About
Homeowners Andrew and Sandra Knauf decided to start this website after a neighbor's new "A.D.U." (Accessory Dwelling Unit in Planning lingo, better known to Westsiders as "mother-in-law cottages") went up this May (2017). The building turned out to be a shock from what they expected. Instead of a modest-sized, unobtrusive cottage that would fit into their century-old neighborhood, what was approved for building was an illegally oversized two-story structure that did not fit in with the historic street and, worse, stole the privacy of their private backyard. That was only the beginning of the story; they would soon discover that our City Planning Dept. had allowed a structure that was illegal in size and in setback, and which violated fire access codes.
Through this experience, the Knaufs decided that the Westside needed a website where information could be shared; where homeowners could see what their rights were in these cases, and how to make sure new buildings adhered to codes before they become a problem. They are still fighting to be heard and for building and fire codes to be honored. They don't know how the story will end, but want to share theirs in the interest of helping other homeowners and protecting our neighborhood.
The Knaufs have loved living on the Westside of Colorado Springs since they were newlyweds in the early 1980s. Back then they rented a duplex off of Uintah for a while and then briefly rented an upstairs apartment in the century-old building that many now know as the Little London Cake Shoppe. They have remodeled three Westside homes of their own through the years and raised a family here (two amazing daughters, Zora and Lily). Andrew Knauf has an HVAC business (Knauf Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC); Sandra Knauf does the bookkeeping for that business and is also a freelance writer and publisher (author of Zera and the Green Man - a book set in the Pikes Peak region and published by Greenwoman Publishing).
Through this experience, the Knaufs decided that the Westside needed a website where information could be shared; where homeowners could see what their rights were in these cases, and how to make sure new buildings adhered to codes before they become a problem. They are still fighting to be heard and for building and fire codes to be honored. They don't know how the story will end, but want to share theirs in the interest of helping other homeowners and protecting our neighborhood.
The Knaufs have loved living on the Westside of Colorado Springs since they were newlyweds in the early 1980s. Back then they rented a duplex off of Uintah for a while and then briefly rented an upstairs apartment in the century-old building that many now know as the Little London Cake Shoppe. They have remodeled three Westside homes of their own through the years and raised a family here (two amazing daughters, Zora and Lily). Andrew Knauf has an HVAC business (Knauf Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC); Sandra Knauf does the bookkeeping for that business and is also a freelance writer and publisher (author of Zera and the Green Man - a book set in the Pikes Peak region and published by Greenwoman Publishing).
The Knaufs, with the neighbor's A.D.U. in the background--this building, slated to be an Airbnb-type property, even encroaches on the backyard privacy of homes two and three doors down and is in violation of size and fire codes. Photo taken 6/24/2017.
