Driveway Twisted - Due to Water Main Shutoff Value installed (construction, developer)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We've signed up for our home with the builder and 3 days ago, they started building our Driveway 10 feet left to the actually planned and it looks like a 7.
They said, it is because of the Water Main Shutoff Value which was installed by the City at the originally planned driveway.
Due to this, we'll have lot of problems driving into the garage as we need to literally take a U-turn to get into our garages.
Anybody in the same boat and have had the same kind of experience, please let us know, what are our options.
Can the Main Water Shutoff Value be moved to the right further and we can go with the originally planned driveway.
Frankly if they are laying down more concrete / asphalt so that drive is bigger and not charging you for it what is there to be upset about? Most folks prefer the appearance of driveway that is "offset" a bit from the centerline of the garage. In most areas with custom homes the drives are deliberately offset so there is more room for landscaping and it won't have that barren look of tract home subdivisions...
The functionality of having to make a sharper turn might be a bit of an issue, especially if your home is in area where snow and ice are common. You will have to be more diligent in shoveling off the drive but frankly that too is not a bad problem to have -- folks who get lazy and let the snow and ice remain a freezing mess all winter typically see their drives deteriorate more rapidly from refreezing compared to folks who keep things cleared off.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,186,228 times
Reputation: 57820
I'm sure the city would be happy to move their valve, at your expense. Because it's where the lateral from the main in the street meets your houseline, both the lateral and houseline would have to be moved, so probably $10,000 or more by the time they dig up the street in two places, then whatever your developer charges to move your line.
I see driveways like that all the time. I don't see a u-turn, just a hard left turn. Many driveways like this have what's called a "hammerhead" to make backing out easier. You might ask for that. It can extend the driveway either at the top or on the right side where you back out of the garage.
This Water Shutoff Valve position was never told to us by the builder and as the building is still under construction .... and we haven't closed it yet ... do we have a chance to push the builder to relocate the valve?
Are there any options left for us to pursue now, to make the builder do the relocation ?
More than likely, it's not up to the builder to relocate, as it's probably owned by the city.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
