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One last pic. I cut off the pipe to my property line yesterday. There's not even an inch between the pipe and the driveway. He has holes drilled into the pipe on the top and on both side. Gee, I wonder why there's none on the bottom.
I took a large hunting knife and a sledge hammer to get deeper into his subfloor for the sheet metal and it worked. I will do everything legally possible to protect my property from the evilness of this man. You reap what you sow in life and I hope the judge gives him a full harvest for the seeds he's sown.
Just do it right back to him. Add a bunch of dirt and in that location so that it drains right back on his property. Be sure to seed it. Stormwaterwill flow into the swail and probably wont affect either of you.
I actually put a swail on the driveway (mine) for his water to wash the dirt into my yard instead of it eroding more until we go to court. I filed the paperwork and am waiting for a date.
I bought security cams and he's spending his nights flooding them with light and throwing stones at them. This is one sick sob and I just want to live in peace, have my property without illegal diversions and not be harassed by a senior citizen.
The problem is all of his water diverts to me. I can't block it because that's illegal unless the judge gives me permission to until he corrects it. I'm waiting for a court date.
Come Spring, a concrete wall and barriers are going up provide I win.
I've come to the conclusion that the pipe itself doesn't really carry that much water to my property. Where the entrance for this pipe on his property is actually in his grass and about 2" from the far corner of his driveway, so the only water going into that pipe is what comes from the sky. The length of that pipe is probably 25' long. So, the intent of that pipe is to block the flow of water/snow on his driveway from entering his yard so that it comes into mine.
That's a French drain. Nothing really odd about it. Looks like any typical French drain setup. What it's doing is capturing runoff by letting the water seep down as it flows off the driveway and directs it elsewhere. If I was designing that drain, id probably run a pipe from that pipe up against the driveway to the rear of the property where the woods are. The water should seep below the surface and be directed away underground if the drain is properly working. I would assume the exit to the system would be somewhere in the wooded area to the rear of the property.
French drain holes should be on the bottom, but you said his were on top. I've seen plenty of drains installed incorrectly with the holes on top. Given there is no gravel present, i'm going to assume it was a DIY install of this particular drain which means it may not have been done correctly.
You said you found three pipes. Where do the other two go?
Quote:
The driveways are 70' long and run downhill until they meet the back
yard. The only place this water is going is into my yard.
Agreed, but I don't think that's your neighbors fault. You have negative slope of the two driveways leading down to a fairly flat runoff area (the grass). Any rain or meltoff is going to flow to the bottom and collect there. I'd need to see his French drain setup in person to understand how it's directing water underground, but it's not a bad idea. Of course, this all assumes it's not broken/blocked somewhere under the ground.
Honestly, in my head I would install a similar French drain on your side, join them together at the property line with Tee and then run a perpendicular pipe along the property line to the wooded area and drain it back there. Install gravel around it, cap it with dirt, and call it a day.
Quote:
After finding out that my drainage system is broke, I know that I have to
put one in, but I couldn't afford it this year.
I really think you need to address your own drainage issues first here. Your yard is at the base of a large runoff area and it prime location for water pooling. I don't think there is much to stand on if you blame the neighbors drainage system for your water issues when your own drainage system is non functional. If runoff from your neighbors driveway flows across to yours, then perhaps a French drain and gravel setup up the middle would be a solution. But if that's the case, it wouldn't be your neightbors fault as the grade from his to yours is not that significant.
Quote:
I called the building inspector after the landcsape engineer was here and he
told me he didn't see anything wrong and he wasn't coming out again.
I'm going to have to agree here. I don't see anything wrong, or worth going to court over.
You said this problem started 4 years ago. That pipe looks like it's been in the ground for quite some time. So what's changed? For this to be a recent issue means something, other than that pipe, has changed around 4 years ago. When did your drain cease working?
No offense, but reading some of your other posts, you may want to be a little less helpful to your neighbor. I know it's in the spirt of being nice and all, but some people really want their properly lines respected. Snowblowing his driveway, cutting his lawn, recaulking his side of the driveway, taking in his bins....all nice gestures but you really shouldn't do that. You said he commented about staying on your side of the driveway? Well, To be frank, if you were my neighbor i'd tell you to stop as well. Just pretend there is a big fence running down the center of that driveway and don't cross it. Say hi, bye, shoot the breeze and that's about it. I like my neighbors and get along with them fine, but I'd be pissed if one of them cut my grass for me, or took my trash bin in. I remember passing over properties like yours with communal driveways because I didn't want to deal with neighbors not respecting the property lines. I think now it's kinda blown out of proportion, but I can see how it came to be this way. I think the animosity between you two is now feeding this dispute.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 12-08-2015 at 10:06 PM..
That's a French drain. Nothing really odd about it. Looks like any typical French drain setup. What it's doing is capturing runoff by letting the water seep down as it flows off the driveway and directs it elsewhere. If I was designing that drain, id probably run a pipe from that pipe up against the driveway to the rear of the property where the woods are. The water should seep below the surface and be directed away underground if the drain is properly working. I would assume the exit to the system would be somewhere in the wooded area to the rear of the property.
French drain holes should be on the bottom, but you said his were on top. I've seen plenty of drains installed incorrectly with the holes on top. Given there is no gravel present, i'm going to assume it was a DIY install of this particular drain which means it may not have been done correctly.
You said you found three pipes. Where do the other two go?
Agreed, but I don't think that's your neighbors fault. You have negative slope of the two driveways leading down to a fairly flat runoff area (the grass). Any rain or meltoff is going to flow to the bottom and collect there. I'd need to see his French drain setup in person to understand how it's directing water underground, but it's not a bad idea. Of course, this all assumes it's not broken/blocked somewhere under the ground.
Honestly, in my head I would install a similar French drain on your side, join them together at the property line with Tee and then run a perpendicular pipe along the property line to the wooded area and drain it back there. Install gravel around it, cap it with dirt, and call it a day.
I really think you need to address your own drainage issues first here. Your yard is at the base of a large runoff area and it prime location for water pooling. I don't think there is much to stand on if you blame the neighbors drainage system for your water issues when your own drainage system is non functional. If runoff from your neighbors driveway flows across to yours, then perhaps a French drain and gravel setup up the middle would be a solution. But if that's the case, it wouldn't be your neightbors fault as the grade from his to yours is not that significant.
I'm going to have to agree here. I don't see anything wrong, or worth going to court over.
You said this problem started 4 years ago. That pipe looks like it's been in the ground for quite some time. So what's changed? For this to be a recent issue means something, other than that pipe, has changed around 4 years ago. When did your drain cease working?
No offense, but reading some of your other posts, you may want to be a little less helpful to your neighbor. I know it's in the spirt of being nice and all, but some people really want their properly lines respected. Snowblowing his driveway, cutting his lawn, recaulking his side of the driveway, taking in his bins....all nice gestures but you really shouldn't do that. You said he commented about staying on your side of the driveway? Well, To be frank, if you were my neighbor i'd tell you to stop as well. Just pretend there is a big fence running down the center of that driveway and don't cross it. Say hi, bye, shoot the breeze and that's about it. I like my neighbors and get along with them fine, but I'd be pissed if one of them cut my grass for me, or took my trash bin in. I remember passing over properties like yours with communal driveways because I didn't want to deal with neighbors not respecting the property lines. I think now it's kinda blown out of proportion, but I can see how it came to be this way. I think the animosity between you two is now feeding this dispute.
I respect your opinions and I have so many things I want to say to you regarding them, but I'm afraid now that whatever I post since filing the paperwork can be subpoenaed. Of course I didn't think that when I posted yesterday.... To say I'm a nervous wreck is an understatement.
I'll address your last paragraph. I'll never lift a finger to help these people again unless one of them needs CPR or their house is being vandalized while they're gone. I'll be the neighbor you suggest I be.
He snow blowed my driveway the first year, so I was trying to repay the favor. I never did it again after that one time. I cut his grass once and he asked me not to and I never did again until September when he was at his other home and his landscapers weren't coming to cut his grass. I called to let him know and he asked me to cut it, so I did. He caulked my driveway the second year I moved in, so I was trying to repay him and I asked him for permission and he gave it to me.
I've NEVER had a neighbor problem and I'm 58. He doesn't respect the boundaries, but I'm supposed to. He has the right to protect his property at all costs regardless of how illegal they are and I was fooled for my first ten of eleven years here. The day I bought this house is the biggest regret in my life and I warn everyone not to be as naive regarding side by side driveways.
I was raised to respect my elders and look out for your neighbors. Love them, I have. Turn the other cheek, I have. Forgive for the underhanded tricks pulled on me, I have. I'm done being deceived and harassed by an evil person.
Like I said, I respect your opinion and I honestly do appreciate your comments.
Once I find out what my rights are as far as posting details on a public forum, I have a ton of answers for your other questions and opinions.
I lost the case because I didn't make a pain in the butt out of myself enough with the code inspector's office. I called them three times requesting a copy of the report and never got it. Had I received the report, I never would have filed a suit. I'd have started packing my house up then to get it on the market.
To answer some of the previous questions, my property extends 125' from the end of my driveway. 22' is my yard and the rest is hillside leading down into a flat wooded area, where there is a 10' easement. I don't have a clue as to where it goes from there.
I'll correct my previous statement regarding the diversion pipe. The sole purpose of that pipe is to stop ANY water from entering his property and to collect excess water/snow and divert it onto and into mine. I did an experiment and put a concrete block at the property line during a heavy rain. There was almost no puddling on my side of the block. There was at least 6" on his side and it took 55 minutes once the rain stopped to drain into the 1" space between the pipe and the driveway, so I am getting ALL of the water/snow from his property. The drain at the end of his driveway is a RUSE because he places a brick in it and I'll post a pic of that.
His yard was graded not only to divert water to the driveway, but to the side where it sloped into my yard. He always had a big patch of snow that would never melt and I even asked him about it. He said the sun never hit that spot. It most definitely did. He had 5 sheets of that wavy fiberglass installed under his grass. Who does that? He had a weathered log that was here from the day I moved in and I assumed it was there because he's so persnickety about his driveway and yard, that I assumed it was there so tire marks wouldn't get on his hallowed ground. I didn't notice until 2 years ago during a storm that it actually diverted the water coming down his driveway onto mine.
I'm not a geologist, but erosion takes a while and when you have no idea that your neighbor is an underhanded, lying sneak, you don't think people would do things like that.
I've only lived here 11 years and had I been smart, I'd have sold the house the first year I moved in.
I put up security cameras because of the underhanded stunts he's pulled on me the past two winters. He knows how to scam them. I ended up taking them down because of his daily attacks on them and knowing how to use lights to get onto my property without being seen. $455.00 in flood lights in less than two months because he and a couple of thugs broke 2 sets. There are no vandals in my neighborhood, I have a vandal, him.
I can promise you the cap that was on that drain is now uncapped and there's a new diversion pipe leading from the back of his property into mine.
I hope to God I can sell the house to a civil engineer that specializes in drainage or an attorney that will be as nasty as he is. I'll sell it myself and not lie because I don't wish this POS on anyone. If I'm forced to live here, legal barriers are going up.
This is a 70 some y/o bully. I hope I can sell to somebody that would love to "tango" with this type of person.
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I lost.
