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Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/21/2013 11:10 PM

Earlier this summer my dad and I did a major earth moving project for six weeks including spending two days with the rather expensive to rent pay loader and excavator of adding two 6 foot dia 34 foot long sections of concrete culverts to our main driveway to improve water flow plus raised widened and contoured roughly 250 feet of the road as well then topped off the whole new road section with about 25 tons of crushed asphalt.

Zero cost to our neighbor we share the road with in the end and no intentions of ever asking for any payment for it either.

They other day that neighbor hauled in three semi loads of what he says is class 5 gravel, although I would call it screened pit run myself, burying what I put down as well and wants me to pay $700 for my half of that gravel.

I mentioned this to my dad earlier this evening and he said no problem. He will be happy to deduct the $700 off of his half of the road and culvert work and we will call his bill $2000 even.

Now really if you shared a driveway with a neighbor that just did a major 1000+ yard rebuild and improvement to a large section of that driveway and added large concrete culverts to help solve flooding issues at 100% his time and cost would you have the big brass ones to then try and bill him for additional work you did that covered up his?

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#1

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/21/2013 11:42 PM

I agree.

Send the neighbor an itemized bill for your work, deduct any expenses he can document and see where that goes.

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#2

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/21/2013 11:49 PM

You didn't have prior contract with him, and he did not have one with you, so it's a wash.

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#3

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 1:10 AM

We already know about that jerk from before....

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#4

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 1:50 AM

TCM, Sorry to hear that your neighbor doesn't appreciate you and your dad's hard work. Sometimes these people need to be made aware of how unfair they are being.

You need to decide if you want a battle or not. Since this is your neighbor, I'd say the latter is better, but I don't live there, so I don't know what your relationship is.

A good friend taught me that I need to choose my battles wisely. I've tried to be conscious of this and it now puts the responsibility on me vs the outside world. Make sense?

Let us know how you tackle this.

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#5

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 3:31 AM

I'd try to keep it friendly, but let him know what you spet.

E.G.

Thanks for the extra finishing work you did. I'd already spent $xxx which more than covers it, but your work is really appreciated.

If the problem persists, maybe you could agree to each 'look after' a different section? Mind I can see where that would go.... he'd then think he owned it... . Think I'll go hide in my cat nest.

Del

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#11
In reply to #5

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:39 AM

Well for years he did think he owned the road until this last spring when he found out the local township ordinances clearly state that our road is a zero maintenance township section line road and all maintenance or lack thereof falls directly to the discretions of the adjacent landowners followed by secondary users of which he is a secondary user.

Basically that means that being half of the whole driveway from the county road all the way to his property line belongs to my family and none of it to him so we can do as we please maintenance wise. Which we have and have done at zero cost to everyone else who owns the other half of the road or uses the road.

He can do as he wants but technically we have zero responsibility to pay him for doing it and just the same we made it clear up front before any of this work was done that he would have no responsibility for the cost of the work work we do if he did not want to contribute.

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#13
In reply to #11

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 8:51 PM

Well then you should write him a check of zero dollars

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#14
In reply to #13

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:00 PM

Actually the one gravel pit started processing recycled asphalt yesterday so today I hauled in 24 tons just for the driveway loop in front of our old house. I need to get about 12 more tons tomorrow to finish filling it out nice and thick.

After that I am going to vibro pack and torch the surface to make it look like brand new pavement! That ought to bug em a bit every time they drive by and see it!

Granted at $18.50 a ton it's a spendy little snub but its worth it!

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#15
In reply to #14

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:15 PM

That still sounds cheaper than poured concrete. Recycled asphalt is good stuff.

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#16
In reply to #15

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:27 PM

He knew full well I was going to finish doing the whole driveway in recycled asphalt when more came available but unfortunately they got their undies in a bunch and couldn't wait another week or two longer until I got to it so now it cost them a pile of money and its going to cause more work for me in the end.

I hate dealing with impatient people. Especially when I know full well they know and understand my plans then go and half ass things to get it done sooner then expect me to pay for their being in a hurry.

10 days was all they needed to wait and I would have done the whole road in recycled asphalt at zero cost and effort to them.

At least now I have an excuse for not spending $3K more on the main driveway this summer.

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#6

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 8:17 AM

Well I'd reserve judgement until I had your neighbors side of the story....What is their side of the story?

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#7
In reply to #6

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 9:51 AM

Their side of the story is he is a pretty good guy but his wife is a real nut busting witch.

As I have came to understand it the whole time I have been at my new house project and everything related to it plus the driveway build up she has had issues with any and every detail of it that she sees as an inconvenience and thus takes it out on him which in turn means he comes and takes it out on me.

I think the only reason he mentioned the paying half last night is because she was standing there glaring at me and him while picking up dirt clods along the new part of the road and tossing them in our pasture.

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#8
In reply to #7

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:10 AM

So send them a bill for the $2k...If they pay you, then pay them...

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#9
In reply to #7

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:15 AM

The wind beneath his wings, eh?

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#10
In reply to #9

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:29 AM

Unfortunately I can relate to having an irrational witch for a wife all to well. (At least mine is taking her meds again.)

I am not too worried about the whole thing to be honest. He has to live with her not me.

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#12
In reply to #9

Re: Ever wonder about your neighbors?

08/22/2013 10:40 AM

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#17

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/22/2013 11:13 PM

Fortunately I don't have neighbors like you do any more. 500 watts of modern music with numerous "disco" flashing lights and the 25 ignorant despicable weird looking friends of my kids out on my patios and back lawn solved that problem several years ago. After the problem was solved I kicked my kids out of the house, only so their friends would leave.

Tell you neighbor you would be happy to pay his bill but you will have to sell the material that you put down, which is now under his stone, to get the money to pay him. Bring in a dozer or a backhoe and let it sit for a few days. Then go out to it and run it for an hour while operating the boom/blade to get the kinks out of it.

When he comes out to see what you are doing, give him an outrageous bill for the labor and materials involved. If he says no, get rid of the machine and do nothing. If he writes you a check, cash the check immediately, take a vacation, return the machine and make up a list of 30 excuses why you can't do it then. Only use one excuse at a time and never multiple ones. This should last for a lifetime if done correctly.

Good Luck, Old Salt

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#18
In reply to #17

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/23/2013 12:37 AM

Glad I am on the other side of the planet -

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#19

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/23/2013 2:00 AM

If you're lucky, he doesn't read this blog.

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#20

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/23/2013 10:39 AM

My Dad has a kennel. One time somebody left a pregnant dog at his kennel, and the dog had 9 puppies. The people didn't come pick up the dogs, and he called them and they said they'd come and never did. Eventually, my Dad had to declare them abandoned after two months and take them to the pound.

Eventually the former owners found out the dogs were worth something and called my Dad telling him he owed them $5000 for the dogs.

My Dad responded "Ok fine, but first you pay me for boarding 10 dogs for 60 days at $12/day for each dog.

He never heard from them again.

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#21
In reply to #20

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/23/2013 11:04 AM

That's pretty much what this will boil down to in the end I suspect.

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#22
In reply to #20

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/23/2013 1:37 PM

I rented the other side of a duplex to a strange couple that got a small Irish setter. They were going to visit relatives up north and wanted us to watch the dog for a week. They were paid up, so why not. They were never heard from again. Six months later, I bundled up their belongings and sent it to the attic. But the dog learned to use his nose to open the refrigerator. Oh the joys of being a landlord.

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#23
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Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/23/2013 1:51 PM

We've had dogs that learned how to open the gate, we had a lab that knew how to turn a door knob, and when the door was locked, he tore threw the drywall and crashed through the wall to get to the outside.

We picked up an abandoned dog and made it our own, that one knows how to open gates too and will go around and let the other dogs out.

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#24

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/24/2013 9:05 AM

I have heard from your neighbor from here...... You should start raising pigs up wind of his place.

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#25

Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/25/2013 12:49 PM

I once mowed my neighbor's lawn across the street from me after I had been gone a year or so working and wanted to use up the stale gas in my riding mower. I figured I owed him one mowing for having to look at my unkempt lawn for a year.

He called the Sheriff on me and wanted me arrested for trespassing.

When two patrol cars showed up he yelled at them for 20 minutes so one of the officers took me to the other side of the road for safety and told me to stay away from him and if I needed to mow grass, please come to her house.

After the other officer calmed down my neighbor and sent him inside, he came over to where we were standing and told me if I ever need to mow grass again, come to his house, lol.

My 6 dogs have now picked up on his animosity and now go over every night at midnight and crap on his front lawn for me...

True story, you can't make this stuff up!

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#26
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Re: Ever Wonder About Your Neighbors?

08/25/2013 9:32 PM
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