Best way to ask neighbor for favor, advice needed!

[SugarCubes]

We built a house on acreage this past winter and are ready to start building our barn within the month. After seeing our layout, our builder informed us that the only way to get to the build site is up our driveway, which he warned us will destroy our driveway due to all of the heavy loads/trucks they will have to drive over it.

We have a couple of options:

1. replace driveway after barn is complete (expensive!)
2. have materials left on street and have bobcat bring smaller loads down the driveway (this will cost more in time/labor, so builder is seeing if option 1 or 2 is going to cost less)

or 3) ask the neighbors if we can go through their side yard to get to our build site. This is the most ideal scenario, but we barely know the neighbors and I don’t really know the best way to approach asking them about this. It will tear up their grass, but we would obviously pay to regrade and seed or sod any areas that get messed up.

What would you guys do? And if we choose to ask the neighbors, how would you bring it up?

[SuckerForHorses]

I’m trying to figure out what sort of equipment is so destructive that you’ll need to completely replace your driveway?

And if the equipment is going to do that much damage to your driveway, I’m not sure why your neighbors would want you using their lawn instead? I would think there will be even more damage to soft lawn/grass than a driveway.

I wouldn’t ask your neighbors to use their lawn. It makes it look like you don’t care about their lawn and are wanting them to risk it for the sake of your driveway.

Use the driveway; repair as needed.

[Hilary]

I agree with the above poster. If your neighbor came to you and said “Hi, can I bring my heavy equipment across your property so it doesn’t wreck mine?” how well would that go over?

Also, if the driveway won’t hold up to that, it probably will break down with your general use in not too many years.

[Mosey_2003]

Yeah, that’ll probably get you a pretty big eff you…

Use the driveway.

[Hulk]

Um, I don’t think there is a good way to ask a neighbor to use their property for your building project instead of your own because you would rather ruin theirs than yours. I agree with use the driveway.

[fordtraktor]

Yes, this is a nonoption. Besides, I have found the ruination of driveways to be often exaggerated. It might, it might not, it might leave a few cracks but you will still be able to drive on it. On a farm, a few cracks in my driveway is about 774th on my list of worries.

[Appsolute]

I agree - asking the neighbor isn’t an option.

If its going to do that much damage to your property, I imagine it would damage theirs.

And unfortunately in our litigious society - if I was the neighbor, no way would I take on the liability of having you use the property for this. I would want some seriously lawyered contracts drawn, a fair bit of $ compensation etc.

[S1969]

Well, you can always ask. They might be willing to agree so long as it’s only lawn and you agree to have it repaired.

We had the same issue building our arena - the trucks loaded stone will break a standard asphalt driveway. That’s a huge difference between ruining the grass - to pull out and replace an asphalt driveway is far more work and expense.

In our case, the solution was to build a separate road to our arena site first, then build the arena. That added a lot of $ to the project (about $8K) but we now have a way in with a big trailer for hay, or a fire truck to the barn, etc.

I would be surprised, however, that you can realistically use the plan to drive on your neighbors yard - because if it rains you will be burying a truck loaded with stone in the mud. Maybe if you’re in a very flat, dry area it might work…but I’d be very worried about that.

I was recently at a dog show on a fairgrounds in Maine and after a day of rain the porta-potty pumper truck came in on the grass and just buried his truck. Not pretty. And I’m sure it weighed a lot less than a truck loaded with stone.

[cayuse]

Option number two sounds reasonable. I wouldn’t ask my neighbors. They are nice and I wouldn’t want to risk straining the relationship if something were to go wrong. Or putting them in a position where they feel as though they should say “yes” because it’s the neighborly thing to do.

[inca]

No way would I ask the neighbors if I can tear up their property instead of mine!

[Mosey_2003]

[QUOTE=S1969;8211578]
I was recently at a dog show on a fairgrounds in Maine and after a day of rain the porta-potty pumper truck came in on the grass and just buried his truck. Not pretty. And I’m sure it weighed a lot less than a truck loaded with stone.[/QUOTE]
I bet it weighed a sh*t ton…

[trubandloki]

Are you using the same builders for your barn as you did for developing your house? If so I might toss back at them why they did not plan ahead enough and had the driveway paved (I assume it is paved, otherwise it is all a non-issue) before the heavy trucks for the barn were brought in. It is something that should have at least mentioned to you since part of what you are paying them is for their expertise in planning this stuff.

If it is not the same contractor then ignore that.

I would not recommend asking the neighbor if you can destroy their property so you do not damage yours.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8211631]
I bet it weighed a sh*t ton…[/QUOTE]

LOL I think you are right. :lol: I considered taking a picture but the driver was NOT a happy guy and it seemed a bit dangerous.

FWIW, sure, I would ask the neighbors - IF it was sort of a 1-2 day ordeal…delivery and dump - and not an ongoing construction site. The cost to remove and replace a driveway will be so much greater and time consuming…so I might sweeten the deal by not only agreeing to fix the damage, but give them something (money) for their inconvenience.

I do agree that the builders might have given you a heads up on this when you had your house built…but it’s a little too late now.

One more thought - once built, will you use your home driveway to get to the barn, and will it be sufficient (wide enough for a trailer of hay, for example?) Just wondering if it is worth putting in another driveway directly to your barn…although not knowing the layout of your property it might not be possible.

[GoForAGallop]

Guess I’m not understanding why all the heavy equipment can’t move over 10’ and just drive NEXT to the driveway? Are the trees that close? The ideal solution is probably to just knock some trees down.

I think you (and the builder) are underestimating just how much damage the trucks are going to do to the lawn, and how EXPENSIVE significant land repair like that is. (The bill to redo some of my lawn after a drunk driver skidded all over it was a little heartstopping…covered by his insurance, of course, but that was just a small four door car on one slightly misty night!)

Plus, as other posters have already hinted at…what happens when it rains? Or when the land just gets so torn up that it’s not drivable anymore?

I generally enjoy being neighborly and have let people have access to my property before, but I would definitely not be entertaining a deal like this.

[SmartAlex]

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;8211722]
Guess I’m not understanding why all the heavy equipment can’t move over 10’ and just drive NEXT to the driveway? Are the trees that close? The ideal solution is probably to just knock some trees down. [/QUOTE]

I too am having trouble picturing a property where there is room for a barn but not enough to get past the house without ruining the drive. Unless of course the utilities have already been mapped and making the lawn into a temporary drive is going to ruin drain lines and threaten gas lines/water lines/low hanging electric etc. Which is always a possibility on both your property AND neighbor’s side yard.

[JustTheTicket]

Yeah, I think if you told them you want to destroy their yard instead of your driveway, they’ll slam the door in your face. And if they said yes, you can use it, they’ll probably want you to fix it after, so that’ll be another charge to add to your project.

So, use the driveway or take the smaller loads from the street. Don’t make your neighbors hate you.

[enjoytheride]

If the equipment is so heavy and frequent it will destroy your paved driveway I can’t imagine how fast they will get stuck in your neighbor’s yard.

If you have a dirt or gravel driveway can’t they just have the last load they bring be a load of gravel and they can spread and compact it for you?

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

As someone who had their yard destroyed by heavy equipment that was not entitled to be there, I would tell you a resounding no. Ruts put there by heavy trucks operating in mud never come out, no matter how much scraping and flattening you do.

Is the area close enough to the road that they could use a big crane and boom to pick up the loads of materials and deposit them closer to the site?

[rubles]

Don’t do it!
Look to your future relationship.
I allowed new neighbour to move furniture through my yard.
It caused more damage than was anticipated by more than anticipated trips.
Things were never the same.
Don’t do it.

[hosspuller]

You could cover “YOUR” driveway with X inches of gravel. This will protect your pavement (by spreading the wheel load over more area) AND you can then scoop up the gravel and use it around the barn or other area. Call a paving contractor to get more details of gravel size and depth.