Next door neighbor (great friend for many years) decides he doesn't like water ponding in his back yard. Explained that since I built (25 years ago) that's how it is. Very little relief between the end of his lot and the other side of mine (like .6' in 200'). Just how the sub grew. Now he wants to regrade his lot. (mind you the water only stands for an hour or two after a really big rain.) I offer to shoot topo and try to help. The contractor he hired is evidently much better at this than I am, doesn't need my help (I work with the contractor to). Grades over 5' onto my lot, no permission. And after I topo it he just made a new pond in my lot.
Why are the contractors so much smarter? Now I have to involve the City and crank off my neighbor.
Lots to figure yet, but come on?
Jeez.
You might have him (contractor) check his vision, because most cannot see survey markers either.
Why you? Well, if it wasn't you, it could well have been one of my idiot neighbors doing something like that....:'(
> Jeez.
Suggest you lawyer up and have him pursue the contractor rather than your neighbor.
Or you could put a cistern in and have a ready made water supply for the end-of the- world and zombies....
But seriously. That's messed up. Probably a lawyer (last recourse) if you can't work something out with the contractor.
Grading the runnoff to an adjoiner has got to be against zoning/engineering statutes too. Might be able to get an inspector to condemn the work. Not sure about your area. Good luck.
I'll try the nice approach first. Just see if he can make the water stand on his lot. I've got pictures and topo, so if its screwed up later I can get crabby. I just don't get how people think they can just do this stuff.
It's not just people who do and get away with this type of behavior. On the other side of my street there is apparently an underground stream. My street (and houses) was built in 1945.
The homes across the street from me were (as I hear from the people who have lived here for many years) never affected by the underground stream..... until the county in their "infinite wisdom" came along and constructed a storm drain structure behind those houses for the entire length of street. As the story goes, that is when many (most?) of the houses on that side of the street started having basement flooding issues and had to get sump pumps installed. Obviously re-routed water into unwanted places instead of leaving something that actually worked.... alone.
Grading ?
He grades 5' into your lot and now you have a pond?
Your lawn is flat and I cannot see how regrading did that to you. I would imagine to give you a pond he would need to excavate and remove soil.
BTW, how flat was the neighbor's lot?
Did the contractor just regrade, remove or add soil to the neighbor?
Paul in PA
When you build your fence along that line, just include a couple courses of block in the low point. Then the water won't make it to your lot, it will stay where it belongs.
As they say, fences make for good neighbors. Yours sounds like a jerk.
BTW, did he do any grading along the other line that may impact the uphill guy? Not really your concern, but it could be a contributing factor to your problem and further demonstrate that he acted in a potentially irresponsible manner.
Grading ?
It is flat, in about 220 feet we have less than a foot to use. Had it working years ago when we built and I could get both lots graded together, but since then nature took over and now we do have ponding after big storms or sometimes in spring if the frost is still in and we get rain. Doesn't bother me, but I guess it did him. Basically all he did was move stuff around so that now he is backing up on to my yard with a new low area. Only way to beat that would be to rip up more of my yard, not happening. The drainage doesn't bug me as much as crapping up my yard without bothering to check with me first.
Just got done checking grades with him and its about as good as its going to get, still gonna have a wet corner after a soaker, though.
