Not to be a doomsayer but.... we are in the process of a complicated addition/remodel with a pool on the tail end of the build. We had EVERY service running through the proposed pool site, soooo I started to get things moving. Plumbing was easy and fast, but expensive. $4k to run a new line and plumb in sewer for 2 new bathrooms (sink shower watercloset and tub). Phone was free and getting the new line run was easy, just cut the old one and call them out for repair and tell the guy what the story was. He ran a temp and told us to call again when everything was done. Cable was the same. Power... well that was a nightmare. In the beginning, the plumber nicked the insulation off a leg of the power line (in november) and didnt tell anyone, and covered up his deed. Dec 20th we mysteriously lost a leg of the power to the house. Called our local power co (entergy) and they came out and put a big ole phase shifter on the remaining leg and pulled the entire service over that one leg until the holidays were over. January 15th rolls around and they show up to locate the problem and repair it. I hadnt planned (or budgeted) for the power move at this time, but, heck if they are going to dig anyway.... so I talk to the engineer and explain the long term plans. He says "no problem we will just fix this today, and then when you are ready to relocate the line (and meter pan) just call and thats no big deal.
They located the problem in the line and began to dig... and hit the old sewer line which evidently was full of **** and flooded the hole... scratching plans for repair. It was a very very wet couple of months, and we had a mud pit for a backyard, so they couldnt get the heavy equipment in to trench. This was happenning with me not home, and at work, so without my input they decided to JUST LAY A NEW TEMP FEED THROUGH 3 YARDS ON TOP OF THE GROUND, and left telling us to call when it was dry.
I couldnt (nor my neighbors) believe they did this. I called and confirmed that yes this was ok by the rules, on a temporary basis. Sigh. None of us felt comfortable letting our kids run loose in our backyards with this unbreakered 220V 4/0 cables running on the ground, so we waited. And waited. I got far enough along in my build to relocate the meter pan and service entrance, and since it was shorter run to the new service thought I could lay some pressure on them and get them in here even if it was a mud pit, by whining "think of the children!" It worked. In February (late) they came out to dig a new trench and lay new cable to the new service pan. The big day arrives and they show up at the buttcrack of dawn and move the equipment into my backyard. The pedestal is catty-cornered in a neighbors yard. We all stomp through the mud to go have a look-see and the foreman says "Crud! lookit that tree!" Evidently 30 years ago someone thought it was a brilliant idea to plant an oak tree RIGHT NEXT TO the pedestal. They cant get the cables to the pedestal through the roots of the tree (they say) so they call an engineer out, and he comes up with two options... 1- relocate the pedestal (which feeds 4 houses) or 2- bore me a new line from the transformer (several houses away) and put me a pedestal of my own in my yard. I dont care which just get it done! They leave promising to return as soon as the engineering work is done and all the permits etc pulled. Temp still in my back yard and 2 others. On the ground.
Another Month rolls by and I get on the phone and *very politely* chew butt and *very politely* go ballistic up the chain of command tp try to get something done. I am promised swift action.
Sure enough the next morning I have 6 Line trucks in my street and a whole crowd of hard hats in my back yard. The consensus is... I have to have a pile of dirt removed from my yard before they can do ANYTHING. Oh Boy. I ascertain who is senior and ask him inside for a cup of coffee and a chat. I explain the history, my feelings, and how I would like things to turn out. He counters with a compromise and a promise to get everything done IMMEDIATELY as soon as I get the dirt moved. I ask is there any way they can get the temp moved and off the ground today. Yes.
They run the new temp suspending it through the trees to my new meter pan and leave.
I immediately get the dirt moved. The Next Day.
They, actually living up to their word immediately come over and bury a new line, to my new service, to the old pedestal, without moving it (there were six very sweaty guys with sharpshooter shovels and picks and sawzalls workign that last 5 feet to the pedestal). I worked hard bringing them cold drinks and cracking jokes about if they were electricians, how come they all had plumbers crack? My humor was unappreciated, but the cold drinks won them over.
Upshot? 5 months to get the line moved. Very upside? I never saw the bill. They billed it all to the plumber for nicking the line and re-burying it. I left out the part of the story where the plumber went apes**t on the entergy engineer on the phone.
If I had to pay for it, they said the whole shooting match would have only cost me around $300. ???
Cool story bro eh?
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