They do have mini-dump trucks, and that might work. Or break the big loads into smaller ones, and use trailers or something smaller so the driveway survives.
This poor planning is not your neighbor’s problem - # 1 !
this will sound harsh but
this poor planning is not your neighbor’s problem - best to leave them alone
this is a builder’s poor planning which you will have to pay for whichever option you decided upon
#1. Or. # 2
not # 3.
sorry not what you wanted to hear but you’ve received honest answers !
Good Luck ~ you’ll be glad once it’s all completed !
Thank you all for the advice. I agree, I think it would be so awkward/rude to ask the neighbors, but our builder is pushing to go that route! To answer some of the questions you’ve brought up, on one side of the house is our septic field and on the other is our propane and electric…no way to get behind the house except the driveway. I asked the builder if we could line the driveway with thick plywood to try to prevent cracks, and he said that might help. I’ll ask him about the gravel idea too.
The barn builder is NOT the home builder, the home builder would not let us start any other projects on the property until we closed, so there was no other option.
If you don’t want damage to your yard why would you think it would be okay to damage the neighbors yard? NO, do not ask neighbors, nor should you think that is even an option.
Having had a barn built last year, I can tell you there was very little damage to the yard, granted all the equipment was driving over grass, what damage there was is now gone without us doing anything. Risk your own drive way and deal with any damage yourself; don’t expect your neighbors to sacrifice their yards for your barn building.
Regardless of what your builder ‘wants’…
srsly?!
headdesk
If your driveway won’t handle delivery trucks, it needs some work anyway. I would never ask to cross someone else’s land.
Oddly enough, a former neighbor once asked us that exact same question. Her rationale was that she did not want to have to listen to the noise of heavy trucks rumbling past her house. She seemed to think, however, that it would be just fine if they rumbled past mine. :eek:
We laughed for about two minutes and then closed the door in her face.
This reminds me. Once knew someone who wanted to give me hay because she wouldn’t let her horses eat it because it was ‘just going bad’.
But somehow, it’s okay for MY horses…
Okay, I’ll play:
Before I built my barn my neighbor to the North asked if I’d like to trade acreage.
Picture a 10ac square, split widthwise front 1/2 is mine, back 1/2 is his.
He wanted to split the square lengthwise.
I told him if he talked to the zoning board - who had just approved the variance for me to build - maybe I’d agree.
Never heard from him again.
Or the other neighbor who told me she was concerned that motorcycles going past my pasture were scaring my horses (who had 3ac from the road to retreat to).
Then on 4th of July, she set off bottle rockets & other noisemakers in her front yard.
The yard that faced my pasture.
I found the burnt out rockets inside my pasture, so obviously aimed that way.
And that would not scare the horses because???
[QUOTE=js;8212381]
If you don’t want damage to your yard why would you think it would be okay to damage the neighbors yard? NO, do not ask neighbors, nor should you think that is even an option.[/QUOTE]
I think that if the OP had “just yard” to damage, she would never consider asking the neighbors. The issue sounds like it’s either wreck her driveway, or her leech field, or her underground utilities…all far more damaging and expensive than regarding and seeding a yard.
Mini dump trucks are a good idea. More loads but smaller ones. Might be the best option.
I guess I would still ask the neighbors - the worst they can say is no. If you ask politely and tell them that they really can say no and you won’t be the least bit upset.
Again, it really depends on the layout of your property and theirs. I have a really big front yard that is just extra work to mow; we have 20 acres so a one acre front yard is just a pain in the neck. If we had neighbors on that side, and they asked something like this, I would say yes.
If it were right next to my house, maybe I would find it too much of an eyesore and hassle to deal with someone else’s project.
[QUOTE=SugarCubes;8212326]
The barn builder is NOT the home builder, the home builder would not let us start any other projects on the property until we closed, so there was no other option.[/QUOTE]
Approach neighbor with concept of a temporary ground lease… offer them a few thousand dollars, put in writing that any disturbance of their land would be corrected to their satisfaction… or just expect to replace your drive… which ever is cheaper and easier
I would replace the drive, because … a fire engine weighs as much as a construction truck and I sure would want a fire engine to have the ability to get to my barn
First, have to say I agree with the majority here. This is not your neighbor’s problem. Unfortunately building comes with unexpected expenses sometimes.
Second, if it is your builder’s idea/preference to go across the neighbor’s yard, maybe he should be the one to approach them. However, first I would want to see in writing, some detailed list of how he would restore their yard after damage. Have him sign, so you can hold him to it and not end up the bad neighbor who never made good on the repair.
It’s hard to say how much actual damage will occur to your drive. Sounds like the builder may be trying to cover his hindend. Our contractor never once squawked about any problem of that type, just got the job done. That’s why I went back to him for the arena a year after he did the barn. He was a dream to work with!
When we built our indoor arena, we had BIG semis come up our drive and maneuver in very tight spaces, due to lay of the land, existing buildings, fences & utilities, and very narrow parcel. Good operators are very talented! The driver who delivered the siding and roof panels (over 35 ft long) backed his rig 1500 ft up a steep gravel drive, made a 90 degree turn at the top, thru 16 ft gate, next to a row of young trees, and unloaded. When he left, it was hard to tell he had been here were, it not for the huge pile of steel. Granted, it was late April after snow melt and not the rainy season.
The only “damage” that did occur were a single set of indentations in my grass riding “arena” that came from a loaded concrete truck. They brought it in the least damaging way possible, parked it, and used long troughs to get the cement into the footing holes. The damage was so minor, I never really bothered with a big fix, just spread composted manure in the ruts three or four times and now they are gone.
A good job can be done if you have the right people. And no I did not pay a premium. I was actually on a tight budget. My contractor’s bid was within a couple hundred of the other two I got. (Any one of the three could have done the job well. They’ve done work for friends/neighbors, so I was able to see their quality.) He and his crew showed up every morning at 8 AM on the dot, smiles on their faces. If I wanted changes (he advised me well from the beginning, so there were few and they were small), no problem. If I was picky about safety (pick up nails so I don’t find them in horse’s feet later), no problem. (In six years, I’ve found literally 2 and those were probably dropped when DH and I put up kickboards on the arena after contractor was done with the shell. Fortunately neither impacted my horses.) Maybe your contractor is just warning you of the worst and you need to plan accordingly.
Bring in more loads but in smaller trucks and less weight. Wait for dry weather? I’d not ask neighbour to risk his place.
The only way you can approach your neighbor with this crazy idea is you pay them a pretty money on top of what will cost to return their lawn to a pristine condition.
This is so beyond asking for favor. This is transferring your costly problem to them.
By the way, we just had six loads of semi truck of sand brought in (35 tons each). None has destroyed our driveway.
Not sure what you’re moving in that would damage the driveway. Granted, ours is stone but we’ve had bulldozers with 13 foot blades, full size excavators, and dump trucks regularly bringing in 22 tons and I’ve never had a problem.
Interesting. We didn’t even have a road to our arena site yet NO damage was done to the ground!
And no, I would not ask the neighbor- I’d use my own driveway and fix up if necessary.
[QUOTE=bathsheba8542;8215093]
Not sure what you’re moving in that would damage the driveway. Granted, ours is stone but we’ve had bulldozers with 13 foot blades, full size excavators, and dump trucks regularly bringing in 22 tons and I’ve never had a problem.[/QUOTE]
It could be the builder just trying to cover his ass, but I think that a fully loaded dump truck would break my asphalt driveway. Maybe not down the middle, but along the edges; we already have a lot of broken areas and I’m assuming that it’s not any sort of heavy duty paved driveway, although those certainly can exist. I have no doubt that a dump truck loaded with crushed bluestone would have the potential to do some significant damage.
I seem to recall that once we had concrete poured for a new barn floor, and they made us sign off on a damage waiver as well. I don’t recall there being any damage, but I do remember having to agree that we wouldn’t charge them for damages.
So, you could definitely take your chances and see if it works out.
You might save some money in dollars, but you will lose goodwill and friendly neighbors. It is a lot easier to repair a broken driveway than to repair a damaged relationship with people you might be living next door to for decades.
I do not think you should even ask them. If my neighbors came to me with a similar request I know what I would think of them and their priorities and values.
And I guarantee you, you do not want to be thought of that way.
There’s little difference in ground contact weight between a single axle dump truck, and multi axle dump trucks. For instance a single axle truck around here is allowed to carry 8 tons of load, while a tandem (rear) axle truck is allowed to carry 14. Each extra axle allows three more tons since those extra axles only run single wheels. Ground load per tire is not different enough to matter.
I’m interested in more details such as what truck is a problem on what driveway.
Upgrade that driveway so hay trucks and fire trucks wont ever have an issue with it.
An overbuilt driveway can be a very nice problem to have.
