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Your grandmother's issue was probably caused by poor soil compaction after the sewer line was installed. Over time, the soil subsides and you get problems with foundations and the like.
Nowadays, with cheap horizontal boring, this work will be a piece of cake.
Regarding San Bruno, calmly ask them in what ways this line will be different from the San Bruno line, besides size (30 v 4). WRM makes a good point that if the pipe is continuous, the chances of a problem are minimal. However, ask about tree root issues and the like. But unlike water and particularly sewer, tree roots aren't desperate to get into a gas pipe. Trees LOVE sewer lines! A sewer line is like striking the mother lode for trees.
Your grandmother's issue was probably caused by poor soil compaction after the sewer line was installed. Over time, the soil subsides and you get problems with foundations and the like.
Nowadays, with cheap horizontal boring, this work will be a piece of cake.
Regarding San Bruno, calmly ask them in what ways this line will be different from the San Bruno line, besides size (30 v 4). WRM makes a good point that if the pipe is continuous, the chances of a problem are minimal. However, ask about tree root issues and the like. But unlike water and particularly sewer, tree roots aren't desperate to get into a gas pipe. Trees LOVE sewer lines! A sewer line is like striking the mother lode for trees.
Plus, a big difference is that sewer lines usually have joints every few feet. This enables the tree roots to get in and if a joint gets broken it allows for more water and dirt to flow into the sewer line, sometimes creating sinkholes. There should be far fewer potential problems with the continuous piping that they use for gas lines.
I should be so lucky. I have a 100' easement that splits my backyard with a gas line and high tension lines from the nuclear plant. I can't build anything there or fence it off. The electric comes through every couple of years and poisons the weeds. The gas comes through and mows occasionally. Couple of years ago the gas company came through and destroyed a bunch of pines that had invaded the ROW.
Actually we all like the big open area over 1 acre for the kids to play in.
You should ask for a copy of the easement agreement.
I should be so lucky. I have a 100' easement that splits my backyard with a gas line and high tension lines from the nuclear plant. I can't build anything there or fence it off. The electric comes through every couple of years and poisons the weeds. The gas comes through and mows occasionally. Couple of years ago the gas company came through and destroyed a bunch of pines that had invaded the ROW.
Actually we all like the big open area over 1 acre for the kids to play in.
You should ask for a copy of the easement agreement.
Crash
Though "technically" one cannot build on nor fence off an easement, it is done all the time. Worst case is if the easement holder needs to do work they can remove your structure. If a fence, most will remove but not destroy the fence and leave it for you to replace.
In most neighborhoods with underground utilities, there is a 4 to 8 foot easement from the edge of the street into ones front yard yet many do not know this. They maintain it, plant bushes, etc.;
One place people get in trouble is if a drainage swail easement and they block it causing flooding, there can be hell to pay.
While not encouraging messing with an easement, do not be afraid to do so.
That’s super common. Pretty much everyone has a utility easement and it’s indicated in both title and survey. It’s a non issue except for the yard they might disturb. I’ve had some pretty careless utility companies do things like hack down trees because they were too lazy to work around them and mess up the ground without even trying to fix it when they’re done. And there isn’t a darn thing to be done about it. That’s annoying, but the only real issue I’ve personally encountered.
A 4 inch gas main that's installed by horizontal drilling won't be an issue at all. The new lines today are one piece with no joints for very long distances, so chances of a leak or ground issues are minimal. There are parts of Houston that have 100 year old or older gas lines in the ground, and there are very few issues, and those are usually caused by someone digging up the line, or hitting it with equipment. The biggest risk for leaks is where the houses connect. I wouldn't worry about the gas line, and if there's an easement, there's nothing you can do in any case.
I found out that the gas company is going to run a gas line (they say 4 inch pipe) in between my house and my neighbor’s house. There's only about 10 feet in between our houses, so we're not talking about much property here. Gas lines already exist in my neighborhood, as utilities are all underground. This is about connecting my neighborhood area to the area behind me, which is actually another municipality.
Supposedly in between our houses is an easement giving them right of way. I didn’t know there was an easement there, it wasn't explained to me when I bought the house, nor does it show on the survey. I guess I do now.
They say most of the digging will be in the front, and then they will drill underground to the back of the house and then hook up with another pipe that’s in the neighborhood (city) behind me. Once this is complete, nothing should even be noticeable, expect a manhole cover near the sidewalk.
Is this pretty common? As a homeowner, should I be concerned? Are there any questions to ask and/or do I need to do anything to protect my interests? I'm really not that worried about it. But should I be?
There's a part of me that wants to say sure you can do this, for a $20,000 assessment because this is my property and my property value could be negatively affected.
"it wasn't explained to me when I bought the house, nor does it show on the survey."
Not being on the survey could make me a bit cranky.
Identifying a utility easement is a huge component of a licensed surveyor's job.
I don't know how big a deal it is, but making an informed decision when buying includes knowledge of easements on the property.
Did YOU have the survey performed, or was it given to you by the seller or the builder?
What about on your deed? Is it mentioned there?
Is the easement recorded anywhere? Or is it just an old unrecorded survey the utility has?
Or is it a recorded plat map?
I'm just curious. I have a hunch that you are going to have a gas line installed between the houses, regardless.
Probably the OP was shown a plat not a full survey when he bought the house. The survey would have all the easements, while the plat would be mostly to show the edges of your land.
Probably the OP was shown a plat not a full survey when he bought the house. The survey would have all the easements, while the plat would be mostly to show the edges of your land.
Maybe.
Maybe the ROW easement was sold after the plat or builder survey was performed. Surely, it was not eminent domain taking of the easement?
This is why a buyer should always have a professional survey performed if they are in any way risk adverse.
Frankly, I would not be happy to have a 4" natural gas transmission line within 10' of my home.
If I knew beforehand, I probably would not buy.
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