CAR96 said:
I had a conversation with my neighbor about the leaves and he strongly disagreed that the leaves were the issue. He stated it would be too much work for him to pick up those leaves and I volunteered to have my lawn crew do the work and I would pay for it and he was against that as well. He was adamant that I needed to raise the ground level on my front yard and bed, and also create a layer of soil/sod away from the foundation of my home, which sits in his yard to draw the water drain pathway away from my home and the leaves or just a small inconsequential issue.
I had a guy employed by our water district who specializes in drainage come out and give me his assessment and he stated that the water needed a unobstructed leaf free path and room to flow underneath the back fence.
My neighbor feels that the bull rock river path he created was all done on my behalf , and was the best course of action and feels that the leaves that fall in his yard are beneficial to his ground and soil and his eventual one day planting of sod. He also felt that I was/am not appreciative of the work he has done on my behalf. I replied that you were adamant after your survey that section of yard was yours and could do what ever you wanted. I never asked him to build a bull rock pathway. I only told him this summer the water just needed a path to drain.
He was pretty hostile at times and I had to talk him down several times and approached him politely I even tried to show him a video during Saturday evening rain occurrence, and he said "that video is too dark. I can't see anything and you need to get a new phone". I literally could not believe it and had to keep my mouth shut and walk away.
My final thought was that he came around to allowing me to undo some of the rock work. He had done this summer and allowing me to maybe blow some leaves away from the gate area so we ended on a handshake and on good terms. And my final thoughts on my neighbor after having three or four conversations in the last year and a half is that he is a narcissistic personality.
I guess you just got to love your neighbor.
I would take him up on this offer and regrade the enter length of your house that faces his. Regrade as wide and as tall as much as you can, without going higher than your sill plate. I would regrade/raise the front left corner too.
While you at it (assuming your neighbor agrees), you could first trenchout the area next to your foundation and bury some drainage tubing to catch any water that gets too close to your foundation. Run that pipe out towards the rear drainage area. If you have enough slope back there, may you can have the water exhaust through a popup valve.
Let the water pile up against his house. Once he starts having foundation issues, may he may change his tune about the leaves.
