, bean.

actually, here at the riot, you’re generally much safer on topics of politics and religion than stuff that matters to you, as a canberra resident. that and maelinar’s inadequacies – though this is a very broad topic…

and evil, you might want to advise some rudimentary cleaning to that vacant dwelling first, might have a bit of the odour about it.

VB, welcome to our world. 🙂

So, how about the weather – lovely here in Canberra at the moment, isn’t it.

Vanilla Bean1:25 pm 22 Apr 08

Interesting reading. Since I only joined Riot Act yesterday and wanted to start off with something vaguely tongue-in-cheek and amusing, it’s amazing that people assume I’m some latte-sipping nitwit who can’t see over the edge of my latte glass to the world at large. It was just meant as an ice-breaker, the type of topic you might dredge up when you meet people the first time without storming off into religion, politics or world poverty. So chill, people.

barking toad said :

I love hippies

I don’t: they smell funny.

barking toad12:37 pm 22 Apr 08

#36 – I love hippies

Noise problems happen in houses too, not just townhouses – and there is no reason why you should move.
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/live/environment/residentialenvironmentprotectionissues

BTW Britney nor Metallica are “doof doof” music – that refers to NRG/Psy-Trance 🙂

CanberraResident10:55 am 22 Apr 08

barking toad said :

And stop annoying the rest of the world with pathetic whingeing.

There’s this little thing called perspective mate … and you don’t seem to have any …

AND, you’ve accused Vanilla Bean of having a whinge, and yet you’ve just done exactly the same thing … you whinged about his post!

Duckhead.

barking toad10:19 am 22 Apr 08

Another waste of bandwidth.

You choose to live in Florey. If it’s a problem, move.

And stop annoying the rest of the world with pathetic whingeing.

Dynamic Lifter, one of the evilist-smelling substances on earth! Many of these new upmarket unit developments (around Barton and Kingston foreshores for instance) seem to be built with very thin walls. People are buying them off the plan, and are dazzled by the Granite Benchtops (oh please…) and Marble Tiles in the Bathroom, and don’t pay attention to the really important stuff, like walls and floors.

When the upstairs elephants have wood floors, you really want the basic construction to be solid! But it’s often not. A bloke I knew was amazed when he bought one-such upmarket unit, to discover the walls were made of Hebel Blocks (and he couldn’t attach a flat TV to them).

Oddly, the Currong Flats are very well built. Dunno if anyone’s been in them, but they’re orientated so the flats face north, they have humungous windows, the flats themselves are quite small (for singles), and the whole thing is double brick so the insulatative qualities are good.

They really shouldn’t ever knock these down, they are needed.

Next time they start with the Doof doof music at 2am just dump a load of Dynamic Lifter outside their front door with a polite note explaining you dont wanna listen to their crap at 2am

There’s a vacant humpy available up in Ainslie – close to Olims!

Snahons_scv6_berlina8:43 am 22 Apr 08

Vanilla Bean, you need chocolate syrup.

You need a narky body corporate like ours, very fond of missives in the mailbox and obsessive about collecting the solid waste that every dumps by the bins (even though there are multiple signs telling the residents to dispose of their own solid waste). I do wish the body corp. had sent the letter about poisoning the pigeons before they did it though, that way I could have avoided the rather distressing encounters with dying pigeons on the back lawn/washing line area.

I’m living in my 5th strata complex right now.

The first, second, and fifth, have been pretty quiet, and haven’t really had the problems you describe.

The third had very thin walls, and you could hear *everything* the neighbours said and did, parking was somewhat of a problem, but was cope-able.

the 4th, parking wasn’t a problem, rubbish and noise where.

It’s just part and parcel, I just accepted it… I still don’t think i’m ready to be at the stage where I have a house, with a yard that needs to be maintained.

popgoescanberra11:12 pm 21 Apr 08

One of the worse things about apartment living is definitely the shared recycling bins.

I get just so incredibly pissed off when I see the recycling bins full of plastic bags full of rubbish and/or recycling. It says quite clearly that you’re not supposed to put plastic bags in the recycling bins!

I think this post is relevant because the average stranger’s behaviour towards their fellow human beings is definitely getting worse, and that hurts us ALL.

I live in an old block of flats, and it is mostly harmonious (love the double brick – you can’t hear a thing from the neighbours), but people still can’t use the bins properly (which is simply laziness – I mean, how freakin hard is it???), and most of the population seems to think it’s okay to dump their reusable junk (furniture, appliances, etc) anywhere they please. WTF is up with that? My answer is that society has become so used to disposability that people no longer realise that they should also take responsibility for dealing with their own waste, whatever form it may come in. It is also related to the fact that everything is constructed to be thrown away, not repaired, which is a travesty.

It is also incredible to me the volume of garbage that other people produce! I produce one shopping plastic bag worth of garbage every two weeks or so – the rest is either recycled or composted in my friend’s garden. And yet our hoppers are usual full by garbage day. How does that work, and why don’t people feel guilt for all this crap they produce? Out of sight out of mind i guess, but it pisses me off. Get a freakin clue and start to take responsibility for your waste.

/rant

CanberraResident9:51 pm 21 Apr 08

Absent Diane said :

ACT = the land of the boring person.

and that makes you what exactly?

Maybe all the Kingston units residents moved to Florey when Kingston was closed down?

I live in that getto, down the front where its a bit away from the scum at the back. But have to agree, why can’t people park as per the rules. Also how come someone was so stupid as to post a lost dog message with the unit number in a complex with a no dog policy!

Absent Diane8:17 pm 21 Apr 08

ACT = the land of the boring person.

Variation on the theme…

I live in a townhouse complex where we have individual bins (waste and recycling) rather than a big shared bin. Now I long, long ago came to accept that people will use other people’s bins at certain times and for the most part I can live with it. Living solo I don’t create that much garbage myself. But is it really so bloody hard to a) put your stinky waste in a garbage bag, and b) put the waste into the waste bins instead of the recycle bins???

Felix the Cat7:24 pm 21 Apr 08

toriness said :

i agree with stray – people are inconsiderate assholes, and also these exact same problems can be experienced living in a house. i am constantly absolutely amazed by how rude and thoughtless people can be, and then i am amazed at myself by continuing to be amazed and not just get used to it.

Agree with what you say, except they are arseholes not assholes.

I had a mate who lived in one of those townhouses a few years ago and I used to go visit and don’t recall him having these problems. Things change I guess. Would it do any good to make a complaint to the Body Corporate about this?

ant said :

What’s wrong with someone having a good rant, and saying what they think?

Nothing – except that this is The RiotACT … expect to be flamed 🙂

i agree with stray – people are inconsiderate assholes, and also these exact same problems can be experienced living in a house. i am constantly absolutely amazed by how rude and thoughtless people can be, and then i am amazed at myself by continuing to be amazed and not just get used to it.

CanberraResident5:23 pm 21 Apr 08

Don’t you just love it when someone like …. uhm … I’ll call him MaelMan, says “Not Worth Publishing”, but then continues to return to the same thread to make further comment or to see if anyone else agrees with him. GAL. I’ll let you work that one out for yourself.

Oh, and Vanilla Bean, I feel for you mate. Sounds like you’re surrounded by nightmare neighbours. Vent anytime, I’ll be listening even if one or two others think it’s NWP. Try to block it out of your mind, and remember, it could be worse, like Redfern for example. Hehe.

Vanilla Bean said :

To clarify – I own the place and the thought of selling up and buying again in the current market is a nightmare.

It ain’t going to get any cheaper !

What’s wrong with someone having a good rant, and saying what they think? And why should they have to move? Most people would agree that people parking you in your park, and playing doofdoof at 2am and leaving rubbish everywhere was not acceptable behaviour from neighbours. As is bleeding on someone’s porch (what awful neighbours!).

If people come out and talk about this stuff, who knows, maybe the people who are commiting the antisocial acts will realise it’s not on. Maybe some will modify their behaviour and have some consideration.

Right now a lot of these kinds of people have their heads filled with all their “rights”. No one’s ever got it through to them that there’s another R word: responsibility. More talk about it might see more regard paid to the latter.

Deadmandrinking4:53 pm 21 Apr 08

The problem with ‘move if you don’t like it’ is that it'[s increasingly becoming the case for alot of Canberrans where that isn’t much of an option. I’m f-king lucky to have this house I’m sitting in right now, and the lease doesn’t last too much longer.

i think the overall message is, dont be a twat and think considerately of other people around you. no matter what your circumstances/living conditions are…theres no need to be a douche.
its not just townhouses/box living, there’s problems like that living in houses too – noise travels everywhere in a beautiful clean city like ours! 🙂

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy4:39 pm 21 Apr 08

Boo-fcking-hoo. Ever seen how 90% of the planet lives (you know, the bits outside Canberra)?

Move if you don’t like it.

Deadmandrinking4:35 pm 21 Apr 08

Shush Maelinar, when was the last time you ever said anything relevant, ever.

I think Vanilla Bean’s post is warranted and important for younger Riot-act readers to take heed. The reality is with our housing situation is that many of us will probably have to end up living in apartments and townhouses. God I hate the thought.

Well I could go on about it all of those elements being a signal of wider society – ever tried to park at Russell for example ?

But I’d be simply pointing out the obvious to somebody who it is obvious to me does not take notice of their wider surroundings, and is only concerned with what is put in front of their face.

A commonsense answer is not warranted under these circumstances.

Vanilla Bean4:13 pm 21 Apr 08

To clarify – I own the place and the thought of selling up and buying again in the current market is a nightmare. Will keep an eye out for the Freegans though 😉

metallica britney – what a fantastic band name!

actually, don’t listen to maelinar, he’s just jealous. he doesn’t understand that with a less than one percent vacancy rate, finding anywhere to live in canberra can be a despairing operation and sometimes you go with what you’ve got.

don’t go dissin’ other people’s circumstances, mael, or you might one day find yourself there…

i actually found the rant refreshing, especially when it was over, too…

I think its more a location issue rather than type of dwelling

Bad move publicising the availability of sausages in the grabage bin at Beechwood in Florey – wait till the Freegans hear about this.

agreed Mael.

I need a yard and hate shared walls/floors.

NWP – Not Worth Publishing.

1 star for you. Don’t like hive living ? Move.

i furnished my flat in campbell with (some of) the furniture left in front of the bins. i also read free magazines i fish out of the recycle bins. i pass on vogues, cleos etc to potential mrs bonfire.

Exactly why I live in a house.

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