Ethics on clearing neighbor's drive ways and private lane

[joeyd]

We live on a private road with 20 parcels, 9 full time residents, and have a road association. We have about 3 miles of road to all the parcels and 4 of the residents have agreed to plow overlapping portions of the road if needed. We give them $200 each if they plow more than 3 times in a season based on a previous contract for snow removal of $800 per season for 3 plows. We also have a back up person for each section if someone is away for the storm or if their equipment is down. This works out nicely for us and since a few of us are retired we clean up the road or section while the main plow person is at work and it snows. We also have the road graded and rolled each spring and add gravel if and where necessary.

This year one of our regular plow folks is having his engine rebuilt and other neighbors took over for him. Of course we had 30 inches over Christmas and my wife and I were visiting our son and family in a warmer climate, Arkansas. One of my neighbors used his tractor and blew a path to my garage so we could drive up to the house when we returned. This earned him a very nice bottle of wine, it took me two days to clear out my normal parking areas and driveway to my pole barn. From now on when I leave during the winter I will put the blower on my tractor and set it so I can get right to work before I leave. It took me two hours with my walk behind to open enough area to back the tractor out and turn it around so I could attach the blower. I was only using my back blade for the snow before then.

Good neighbors can't be beat!

 

[joeyd]

We live on a private road with 20 parcels, 9 full time residents, and have a road association. We have about 3 miles of road to all the parcels and 4 of the residents have agreed to plow overlapping portions of the road if needed. We give them $200 each if they plow more than 3 times in a season based on a previous contract for snow removal of $800 per season for 3 plows. We also have a back up person for each section if someone is away for the storm or if their equipment is down. This works out nicely for us and since a few of us are retired we clean up the road or section while the main plow person is at work and it snows. We also have the road graded and rolled each spring and add gravel if and where necessary.

This year one of our regular plow folks is having his engine rebuilt and other neighbors took over for him. Of course we had 30 inches over Christmas and my wife and I were visiting our son and family in a warmer climate, Arkansas. One of my neighbors used his tractor and blew a path to my garage so we could drive up to the house when we returned. This earned him a very nice bottle of wine, it took me two days to clear out my normal parking areas and driveway to my pole barn. From now on when I leave during the winter I will put the blower on my tractor and set it so I can get right to work before I leave. It took me two hours with my walk behind to open enough area to back the tractor out and turn it around so I could attach the blower. I was only using my back blade for the snow before then.

Good neighbors can't be beat!

 

[Industrial Toys]

People are funny. Some won't accept money but will accept gifts of similar value. How stupid! Give me money, any time! Equipment and fuel costs money. Maybe in certain cases, time is not worth money, if you were just going to be watching the Simpsons anyway.

Some people are just too happy to be someones door mat. I have a friend like that. He is the go-to guy for all the neighbours. Poor self worth. Some I guess just like to show off what they have and can do. Maybe that's also a product of poor self worth.

 

[doctinker]

Not long after we moved into our neighborhood, about 40 years ago, one of the neighbors who owned a landscape business went out of his way to be a good neighbor. He helped us and the other neighbors all the time and never expected payment, but he liked and encouraged every one to help him out when he needed it. He has since passed away but I have tried to continue his lead. There are a lot of new people in the neighborhood now and I'm not sure I'm keeping it going but I try.

 

[thatguy]

I do my driveway and about 7 other neighbors driveways when it snows.. three are on slopes so they pitched in and bought me tire chains for better traction ($100/each) in 2013.. I also go back and open the end of the driveways after the roads are cleared and I do around the mailboxes. So I am making at least 2 or 3 trips to each house after each snow.

At for the first 7 yrs, i just did it for free and then decided to say 'donations for fuel and maintenance are welcome' a few winter ago. Some are great neighbors and some are older and I wouldnt take a 'donation' from them if offered. But the others i really only see when it snows so it does cover some costs. So far I after 3 years and about 4 snows I have 'made' $30. LOL

I do expect a 'thank you' though. That's just a neighborly thing to do..

brian

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My 91 year old dad said he pushed out some of his neighbors last week. They don't have the equipment.

 

[ultrarunner]

Always glad to help someone out... not looking for more steady work.

In California I live on a private street going back to the 1940's... maybe 15 homes... with many, all we do is wave passing by.

When there is a problem, so far everyone has stepped up and contributed.

In Washington I am one of 3 on a private drive... the owner of the land is very independant and was a little annoyed when wanted to contribute as I am seldom there... they are older and just asked that people using the drive do so slowly and respectfully... he gave me the name of his gravel hauler for a project... nice guy... I told the gravel guy I'm paying for the next road repair load and gave him a $100... he really didn't want to take it.

Anyway a few months later old George called me up so say I'm a sneaky devil... and then laughter... said the gravel is much appreciated... I always do maintenance when I'm there... it is just I seldom am... I think that one gesture and Christmas Cookies every year go a long way.

People that want to show appreciation can find a way... those that expect or take just need to learn.

I was always doing things for the 101 year old widow across the street... simple things that would take a few minutes... she showed her appreciation taking us out do a very nice dinner several times each year and she wore a hat and gloves... very classy at 101.

It's not that I expect something... it's that people need to be able to do for themselves when they clearly can.

Liability is a real concern... wish it wasn't that way but it is... it would be just my luck on unfamiliar property to have a problem and then what.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I pushed my neighbors drive, she brought me a warm apple pie.

 

[TomSeller]

I pushed my neighbors drive, she brought me a warm apple pie.

Now THAT is a good trade !! YUM

 

[Regaj]

I'm more than happy to help my neighbors. It's the sense of entitlement that seems to emerge from a very few that's sometimes a bit annoying.

I take care of my own 1/4-mile gravel driveway. And then I take care of the neighboring 1/4-mile gravel lane which has four families living off it. Usually my ATV w/plow is enough. With the 30+ inches we got from Jonas, I had to use the front-end loader on the tractor. As everyone here knows, moving snow with a FEL is tedious work. It took me the better part of three days.

Most my neighbors are effusive in their thanks. We talk and laugh throughout the year and they're quick with a choice cold beverage or a hot dish or having the wife and I down for a cookout. Even that's not necessary, but it's nice to know they appreciate what you do for them.

The one family that irks me a little is the one with a 300' feeder driveway to get to that lane (the other three families live just off the lane). I end up doing his "special" driveway too. He waved at me while I was slowly working up to his house. But he hardly mentioned it otherwise. And, unlike all the other neighbors who were out with shovels digging out what they could, he did almost nothing. Waiting, apparently, for me to do it all.

I joked later with my wife that maybe he thinks I'm the contractor for the HOA (the joke being that there is no HOA).

There is also an additional stress that comes with plowing out a neighbor's property. Even with good equipment, it's not a given what will happen in dealing with a major snowstorm. If I get my tractor stuck on my driveway, it's an aggravation. It could remain stuck there for days and it is still just that... an aggravation. If it happens on my neighbors' lane, though, I now have an urgent sense of obligation to get it unstuck and not "block" them from getting out (assuming they could or might have someone else come and dig them out). And since I'm the only one around with a tractor - there is no bigger tractor to go get - that consideration is constantly with me while over there.

All that said, I would never not try and help. For the first 30 years we lived here, long before we had any proper equipment, my wife and I used shovels to dig out. All during that time there was a different neighbor altogether who lived down at the end of my driveway. Despite being only 80' from the road, he had a full size tractor which he used. Not once in all those years did he try and help us or anyone else out.

I never want to be that neighbor.