moving electric poles

8 years ago

We bought the family cottage which across the street from a public lake. Our lot is about 60X140 and our plan is to build a 3 story home on the site. Biggest problem, a secondary electric pole in the middle of our lot and primary lines above our existing cottage. We have been told that we cannot build within 15 feet of overhead lines and quoted 12,000 dollars to move secondary pole. My grandpa built the cottage before any electric service was available (1940’s). Does the fact that the cottage was there before the electric give us any bargaining tool with the electric co? The primary overhead lines are directly above
About 6 cottages currently . Thanks

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Comments (5)

simmtalker
8 years ago
I am certainly not an expert, but I don't think you have any bargaining power with the electric company when it comes to moving wires. They usually have pretty tight contracts/agreements signed when they place poles/wires. Did they give you any options for moving the primary lines??
mpvett
Original Author
8 years ago
We are waiting for the utility’s engineer to give us possible solutions and costs.
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ILoveRed
8 years ago
Do they have an easement right through the middle of your lot?

“We have been told that we cannot build within 15 feet of overhead lines and quoted 12,000 dollars to move secondary pole”

told by who?

do you have a survey?
User
8 years ago
Sounds like an unbuildable lot. Not that you can’t “renovate” what exists. But you may not be able to increase the footprint or height very much at all.
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
8 years ago
Check to see if the utility really has an easement for their wires, don't assume they did it correctly a few decades back or even now. Was building for a pair of attorneys a few years back and their pool digger found primary neighborhood power lines in conduit during the dig 5' outside of the easement, put there in order to miss a large Oak Tree's dripline. The utility company fixed it within a week.

BTW, that's why we call Underground Service Alert.