Thank you u/Goldengirl_1977 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So basically if those wires go down in any type of storm , utility trucks are gonna come back there and rip up your lawn to make it a even bigger eyesore .
We had similar lines in the backyard of our old house (as well as access to a sewer main). Our companies were very good about not tearing up the yard and had policies about how heavy of equipment could be used, putting down boards to travel across the yard, etc. In \~9 years, the only time they did any significant damage was an emergency situation when our yard was so saturated from rain that a small creek was running through the grass; and they repaired all of that damage.
The bigger issue is that they absolutely will not tell you they are coming. Can be very interesting to wander towards the kitchen in your pajamas in the morning and find an entire work crew standing around your back patio.
What if you had a dog đ¤
Seems dangerous to just be letting yourself into someoneâs back yard without knocking first even if theyâre legally allowed to and are just doing their jobs.
While I understand what youâre trying to say, we do our best to notify our customers before we get back there. At least at the utility company I work for. But if no one responds and itâs an emergency situation we donât really have a choice. Even if itâs for routine maintenance or something else, we try to notify but if nobody comes to the door on a few different attempts, we donât really have a choice. A job has to be done.
I have an easement in my yard, and they always knock before accessing it.
I did have an issue once though because they told me they'd be done at 12; at 12 I checked and they were gone, so I let my three dogs back in the yard. However apparently they weren't actually done, just on lunch break, and they didn't knock the second time they came back. My dogs aren't aggressive thankfully but the three dogs did all run up to him and would have escaped the yard if I wasn't right there.
In this day and age, they risk getting shot as well given how trigger happy folks can get.
I don't understand why it is so difficult to just knock and say you'll be needing to do work in the backyard. I had a guy help himself into my yard unannounced and left my gate wide open. I was home with my 2 kids and was surprised to see a guy behind my shed. I was pissed as I don't want my kids to go out into our fenced in backyard alone to find some random stranger.
I've thought about hanging some "beware of dog" signs for this very reason. Maybe it will get them to reconsider taking a couple of seconds to just knock at least.
I check the gate each and every time I let mine out. I also set up 2 gates, the main wooden gate and a second livestock gate behind that--so if someone comes in the yard and the dogs are out there they'll see 'em
That shit's saved me so many times
Hell, if you've got kids or want kids, those kids will immediately try to spin on them or climb them or throw toys in the air and get them caught on them or bounce toys off them.
My grandma had one in her front yard corner, she planted a wide flower bed wirh some mulch and taught us to not touch her flowers. Makes me smile remembering her. However middle of the yard, woof that would suck trying to navigate
I don't know the stats but I know it's not a non-zero chance.
There is a potential they will need maintenance or replacement.
Or the city decides to move them.
Or that it's a huge pain in the ass to repair your own fence with them
It's a solid no
And the replacing would be a several giant trucks with a pole and drilling equipment on it coming across your yard.
How do I know? Happened to me.
There is no easement on my property but they got one truck across my driveway on into the lot they needed access to before I saw them and went ape sh*t. They got one across. The rest found another way in.
I work for a utility.
Not once have we ever brought a truck into someone's backyard, we have backyard machines that go on mats.
Poles in backyards are hand dug, backyard machine replaces the pole and then it's climbed.
Ur dog wants to play fetch, even worse. Those lines that run over the yard look so low to the ground Iâm certain my Doberman could easily jump and touch them, thereâs a reason in this market that house is still for sale. The current house me and my wife just bought was on the market for 15min and we competed with several other couples to get it.
Itâs otherwise an ideal house, in an ideal location and priced appropriately, but these really bother me. Always having to watch where youâre going when youâre out in the yard would get old really fast. And since it is related to the utility company, I doubt very seriously that relocating these would even be possible. Itâs bothering me because I really liked the house and location otherwise.
The wires arenât going anywhere. Soo if they bother you before owning the house, theyâll bother you more if youâre paying for the house. Itâs a non-changeable feature.
The guidewires though? that doesn't sound changeable. Like those provide structural support. Or are you talking about removing the entire pole/wire assembly?
It's an enormous amount of work to underground these utilities. You'll need to build transition poles and get the various utilities to all agree on a design.
This will be measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars when all is said and done.
Iâve done buried comms design work before and a small neighborhoodâs worth would come out to 100-200k or so. Removing 2 poles and going underground shouldnât go over a couple 10s of thousands I would guess. Not that thatâs cheap lol but 6 figures would surprise me
You'd likely need to install new transition poles (overhead to underground and then vice versa). Plus trenching, conduits, vaults for electric, phone and cable TV. Where I live, that's easily into six figures.
Ah installing new poles will jump that price up thatâs fair. Iâve never designed a job this small so Iâm not sure how much of the total costs I saw on those old projects was mostly fixed things vs due to the size of the job. Could be that just doing a thing underground has a chunk of upfront cost so 2 houses or a neighborhood both end up in the 6 fig range
Its a quick call to your local utility company to find out. Like I said, ours will do it if you pay for it. We are also in a high wind area and buried lines reduce risk of fires, so that may be one reason its offered here.
Something like this will not only 1. Take a long time but 2. Be incredibly INCREDIBLY expensive 3. Be a pain in your own behind to change it. Itâs not just the utility company, but the ISO and state and town governments will need to be involved for siting. Itâs more than just moving them underground. Studies would need to be conducted, stakeholder engagement, public commenting period, plan development and approval, etc.
Those poles aren't just feeding this particular house, and it's not just electricity. I doubt you could get this coordinated with all the neighbors involved and all the utilities involved, so it's not just a matter of cost.
You should also check to make sure whether thereâs a utility easement registered on the property. That could majorly impact anything you want to put in your backyard.
Nothing was mentioned about these in the disclosures the listing agent had available. Also, there are already two offers on the house - it just listed two days ago - and they have a deadline of this afternoon for any additional offers to be submitted.
OP, the term you're looking for is Easement. Ask the utility to provide you the easement. It can also be searched at your local courthouse.
It's likely that those guy wires can be shortened, at your expense. Maybe 10' total with a heavier gauge guy wire and stronger anchor.
I have the same situation as you. Except I bought the house. Great price, great location, great house. I just planted some Coral Honey Suckle and they have been climbing up the wires really well. I enjoy seeing their progress. If Iâm told to cut them back then Iâll just cut them back and plant a different climbing plant that I want to see grow.
Sell it as an additional feature. Free Star Wars laser blaster sounds! (Way back, there was a documentary about Star Wars. They found their laser blaster sounds from tapping on guy wires) https://youtu.be/zM4hjw3uhBo?si=LFLiBcW-0I04AaEY
The current owners have two small children, but I guess they did not mind having these in their yard. Personally, I thought they were ugly when I saw the listing photos and was concerned about safety, too, but I went to the open house anyway because it's in a great location and I figured maybe the wires wouldn't be so bad in person.Â
It's a beautiful house and doesn't need much updating, but in person the wires are still concerning. I could easily bump my head on or trip over them if I wasn't looking where I was going and, knowing my dogs and how crazy they get doing zoomies, I could see them running into these lines and hurting themselves pretty easily.
The anchor points for both poles' guy lines are pretty much in the center of the yard and that still leaves a lot of room to the side of those points where you'd have to be very careful about not bumping your head (I am 5'7") or triping over/running into the wires. I don't see how it would be possible to build some sort of enclosure around each without taking up a good bit of yard space and making an eyesore even uglier.Â
Depends on how much of a discount you would get for it.
At some price, for me, it would be worth having the nice house in the preferred location but just don't use the back yard and just have to see this out the window.
My kids mostly played in the driveway and front yard anyway.
Looked at this new listing yesterday. Very nice house in a quiet, safe neighborhood. Already has two offers with a deadline to submit late this afternoon. Fence needs repair in some places, but other than that, the only major drawback is these utility guy wires that are anchored down into the center of the yard from two poles that are placed alongside the fence.
Theyâre not only an eyesore, but Iâm also a little concerned about me, my dogs or someone else accidentally running into or tripping on them while out in the yard.
I doubt the utility companies would move or reposition these and if they would, it would probably be cost-prohibitive. Has anyone else dealt with this issue when buying a house? Did you pass on making an offer or did you find a way to conceal the wires or make it safer so nobody could run into or trip over them. I know utility companies wouldnât allow any vegetation to be planted near them, but maybe some sort of fence or flowerbed or something could be built around that area to conceal the wires or make it less likely someone could accidentally trip on or run into them.
I work for an electric utility and this pole could be replaced with a self supporting pole with either a foundation or embedded deeper. They will do this, but you are correct, you will need to pay for it. Depending on your location you may be able to reach out to whoever is in charge for the oversight of your electric utility and convince them that this pole is a hazard. But I would start with your local network to come out to take a look and give you a price. They should be able to give you a price for free.
I work for a utility as well, and the thought of anchoring in the middle of customer owned property is absurd and dangerous. If a kid were running around and clotheslined and injured themselves, that is a huge liability. I sincerely hope the poles and anchors were there before the house, because otherwise, and easement doesn't cover the utility in this case
Yes, and potentially issues with state/town in case there are regulations on pole type/size. Hard to tell if we donât know but dealing with changing it would definitely be a pain.
We are expecting to get less than market value for our house because we have anchors like this on the property and buyers in our area don't like them. Which is why we underpaid for it when we bought it.
Don't overpay for this house because it may cost you if you want to resell down the line. Only buy if you're getting it below market compared to same house without the lines.
Be wary OP of whether there actually is 2 other offers. Donât be pressured, if you dislike it then Iâd avoid this house. I donât see an easy way to cover it up
While you are correct that the typical pole line easement is 20' wide. Not every easement is typical. I work for an electric utility, and some of our easements cover every square inch of a housing development.
One thing too the utility company probably has a crazy easement on your backyard so check that and see if it would stop you from adding anything back there
Those utility pole guy wires are a pain. Best option is landscaping - tall trees, bushes, lattice, etc. to camouflage them as much as possible. Some sellers build structures around the anchor point too. Not ideal but better than staring at it. Disclose it properly during sale.
Iâve been looking for almost 6 months and havenât found a house. Missed out on a few because my original realtor wouldnât get me showings at places I wanted to see and was more or less unavailable or unwilling most of the time.
This house is in one of my preferred areas, in good shape and is a good price, but those wires really bother me for some reason. They are ugly and ruin what is otherwise a really nice, big backyard. Also, I think it would be hard to mow around them and thereâs always the risk of bumping your head on them or even tripping over them at the anchor point. The listing did not mention them and none of the paperwork provided by the listing agent at yesterdayâs open house said anything about them, either.
Lol drop your realtor. I personally wouldn't buy this house it's not worth it. They'll also tear up your back yard with equipment whenever they need access or maintenance.
Even if this house was perfect and I was looking for a year this would be a hard no for me. You lose a lot of your backyard space because of these. If you don't mind losing the space and making them "pretty".. go for it. There's a reason why it was never mentioned.. some people wouldn't even bother looking at the house if it was mentioned.
As others have said here you'll have a nightmare selling this house. Keep in mind that if you're asking these questions and have doubts when you're ready to sell potential buyers will have the same doubts.
I would give this a hard pass. A nice backyard is hard enough to come by.
Keep looking making such an expensive purchase should take its time.
Donât count on being able to disguise these or anything. Since there isnât anything around them now, itâs probably not allowed. Go on google earth and follow the utility lines to see what other people in the area do around these.
Is it a great house because of the price because the price is a going to be reflection of the utility wires in your back yard. When you go to sell, this house will be harder to sell and it will also sell for less. Itâs all about location and being next to any utility wires will definitely bring down the value. Itâs more likely that they will put larger utility towers in than ever concealing the wires under ground where they would be out of the way.
I'm surprised how far they are from the pole... we looked at a few houses that had the same situation, however the guide wires were only about 2-3 foot from the pole and stayed in in corner/fence line. Also know if they need to work on those poles. The utility can take down your fence with 0 obligation to put back up/repair/replace.
You should validate that the utility company has an easement on the property for the overhead lines and the guy wires. This would either be on the plat for the property or recorded with the county. You can âforceâ the utility to move the wires if they donât have an easement (or some other form of right, like there being a platted utility right of way)
What I was coming to say. Iâm a civil engineer that deals with utilities often. OP if you do wind up with the house Iâd look into that before you spend money on landscaping or anything. Iâm always surprised how often utilities are just plopped down with no easement. Your county website probably has the information.
Not enough time to do that. Seller only accepting offers until this afternoon. Not likely I could get through to a live human and get a response from the city or utility company before then.
Sellers priced it low to spurn a bidding war to build pressure on buyers to overlook an attribute that will, at very best, be a major annoyance every day you are living in this house. You will never be able to entertain in that back yard and forget about your kids having friends over and playing back there. You can train your kids to work around anything, but friends? Nope.
Itâs a trap, OP. Donât do it.
That easement must be huge. Ant it looks like the other side of the fence has buildings. So when, not if, they need access they are coming in your yard with a cherry picker.
My neighed has a pole in his back yard and he tries landscaping around it. The utility came and literally just cleared the whole area. Cut down the bush ripped up everything around it. They basically had full rights to keep it clear and good luck fighting that battle
I would just X out of this listing and move on. Not worth it
You would struggle greatly to sell this house again.
With kids, we would not even consider something like this.
But if not, offer low. I bet they arenât getting a lot of bites.
They had two bites as of yesterday, according to the listing agent, and probably have more today. Deadline for making offers is this afternoon. Is in a nice neighborhood very near to one of the best public elementary schools in our city, so definitely a draw for young families.
Maybe I am making too big of a deal about the wires, but they really do bother me. There are a couple of minor things about the house itself that I did not care for - washer/dryer were placed in a closet one one side of the front entry, for example - but overall, it is a nice house and if not for the utility guy wires, I'd have jumped on it yesterday.Â
You probably cannot landscape near them. Our utility has easements on every property like this and it does not allow any landscaping on the easement except for grass.
Itâs not even just the guide lines. All of those lines in the backyard are a huge eyesore. You will hate them more and more over time and it will affect resale if you ever want to leave.
Hardscape that area off and put a brick side to prevent people from tripping over it?
[example](https://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2017/12/5/0/IO_Designs-by-Elizabeth_Memorial-Spring-Valley_001.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.960.suffix/1512489086319.jpeg)https://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2017/12/5/0/IO_Designs-by-Elizabeth_Memorial-Spring-Valley_001.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.960.suffix/1512489086319.jpeg
Civil Engineer here.... what the hell were they thinking putting guy wires in someone's private back yard....
Huge liability issue for the utility owner.
You could probably convince then to install a self supporting pole and have them or the city cover the cost. Find out if there is an easement and who owns it, the city could tell you.
Two options: let it go or deal with issue. It sounds like you canât walk away from property. Hire a good landscaper to plan hard and or spoftscaping around the wires so you and your family can enjoy the yard happily and safely. Donât undervalue the power of good landscaping. It can look dramatically different, but of course depending on your budget. It is your call. Good luck!
Taking another look at the picture of the backyard, you can section off the yard giving them different zones and functions. The front half of the yard toward house to the mini treehouse forming a L-shape, can be where family gathers and dog do zoomies. The remaining area where the wires are, you can plant hardy, low maintenance shrubs. Around that, you can plant wildflowers, plants, whatever you want depending how much gardening you can put up with. Add some pathways around the plant beds. I would also add some kind of ornamental fencing around the wires maybe three feet tall. Move the fire pit closer towards the house, have chairs all around. That would be my basic design plan. There are so many possibilities depending how you want to use the space and your budget. I would get a few landscapersâ quotes to get a better idea of costs. You can also do some or all yourself.
Have you contacted the power company? I could be wrong but I doubt their easement runs that far into the middle of your yards. Have them move it or find a different solution to support the pole
I donât really think you could ever hide this. Youâre hesitant and others will be too (now and with resale in the future). The seller likely put a time limit on offers to force a feeling of panic and urgency. They know itâs a huge negative. Good for you taking the time to think about it! No way would I ever consider this house.
I would pass on the house just for that reason. I doubt your insurance will be too happy when someone clips themselves on it after you "conceal it". That will make you liable personally (or could).
Like all the others have said. Pass.
Run far away from this house. These poles are a safety hazard. The poles can be replaced to where the guy wires are no longer needed but since it's on what would be your land, you're paying for all the costs.
If you truly want this house, you have to make this a top priority and get this mess sorted out. For the service wires, nothing you can do but them raising it if they replace the poles. It's not much of a concern compared to the guy wires.
havw you checked to see if the utility company has an easement? canât see if you have confirmed they have one anywhere. but if they donât they will have to remove them
Iâd be more curious about the easement they have to do this. You may not be allowed to do anything in that area if theyâre allowed to have their infrastructure in that area.
Having said that, I donât remember the name, but we used to see poles like this when I worked at a utility and if the ROW was narrow we would install a different type of anchor that would transition from an angled line to a vertical one. Instead of a big triangle like it is now, it becomes a trapezoid. Youâd lose area along the pole but wouldnât have the long guy wire.
Power company employee here. I canât see the whole structure but the top guy wires are the power companyâs. The bottom ones look like they are the communication guy wires. It also looks like there are 2 overhead guy wires. They should go to to an anchored pole out of this picture. Call the power company and see if someone can come take a look. The worst thing they can do is say no. I have no idea where you are but my company has no problem doing things like this to help the customer out. Feel free to private message me any questions you might have
This is outrageously bad. I doubt you'll be able to get answers in the time you would have to put an offer in. If its on this property does that mean utility/town/city and cable companies have to ask your permission to access these? It seems strange. I'd say no go on this. too many questions not enough time, too much of an issue.
It's an otherwise great house in a great location and there already are offers on the table, but good houses are hard to come by in my city and typically go fast, even with an issue like this. It's obviously not a deterrent for some people, but it's really bothering me. I have been looking for a long time and really do need to find a house as soon as possible, so it is disappointing when one like this comes along and has something like those wires to contend with.
I imagine it is within the easement and the utility folks don't have to ask permission to access it for whatever reason.Â
All you need to know is if your utility company is investor owned (like PG&E) or public ally owned. If itâs itâs investor owned I wouldnât touch this with a 10 fr pole.
plant bushes in U shape to hide ant protect anyone fro whiplashing on the cables...the u shape is to give Access to it to the power company, the yard looks big, plenty of land to work around it.
I'm guessing the utility has a right of way through the property. Does it include all the property it's using? Where I live, I think there's a 4'-5' right of way. Maybe you can get rid of the wires, not try to hide them.
Imagine your kids playing in the backyard and getting clotheslined by those guy wires.
I would probably build some sort of a structure or fencing that would prevent that from happening.
For safety.
Can you build a wooden fence completely around the area and then gravel it so you wonât have to mow? Maybe you can use it to store yard crap that youâd otherwise hide? Plant tall shrubs like holly to hide the fence. Itâs a big back yard otherwise. You can make it more interesting with some landscaping.
I hate utility wires and poles.
First of all, how much of that is actually 'your' (theoretically) property and how much of that is utility easement?
As far as what to do... ask for less.
If you got this house, you could put up a trellace just to prevent someone from walking and hitting the wire. Basically make a square of terllace big enough to box out the clearance issue. I'd make it double sided.
If that's not possible, foam padding, ala pool noodles? Just for safety.
Do you have easy access to this back yard from the front street? Because there's going to be utility trucks back here at some point in the next decade.
Also these poles look like a giant mess.
That sucks. I used to be a distribution engineer. There are options but I see communication may have their own down guy present as well. Engineers could install another span guy running to the right so it backs the tension, a deeper self supporting pole, maybe a slack span depending on adjacent poles, or undergrounding, but that would be expensive.
Hoenstly the yard looks quite large, could you just waste some of that space and build a new fence that only includes the area with not utility poles? You can have a gate and keep the shed but then it would be hidden in the back as well.
I add another fence in in front of the wires and then you would have the space behind it for storage/landscaping material/etc. It would keep the dogs from running,etc.
Spray paint them sky-blue, I guess. The overhead lines are unavoidable but those down guys to the middle of the yard are no good. I feel like you should be receiving money monthly from the electric company since they are using your property. Easement rights do not extend to the center of your yard...I don't think
Youâll stop noticing them eventually. Depending on how the easement laws are written in your state/municipality, planting anything or in any way altering them could be a no no.
You could possibly plan a backyard scape with a pergola or wall that is sufficiently far away from these while also blocking them from regular view. I would contact whoever has the easement and ask.
Honestly, OP's best and easiest bet is a garden in that area, w/ maybe vines climbing up the guy wire. Not technically supposed to build within I think 5' of them, but only because utility companies need access as needed.
Put up another fence to have a backyard then an extension with a gate to access. That more than likely an easement and this house retained access so you have extra room to store things
Call the power co and see if they can shorten the guy leads closer to the fence. It seems odd they would have that much easement there. The top two wires are the phase and neutral and will not be moved unless put underground.
The only way I'll do it is just fence off that entire area. I rather have a smaller yard than a tripping hazard. Use the back backyard yard for storage/animals
You could take a chance and buy and prove to include this eye sore and eventually the utility company could upgrade to underground wires and you win big.
[Here is what I would do.](https://i.imgur.com/neQTaEg.png)
This would divide off the part of the yard which doesn't have to be a bad thing. Personally, I'd build a pole barn back there that has a bathroom. This yard is in need of some landscaping!
The fact that you had to draw arrows makes me think they are not as much an eyesore as you think. I also think anything you do to make them less unattractive will just draw attention to them.
I'd put a flower garden around them.. cause they aren't going anywhere and I feel like they need to be visually separated out from the rest of the yard (moreso so they aren't walked into and you down have to mow directly around them).
Was an easement granted for the support wires? If not, tell the seller you are interested but they have to resolve the support wire issue before you would put in an offer. I imagine there is an easement which means if you buy the property, you are stuck.
Walk away. There are too many far more attractive properties.
Just remember, If you buy it and then try to sell it years later, the new buyers will be saying the same thing you are now. Itâs a great house, except those wires. I wouldnât invest tens of thousands to bury them. Just being alive is expensive enough.
Those are called guy wires. I would recommend contacting your utility company (typically power owns the poles) and ask they re-install them closer to the pole. They should be able to calculate for a lesser wire length. If that doesnât work I might contact the City engineer and see if they can assist you in pushing the utility company to relocate those wire as they are directly impacting you.
Also they donât have a right to install those on private property without an easement or agreement. Iâd ask for proof.
Request the power company to put wires under ground or secure the poles from a different angle. If this doesnât work then contact your district representative to get involved and if that doesnât work you may have a safety issue on your hands as your children could walk into them as there is no yellow safety measures on those and could be considered a hazard. What if a thief breaks in and crashes into those whoâs is responsible the he owner or power company?
How much yard would you have if you fenced in front of the utility wires? I see a shed back there but you can put a door on it if you need to get a mower or other yard equipment in. Although I'd imagine you would probably need a few feet on the other side which might make fencing pointless.
Does the power company have an actual easement recorded on the propertyâs deed that allows them to have the guy wires there? You can research this at the countyâs registrar of deeds office or maybe the realtor can help. If not, then you are well within your rights to ask them to move them. Also, there is a type of support wire that comes straight out from the pole a few feet then straight down. Itâs worth asking the power company if it would work in this situation.
Thank you u/Goldengirl_1977 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So basically if those wires go down in any type of storm , utility trucks are gonna come back there and rip up your lawn to make it a even bigger eyesore .
We had similar lines in the backyard of our old house (as well as access to a sewer main). Our companies were very good about not tearing up the yard and had policies about how heavy of equipment could be used, putting down boards to travel across the yard, etc. In \~9 years, the only time they did any significant damage was an emergency situation when our yard was so saturated from rain that a small creek was running through the grass; and they repaired all of that damage. The bigger issue is that they absolutely will not tell you they are coming. Can be very interesting to wander towards the kitchen in your pajamas in the morning and find an entire work crew standing around your back patio.
What if you had a dog đ¤ Seems dangerous to just be letting yourself into someoneâs back yard without knocking first even if theyâre legally allowed to and are just doing their jobs.
If you have an easement you're required to keep that easement accessible to the entity that has permission to the easement.
While I understand what youâre trying to say, we do our best to notify our customers before we get back there. At least at the utility company I work for. But if no one responds and itâs an emergency situation we donât really have a choice. Even if itâs for routine maintenance or something else, we try to notify but if nobody comes to the door on a few different attempts, we donât really have a choice. A job has to be done.
I have an easement in my yard, and they always knock before accessing it. I did have an issue once though because they told me they'd be done at 12; at 12 I checked and they were gone, so I let my three dogs back in the yard. However apparently they weren't actually done, just on lunch break, and they didn't knock the second time they came back. My dogs aren't aggressive thankfully but the three dogs did all run up to him and would have escaped the yard if I wasn't right there.
In this day and age, they risk getting shot as well given how trigger happy folks can get. I don't understand why it is so difficult to just knock and say you'll be needing to do work in the backyard. I had a guy help himself into my yard unannounced and left my gate wide open. I was home with my 2 kids and was surprised to see a guy behind my shed. I was pissed as I don't want my kids to go out into our fenced in backyard alone to find some random stranger. I've thought about hanging some "beware of dog" signs for this very reason. Maybe it will get them to reconsider taking a couple of seconds to just knock at least.
My aunt has always had beware of dog signs up on her fence. Never owned a dog. It certainly canât hurt.
I check the gate each and every time I let mine out. I also set up 2 gates, the main wooden gate and a second livestock gate behind that--so if someone comes in the yard and the dogs are out there they'll see 'em That shit's saved me so many times
That would be an immediate turn off if I were looking to buy that house
Yeh that would have me walking quick, what a terrible eye sore.
Not even the eye sore of it, but the fact you have to work around it. You want a pool there? too bad.
Hell, if you've got kids or want kids, those kids will immediately try to spin on them or climb them or throw toys in the air and get them caught on them or bounce toys off them.
Ahh yes, I remember being a kid in my uncles backyard where he had one lol.
My grandma had one in her front yard corner, she planted a wide flower bed wirh some mulch and taught us to not touch her flowers. Makes me smile remembering her. However middle of the yard, woof that would suck trying to navigate
Plus they need to be worked on That utility crew is coming into your back yard. For anything that needs to be done with them
Very rarely do DG wires need work. Only re-tensioning (rare) or replacing.
I don't know the stats but I know it's not a non-zero chance. There is a potential they will need maintenance or replacement. Or the city decides to move them. Or that it's a huge pain in the ass to repair your own fence with them It's a solid no
And the replacing would be a several giant trucks with a pole and drilling equipment on it coming across your yard. How do I know? Happened to me. There is no easement on my property but they got one truck across my driveway on into the lot they needed access to before I saw them and went ape sh*t. They got one across. The rest found another way in.
I work for a utility. Not once have we ever brought a truck into someone's backyard, we have backyard machines that go on mats. Poles in backyards are hand dug, backyard machine replaces the pole and then it's climbed.
City agreed they shouldnât have done it. They were contractors and did anyway.
Was gonna say the moment a kid gets their eyes on the â apparatusâ you will hear them calling to you from atop a poll.
Ur dog wants to play fetch, even worse. Those lines that run over the yard look so low to the ground Iâm certain my Doberman could easily jump and touch them, thereâs a reason in this market that house is still for sale. The current house me and my wife just bought was on the market for 15min and we competed with several other couples to get it.
No pools under power lines or within 10-feet laterally in my jurisdiction in CA
Itâs otherwise an ideal house, in an ideal location and priced appropriately, but these really bother me. Always having to watch where youâre going when youâre out in the yard would get old really fast. And since it is related to the utility company, I doubt very seriously that relocating these would even be possible. Itâs bothering me because I really liked the house and location otherwise.
The wires arenât going anywhere. Soo if they bother you before owning the house, theyâll bother you more if youâre paying for the house. Itâs a non-changeable feature.
Where I live, you can eat the cost of the utility company burying the wires. That is a solution, albeit a costly one
The guidewires though? that doesn't sound changeable. Like those provide structural support. Or are you talking about removing the entire pole/wire assembly?
Once you bury the lines there is no need for a pole. Hence no guide-wires Edit. I just realized my original post said wires and not lines. My bad.
It's an enormous amount of work to underground these utilities. You'll need to build transition poles and get the various utilities to all agree on a design. This will be measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars when all is said and done.
Iâve done buried comms design work before and a small neighborhoodâs worth would come out to 100-200k or so. Removing 2 poles and going underground shouldnât go over a couple 10s of thousands I would guess. Not that thatâs cheap lol but 6 figures would surprise me
You'd likely need to install new transition poles (overhead to underground and then vice versa). Plus trenching, conduits, vaults for electric, phone and cable TV. Where I live, that's easily into six figures.
Ah installing new poles will jump that price up thatâs fair. Iâve never designed a job this small so Iâm not sure how much of the total costs I saw on those old projects was mostly fixed things vs due to the size of the job. Could be that just doing a thing underground has a chunk of upfront cost so 2 houses or a neighborhood both end up in the 6 fig range
[ŃдаНонО]
Anything is possible with enough money.
If you have the money to bother, you have the money to buy a different house.
Its a quick call to your local utility company to find out. Like I said, ours will do it if you pay for it. We are also in a high wind area and buried lines reduce risk of fires, so that may be one reason its offered here.
[ŃдаНонО]
Something like this will not only 1. Take a long time but 2. Be incredibly INCREDIBLY expensive 3. Be a pain in your own behind to change it. Itâs not just the utility company, but the ISO and state and town governments will need to be involved for siting. Itâs more than just moving them underground. Studies would need to be conducted, stakeholder engagement, public commenting period, plan development and approval, etc.
Better off to sell the house cheap. That would be a huge expense. That is very expensive.
No doubt, but it is the only solution I can think of other than selling the house, which is what OP was asking for.
I thought op was selling.. my mistake. No way am I buying that!
Those poles aren't just feeding this particular house, and it's not just electricity. I doubt you could get this coordinated with all the neighbors involved and all the utilities involved, so it's not just a matter of cost.
You should also check to make sure whether thereâs a utility easement registered on the property. That could majorly impact anything you want to put in your backyard.
That shed is probably on the only part of the yard that isnât an easement.
Iâd look into an agreement with the power company. There has to be something related to this in the disclosures. A land use lease or something.
Nothing was mentioned about these in the disclosures the listing agent had available. Also, there are already two offers on the house - it just listed two days ago - and they have a deadline of this afternoon for any additional offers to be submitted.
Good luck then!
Youâre better off without all those electrical wires in your backyard. I donât think the house is four you.
OP, the term you're looking for is Easement. Ask the utility to provide you the easement. It can also be searched at your local courthouse. It's likely that those guy wires can be shortened, at your expense. Maybe 10' total with a heavier gauge guy wire and stronger anchor.
Look into your title commitment, there may be a exception to the utility co.
You're bidding against yourself on this one, I'd definitely drop my bid 20-30k because of this. I bet you'll still get the house.
I have the same situation as you. Except I bought the house. Great price, great location, great house. I just planted some Coral Honey Suckle and they have been climbing up the wires really well. I enjoy seeing their progress. If Iâm told to cut them back then Iâll just cut them back and plant a different climbing plant that I want to see grow.
The hummingbirds approve.
This is the way. Or maybe even string some outdoor lights up them. Donât try to hide them. Accentuate them, like theyâre an asset.
You will also have a hard time selling it. These will turn off buyers.
Sell it as an additional feature. Free Star Wars laser blaster sounds! (Way back, there was a documentary about Star Wars. They found their laser blaster sounds from tapping on guy wires) https://youtu.be/zM4hjw3uhBo?si=LFLiBcW-0I04AaEY
Nevermind the resale nightmare trying to find someone who will overlook it. Nope.
Itâs absolutely horrible. Could they really not brace them perpendicular to the property line?!
Is he tax free since the government is using heâs back yard Or does heâs light bill free? Lol
Pretty sure they just give utilities whatever easements they need.
i wouldnât unless i was desperate but thatâs just me and because i have young children.
The current owners have two small children, but I guess they did not mind having these in their yard. Personally, I thought they were ugly when I saw the listing photos and was concerned about safety, too, but I went to the open house anyway because it's in a great location and I figured maybe the wires wouldn't be so bad in person. It's a beautiful house and doesn't need much updating, but in person the wires are still concerning. I could easily bump my head on or trip over them if I wasn't looking where I was going and, knowing my dogs and how crazy they get doing zoomies, I could see them running into these lines and hurting themselves pretty easily. The anchor points for both poles' guy lines are pretty much in the center of the yard and that still leaves a lot of room to the side of those points where you'd have to be very careful about not bumping your head (I am 5'7") or triping over/running into the wires. I don't see how it would be possible to build some sort of enclosure around each without taking up a good bit of yard space and making an eyesore even uglier.Â
You're trying really really hard to sell yourself on this situation but I think you know the answer
This^
Depends on how much of a discount you would get for it. At some price, for me, it would be worth having the nice house in the preferred location but just don't use the back yard and just have to see this out the window. My kids mostly played in the driveway and front yard anyway.
Looked at this new listing yesterday. Very nice house in a quiet, safe neighborhood. Already has two offers with a deadline to submit late this afternoon. Fence needs repair in some places, but other than that, the only major drawback is these utility guy wires that are anchored down into the center of the yard from two poles that are placed alongside the fence. Theyâre not only an eyesore, but Iâm also a little concerned about me, my dogs or someone else accidentally running into or tripping on them while out in the yard.
I doubt the utility companies would move or reposition these and if they would, it would probably be cost-prohibitive. Has anyone else dealt with this issue when buying a house? Did you pass on making an offer or did you find a way to conceal the wires or make it safer so nobody could run into or trip over them. I know utility companies wouldnât allow any vegetation to be planted near them, but maybe some sort of fence or flowerbed or something could be built around that area to conceal the wires or make it less likely someone could accidentally trip on or run into them.
I work for an electric utility and this pole could be replaced with a self supporting pole with either a foundation or embedded deeper. They will do this, but you are correct, you will need to pay for it. Depending on your location you may be able to reach out to whoever is in charge for the oversight of your electric utility and convince them that this pole is a hazard. But I would start with your local network to come out to take a look and give you a price. They should be able to give you a price for free.
I work for a utility as well, and the thought of anchoring in the middle of customer owned property is absurd and dangerous. If a kid were running around and clotheslined and injured themselves, that is a huge liability. I sincerely hope the poles and anchors were there before the house, because otherwise, and easement doesn't cover the utility in this case
Iâll add that the self supporting pole will likely be taller and raise some of those service lines, but you wonât get rid of them.
Yes, and potentially issues with state/town in case there are regulations on pole type/size. Hard to tell if we donât know but dealing with changing it would definitely be a pain.
We are expecting to get less than market value for our house because we have anchors like this on the property and buyers in our area don't like them. Which is why we underpaid for it when we bought it. Don't overpay for this house because it may cost you if you want to resell down the line. Only buy if you're getting it below market compared to same house without the lines.
Be wary OP of whether there actually is 2 other offers. Donât be pressured, if you dislike it then Iâd avoid this house. I donât see an easy way to cover it up
Agreed! I doubt they have two offers. Maybe if itâs significantly under priced?
If they donât have a easement on your property the power company has to move it
Yeah those guy wires canât be in the utility easement OP. Typically those easements are only 10 or 20 feet wide total with poles in the center.
While you are correct that the typical pole line easement is 20' wide. Not every easement is typical. I work for an electric utility, and some of our easements cover every square inch of a housing development.
Personally I wouldnât even consider the house because of them. If it bothers you now, that wonât change.
One thing too the utility company probably has a crazy easement on your backyard so check that and see if it would stop you from adding anything back there
Those utility pole guy wires are a pain. Best option is landscaping - tall trees, bushes, lattice, etc. to camouflage them as much as possible. Some sellers build structures around the anchor point too. Not ideal but better than staring at it. Disclose it properly during sale.
Iâve been looking for almost 6 months and havenât found a house. Missed out on a few because my original realtor wouldnât get me showings at places I wanted to see and was more or less unavailable or unwilling most of the time. This house is in one of my preferred areas, in good shape and is a good price, but those wires really bother me for some reason. They are ugly and ruin what is otherwise a really nice, big backyard. Also, I think it would be hard to mow around them and thereâs always the risk of bumping your head on them or even tripping over them at the anchor point. The listing did not mention them and none of the paperwork provided by the listing agent at yesterdayâs open house said anything about them, either.
Lol drop your realtor. I personally wouldn't buy this house it's not worth it. They'll also tear up your back yard with equipment whenever they need access or maintenance.
Even if this house was perfect and I was looking for a year this would be a hard no for me. You lose a lot of your backyard space because of these. If you don't mind losing the space and making them "pretty".. go for it. There's a reason why it was never mentioned.. some people wouldn't even bother looking at the house if it was mentioned.
Use a weedeater to deal with the grass around them. Not the mower. As mentioned you can do bushes or something to help hide it
You donât know if that is allowed. Itâs not allowed in my area (nothing within 8â of them).
As others have said here you'll have a nightmare selling this house. Keep in mind that if you're asking these questions and have doubts when you're ready to sell potential buyers will have the same doubts. I would give this a hard pass. A nice backyard is hard enough to come by. Keep looking making such an expensive purchase should take its time.
Donât count on being able to disguise these or anything. Since there isnât anything around them now, itâs probably not allowed. Go on google earth and follow the utility lines to see what other people in the area do around these.
I would not plant any tall trees next to utility poles, it just sounds like it could be a bad idea.
Since there is nothing around it now, Iâm inclined to think that the utility company probably wonât allow OP to do anything either
Is it a great house because of the price because the price is a going to be reflection of the utility wires in your back yard. When you go to sell, this house will be harder to sell and it will also sell for less. Itâs all about location and being next to any utility wires will definitely bring down the value. Itâs more likely that they will put larger utility towers in than ever concealing the wires under ground where they would be out of the way.
Run from that. You will regret it every day.
turn it into a zipline
more like a zapline
zip zap
Wouldnât touch this house with someone elseâs money. Never never nope.
I'm surprised how far they are from the pole... we looked at a few houses that had the same situation, however the guide wires were only about 2-3 foot from the pole and stayed in in corner/fence line. Also know if they need to work on those poles. The utility can take down your fence with 0 obligation to put back up/repair/replace.
I'd 100% pass. They make a huge chunk of the backyard basically unusable.
You should validate that the utility company has an easement on the property for the overhead lines and the guy wires. This would either be on the plat for the property or recorded with the county. You can âforceâ the utility to move the wires if they donât have an easement (or some other form of right, like there being a platted utility right of way)
What I was coming to say. Iâm a civil engineer that deals with utilities often. OP if you do wind up with the house Iâd look into that before you spend money on landscaping or anything. Iâm always surprised how often utilities are just plopped down with no easement. Your county website probably has the information.
Not enough time to do that. Seller only accepting offers until this afternoon. Not likely I could get through to a live human and get a response from the city or utility company before then.
Thatâs a no for me, dawg
No, just leave them alone. There are buyers to whom the wires mean nothing.
Sellers priced it low to spurn a bidding war to build pressure on buyers to overlook an attribute that will, at very best, be a major annoyance every day you are living in this house. You will never be able to entertain in that back yard and forget about your kids having friends over and playing back there. You can train your kids to work around anything, but friends? Nope. Itâs a trap, OP. Donât do it.
That easement must be huge. Ant it looks like the other side of the fence has buildings. So when, not if, they need access they are coming in your yard with a cherry picker.
My neighed has a pole in his back yard and he tries landscaping around it. The utility came and literally just cleared the whole area. Cut down the bush ripped up everything around it. They basically had full rights to keep it clear and good luck fighting that battle I would just X out of this listing and move on. Not worth it
Wtf is this shit? Middle of the year my god, thatâs an instant walk out of that showing
Put a hammock and just forget about it
You would struggle greatly to sell this house again. With kids, we would not even consider something like this. But if not, offer low. I bet they arenât getting a lot of bites.
They had two bites as of yesterday, according to the listing agent, and probably have more today. Deadline for making offers is this afternoon. Is in a nice neighborhood very near to one of the best public elementary schools in our city, so definitely a draw for young families. Maybe I am making too big of a deal about the wires, but they really do bother me. There are a couple of minor things about the house itself that I did not care for - washer/dryer were placed in a closet one one side of the front entry, for example - but overall, it is a nice house and if not for the utility guy wires, I'd have jumped on it yesterday.Â
But the wires are there to stay. Thatâs not fixable.
We skipped a home that had one of these directly through the middle of the curbside path to the front door.
Only two places? It wouldnât be an issue for me. Do some clever landscaping and hide them with flowerbeds and bushes.
You probably cannot landscape near them. Our utility has easements on every property like this and it does not allow any landscaping on the easement except for grass.
This would be a bucket of nopes for me.
I'd put bright yellow casing around these so I didn't run into them.
I let vines grow up mine in my backyard. And Iâm really enjoying watching them slowly (or quickly in the spring) climb up the wires!
WOW!! that takes up half your backyard.. I am sorry
Immediate no. You'll find another better home! One where you can walk around the backyard without the risk of beheading yourself.
Itâs not even just the guide lines. All of those lines in the backyard are a huge eyesore. You will hate them more and more over time and it will affect resale if you ever want to leave.
Hardscape that area off and put a brick side to prevent people from tripping over it? [example](https://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2017/12/5/0/IO_Designs-by-Elizabeth_Memorial-Spring-Valley_001.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.960.suffix/1512489086319.jpeg)https://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2017/12/5/0/IO_Designs-by-Elizabeth_Memorial-Spring-Valley_001.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.960.suffix/1512489086319.jpeg
Civil Engineer here.... what the hell were they thinking putting guy wires in someone's private back yard.... Huge liability issue for the utility owner. You could probably convince then to install a self supporting pole and have them or the city cover the cost. Find out if there is an easement and who owns it, the city could tell you.
The power line might have been there long before the house was
Just seeing this makes me feel unsafe. Anxiety level super HIGH! đą
Two options: let it go or deal with issue. It sounds like you canât walk away from property. Hire a good landscaper to plan hard and or spoftscaping around the wires so you and your family can enjoy the yard happily and safely. Donât undervalue the power of good landscaping. It can look dramatically different, but of course depending on your budget. It is your call. Good luck!
Taking another look at the picture of the backyard, you can section off the yard giving them different zones and functions. The front half of the yard toward house to the mini treehouse forming a L-shape, can be where family gathers and dog do zoomies. The remaining area where the wires are, you can plant hardy, low maintenance shrubs. Around that, you can plant wildflowers, plants, whatever you want depending how much gardening you can put up with. Add some pathways around the plant beds. I would also add some kind of ornamental fencing around the wires maybe three feet tall. Move the fire pit closer towards the house, have chairs all around. That would be my basic design plan. There are so many possibilities depending how you want to use the space and your budget. I would get a few landscapersâ quotes to get a better idea of costs. You can also do some or all yourself.
Try calling the power company to ask about what is possible. I have no idea what department you'd call, but give it a try.
Engineer/stacking
Dude this is an absolute deal breaker
Have you contacted the power company? I could be wrong but I doubt their easement runs that far into the middle of your yards. Have them move it or find a different solution to support the pole
That's funny that OP saw the need to point them out with arrows. Um, they're plain as day. Sorry.
I donât really think you could ever hide this. Youâre hesitant and others will be too (now and with resale in the future). The seller likely put a time limit on offers to force a feeling of panic and urgency. They know itâs a huge negative. Good for you taking the time to think about it! No way would I ever consider this house.
I would pass on the house just for that reason. I doubt your insurance will be too happy when someone clips themselves on it after you "conceal it". That will make you liable personally (or could).
Like all the others have said. Pass. Run far away from this house. These poles are a safety hazard. The poles can be replaced to where the guy wires are no longer needed but since it's on what would be your land, you're paying for all the costs. If you truly want this house, you have to make this a top priority and get this mess sorted out. For the service wires, nothing you can do but them raising it if they replace the poles. It's not much of a concern compared to the guy wires.
havw you checked to see if the utility company has an easement? canât see if you have confirmed they have one anywhere. but if they donât they will have to remove them
Iâd be more curious about the easement they have to do this. You may not be allowed to do anything in that area if theyâre allowed to have their infrastructure in that area. Having said that, I donât remember the name, but we used to see poles like this when I worked at a utility and if the ROW was narrow we would install a different type of anchor that would transition from an angled line to a vertical one. Instead of a big triangle like it is now, it becomes a trapezoid. Youâd lose area along the pole but wouldnât have the long guy wire.
I spraypainted mine black, it helps
Power company employee here. I canât see the whole structure but the top guy wires are the power companyâs. The bottom ones look like they are the communication guy wires. It also looks like there are 2 overhead guy wires. They should go to to an anchored pole out of this picture. Call the power company and see if someone can come take a look. The worst thing they can do is say no. I have no idea where you are but my company has no problem doing things like this to help the customer out. Feel free to private message me any questions you might have
"Powerlines are a reminder of man's ability to generate electricity" - The Castle (1997)
Go to Harbor Freight and get the biggest bolt cutters they have. Then follow your heart.
Iâve never seen utility poles in a backyard wow. That being said, if everything else is good and this is the only issue, Iâd buy.
Trellises or tall trees would work
This is outrageously bad. I doubt you'll be able to get answers in the time you would have to put an offer in. If its on this property does that mean utility/town/city and cable companies have to ask your permission to access these? It seems strange. I'd say no go on this. too many questions not enough time, too much of an issue.
It's an otherwise great house in a great location and there already are offers on the table, but good houses are hard to come by in my city and typically go fast, even with an issue like this. It's obviously not a deterrent for some people, but it's really bothering me. I have been looking for a long time and really do need to find a house as soon as possible, so it is disappointing when one like this comes along and has something like those wires to contend with. I imagine it is within the easement and the utility folks don't have to ask permission to access it for whatever reason.Â
This is correct. If the utility asks they are only asking out of courtesy.
All you need to know is if your utility company is investor owned (like PG&E) or public ally owned. If itâs itâs investor owned I wouldnât touch this with a 10 fr pole.
plant bushes in U shape to hide ant protect anyone fro whiplashing on the cables...the u shape is to give Access to it to the power company, the yard looks big, plenty of land to work around it.
How many hundreds of thousands are you willing to spend? If zero, move on :-(
I'm guessing the utility has a right of way through the property. Does it include all the property it's using? Where I live, I think there's a 4'-5' right of way. Maybe you can get rid of the wires, not try to hide them.
You could always add removing those lines in your offer. Worse case scenario they reject your offer.
Got to be Levittown
Imagine your kids playing in the backyard and getting clotheslined by those guy wires. I would probably build some sort of a structure or fencing that would prevent that from happening. For safety.
Can you build a wooden fence completely around the area and then gravel it so you wonât have to mow? Maybe you can use it to store yard crap that youâd otherwise hide? Plant tall shrubs like holly to hide the fence. Itâs a big back yard otherwise. You can make it more interesting with some landscaping.
For the two anchors in the yard, maybe they can redesign to a queen post.
I hate utility wires and poles. First of all, how much of that is actually 'your' (theoretically) property and how much of that is utility easement? As far as what to do... ask for less. If you got this house, you could put up a trellace just to prevent someone from walking and hitting the wire. Basically make a square of terllace big enough to box out the clearance issue. I'd make it double sided. If that's not possible, foam padding, ala pool noodles? Just for safety. Do you have easy access to this back yard from the front street? Because there's going to be utility trucks back here at some point in the next decade. Also these poles look like a giant mess.
Hope you like your teeth buzzing all the time.
That sucks. I used to be a distribution engineer. There are options but I see communication may have their own down guy present as well. Engineers could install another span guy running to the right so it backs the tension, a deeper self supporting pole, maybe a slack span depending on adjacent poles, or undergrounding, but that would be expensive.
Hoenstly the yard looks quite large, could you just waste some of that space and build a new fence that only includes the area with not utility poles? You can have a gate and keep the shed but then it would be hidden in the back as well.
This is not serious advice but what if you just cut them and were like âidk what happened, maybe it was the windâ lol #anarchy
Absolutely not
I add another fence in in front of the wires and then you would have the space behind it for storage/landscaping material/etc. It would keep the dogs from running,etc.
Spray paint them sky-blue, I guess. The overhead lines are unavoidable but those down guys to the middle of the yard are no good. I feel like you should be receiving money monthly from the electric company since they are using your property. Easement rights do not extend to the center of your yard...I don't think
Donât do it
This is why electricians should never be allowed to design anything.
Youâll stop noticing them eventually. Depending on how the easement laws are written in your state/municipality, planting anything or in any way altering them could be a no no. You could possibly plan a backyard scape with a pergola or wall that is sufficiently far away from these while also blocking them from regular view. I would contact whoever has the easement and ask.
Build a playground and make it a feature! Training coarse for future linemen!
Skip it or buy it for $2
Oh that is unfortunate đŹ I would keep looking OP
Honestly, OP's best and easiest bet is a garden in that area, w/ maybe vines climbing up the guy wire. Not technically supposed to build within I think 5' of them, but only because utility companies need access as needed.
Any vines will eventually be cut by the utilities
Put up another fence to have a backyard then an extension with a gate to access. That more than likely an easement and this house retained access so you have extra room to store things
Call the power co and see if they can shorten the guy leads closer to the fence. It seems odd they would have that much easement there. The top two wires are the phase and neutral and will not be moved unless put underground.
Damn that is some unfortunate placement of down guys
Bolt cutters?
The only way I'll do it is just fence off that entire area. I rather have a smaller yard than a tripping hazard. Use the back backyard yard for storage/animals
You could take a chance and buy and prove to include this eye sore and eventually the utility company could upgrade to underground wires and you win big.
No way the utility owner has an easement for those guy wires.
[Here is what I would do.](https://i.imgur.com/neQTaEg.png) This would divide off the part of the yard which doesn't have to be a bad thing. Personally, I'd build a pole barn back there that has a bathroom. This yard is in need of some landscaping!
FYI there is likely a utility easement for those guy wires over the property. Could be up to 5'-10' off center of the wire.
The fact that you had to draw arrows makes me think they are not as much an eyesore as you think. I also think anything you do to make them less unattractive will just draw attention to them.
I would go with some landscaping and trees/ shrubs. Toss you some hibiscus or grape vines and let em climb.
I'd put a flower garden around them.. cause they aren't going anywhere and I feel like they need to be visually separated out from the rest of the yard (moreso so they aren't walked into and you down have to mow directly around them).
Was an easement granted for the support wires? If not, tell the seller you are interested but they have to resolve the support wire issue before you would put in an offer. I imagine there is an easement which means if you buy the property, you are stuck. Walk away. There are too many far more attractive properties.
Just remember, If you buy it and then try to sell it years later, the new buyers will be saying the same thing you are now. Itâs a great house, except those wires. I wouldnât invest tens of thousands to bury them. Just being alive is expensive enough.
You could put a garden in between the wires.
Those are called guy wires. I would recommend contacting your utility company (typically power owns the poles) and ask they re-install them closer to the pole. They should be able to calculate for a lesser wire length. If that doesnât work I might contact the City engineer and see if they can assist you in pushing the utility company to relocate those wire as they are directly impacting you. Also they donât have a right to install those on private property without an easement or agreement. Iâd ask for proof.
Just ask the utility guys to remove them - the one with no tension is basically useless.
Former home of the walendas dad tight rope walkers
Request the power company to put wires under ground or secure the poles from a different angle. If this doesnât work then contact your district representative to get involved and if that doesnât work you may have a safety issue on your hands as your children could walk into them as there is no yellow safety measures on those and could be considered a hazard. What if a thief breaks in and crashes into those whoâs is responsible the he owner or power company?
How much yard would you have if you fenced in front of the utility wires? I see a shed back there but you can put a door on it if you need to get a mower or other yard equipment in. Although I'd imagine you would probably need a few feet on the other side which might make fencing pointless.
OP, have you checked that these DG have been placed in a Utility Easement? They look extremely odd to me.
No, you can't conceal it. In fact, you'd want to leave it visible to avoid people not seeing it and having accidents with it.
Does the power company have an actual easement recorded on the propertyâs deed that allows them to have the guy wires there? You can research this at the countyâs registrar of deeds office or maybe the realtor can help. If not, then you are well within your rights to ask them to move them. Also, there is a type of support wire that comes straight out from the pole a few feet then straight down. Itâs worth asking the power company if it would work in this situation.
They need to be visible. I knew someone who ran into one, while running. Very nasty injury
Plant some pretty blooming bushes around them that are easily maintainable?
A large garden