Utilities box in front yard? (houses, buy, closing)

[observer53]

I stand corrected !

I think you'll be able to hide your part of it with bushes just fine.. My neighbor has one of the upright tube shaped ones in her yard that you can't see unless you are looking for it. The box is a little harder, but it won't be that bad, especially if only half of it is in your yard.

[Steve Pickering]

Ya gotta love those cookie cutter neighborhoods. Looks like there is no way that box is going to take up your whole yard with the setbacks I see.

[HX_Guy]

Well not the whole yard of course, but the setback is 15' from the inner edge of the sidewalk to the front wall of the house and obviously width wise it's not a problem, just sort of sticks out like a sore thumb.

I'm mostly bummed because I was planning to add a gate to this side of the yard fence with a paver walkway to the sidewalk, something like this. Guess there goes that idea.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Well not the whole yard of course, but the setback is 15' from the inner edge of the sidewalk to the front wall of the house and obviously width wise it's not a problem, just sort of sticks out like a sore thumb.

I'm mostly bummed because I was planning to add a gate to this side of the yard fence with a paver walkway to the sidewalk, something like this. Guess there goes that idea.

Just a possibility, HX_Guy . . .

Is there a way you could either hide it or disguise it with some paint or maybe a shrub or two?

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by Bummer

Just a possibility, HX_Guy . . .

Is there a way you could either hide it or disguise it with some paint or maybe a shrub or two?

Paint is a no-no, since that would be vandalizing utility property. As for a shrub, it may cause problems for the utility if they need to access it.

[observer53]

You CAN plant shrubs around it, as stated above, so long as you don't prevent access to it by doing so.

You could still do that walkway, it might be prettier if it's not a straight line anyway.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by observer53

You CAN plant shrubs around it, as stated above, so long as you don't prevent access to it by doing so.

You could still do that walkway, it might be prettier if it's not a straight line anyway.

And understand that those shrubs could be torn out at any time if they need to service the switch in that box and no, they will not have to replace them if they rip 'em out. I have seen them screened with a short picket fence on occasion.

[observer53]

My neighbor in the first house I lived in in Tempe had one of those in his yard, maybe even bigger than that one. It may in fact have been partly on our side of the line, based on what I know now, but I really don't remember, and it doesn't matter. It had bushes planted all around it, our side and his, but not right on the edge of it or hanging over it. Never had a problem, even when they had to replace the whole thing. (of course, he was at that time the president of SRP )

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Unfortunately we didn't have much choice on the lot, they were selling very quickly and they were only releasing 3-4 lots at a time. We wanted something with a bigger backyard and certain exposure but it had these utility boxes on there. Guess we'll have to find some way to mask them with some bushes or something.

We have the big xformer in our yard. It bothered me a lot. So I buried it with a hedge. Inside of a 6 months, the eyesore went from major to minor.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by observer53

My neighbor in the first house I lived in in Tempe had one of those in his yard, maybe even bigger than that one. It may in fact have been partly on our side of the line, based on what I know now, but I really don't remember, and it doesn't matter. It had bushes planted all around it, our side and his, but not right on the edge of it or hanging over it. Never had a problem, even when they had to replace the whole thing. (of course, he was at that time the president of SRP )

The only reason I'm aware of the bush thing is having to have a switch installed when we built our house and the provider telling us as well as a pamphlet describing what you could and couldn't do.
From APS:
"Measure 10 feet out from the transformer's side with the access doors and make a mark with a foot scrape mark, the shovel or lay a rock to mark the 10-foot distance. From the access doors, measure 5 feet in both directions to the left and right of the center door seam or lock latch. There needs to be a 100 square-foot open area or pad to allow access to the APS transformer"

Read more: How to Landscape Around APS Transformer Boxes | eHow.com How to Landscape Around APS Transformer Boxes | eHow.com