We installed a new paver path between our sidewalk and street 3 weeks ago. A weed barrier, 4in of gravel, 1in of sand along with edgers and polymeric sand. It was level and looking clean 👌 An internet provider is installing new underground lines in our neighborhood this week and it went under our new path. The center of the path raised up and the polymeric sand cracked between many of the bricks. They came out and tapped the bricks back down with a sledgehammer then sent us a picture with a small leveler and said it’s fixed.
My question is would you find this to be an acceptable solution? I really don’t want to be a pain but we put a lot of time and effort into installing it ourselves and don’t want it to be jacked up in a couple months after they are gone and say it’s not their problem anymore. To me, it doesn’t seem like a long term fix but i’m also no expert.
(1st pic is one we took before “fix” and second is the one they sent after) i’m not able to take a new pic with our larger lvl right now.
by Delicious_Purple8120
34 Comments
Paveeeee
Acceptable solution in my mind would be to call the company that did the install and see if they’ll fix it, or at least help in some way. With that being so new I would think they would help to avoid further hassle. That is, unless that gave fair warning of the lines being put in. If that’s the case they’ll just say you should have waited until after
My profession is not in landscaping but it is adjacent to the utility industry. You will no doubt be disappointed by how much legal protection they have. Additionally, very few people in the company will have the real authority to actually do much. You might get lucky but it is very likely that they gave legally “adequate “ warning. Enjoy your fast internet though!
No it’s not acceptable. I’m sure whatever internet provider it is that they’re a billion dollar entity if you wanting it fixed correctly inconveniences them so be it. Call back, it’s “I need to speak to a manager” time.
So did they remove some of the pavers to dig a trench or use something else to make a hole under it and fed the wire through? I’m assuming you guys did the work itself. Do you have before pics because the poly sand being cracked can’t be fixed unless you remove the sand from the joint and use some fresh stuff. The grade looks better after they packed it back down at least through the eye test.
That sucks, but property lines rarely end at the road. Your walkway is in the road, you’re lucky they even put it back.
These were never level ! Look at the elevation of the adjacent grass the stones where laid on that elevation to prevent having to re grade the boulevard , id put money on your now checking the level after this work was done and not after the pavers were installed correct?
If it was mine I would probably lay a sheet of plywood over it and go over it with my plate compactor a few times until I had it flat. Mainly because I could fix it in the time it takes to go through the process of dealing with the fiber optic people and have them out again only for them to not do it right again lol. I’m guessing you don’t want to mess with that and shouldn’t have to. Maybe you could suggest that to the fiber optic guys when you call them back?
I think this is just the risk you take when doing any landscaping over the various easements along the road. I’d be surprised if you get any further cooperation from the utility… I’m not even sure that they were obligated to do anything at all (but I could certainly be wrong about that).
What exactly do you want them to do? Thats a utility right of way. They owe you nothing. You are lucky they fixed it and it looks fixed. Welcome to the joys of home ownership!
If they went underneath your base all together then I think this is a perfectly acceptable solution, because everything will still be where it needs to be it just needs to be compacted again. If they went through your gravel that might be more problematic depending on your climate and if you get a in lot of freeze/thaw conditions
I’m not sure what the solution is but just want o point out that you are lucky they came to correct it. That’s most likely an easement and thus you are SOL
Those are possibly roots from the tree?
Be lucky and thankful they came back to do what they did. I don’t think you could ever get any better of a result.
stay level headed
Usually (but not always) there is a 10′ utility easement at the streetfront of properties. A utility using that easement are not required to return the easement to its prior condition. Most do try but it is not required.
Unless their is a particularly strong reason why that pathway needs to be perfectly level I’m not sure that this is something I would peruse that aggressively.
Do you own the land between the road and side walk?Â
You’re also exaggerating the difference with a short level before and after long level after. I don’t think it’s as much as the picture is trying to show.
Fiber ran in front of my property this past year, connections finished this year. I intentionally put wall block on property line. 11 holes dug, two areas blocks moved, holes left over winter I did call and get filled half assedly this spring, but the return to the way it was found is more hassle than it’s worth unless it’s major. I’ll be straightening it all out when time permits so it’s done right. Wall blocks were only “trespass” and not worth the hold times and seven explanations..
I would take this sort of damage all day if it meant there was some sort of competition with Comcast in my area
You might be more fixated on it now because you knew how perfect it looked before, but to be honest I think it looks fine, even great now! There’s no way I would notice any cracks or unevenness as a passerby or guest, even though it might be obvious to you
As a land surveyor, our standard is to leave a property or public right-of-way as close as possible to the condition we found it in. While there may not always be a legal requirement to repair minor disturbances, professionalism and workmanship matter. The quality of cleanup reflects both the individual crew and the company’s reputation. At the end of the day, property owners and the public often judge a company by how responsibly they treat the site, not just by the technical work performed. Any homeowner would get frustrated. You have the right to say something!
Boy! I would have been embarrassed to complain about this. It’s a walk way.
Id say youre on the hook to have it fixed or fix it yourself unfortunately, nice of em to come back and tap some bricks down tbh. If its not draining backwards or holding water i would be inclined to leave it, but i am lazy so ymmv.
Like others have said, depending on your local bylaws the easement is documented somewhere, p sure mine is like within 10ft of the road is fair game to get blasted for any reason the town sees fit- drainage, utilities, road expansion, etc and anything you do in that zone is fair game to get mercked
Is there an easement there? If so, you’re going to be out of luck OP.
Rent a plate compactor and a plastic pad and see if you can get it back
Just claim you have someone who is disabled living with you and they suffer with mobility issues.
Small rise/fall as it is, in the level of ground. For someone who cant pick their feet up would trip and you may have a potential legal case in the future.
I only say this because I actually have mobility issues and id struggle to walk up and down that.
The utility company either has an easement or is in the right of way. They don’t have to do anything, you are in their way not the other way around. Without more information I would guess the city owns the right of way so they might be able to help you but there isn’t much you can do because you are very likely encroachingÂ
It wasnt even level to begin with. Also replacing the sand not a big deal. Its inconvenient but you’ll spend more effort fighting with them than if you just fix whatever you dont like
I mean…. It’s your bad for installing pavers on an easement. You don’t own that property. You’re lucky they attempted to fix anything.
Drive on it with your car
Best result you get from utility company:
I just had the exact same thing happen. I had video footage from my camera and before and after pics. I sent the 3rd party att installation team a complaint email with the footage. As they had left my driveway with a speed bump and came back to pound it down with mallets leaving five inch gaps between pavers filled with sand. So I sent them an ultimatum email to either work with me for professional repair or I’ll seek legal action. After some back and forth they agreed to pay for my paver vendor of choice with me signing a release. Got the paver repaired.