Road Construction fill dirt situation

[masinick]

I have recently been contacted by the contractor who won the bid on a project to expand the road that runs outside my lot. I live on about 5 acres in Virginia. Currently my front lawn area runs uphill about 15-20 feet across a large patch of 400x400 foot land. The contractor is interested in using my front lawn as a fill area to place around 25,000 cubic yards of fill dirt that they have to move from a few hundred yards up the road. In exchange for this they will completely re-level my whole lawn, reseed it, lime it, make sure the drainage is not affected. It would all be done to the same specifications as the county part of the project. This seems like a win/win to me... contractor gets to move dirt just down the road instead of miles away, and I get my lawn leveled and re-seeded with actual grass (it's all weeds now). They are also paying for a fill certification to ensure that the fill is done correctly if we ever are able to sell the land to a developer.

Is there any reason why this wouldn't be a good deal for me to do? It's going to take 6 months and we'll have trucks outside, but it would be nice to have a level yard at the end of it all. Any thoughts appreciated!

[Pete C.]

Sounds perfectly reasonable, just get everything in writing first and run it by your lawyer. Take pictures daily throughout the project so you have documentation of it either being done right, or of any problems.

Pete C.

[Banty]

A road crew did a good job by me in restoring the area in my lawn after my agreement to run part of a storm drain into my property, as well as the side of my property which was under an easement. My uphill neighbor complained loudly of the trees removed (the ones in the easement!) and got the highway department to plant some spruces AND connect his driveway to the storm drain to drain his pavement area, although that had nothign to do with highway drainage. In my area, the highway department head is an elective office. So, they may be very motivated to please you.

I'd consult with an engineer though since the work is on your uphill side and you'll be changing your grading, just to be knowledgable and on top of things.

Banty

[EXT]

Be sure to get a timeline, and particularly a commitment on the time from removal of the fill to the time it is levelled and seeded. Insist on a minimum amount of topsoil to be spread before seeding, I have seen projects where they leave the area mostly gravel and heavy clay and try to seed over it. Hydroseeding probably will be the best way to go as it is sprayed over the area with a mulch that protects and moistens the seed until it has grown.

Everyth>>

[hallerb]

just make SURE they remove the topsoil before dumping the fill. putting even a dummy camera on the area is a good idea to keep them honest.

Sounds like a great win win !

[Andy Asberry]

If it were mine, two considerations come to mind quickly. Are there any utilities in that 400x400 area? 400x400 is nearly 4 acres of your five. The fill will raise the 400x400 by more than 4 feet. Place several stakes in the area with survey ribbon tied at the 4' level. Look out your front window. Can you live with that view? Or lack of?

Everyone recommends getting a contract and a lawyer to look it over. Why do we never get a contract to spell out the services and fees of a lawyer? :)

--Andy Asberry recommends NewsGuy--

[Bob]

Heavy equipment can probably really compact your soil.

Bob

[Pete C.]

I don't know about you, but I get an upfront engagement letter from my lawyer giving exactly that detail. Perhaps you need a better lawyer.

Pete C.

[jah213]

You don't mention if you have kids, but if so, keep an eye on what's dumped in your yard. My neighbor made a similar arrangement and while the final outcome looked good, for many months he had big piles of dirt riddled with old, broken glass, chunks of rusted, broken metal, etc., in his yard. Needless to say, the new "mountains" were very tempting to his kids. He did find some interesting old bottles in the piles, though.

Jo Ann

Pete C. wrote:

[Abe]

Besides what everyone else is saying, make sure the agreement states that they are liable for repairs of any property damage they might cause.

[Jimmie D]

Contracors probably even mean what they say when they first negotiate a deal like this but at the end they just want to wrap up the job and you will be last priority. Dont expect a profesionally landscaped yard when this is all over with. By the time you get a lawyer involved to draw up a contract it will probably cost you as much as having your yard done. On the other hand it may look like a golf course when they are finished and a hand shake is all you need.