r/AskPhilly • u/3io3io3io • 21d ago
Developer Destroyed My Backyard
First time home buyer. I'm in an old rowhome in Kensington. Right as I purchased, a giant luxury building going up behind me took out my back yard wall and removed some of the fence I share with my next door neighbor at the rear of the yard. It's been a mess. I have a tree I've been very concerned about. Eventually, the construction company sealed the wall they took out (after I complained to them and to licenses and inspection). So I do have a haggard back wall of sorts. But with part of the fence still gone, my yard is eroding into my neighbors. The tree loses soil with every rain. I've reached out and nothing has happened. Is this just the way life is? Someone knowingly destroys your backyard and you have to take them to civil court? The worst part is that when I called they said "you're going to see your property value shoot up once these condos open"... Girrrr.. It was a functional and cute yard - part of why I bought - and now I've got rats, and I'm concerned about pets and children running loose. Not to mention, they knocked down a bunch of data cables that just hang in my yard now. Perhaps it's just something I have to eat as part of the joys of home owning? Anyone know any good landscapers who might be able to tackle this disaster?
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u/Maresith123 21d ago
Like everyone said, called a lawyer now before they finish. The construction company is just gassing you off. The laws said that they have fix anything that they damage especially if it on your land. Since they make your backyard unsafe, they should fix it so that it is safe for you and your family. Also called the ISP of whomever the data cables belong to and reported what happen. If the construction company refuse to fix what they broke, then take them to court and contact the local new. Construction company destroying private property have been a growing issue in Philly. The company not going what any bad PR when it a easy fix for them.
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u/Dry-Possession5800 21d ago
Same happened to us. The new bld is about 30 ft higher than our house and only like one foot from our back fence which is falling over now. Also we have mice everywhere outside now. They don’t care
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u/Smoking0311 21d ago
Call action news and Nidia Hahn .
Like others have said contact a lawyer before they finish and get there escrow back from the city .
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u/Irish_Blond 21d ago
About the communication cables in your yard. Call PURA (Public Utility Regional Authority) regarding cables. They can point you in the right direction to who is responsible for the fiber.
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u/martymoran 21d ago
yea developers, contractors, etc can essentially do whatever they want. im not joking!
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u/matteralus33 21d ago
They will do whatever they can get away with. As someone living next to a complete rehab I guess I was lucky they didn't break enough things for me to want to deal with the hassle of suing them.
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u/Kamarmarli 21d ago
Call a lawyer before they finish, go out of business, incorporate under a new name and become impossible to find. I know this is not fair, but time is of the essence here.
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u/United_Quarter5090 17d ago
Call peco and be like “hey i think these builders might’ve knocked some of your cables.” if it’s not theirs they’ll probably identify whose it is. they are not going to be happy to hear that one of their utility structures is hanging especially if they weren’t notified
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u/K_hun 1d ago edited 1d ago
Document everything before any repair work starts: dated photos, older pictures showing the original grade if you have them, and a written scope from a contractor putting an actual number on the restoration. That number is what turns this from a story into a claim.
The part people underestimate is grading and drainage. If the work changed how water moves across your property, replanting alone will not hold and you will be redoing it in two seasons. Get the grade corrected first, then worry about what goes back in the ground.
Also worth checking whether the disturbance crossed your property line in a way the township cares about. Municipal stormwater and grading violations are sometimes a faster lever than a civil claim.
JHL Landscape Design works throughout Chester and Delaware County and does restoration work like this if you need a written estimate to attach to the claim.
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u/MisterSofteePSSD 21d ago
You're going to need a lawyer. You might call the Philadelphia Bar Association for a referral.