- For once, the little guy prevails against the monster that is municipal bureaucracy.
Local building codes can be a real pain, especially if they force you to change something about your property that’s been one way for years. Yet, you just have to comply.
Sometimes, though, you may be able to give the regulators a piece of your mind while fulfilling their questionable wishes. That’s what this California man did.
The city of Seaside ordered Etienne Constable to cover up the fishing boat that he keeps in his driveway when he isn’t out fishing. Although it had been there for years, the city just now informed Constable that local code regulations require boats to be hidden by a fence.
For some reason.
Constable wasn’t exactly thrilled about the ultimatum, but what choice did he have but to do what the authorities told him? Well, he had the choice to comply on his terms.
You see, his neighbor happens to be a rather skilled mural artist. So, Constable put up the required wall — and then he hired his neighbor to paint an incredibly realistic image of the boat on it.
It’s as if the boat is still there on his driveway in plain sight.
Unlike how these stories usually go, the local authorities are alright with Constable’s mural. In fact, they’re kind of impressed with the way he resolved the code problems while giving them a less-than-subtle middle finger.
‘I’m Not a Rulebreaker’
Constable’s struggles with building codes started nearly a year ago in July 2023. For roughly four years prior, he had been storing his fishing boat on his driveway when it wasn’t in active use.
That July, however, he received a notification from the city of Seaside that keeping the boat in plain sight on his driveway didn’t swing. According to the local municipal code, boats must be covered in the front and from the sides by a fence at least six feet tall.
We don’t know why this regulation is in place, but it’s what it is. Someone must’ve been offended by the idea of boats at some point or another.
Constable admitted that the letter did make him angry at first. In the end, however, he did put up the fence.
But he wouldn’t do so without playing a little trick on the authorities.
“I’m not a rule-breaker but I like to make a political statement as necessary as well as a humorous statement and a creative statement,” Constable told KSBW.
‘A Sassy Idea’
The key to the trick would be Constable’s neighbor, Hanif Panni. He happens to be a skilled mural painter, and Constable approached with an idea to stick it to the man — just a little bit.
“After reluctantly building the fence and driveway, [Constable] presented a sassy idea to me that would require my artistic skills,” explained Panni on his Facebook page.
Constable wanted Panni to paint a mural on his fence, depicting his fishing boat. And he wanted it to be as realistic as possible to make it seem like the fence wasn’t even there.
The painting wasn’t entirely inspired by spite toward bureaucrats, however. Constable also thought the plain white fence was just ugly.
Panni liked the idea and got to work. At the beginning of May 2024, he finished the mural.
Now, Constable’s yard looks much like it did before the fence, at least from specific angles. Panni did his best to create an optical illusion of the boat and he did quite an impressive job.
Constable’s neighbors think so, too. According to Constable and Panni, they’ve gotten plenty of compliments about their solutions and some neighbors have even asked to give their fences a similar treatment.
“Creativity is always a good tool to use against bureaucracy if it’s done thoughtfully and with the rules in mind,” Panni mused.
Taking It with Humor
Speaking of the bureaucrats, though, what do they think? We’re sure you’ve heard of similar stunts that have just ended up costing the homeowner more than simply complying with the original code notification.
In this case, however, it seems Constable and Panni beat the city of Seaside in their own game.
Nick Borges, acting city manager and Seaside chief of police, told Los Angeles Times that his office had been swamped by complaints about building codes not being enforced properly. So, they hired a community enhancements staffer last year, whose work resulted in Constable receiving his ultimatum.
When he spotted photos of Constable’s new fence on social media, Borges admits they got him to chuckle.
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty creative.’ I laughed at it, and then I started getting calls from local media,” Borges told UPI.
According to Borges, the city has no intention to harass Constable further about his fence. It may not seem like it thanks to his mural, but there is a fence hiding Constable’s boat as the code demands — case closed.
“The only action I’m going to take is a high five, and that’s it,” said Borges.