Haven't even started digging...delays already!!!

[Kelkel]

My PB came out to draw out the pool on the ground only to find that the gas line appears to be 2 FEET into our property, no where near inside the easement! Arg!
We even had the gas company come back out & re-measure/label it, and it's grossly into our property! So now they are sending out a survey crew to triple check.
My PB says he's never run into this problem before, though a friend of mine who lives in a neighborhood nearby said she's heard of people in her neighborhood having the same problem and that it's the homeowner's responsibility to have the lines moved/re-routed.
I'm so disappointed I could cry! We've been waiting so long for our pool & have agonized over every deal...I'm so ready to get it started so we can swim!!!!!


Anyone else face this problem when building?

 

[Patrick_B]

No, but it stinks. Just try not to worry. It'll be a distant memory when you start filling up the pool.

 

[JasonLion]

Responsibility for moving the gas line varies depending on several details of the situation. If it is the gas line directly to your house then it is normally your responsibility. If it is the gas main line for the block/neighborhood, and there is no easement allowing it, then it could well be their responsibility.

 

[imperator]

we thought we had that same problem and called our gas co. they said that they are responsible up to the meter and we are responsible from the meter into the house. they put in a service order to get it moved, but we later discovered that it was a line for a different utility. i'd press the util to move it immediately.

 

[mcarrizal]

We had to have our buried electrical line rerouted before our dig. It went diagonally across our yard. That was a $2000 expense we were not expecting.

 

[jro33176]

We are in the same boat, Kelkel. Electric and phone run diagonal through the yard. And, we have a gas main running parallel to our property line but EIGHT feet away and inside our property line. We were told that since they were within 10 feet, they aren't moving it despite no easement being designated for it. Completely discouraging. The county also told us we have larger set back requirements b/c we are a corner lot.

We just redid the design to fit within the constraints we had. Now as for budget, it really stinks. We did not anticipate the cost of these expenses including the removal of landscaping in order to reroute the lines. Otherwise, these plants are completely out of the way. Incredibly frustrating!

Hang in there and just work through it one step at a time. That helped me, anyway....

 

[cbink]

Our electric line wasn't where it was supposed to be but fortunately it didn't affect the pool (they'd taken a shortcut from the drawings which showed it well away from the house - presumably to save on cable cost). What I didn't realize is that for things running to your house, they don't have to stay in the easement. I had figured that they had to stay in the easement as much as possible before routing to the house, but that's not the case.

Hope they resolve it for you and it doesn't impact the dig too much for y'all.

 

[rodog123]

I'm just curious are these easment issues more for neighborhoods that are older bult in the 70's 80's vs newer homes built in the 00's.

I've heard homes built in the 70-80's have more issues with utility lines not being placed in the easements.

 

[jro33176]

Good question, Rodog. The homes in my neighborhood were built in the 70s. As I understood it, it is a combination of several things including lot size as well as the original builders' overall design of the utility grid for a residential community.
Also learntd that the underground utilities are more difficult to deal with.
I figured this was not a battle I wanted to fight.