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The PIPE wasn't 150 years old... It looked fairly new (PVC).
PVC could be 50 years old at this juncture. Anyway it's strong enough that it shouldn't break or crush easily, buried or not. It's quite strong stuff, but does brittle with age.
Good luck with the voles, they're the bane of my yard. Mousetraps by the holes helped me kill some of them.
Then what would? Don't think your lawn chair is supposed to sink INTO the lawn when you sit in it.
How narrow are the chair's feet? If they don't distribute weight over a large enough area, they'll sink into looser topsoil somewhat. Don't recall how long you've owned this place, but it sounds as if that particular area of the lawn hasn't had much traffic on it. Maybe the turf is new or the soil has been aerated recently? If nothing keeps the soil routinely compacted, it can sort of "re-fluff" itself. Soils that freeze and thaw each year certainly do. Furniture put on it after some period of time may sink more. As for water mains breaking because someone walked over them... If water was that close to the surface you'd probably see water seeping into your footsteps or the divots left by the chair's feet!
About the wasp's nest. Have your handyman put a garbage bag over it, tie a cord tightly around the neck, knock it loose with a broom and remove it. If you don't want wasps getting in to your basement, repair window frames, spray foam gaps in the timber structure, and fill the stone chinks.
Last edited by Parnassia; 01-19-2021 at 03:42 PM..
File under "problems that make me want to buy a condo."
First is a glass basement window that is shuttered (nailed shut for security) in which wasps have built a huge nest. It appears to be inactive now since it's winter and cold, but I'm afraid to ask just any handyman to remove it in case something IS in there and becomes active. I also won't be tackling it myself because of my wasp phobia. I assume I need to call an exterminator to be on the safe side, but am afraid that if this option is removed, they'll relocate to another around the house, such as one of many chinks or holes in my stone foundation (this is a 150-year-old house) and thus end up IN my basement with me while doing my laundry.
Second is a mole or vole problem in the yard. When I sit in my lawn chair, the legs actually sink into the dirt. I also recently had a water main break which I'm pretty sure was caused by the lawn man walking on the soft ground above the pipes. Exterminator again? Problem would be neighbors who share the yard (there's no division) who would oppose poisons due to their roaming pets. My solution to both problems: just sell...
Any guidance?
Wasps don’t re-use their nests: you can safely remove it.
Voles are tough; you may try to disturb their tunnels- metal re-bar works nice as you can feel where the soil is soft because of the tunnels they make, just keep breaking them.
Then what would? Don't think your lawn chair is supposed to sink INTO the lawn when you sit in it.
First off, I'd determine whether you actually have moles or voles. If moles, your best bet is lethal traps. it's the only method that really works. The most effective types are the spear/plunger, body clamp, and scissors type traps. You can buy most of them on Amazon or at Graingers or similar farm and hardware stores. Eliminating voles is more a case of making your yard unwelcome, like cutting back brush, mowing, removing woodpiles, and creating a clean space. Remove bird feeders (voles love bird seed!). Remove mulch that is too close to shrubs and trees (which should be done anyway). The key is to eliminate as much natural habitat as possible. If you plant bulbs, try to plant narcissus, daffodils, camassia, chionodoxa, muscari, and snowdrops, which voles avoid. Avoid planting tulips, which voles seem to regard as "snacks", lol.
First off, I'd determine whether you actually have moles or voles. If moles, your best bet is lethal traps. it's the only method that really works. The most effective types are the spear/plunger, body clamp, and scissors type traps. You can buy most of them on Amazon or at Graingers or similar farm and hardware stores. Eliminating voles is more a case of making your yard unwelcome, like cutting back brush, mowing, removing woodpiles, and creating a clean space. Remove bird feeders (voles love bird seed!). Remove mulch that is too close to shrubs and trees (which should be done anyway). The key is to eliminate as much natural habitat as possible. If you plant bulbs, try to plant narcissus, daffodils, camassia, chionodoxa, muscari, and snowdrops, which voles avoid. Avoid planting tulips, which voles seem to regard as "snacks", lol.
Mine is probably the only yard in the world that has none of the above, LOL, and I do think they're voles because I found a little dead one once, and the holes are much smaller than those created by the larger moles.
I could swear I had wasps in the same location two summers in a row, so are we sure they don't return to the same nest? If that's true, I'll just leave the glassed-in display intact as a "science project" for the next homeowner...
Unless you have the bee sting allergy, I'd neutralize any possible wasps with ether starting fluid, then vacuum the whole mess out of there with a shop vac. If you do have the bee sting allergy, I would enlist a friend or neighbor to do the job, after explaining the risks you incur from an insect sting.
The ground is extremely soft due to all the mole/vole tunnels; you sink into it when you walk on it.
Do you have a better theory?
Water pies are run at depths to get below the freeze line. In norther US this means about 4ft deep. In FL this mens about 12 inches deep.
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Anyway it's strong enough that it shouldn't break or crush easily, buried or not. It's quite strong stuff, but does brittle with age. 
If water was that close to the surface you'd probably see water seeping into your footsteps or the divots left by the chair's feet!
