‘Marianne and Marc Duffy say their dream home renovation in Chevy Chase has turned into a suburban nightmare. Their neighbors say the Duffys intentionally flouted building rules when they expanded their $725,000 house on Thornapple Street and have no one to blame but themselves.

Yesterday, a Montgomery County appeals board reaffirmed an earlier ruling that the Duffys had rebuilt their house too close to the street and to neighbors. The Duffys say the decision leaves them two choices: Move the house a few feet at a cost of $100,000 or continue an expensive battle in court.

…The case has pitted the Duffys, both securities lawyers, against a group of prominent opponents, including two journalists -- Mayer, a writer for the New Yorker magazine, and her husband, William Hamilton, a Washington Post editor -- as well as lawyer Michael Eig and his historic preservationist wife Emily Hotaling Eig, former ABC News reporter Jackie Judd and real estate agent Kristin Gerlach. Both sides had lawyers but recently decided to represent themselves. [Quick: How many lawyers in that paragraph?]

…The dispute has roiled the neighborhood, sparked contentious discussions at Town Council meetings, generated letters to local newspapers and debates on talk radio, and fueled discussions about liberal conspiracies. Marianne Duffy says someone recently left a bag of dog poop in her mailbox. The neighbors say they are sympathetic and had nothing to do with it. [Bit of ambiguity there. Sympathetic with the gesture? Or do they feel sympathy for the recipients of the shit?]


…[Duffy] recently planted a sign on the front lawn with a photo of the couple's two young daughters [classy!], urging neighbors to support their effort to complete the work and move in. She has spoken with county officials, members of the County Council and neighbors. She has begun a petition drive and collected 60 signatures from people who say the Duffys should be able to finish their house. She pleaded yesterday with the Board of Appeals to consider the effect on her family. "No one should have to endure what our family has suffered this past year," she said. [Puts Darfur to shame.]

"We are literally being made homeless," she said. "It's not in the public policy interest of Montgomery County to have this situation occurring with my family." [Is that a threat? Are you planning to become a band of brigands?]'