Need help with collapsed drain pipe (Cape Coral, Naples: Home Depot, buying, contractors)

[thecruzs]

Posted this on the Naples board but it's largely silent so hoping you all can help me!

We received a certified letter from Collier County road maintenance department titled "notice of right of way violation". It goes on to describe a culvert/drain pipe has failed (etc., etc.) and needs to be repaired via our responsibility. Yikes...sounds expensive!

Has anyone had experience dealing with this type of thing? How expensive is this going to be? The drainpipe under our driveway and is not the type that you can see above ground -- it's buried underground (if that makes sense?).

Can anyone recommend a reliable contractor to help with this or point me in the direction of how to go about finding someone for a job like this? I called the county and they were no help at all other than telling me I have 30 days to get this done. Good grief...

[thecruzs]

anyone.....culvert repair or replacement....anyone?

[jdahunt]

Can you give us some specifics....

1. Is your driveway concrete, aspault or gravel
2. What is your existing pipe material and what diameter.


You can get some ideas of what the work entails by searching for this "culvert under driveway" on www.youtube.com

The drains are always historically the owners responsibility....if you don't fix it and it is causing a problem they will fix it for you and charge you for it.

[thecruzs]

Thanks so much for your response. From a couple of people that have come to look at it....they think it is not failing under the driveway but next to it (where the ground is sunken a bit for about 2 feet). I can't see the pipe since it is completely buried underground but I can see where the neighbors have dug up theirs and it seems to be your typical steel type pipe that is about a foot or so in diameter. If I just let the city fix it for us....will the cost be astronomical? Or am I better off trying to find a contractor that can do the job for us? Thanks again for your response!

[jdahunt]

If it were me I would pay a couple of labors to hand dig it up to see what exactly has failed.

I have replaced pipe like that myself, you can get the replacement pipe from lowes, menards or home depot.

[71 road runner]

.

Post #5 (jdahunt) has likely advised the best way to go. Hand dig the area at the edge of the driveway and see what you've got. Any idea how deep the culvert is ? What does the culvert connect to on either side of the driveway ?

[thecruzs]

I have had a couple of contractors come out and look and it and they advised me to have the county come back and reassess as they feel the failure is on my neighbor's property and not mine. Will know more tomorrow. Thanks for the info though and if need be, might follow the above advice!

[BugManTPC]

Two things:

Hand dig and clear both ends for water flow.

If one end is open, call in a hydro jet company and have them jet the pipe and blow out the debris.

The county will want some action done or they will do it and give you the bill.

In Cape Coral they use a back hoe to scrape and clear 10 feet on either side of the drive way.

If your hire a contractor, use a licensed site developer. Some lawn & landscape companies can do the work also, they have the equipment, but it is a crap shoot as to wether they "know" how to clear, grade and level so the water continues "downstream".

Good luck..

[thecruzs]

Thanks again for the input. I had the county come back out to show me just what needs to be replaced. They said the culvert below the driveway and along the front of the property is all failing (they sucked big chunks of metal out with the vacuum truck). I need to replace all of it. Would it be better (cheaper) to just have a ditch dug rather than bury another culvert pipe? Or is the grading, etc, going to end up costing me just as much? Thanks....I am learning as I go (next time will be sure the homebuying inspection INCLUDES the culvert!!).

[BugManTPC]

Originally Posted by thecruzs

Thanks again for the input. I had the county come back out to show me just what needs to be replaced. They said the culvert below the driveway and along the front of the property is all failing (they sucked big chunks of metal out with the vacuum truck). I need to replace all of it. Would it be better (cheaper) to just have a ditch dug rather than bury another culvert pipe? Or is the grading, etc, going to end up costing me just as much? Thanks....I am learning as I go (next time will be sure the homebuying inspection INCLUDES the culvert!!).

To get the grad right, they are going to dig a ditch on either side of the pipe, the further you have them dig the greater the cost.

The pipe was put in place to prevent erosion , usually as an access point, driveway or land bridge. If you don't put it back the way it was and have to do it later it may become a permitting and community issue for voting & approval.

If you don't need it, then having a ditch should be acceptable. at that point the county will maintain it for erosion and grading.

Hope this helps.