I have lighted entrances at my driveway. Because of my health, the maintenance of my home had been almost nil for about 5 years. I am feeling better now so I am trying to make some improvements.
I had a guy climb a tree and cut it down. The tree limb fell on one of my gas lights that illuminate the driveway.
The house is 35 years old. I admit that the lights were not kept clean. The entrance and the lamps have algae on them.
Anyway, I called to check on the replacing one of the lamps. They don't make them anymore. New lights are $150 a piece and the estimate to replace both of them is $700.
What would you consider a fair compromise to resolving the issue. The first layer of bricks were knocked loose but it only chipped one of them. I would be ok with just having the bricks mortared back. You can't get anyone to your house for under 75$
So, was the "guy" a certified arborist, or just some dumbo who didn't know what he was doing and probably has no general liability insurance or enough assets to want to do the right thing by you?
I certainly hope you don't pay for the tree work until you resolve the damage issue.
If it was me, I'd look around for a craftsman who could repair that damaged lamp. It looks like it just needs some straightening, new glass and perhaps a new bulb socket and bulb. I'd definitely go with remortaring the olde bricks, new ones will stick out like a sore thumb.
I have a feeling that even if the "guy" does carry liability insurance the claims adjuster would give you a hard time over the "depreciated value" of those lights and would probably balk at replacing BOTH of them.
You can't tell from the pictures that the light has broken at the weld at the bottom? The light has to be replaced. The lights have a gas hookup to them. If the limb broke the gas line then it will have to be repaired as well.
Changing a light fixture with a gas hookup is not a small thing. You want to come over and make the repairs for $8?
Is the guy that did the cutting a business with insurance? If so, let them come up with a number first to resolve it.
OTOH, it he is a guy doing you a favor, he'd be responsible to have one light back to good operating condition. Can it be repaired with the right expertise? At most, he should pay for one light, but I don't know if legally you'd have to depreciate them at all.
The whole thing does not look very well built originally!
It does seem as though the top of the brick portion was not properly built in the first place?
Anything open to the weather, as it appears from the pix. is bound to deteriorate.
At very least there should have been flashing (or was it there and it had moldered/rusted away?) to deflect water etc.
Here we would have a concrete cap at least an inch or two thick (with perhaps a bit of wire mesh or scrap iron reinforcing in it etc.) and a drip edge on top of the brick portion. Our chimney top is done that way and has so far withstood 36 years of summers/winters, ice storms etc. about one kilometre from the North Atlantic. With one minor crack which was promptly caulked and is rechecked.
Personally the thought of a 'gas' light, in this day and age, requiring buried gas lines leading to a rather poorly constructed item exposed out in front of my property would be worrisome! Even presuming there are not snow plows whizzing along in front of OPs property? However any vehicular activity such as an errant moving/delvery van backing up, vehicle careening off road as result of an accident etc. ????
Better to replace lights entirely (since appear generally in poor shape) with more reliable electrical light. Might, with a bit of luck be able to use the gas pipe as an electric conduit?
Also there is certainly some hint that the guy, who under some arrangement with the OP agreed to remove the tree, might get nailed with the 'total' (or at least part of) the costs of replacing an installation that is some 30+ years old which should be considered totally depreciated and require replacement anyway.
Not sure that being that litigious 'rings fair'. If every person (workman/contractor) who steps onto my property has to have 'coverage' to even give me a quote about doing some work item and/or I have to have liability insurance, in case that person trips up on some clump of grass on my 'lawn', the costs of doing anything/everything, is bound to be much higher! Lawyers ain't cheap either?
For example my friend an independent truck owner/operator has to buy certain insurance in order to operate legally and accept haulage work of any kind The insurance is for minimum periods of time; no matter if he hauls once for one hour or only one mile, or continuously (within driving hours allowed) for three months!
Contractors working on our property have to similiar liability coverage.
Why doesn't the OP fix the lights him/her-self? They need replacement anyway.
I would (with maybe a young fellow to help with any digging) and I'm
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