Building a new driveway together with the neighbors can strengthen the social bond, but it can also destroy it. Especially if both driveways are exactly next to each other and there is no intermediate piece. Such work often disrupts relationships between neighbors who previously got along well with each other. It often causes lifelong annoyance and tension afterwards. However, this can be prevented by making clear agreements in advance about what you both want and what not. If there is a difference in views, try to find an interim solution that both parties can agree to. This way you can continue as good neighbors afterwards.
Yours and your neighbors’ wish list
Make a wish list and ask the neighbors to do the same. That list should include various components, such as the material the driveway should be made of, its color, the thickness of the slat, so that the driveway will remain sturdy and straight for years to come, any landscaping along it, which contractor you choose. want to hire for it, and so on.
Put on the list what you might want to do yourself
Also indicate whether you want to demolish the existing driveway yourself or whether you want a company to do this. Do you need a container for the waste, or do you take it away yourself? Would you like to offer the stones from the broken up driveway for free on Marktplaats or would you like to pay a small amount for them? If you offer them for free, you will get rid of them faster and you will not incur any costs from a waste company. What you can do yourself often reduces the cost of the new driveway, but the question is whether your neighbors want to put in the same amount of work.
Consult together about constructing a new, good driveway
Then arrange an evening meeting and compare the two wish lists. The points on which the wish lists differ from each other must be discussed thoroughly. With a little bit of good will, neighbors who have good contact together will probably be able to figure it out. Sometimes it means making compromises on both sides, but if there is good will, it usually works.
How much you both want to dig out
That can sometimes be a big problem. Some people find it necessary to excavate forty centimeters and others are happy to settle for twenty centimeters, because ,then the work will be completed faster,. Normally, forty centimeters is a good depth, because then more solids can be poured in and there is less risk of the driveway sinking. With less deeply dug driveways, you often see the dents made by the car wheels after two years. That is quite annoying. After all, a driveway always costs enough money.
Divide the work well
However, it should not be the case that one couple takes on much more (unpaid) work than the other couple. That always causes some friction in the long run. After all, it is not the intention that the contact is disrupted for years and perhaps forever after the driveway has been laid. If one of the parties is unable to work on the driveway themselves, look for a distribution key to reduce the difference somewhat. Sometimes the dealer can contribute a little more money, or is able to ask an acquaintance to do some work on it.
Make arrangements for a shared driveway
What many neighbors do not think about is the fact that one of the two couples could move and they will have other neighbors who are not so pleasant to deal with. If the shared driveway is not separated by a visible line, the new neighbor may soon park his car at more than half its capacity and you will no longer be able to drive your car into your garage after working hours. Therefore, always make sure that there is a dividing line of, for example, differently colored stones at the division of the land registry line.
The driveway may change hands someday
Your house, or that of your neighbors, may be sold after a few years. You must now take measures to ensure that you do not have any problems with any new neighbors about what exactly is your driveway and which is theirs. After all, one day that neighbor may also want to change his part of the driveway, which often causes problems regarding ownership rights. Prevention is better than cure in this case.
Above all, use good materials
There are several options for creating a good driveway. Some choose a sleek driveway made of concrete slabs, others opt for pebbles, red or white gravel, gravel, small stones or large stones. Find out together with your neighbors which type and material you both like. Search the Internet for all the advantages and disadvantages of the selected material.
Go together to a business with a good name
If you both know what you want, go to a good store together and pick out the stones. Then try to reach a good agreement about how the work should proceed. If you know where the land registry points are located, look them up and accurately calculate the dimensions of both driveways. Also find someone who will lay this driveway.
Give the order
If both neighbors have reached an agreement and you both want a contractor to complete the job, it is important to consult with the contractor. Request a quote and check it carefully. Not only the hours of work, but especially the materials that the contractor will use. For example, if there is only a thickness of twenty centimeters of solid on it, or if the shaking of the driveway is not mentioned, then do not sign it.
Don’t forget to involve the neighbor in the consultation
Also let the neighbor see and assess the quotation. Two always see a little more than one and this way neither can blame the other afterwards. Moreover, you can both assess the progress of the work and respond in time if something is not done according to the rules. Also make sure that at least one of you is home when work is being done on the driveway. If no one is there, you can sometimes find a tire cast in cement in a place that you did not intend and that your wife, husband or one of your guests can fall over afterwards.
Green rash, moss and weeds on the new stones
Do not let the contractor or the seller of stones tell you that a certain top layer will ensure that no green efflorescence will occur. This top layer usually makes the stones more expensive, while a driveway that is partly in the shade will always develop a green appearance over time. However, this can be combated easily, quickly and cheaply by spraying a mixture of water and vinegar.
An always clean driveway is almost impossible
Nature does not always play along. Moisture, rainwater, frost and flying dirt will also affect your new driveway. Weeds and moss in the ridges between stones or concrete slabs are almost impossible to avoid. With nature it is just like with family: nature crawls where it cannot go. Over the course of two years, you will first see moss appear on a new driveway, followed by grass and weeds.
Keep peace with the neighbors
However, the most important thing is the relationship with your neighbors. If everything goes well and you don’t let small annoyances turn into big problems, you’ll have done well together. Sometimes one person has to give in a little more than the other, but it is worth a lot if the familiar interaction becomes very pleasant again afterwards. A good neighbor is priceless.
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