Extending driveway sides

[MotoCARR]

Next few weeks may be graduating from condo living to home-ownership, in a few weeks. Question on extending the driveway sides.....I am aware that there are predefined property lines, and I would assume that certain things can't be built RIGHT up to the line, there would need to be some "buffer" space.

Couple questions:
1. Am I right in assuming that I would not be able to extend the green shaded area right up to the property line or does that only apply to trees/structures that could overhang?
2. Assuming the thumbs up from the village, guesstimates of the cost to convert grass to asphalt?

It would be nice for a little extra space to park a vehicle if needed considering the house is right at an intersection and we can't park in the street when it snows.

 

[carhunter]

Do you have an HOA in the neighborhood? They will likely have authority over a modification like that, even if normally permitted by local zoning.

Either way, it would probably require a permit, so best to check with your locak zoning/planning folks.

 

[MotoCARR]

No HOA thankfully. One of the reasons for the move

Ah permits, forgot those.

 

[Kaizen]

nice way to piss off your new neighbor. not a good way to start unless he was thinking the same thing and wants to do it too.
otherwise if it was that needed I'd go in front of the house.
in my area I think they can go within a foot of the line or something so ask the code dept in that area. no matter what though I'd consider the neighbors......another part of home ownership is you can't just pick up and rent somewhere else and it ***** living next to people that hate you

 

[MotoCARR]

I agree to an extent, if I were building a large addition or monstrosity that they would have to stare at every time they wake up, sure.

If this little extra patch were to ruffle their feathers, I'm not going to lose sleep over it

 

[toomany]

Around here, if it's not permenent then it's ok to be right up to the line. Concrete or ashphalt would be a no go, but gravel, stonemix, pavers would be all right.

 

[YukonXL04]

According to our city code, driveways and patios don't require a permit, now that may be different in your area. Also here a driveway can go up to the property line.

But check with your city first

 

[theoldwizard1]

Check with the neighbor first.

 

[rsanter]

You need to check city code. Around here there are no issues with boring concrete or installing pavers all the way to the property line.

You can also look at other options. I think asphalt is about the ugliest thing you can choose. But that's me. How about compacted gravel? Artificial grass? Paver stones? Just plain old concrete? I have seen people use railroad ties. Lots of options that could be functional and more decorative

Bob

 

[Bill Bowman]

I might be concerned that parking in the winter would be a mess at that piece of grass in the parkway. Are you planning to address that approach?

 

[MotoCARR]

You can also look at other options. I think asphalt is about the ugliest thing you can choose. But that's me. How about compacted gravel? Artificial grass? Paver stones? Just plain old concrete? I have seen people use railroad ties. Lots of options that could be functional and more decorative

Bob

I mainly just said asphalt because it was the first thing to come to mind and it matched. Wasn't sure what other options are available that I can 1. Park on, 2. Looks decent/goes with the yard/house

 

[Revin]

Part of home ownership IS getting along with the neighbors
Don't start a Hatfield and McCoy war right next door. Who knows how long you will live there or them for that matter.
At least ask what they think. Could save ya some hassle in the future.......

 

[Morrison]

Park in the garage.

 

[YukonXL04]

People keep saying ask your neighbor... I can see any reason why the neighbor would have any problem with it... chances are they can't even see that area from their windows.

 

[Dberglind]

Also, when you shovel in the winter, will you push it all the way over to the right side of the pic? Or will you push it onto the neighbors grass?

 

[jetrep]

I wonder if this would be a good application for grass pavers

 

[volleyball]

I think I would put in a nice wide concrete "sidewalk" on the other side of the driveway.

 

[boobag]

how many cars/people in your home?

usualy code states that the third car can't extend straight to sidewalk. has to angle to zero. in other words, the driveway cant be wider than 18' where it meets the sidewalk.

and i'd be pissed if i was your neighbor. lol

 

[reader2580]

City code in most cities around me requires driveways to be five feet or more from the property line. Your city might allow driveways all the way to the property line, but I doubt it. Check with the city before doing anything.

 

[SilverSS1969]

Why not run pavers on both sides of the driveway. This way its a nice landscape touch when you are not using it for extra parking (not a big eye sore of blacktop) while still allowing you to park half way on then with two cars when you need the extra parking.

 

[rick carpenter]

If it was only for winter parking, you might consider something along the lines of:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cin...RkfhaM:;Dgy10H1MarytLM:&imgrc=bd5qDKH8RkfhaM:

Definitely check with HOA if you have one, and/or since it will be very close to the property line check with a lawyer. It would **** to have to tear it out because you were 6 little bitty inches beyond where you should have stopped. Whatever you do, consider when planning what it will do to your yard and the neighbor's yard for drainage.

 

[Caman]

If the neighbors allow their garbage can to spill into your yard like that all the time I wouldn't care what they think.

But honestly that is one of those things that may affect the resale value of both houses, when it comes near a property line it is always best to be sure the neighbor and city approve. Heck the city may even require you to get written approval from the neighbors directly affected.

 

[PCO6]

Based on the first photo it looks like there's a small drainage swale between the 2 lots. What ever you do you wouldn't want to block the drainage leading out to the street. It could back up on to both of your properties.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I did something similar, pictures below...

We do have an HOA in our neighborhood. Luckily my neighbors are cool and as long as they sign off of the stuff we want done there aren't any problems. Being friends with the main HOA people too helps a lot as they never give me ****, even having a pink/red front door when it should be a dark burgundy color...lol. I don't think that would an issue and I can see use for it. I do wish I would have gone straight down instead of meeting the driveway at the point but it's done with and it works for what I want to do. I think aesthetically it looks better than having it go down to the sidewalk.

Biggest things to do is honestly talk to your neighbor. See if he's cool with it. I can tell you the worst thing you can do is just do it and then have your neighbor hate you, it's not fun nor is it a good feeling to NOT be able to get along with your neighbors. You never know when you will need help OR have to help out your neighbor. Ultimately this is completely up to you. Living in a cookie cutter house and modifying something out side or whatever you do is AMPLIFED because it now looks different compared to your neighbor, keep that in mind it's both good and bad.

The below pictures of the extension cost me about $1200. I attached a before above view just to give you an idea, but you can clearly see the seam so it's the right side past the driveway. They started at 8am and didn't finish until 5pm. To me that was well worth it. It was a two man team.

Another thing to look at is how are you parking your car there because of the sidewalk? Are you able to maneuver the car without going on and off the sidewalk? If not then I probably wouldn't put it there.

My neighbor beside me ended up extending the sides of his driveway way by about 3ft on each side... so sort of like your picture is with the outside boarders but add 3ft onto that.. would that help in your situation or would you want a separate parking spot like how you illustrated? I personally wanted the extra parking spot, where my neighbor simply wanted a little wider driveway.

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[HoosierMark]

First talk to the neighbors and make sure you both agree where the exact property line is. Worst thing that can happen is you bring workers in and he threatens to sue for being on his property. Talk to them, they may want to widen their parking area also, you never know. If nothing else you will learn things about your neighbors. I see there is a tree in the area also. If you annoy the neighbor you may find the tree trimmed right at the property line. Try to work with the neighbors first, you will like having friends more then you realize, show them the same respect you want. Good neighbors are worth their weight in gold in my opinion.

 

[MotoCARR]

NewShockerGuy that's exactly what I had in mind. A small extension added that looks nice and flows with the property.

If I had all the approvals needed to do this yes I would at least get a neighbor involved and advise them to what's going on. I wouldn't just have the construction crew all over the place in case some drifted onto their property.

 

[bry@n]

Where I live, we have set backs. There can't be anything impervious within 8 feet of the line. Might wanna check with the town. Stone might be best if they won't let you put concrete or asphalt.

 

[buddyboy]

like everyone keeps saying, you need to check your local ordinances. Some places are very restrictive, some no restrictions at all.

wait till you live there awhile before making changes... you might sell this place in 10 years

if your area is restrictive you might have to follow width restrictions, water runoff, some places only allow a certain % of property to be covered.

also some places require only a certain number of cars in the driveway, most places don't allow any parked in the front lawn.

talk to your neighbors, not just the one next to you, but across the street too, they might not like looking out their front window at a parking lot

good luck

 

[Trey T]

How many cars do you own?

Welcome to the forum. Do you install alarm/RS?

 

[chops101]

Setbacks here too. Nothing (except fence) within 5' of the property line.
Drainage easements even further.

 

[MotoCARR]

Where I live, we have set backs. There can't be anything impervious within 8 feet of the line. Might wanna check with the town. Stone might be best if they won't let you put concrete or asphalt.

Oh I'll definitely be checking first. Ironically this is the same town that I had issues with when trying to open a small business years ago which in the end cost me a few months of rent in a commercial area. Learned my lesson with this village. Whatever answer I get, check with other people in the village office to make sure everyone is on the same page.

 

[MotoCARR]

How many cars do you own?

As of now I have four and my wife has one.
Not to mention the revolving door of motorcycles

Do you install alarm/RS?

I certainly do. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

 

[MotoCARR]

like everyone keeps saying, you need to check your local ordinances. Some places are very restrictive, some no restrictions at all.

wait till you live there awhile before making changes... you might sell this place in 10 years

if your area is restrictive you might have to follow width restrictions, water runoff, some places only allow a certain % of property to be covered.

also some places require only a certain number of cars in the driveway, most places don't allow any parked in the front lawn.

talk to your neighbors, not just the one next to you, but across the street too, they might not like looking out their front window at a parking lot

good luck

Thanks. I actually grew up in this town including my driving years so, I know that it is on the "restrictive" side. This is definitely something that is way down on the priority list and would only be a possibility with income generated from my 2nd job/hobby. It would just be convenient to have to lessen the need to jockey cars around all the time.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

Suggestion:

Talk with the neighbor about your plans and see if they would like to go in on half on a project to turn that entire space in front into more parking- for BOTH of you. That way it increases their property value while doing the same for you, and will save money overall since the contractor can do the work on both spaces for less than each space separately.

I also like the idea of decorative pavers. This is an ideal location for such. If you are only going to use it in the summer, then you can put something decorative like planters out there with bright colorful flowers. No neighbor is going to have problems with that and it helps improve the corner.

 

[MotoCARR]

I actually was thinking about that Dan, that would be awesome!

The more I look at it, the size I drew may be a bit off in terms of scale. We by no means have large cars or SUV. 90% of the time it would most likely be my 300zx, or Miata like car in that spot. Just a liiiiittle extension of the driveway .

 

[boobag]

you're in illinois. why not buy a house with a 3 car garage? they seem to be very common around.

 

[MotoCARR]

you're in illinois. why not buy a house with a 3 car garage? they seem to be very common around.

Affordable 3 car garages put me 1.5hrs west away from work and less than desirable schools. To get a 3 car garage north, east, and south of where we are looking you need $500K+ play lol

 

[Trey T]

As of now I have four and my wife has one.
Not to mention the revolving door of motorcycles



I certainly do. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

geez ... good luck

I used to install alarm/RS as a side job while going HS and college. Start out around when Viper 550ESP was around and stop doing it until 5901 came along. Great money and even taught my younger brother which became more knowlegeable than me.

 

[MotoCARR]

geez ... good luck

I used to install alarm/RS as a side job while going HS and college. Start out around when Viper 550ESP was around and stop doing it until 5901 came along. Great money and even taught my younger brother which became more knowlegeable than me.

Nice! I find that I am doing it less and less, especially with more cars coming with them from the factory. That and I usually end up sore the next day lol.

Main question I get now is "how do I get my SmartPhone to play in my car?" as opposed to "Can you install this $500 radio for me". Things are DEFINITELY changing!

 

[Trey T]

yeah, alarm/RS starts to shrink but I believe the demand will still be there for at least a decade.

You know, I was never into installing car audio or related even though people asked me. that market segment was so saturated and everybody was doing it for very competitive pricings and I sent people away. When it came to alarm/RS, especially when CANbus was introduced in imports and domestic, it was great money.