What would you do ?

[ROYC75]

Let me back it up here, I've always suspected that the backside of neighbors house had a sewer line or even the main sewer line coming across into my lateral line. Years ago, they allowed landowners with multiple houses together to share the same lateral line. Now I have the proof, his line does tie into mine, matter of fact, it's right up under the deck of my house.

Backing up to 3 years ago, I had to replace about 80% of my lateral line from the bottom of my circle drive to the main city sewer line. That cost me $ 7500.00 and I didn't replace it all because I didn't want to dig up my blacktop drive at the time.


My neighbor has turned into a childish dick ever since his dog followed my dog back to our property and our other dog killed it. To add insult to injury, he slipped on the wet grass and broke his collar bone.

So my question is, do I make him pony up $3750.00 or have him put in his own sewer line, approx. 130 feet ? I would be willing to bet that 130 feet will cost him at least $10K to put in !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Originally Posted by ROYC75

Wow, this place never fails to amaze me. Let me see if I can clear some of the nonsense up here?

We have a perimeter fence around our property. Our Lab didn't have his collar on and wandered across the property line. So, by the time I had walked down to the end of the driveway (at the edge of the house to see what was going on), he was 15 feet across the property line doing what dogs do, licking and sniffing each other's ass's. I commanded him to come back across to my side, as he came back, the neighbor's pain in the ass Yorkie decided to follow him. Having artificial knees, I could not run to the property line fast enough to stop what was about to happen next. My grandson's Pit was there with his shock collar on, as soon as their dog entered 6' inside of our property, it was too late. It had been raining some prior to this time and the neighbor slipped as he tried to run downhill to catch his dog before crossing. He slipped and did a Charlie Brown flop on his back, landing in a way to break his collar bone. I got citated for not having my Lab on a leach, yet he was not citated for the same thing. But he took all of this personal, took the time to give the grandkids a hard time. Telling them, I'm going to kill all of your dogs. Even making threats towards the kid's friends. I had to call the police on him several times about it and even spoke to the Co. Attorney about his threats, causing fear within them. Even after I apologized to him the next day, expressing my sorrow for his dog and his personal injury that was sustained on his property turned into an ass. Nothing worked, he kept on starring at us as we took our pets out on a leash, video us, making threats, playing loud music all day (which I didn't care, we like the same music) even after hours outside. He even started playing the same song all day long, for 16 hrs out of the day! Sad part is, we always got along up to this point, I used to mow his yard for him. He retired as a prison guard, was having some medical issues and a couple of weeks prior to this dog incident, he apologized for being a " asshole " about treat us and anybody around us. I told him then not to think twice about it, that I knew something was up with his demeanor. But this incident flipped him out, he put No Trespassing signs on the trees, paid for a survey crew to mark his property and has put up a fence between us, all within his rights. Please keep in mind, this whole time he had acted like an ass (over medication & emotional duress) I never engaged in his comments and told the kids to not comment. (This attitude of his has gone on for 5 months now and I'm about to send it into orbit).

Keep in mind when we both bought our houses, me in 1998 and he in 2010 , we were not aware of the current sewer line issues or how it was installed back in the 1930's.

Which brings us to date, he dug up a section of my yard to cut into a sewer tile that runs under my deck, to get to my sewer line. (FYI, there is only 10-12 feet between our houses) This line connects between my house and a clean out trap I had installed about 6' from my house. So his line is within 2, maybe 3 feet off the corner of my house! Then it runs about 60' out to the end of my driveway where we put in a cleanout trap and the new line starts, 90' to the city sewer main.

Years ago back in the 30's when both of these houses were built, the same guy that owned the old tobacco warehouse across the street had our houses built to help house the people that worked there (plus the many more on this street). They were boarding houses back in the day, reason they were built side by side, so close on the same sewer line. Building codes were so much different then than now and all of this old tile is giving way! I feel it's just a matter of time before the section between what we did and the house gives in under my blacktop drive.

I need to do something about this scenario with a 1-time, somewhat friend that has turned into a dickhead over pets!

Since I have not approached him yet, I'm leaning towards just letting him put his own line in. But I was wondering if there was another option here for him, cuz we are going to have to revisit this sewer line again. So I was thinking about getting him to own up to 50% of the maintenance is only fair.

[ROYC75]

I've thought of another option for him, replace everything from his house to the bottom of my circle driveway, the rest of the clay tile that can go bad at anytime!

Still probably cheaper than putting in a new line that far on his own property, then paying 50% of any future clean outs if needed.

[Titty Meat]

What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor
Cause he's hungry
And the only way to feed him is to, sleep with a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone
Somewhere smoking rock now, in and out of lockdown
I ain't got a job now
So for you this is just a good time, but for me this is what I call life

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Just to be clear, are you asking if he should pay you for work done 3 years ago, or you're needing more work done on it now?

Work done 3 yrs ago and 50% of all future repairs or maintenace . There is a section of clay tile still in the ground from my cleanout trap next to my house and the 1st clean out trap in the yard.

[Chief Pote]

Just rent a push camera and prove that he’s tapped into your lateral. If that’s the case it was done illegally to avoid paying sewer tap fees.

[IA_Chiefs_fan]

I don't think you should expect him to pay for anything from the past but moving forward is different.

[Bearcat]

Yeah, I don't see any logic in asking him for money 3 years later.... if roles were reversed and he was knocking on your door for money, would you pay it?

I mean, it would be kind of shitty if he knew 3 years ago, saw your yard dug up working on it, and thought... oh nice, free work! But, it's possible he doesn't even know and he had no say in what you did 3 years ago (maybe he would have just opted for his own line then or knew a guy who could do it for less, etc.).

[Jewish Rabbi]

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Roy did you downvote because the musicians are black? Because this song is an all time banger

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Roy did you downvote because the musicians are black? Because this song is an all time banger

Meh, the only thing this song and the thread have in common is crap!

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Yeah, I don't see any logic in asking him for money 3 years later.... if roles were reversed and he was knocking on your door for money, would you pay it?

I mean, it would be kind of shitty if he knew 3 years ago, saw your yard dug up working on it, and thought... oh nice, free work! But, it's possible he doesn't even know and he had no say in what you did 3 years ago (maybe he would have just opted for his own line then or knew a guy who could do it for less, etc.).

In a round about way, yes I do. Would you rather pay for $ 3750.00 plus future repairs & maintenance or 100% installation of your own line & maintenance?

[Jewish Rabbi]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

Meh, the only thing this song and the thread have in common is crap!

Racist

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

In a round about way, yes I do. Would you rather pay for $ 3750.00 plus future repairs & maintenance or 100% installation of your own line & maintenance?

If you had a quote in-hand for a future issue or whatever, and your offer to me was...
- Pay $3750 for something you did 3 years ago without my knowledge AND half this quote, or
- Get your own and maybe pay $10k

...if my half of that future quote is another $3k, so I'm either paying you $7k or figuring it out on my own for a few thousand more, I'd probably do it on my own and think you're kind of a shmuck for asking for half the previous bill.


If you told me tomorrow that I could pay $3750 and split bills 50/50 later, or pay $10k sometime in the future.... I'd tell you to come back when you have a quote for work and we could figure it out then (and then see the first scenario).


And it's also the opportunity cost/sunk cost to you, too... the next time you get a quote for work, would you rather the guy MIGHT give you half that money, or would you rather take your chances that he'd pay the $3750 instead of telling you to shove off and sticking you with the full amount both times?

You don't really have any leverage, IMO.

[mr. tegu]

You are making financial plans for someone and plan to dump this on him out of the blue and expect it to somehow go well? Why is he obligated to pay anything at all until it’s legally established he owes even the half of the future bill? He’s not going to take your word for that.

[mlyonsd]

I wouldn't pay $3750 three years after the fact on work I didn't get to help in the bidding process or oversee while it was being done.

[Simply Red]

Oh I can't WAIT to move to Missouri!

[Zebedee DuBois]

If my neighbor came over and asked for a couple thousand for something he did years ago, I would think he was being a childish dick, especially after his dog killed mine.

But sometimes I get a little judgmental.