It didn't sound like a big deal. There would maybe be a few ruts from a truck tire or two they said. And they would fix anything that might happen to our yard.
No problem. We said it would be fine and Evy was actually excited to see some construction equipment up close. Besides, we were being good neighbors. And I have no idea how they could have possibly done it without coming through our yard (there did not appear to be a plan B).
So we agreed to the idea and the ruts. We had no idea that we would end up with a road right through our backyard.
It was a dirt road, but a road nonetheless. Sinkerbeam Street. It kind of ruined the yard and our ability to do anything out back for the entire summer. But I could park a lot closer to the house.
The road happened on the first day of work. During the long summer months we would also experience a wake up call every day at 7:00 in the morning via a squeaky dump truck tailgate (and worker guys), a fiberglass pool shell suspended over top of our house, and a cement truck sitting in the middle of the backyard. There were more things, of course, but those are the highlights of the project.
It took longer than expected (when has a construction job ever been on time?), but in the end everything was filled in and grass was planted. Our neighbors even watered it every day to give the seeds a chance to grow in the scorching late summer heat. Then Pythian's Blight came along, and after a fungacide treatment, they planted grass again. It finally came up and things are pretty much back to normal.
I have to park my car in the driveway again, but it was all worth it. I'm pretty sure we're allowed to use their pool whenever we want.
Just remember this - if your neighbors ask you for a little favor that may involve a couple of ruts in your yard, think about it very hard before you answer. And then move.
More pictures of our [neighbor's] backyard project are on Flickr. Some are even taken by Evy with her digital camera.
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