'You dug that hole yourself’: Contractor works on resident's property without permission, creating damage that costs $100,000

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 16, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So if one messes things up, one is probably going to have to face the consequences, that is simply how the world works, although there aren't many people who actually live by those rules.

Many people in this Reddit story had to face the consequences of their actions, and not all of them did such a great job. First, there was the terrible neighbor who started the whole drama simply by being a terrible neighbor, but also because he ordered a contractor to to work on a property that wasn't his. Then, there was the contractor himself, who even though he knew he was working illegally on private property, still kept going. And lastly, there was the county, who refused to do anything about the illegal work and refused to listen to reason.

All these people got what they deserved, so scroll down to read the full story. After that, click here for a story of employees who refused to accept a bonus from their boss.

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  • 01
    "Good luck digging yourself out of this one"
    via Canva
  • 02
    Contractor digs on our property without permission, gets stiffed, county road collapses
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 03
    Years ago we bought a house on a steep wooded hill and subsequently found out that the neighbor's driveway ran completely across the top of our property. They did not have an
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 04
    easement but the driveway had been there for 50 years so there wasn't much we could do about it. The neighbor had the place rented out but we found out from other neighbors that he was known locally for being a
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 05
    major and threatening legal action against everyone. The tenants (who were very nice) hated him. The driveway wasn't in good shape and the neighbor had
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 06
    made it worse through having shoddy unpermitted work done on it over the years. Our major worry was making sure it wasn't going to collapse and come downhill and hit our house so
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 07
    we hired a professional to check it out. Thankfully our house was safe. We'd been there a few months when we started hearing construction equipment
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 08
    running. We went up there to find a contractor - let's call him Bob digging with heavy equipment on our property on the uphill side of the driveway making "drainage". We told Bob
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 09
    to stop digging since he was on our property. He refused because the neighbor who hired him "had an easement". No amount of telling him there was no easement would change
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 10
    his mind. We called the county to report that he was digging without a permit and they refused to come do anything about it. Short of laying across the driveway there wasn't much we could do so we took photos and left.
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 11
    Fast forward a few months and we hear through the grapevine that the neighbor never paid Bob the $30K he owed him for the job. One of our contractors related a delightful
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 12
    conversation he had with Bob where Bob asked him what kind of customers we were and he said "the kind who pay their bills immediately".
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 13
    The cherry on top? The county road above the driveway collapsed due to the unpermitted digging undermining the hill - the same digging that the county refused
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 14
    to do anything about. It ended up costing the county over $100K to support the hillside and rebuild the road. We saw all the paperwork with costs because they needed us to sign
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 15
    off on it since it was on our property. The county road collapsed past where our driveway came off so it didn't affect us at all.
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 16
    ABCDEFlyMyPretties 1 day ago I hope when you signed the county papers that you pointed out to them that you rang them at the time!!!
    via u/ABCDEFlyMyPretties
  • 17
    TBHICould Complain OP. 1 day ago You know I did! And the county had records that proved it - all those calls are recorded.
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 18
    Kid_Tuff. 18 hr. ago Imagine you didnt do anything and could eventually got sued for sth your neighbor did.
    via u/Kid_Tuff
  • 19
    mechwarrior719 · 1 day ago You just know the county went after the contractor, too. So now that dude's gonna be out 130 big ones.
    via u/Tmechwarrior719
  • 20
    TBHICouldComplain OP · 1 day ago If they did I never heard about it. I think he actually ended up going bankrupt before that point though (or so the rumor mill said) so there may not have been anything to go after.
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 21
    NimueArt · 1 day ago The contractor was the one digging without a permit. He deserves whatever fallout came to him.
    via u/NimueArt
  • 22
    週 Calavera357 · 1 day ago This is a fantastic story to share with my Land Survey coworkers. We deal with wackos like your neighbors all the time.
    via u/Calavera357
  • 23
    TBHI Could Complain OP 1 day ago Share away! I'm so sorry you have to deal with this on a regular basis. He like really did his best to make our lives for a while there. He lost his business in a recession so karma came for him, too.
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 24
    . Affectionate_Fig3621 1 day ago You didn't call the police for them trespassing? In my area the police (trespassing), the borough (unlawful lane/driveway) and other neighbors (threat to
    via u/Affectionate_Fig3621
  • 25
    property) ...none of this would of happened. Glad to hear that you came out of this ok
    via u/Affectionate_Fig3621
  • 26
    TBHI Could Complain OP. 1 day ago It's been quite a few years but I think we called the police non emergency line? If we did they refused to come out. The police around here are pretty
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 27
    useless in general but I'm not sure it would count as trespassing since Bob had his equipment parked on the neighbor's driveway and had been invited by the neighbor.
    via u/TBHICouldComplain
  • 28
    LibraryMouse4321 · 14 hr. ago If the landlord's unpermitted work resulted in the road collapsing, he should be billed for the repair. They can take his house, and then everybody wins.
    via u/LibraryMouse4321
  • 29
    TBHICould Complain OP . 13 hr. ago Wouldn't it be nice if life worked that way?
    via u/TBHICouldComplain

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neighbors workplace-stories authority work construction neighborhood-drama reddit story damage Reddit illegal contractor karma construction workers
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