OnTheRoad
Collector of shiny things.
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2014
- Messages
- 614
- Reaction score
- 614
I have an awkward situation with a neighbor and would appreciate some input. He and I have gotten along great for the 8 years I've owned this house and I want it to stay that way. However....
There is a 40" Cottonwood that is growing on the property line near the front of both properties. It is directly on top of my water meter pit and is growing under his driveway. The neighbor bought his home when it was built in the late 1950s. Some 10-15 years ago the two property owners had the tree topped but it's still very healthy.
A couple days ago, a rickshaw showed up across the street and three wired up hispanics jumped out of the truck. None of them wore a stitch of PPE. No markings on either truck. One of the workers chopped the tri-forked Maple at head height by cutting back to front and making a nice semi-barber chair. The three trunks were dropped whole, striking nearby trees and damaging the yard.
I saw my next door neighbor talking to one of the guys and feared the worst. He's been wanting that tree down since I bought the place.
So yesterday he texted me stating that he wants to have these guys remove the tree and wants me to pay half. Roots have bulged a few spots in his driveway- which is incidentally installed illegally right up to the property line. I am concerned about the job these guys will do and I would bet they don't have Workman's Comp for the workers. The bid for removal of a 75' live Cottonwood was $1,750. Sounds way too cheap.
I don't want to remove the tree for several reasons. First, because the tree is grown around my meter pit, it has pushed the riser off the valve. As the rootball decays this will only become worse so I would need to dig it up and cut the roots out without disturbing the 55+ year old water service or gas main. Then I'd have to reset the meter pit and bring in dirt. That's a couple days work and a few hundred dollars to rent a mini-x plus a few hundred more for the dirt.
Second, the tree makes good shade. Third it's healthy. Fourth, the tree will outlive the neighbor. It will probably outlast my ownership of the house.
I don't want to pay for the tree removal and I don't see how it should be my responsibility. The neighbor watched day after day as that tree grow from a sapling to a 4' nuisance over the last 55+ years. It has always been at the edge of his driveway and it has always been right on top of my meter pit. Either neighbor could have run it over with a mower but neither had the sense to do so. Matter of fact, the same guy has four other, small trees growing along the edge of his driveway.
I'm going to have this conversation with him later today.
There is a 40" Cottonwood that is growing on the property line near the front of both properties. It is directly on top of my water meter pit and is growing under his driveway. The neighbor bought his home when it was built in the late 1950s. Some 10-15 years ago the two property owners had the tree topped but it's still very healthy.
A couple days ago, a rickshaw showed up across the street and three wired up hispanics jumped out of the truck. None of them wore a stitch of PPE. No markings on either truck. One of the workers chopped the tri-forked Maple at head height by cutting back to front and making a nice semi-barber chair. The three trunks were dropped whole, striking nearby trees and damaging the yard.
I saw my next door neighbor talking to one of the guys and feared the worst. He's been wanting that tree down since I bought the place.
So yesterday he texted me stating that he wants to have these guys remove the tree and wants me to pay half. Roots have bulged a few spots in his driveway- which is incidentally installed illegally right up to the property line. I am concerned about the job these guys will do and I would bet they don't have Workman's Comp for the workers. The bid for removal of a 75' live Cottonwood was $1,750. Sounds way too cheap.
I don't want to remove the tree for several reasons. First, because the tree is grown around my meter pit, it has pushed the riser off the valve. As the rootball decays this will only become worse so I would need to dig it up and cut the roots out without disturbing the 55+ year old water service or gas main. Then I'd have to reset the meter pit and bring in dirt. That's a couple days work and a few hundred dollars to rent a mini-x plus a few hundred more for the dirt.
Second, the tree makes good shade. Third it's healthy. Fourth, the tree will outlive the neighbor. It will probably outlast my ownership of the house.
I don't want to pay for the tree removal and I don't see how it should be my responsibility. The neighbor watched day after day as that tree grow from a sapling to a 4' nuisance over the last 55+ years. It has always been at the edge of his driveway and it has always been right on top of my meter pit. Either neighbor could have run it over with a mower but neither had the sense to do so. Matter of fact, the same guy has four other, small trees growing along the edge of his driveway.
I'm going to have this conversation with him later today.
