Posted on 10/13/2010 12:03:54 PM PDT by Feline_AIDS
Hey Freepers,
I solicit your advice yet again. Here's my predicament:
I live in a city where I park behind my house. I drive down an alley to get to the place where I park. My parking area is gravel, and about six+ inches below the alley. However, there is usually enough gravel there to make a makeshift ramp of sorts, so I'm not driving/backing off/up a cliff.
However, recently, a neighbor moved into the sketchy apartments across the alley, and he drives a jeep wrangler. He discovered not long after moving in that he can take a very sharp left turn out of his driveway to go the "wrong way" down the alley and get out to a different street. Each time he does this, it pushes the gravel away from the incline. Now all that's there is rock-studded mud and a giant wave of gravel that his mud tires have created.
Driving over the huge bump knocks my tires out of alignment. I've asked the landlady for more gravel, but I doubt it's forthcoming.
Any ideas? (I'm not talking to him because he is very sketchy.) I'm not looking to damage his car, just discourage him from turning the wrong way.
Yes, I know it's trivial, but getting my car aligned costs way too much money, and new tires cost even more.
Thanks!
My thoughts exactly.
You might even be able to get the landlord to foot the cost for your improvement to his property.
Easily cut? If you have a sawmill maybe.
Excellent idea! Use landscape posts driven through it to hold it in place. Likely cheaper and definitely easier than concrete!
And tell your landlord/lady about the guy's sketchiness and the loitering and drinking.
Many commercial lumber yards will cut it for you - either a large band saw or even a chainsaw.
Most landscape places around here that sell them will cut them for you if you buy them. If not, a drill and sawzall should do the trick (drill pilot holes along the path of the cut and at the angle you want to cut and use the sawzall to work it small sections at a time between the pilot holes).
Thing is, you have to have the tools to cut it to shape, and we don't know if feline is a gal or guy, but some upper body strength necessary to drive in rebar...
If we're talking a little gal, the cement might be the easiest way to go.
“I’m not looking to damage his car
How did that enter into it, do think that is sometimes OK?”
No, I just mean I don’t want to put something there that he’s going to run over to “learn his lesson” or anything.
“You can build a frame or just build a dirt damn, pour quickcrete mix in, add water then pour gravel into the mix. when it hardens up it will hold the gravel in place. If you really want strength add some rebar, How come you cant ask your neighbor to avoid the gravel for you?”
I can’t ask him because he doesn’t look very friendly and has acted unfriendly before. Aka- Yelling things at me at night when I take my dog out when he and his friends are drinking out there.
I like this quickcrete idea. I don’t have any supplies except a hose and a shovel though. Will I need anything else?
Regarding the previous idea. I just checked Lowes.com and here, a 8’ railroad tie only costs $11 and Lowes will make two cuts for free (one for the length, one for the slope).
Perhaps it means "Please do not suggest anything illegal or immoral"
if the alley is private you can post it, and then have him charged with trespass if he uses it. if it is public, then there’s little you can legally do.
Simple...have the curb ground down so you don’t have to deal with the incline.
Tell them what you are trying to accomplish and they (if they are a good shop) will help you get it done. I think this will be easier and require less time and tools to accomplish.
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Tell him you think he'd make a good presidential candidate. It worked for the last guy, and he'd then be out of the neighborhood!.
Haha. Feline is a not-weak-not-powerlifter gal with no strong male friends.
I like the idea of the railroad tie, and I even have some in the vacant lot behind my place, but cutting it would be a beast, and (naturally) it’s not a clean angle. There’s a minicurb under the main one that’s uneven and broken away, which is why they added the gravel.
I’m thinking concrete is my best bet.
All this construction talk of railroad ties and concrete seems way too much like work. I know they say a little work never killed anybody, but why take the chance? May I suggest a simple cup of sugar in his gas tank and all of your problems will be solved. Further, since you describe him as sketchy, which I believe, he will probably think one of his sketchy friends did it to him as pay back. Just smile and listen to his tale of injustice as he tells you how expensive cleaning an entire fuel system is. Wish him luck next time, and maybe give him a locking gas cap as a sign of neighborly concern. Its a whole lot easier than busting your ass on a weekend when you could be watching football or something just as useful. My ten cents.
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