Strange tube exiting around pool

[poolq635]

Hi All! I’m new to the forum and trying to get some thoughts on neighbors pool construction. We have a strange lot configuration- the dirt is my property but on their side of fence so only supposed to be kept as dirt.

They installed a pool but have this strange tube coming out on to my side. I’m also getting water pooling along my house because of this weird slope. It’s a really strange pool design because they wanted an elevate pool but then elevated all the ground up to top of pool 1-2 ft with gravel and covered with turf. They aren’t the most transparent so I was hoping to get some thoughts before approaching this.

Appreciate any impressions or ideas on what this is! Thanks for any responses

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

The tube looks smaller than standard pool plumbing. It is probably a drain of some type. Thee are a few places in the pool thata drain could be connected to. It could be draining condensation from a heat pump.

I would flip the tube onto their turf by one of the HD buckets and point it their way.

 

[JamesW]

It looks like electrical conduit (Flexible liquidtight conduit).

Can you find any writing on the line?

Ask the builder what it is.

 

[poolq635]

Thanks for the replies. There is a drain under the turf that I’m hoping this isn’t connected to. So much water pooling along my house now, has made a mess

 

[JamesW]

There is a drain under the turf that I’m hoping this isn’t connected to.

Can you ask the builder what it is?

 

[ajw22]

I don’t know how it works in San Diego but in my town a homeowner can be compelled to fix water drainage due to construction onto a neighbors property.

Building plans need to include a water management plan especially when soil grades are changed.

I would check with your local building department and pull the plans that were filed and see what they say about grading and water management

 

[JamesW]

You might want to consult a geotechnical engineer to see if the new construction is going to cause any issues to your property.

If it causes structural damages, like a sinking foundation, then you need to address it as soon as possible.

 

[poolq635]

Thank you both. I think you are right that I should get someone to evaluate. Any suggestions on how to find a geotechnical engineer? What to look out for in picking one?

 

[poolq635]

My neighbors elevated their whole rear yard with multiple feet of gravel. It is flooding the area along my foundation.

Any advice on how to argue to get it fixed? They are saying didn’t change grade (bc no grade change permit), but it is pretty obvious they did.

I’m thinking I need to run to Home Depot and try a sump pump to get the water out today?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[Dirk]

What is your relationship like with your neighbor? And what do you want it to be? Because we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But at some point they'll need to accept the fact that they're going to need to spend some money, maybe a lot of money, to fix the drainage problem. Before we get into it, you and they need to decide how this is going to go down.

Are pics of their pool, or yours, or do you both have pools?

Short version, in most municipalities, you're responsible for your own property's drainage, and where it goes. And it cannot run unabated onto someone else's. So you'll "win" any action this might require to make right, but I'd hate to see it cost you a neighbor.

 

[Dirk]

To answer your question about the pump... I'm not quite sure. For a sump pump to work, there needs to be some sort of sump! An area that is deep enough in water for the pump to operate. That'll depend on the pump, but it's likely going to need a few inches. It won't skim off a sheet of water. Is it collecting anywhere deep enough? Otherwise you'd need to dig a bit to create a sump into which the excess water can drain.

I also don't know how many days you have. The damage to your yard and foundation won't likely be instant, but it shouldn't go on for months. More like a few weeks or days. So you and your neighbor need to resolve this quickly, because scheduling a contractor to do some work might take quite a while.

 

[JamesW]

You need a professional to evaluate the situation and advise you about the causes, consequences and options for remediation.

Foundation drain installers, landscape professionals, Geotechnical Engineers, Landscape Architects etc. can help you diagnose the cause of the problem and find a solution.

If the neighbor is at fault, you can discuss with them the recommendations from your professional advisor.

If the neighbor is at fault and they refuse to address the issue, you might have to take a variety of different actions from filing a complaint to filing a civil lawsuit depending on exactly what the cause is.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Do you live in an HOA?

 

[JamesW]

You can contact the Building Department that handles the building permit issued for the pool construction and ask them about the problem that you believe is caused by the pool construction.

You can request that an inspection be done.

They might, or might not, be able to help you.

Just saying that there is water on your property and you are concerned is not enough for the building department to take action.

You typically need some sort of description of what the problem is, what is causing the problem, what the possible solutions are, who’s at fault etc.

If the cause is not immediately obvious, then they will want a professional opinion from a qualified professional.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Based on those pictures, it does look like the installing of the deck and turf (sod?) raised the land around the pool by several inches. So now there is more saturated ground in contact with your property and water will always seek its own level. The installation of that much gravel and fill should have triggered the need for drainage but I’m guessing they thought they could just do it and see what happens. However, that is just one person’s opinion from the pictures you provided. As @JamesW states, you will likely need a professional’s opinion (maybe a land surveying company in addition to a landscape/drainage professiknal) in order to make a complaint or claim. And then your neighbor will need to have their “expert” testimony from their builder.

Buckle up, it could potentially be a long ride …

 

[Dirk]

You can contact the Building Department

That was going to be my suggestion, but that's why I asked first about the relationship with the neighbor. If @poolq635 goes to the local building authorities, even for just some fact finding, that could trigger an inspection or inquiry. Some building departments now engage in proactive revenue-finding missions, where they actively seek out red-tag situations, to generate fees and fines.

He needs to first discuss this with his neighbor to work this out. A neighborly conversation that then gets a contractor involved to correct the problem will no doubt be far less trouble and expense than if the local building department gets involved. That could end up costing the neighbor all sorts of fines and permit fees and engineering fees, etc. Thousands of dollars. If that happens without the neighbor's input, that could certainly cause some permanent damage to the relationship.

I'm not discouraging getting the fix done right, and getting it inspected. That's the right approach. I'm just saying that possibility needs to be thought out, and 635 and his neighbor would ideally be on the same page about the process. I'm pretty confident the fix will happen at the neighbor's expense, the trick is to manage and maintain the relationship, which could conceivably impact 635's quality of life for decades.

I would not be happy if my neighbor needed me to do something that was going to cost me a chunk of change (like replacing the fence or something like that). But there would be a huge difference between him handing me a bill vs first coming over and talking to me about it, and working out the best solution for us both. I would get over the expense eventually, but him going behind my back about it would take a whole lot longer.

 

[ajw22]

I would have a conversation with a local lawyer who is connected with the local building, permitting, and zoning process. He can advise how much assistance can come from the authorities.

A written notice to the neighbor advising of the problem they created including pictures and ending with please contact me with how you will remediate this problem should be the first step. Maybe that is all it will take. However I doubt it.

 

[Newdude]

What is your relationship like with your neighbor?

This is my first ask. I'm guessing they aren't overly concerned because of this statement

They are saying didn’t change grade (bc no grade change permit), but it is pretty obvious they did.

If the above statement was from previously, discussing the possibility of it flooding, you need to have another conversation. If you have already spoke with them since it flooded and were brushed off, I would go to the town.

If un permitted work was performed, the town would issue a stop work order which might get the neighbors or PBs proper attention.

This would surely sour any future relations so I'd personally want to be able to say 'Hey Jerkwad, I tried to talk to you first and you wanted no part of it' before going to the town.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Basically the neighbor added a pool plus XXX square feet of hard deck plus another YYY square feet of sod/turf. The grade may or may not have changed significantly, but the ratio of hard impervious surface area to total surface area has ... and likely by a lot. This completely changes the flow of water and it's absorption by the ground. It may be the case that this neighbor's yard is no longer capable of holding or absorbing the same amount of water that it did previously and the water that does fall has to find a new route. That will very likely increase the water flow in areas between the homes. It's pretty clearly different given the pictures posted.

I agree with all of the posts above that you need to contact the neighbor. You did once and got blown off. You can try a second time. If you get blown off again, then I would use @ajw22 's route of a certified letter. I would advise that you have a legal service, like LegalShield or some other legal service, give advice and then have them send the demand letter to the neighbor. At this point, it is still between you two and doesn't have to go any further BUT a letter from a lawyer carries a lot of "OH CRUD! He's serious and I need to deal with it..." factor.

 

[ajw22]

One of my neighbors began building a pool. I went to my local building department and got a copy of their permits and the plans they filed. After reviewing their plans and what I saw I dropped by town hall and spoke with the building inspector and pointed out they had not put up the silt fence shown on the plans.

He came by the site within an hour and reviewed a few things that were not to plan or what they should not have done and made a phone call to the builder on the permit.

Pull all the permits and plans on file if you have not done so yet.