You may remember a few months ago, I was trying to figure out a way to get electricity to a 2 acre lot, bordered by a state forest and 3 other neighbors that have electricity. We had approached all of the neighbors with a request and offer of payment. Even though the owners of the land don't have homes of their own there, their deceased mother's property is back of ours, they have to drive thru ours to get to it.

We finally went to see an attorney recommended to us that is good with real estate at 325.00 an hour. It has been about 3 1/2 weeks and no word, he has others in the office that do research for less that he is employing. I'm not getting a real good feeling we are going to get any results.

It is too wooded for solar, lot is narrow and long. A generator like the Amish use would be pretty expensive, as most people would want power more than they require.

Local attorneys said put a gate at our property front and back, give them a key and make them get out and unlock and lock it back. But I think that would suit them fine, they don't want anybody going back there, have cameras up, and have said they don't want anything to change. They have offered us 12k for ours but I want to put a rental on it. We will lose money, have had surveyed, & perked.

I had a unique situation. I purchased a lot and waited 10 years to develop on it. This way I need not share in the costs to run Water, Power, Sewer, Gas and Cable. Saving myself my share, around $40,000.

SO when I needed all of the above, the neighbors and City demanded I pay up -- the 40 grand. Which was against the law. But the City refused my permits without the Utility Service.

But no on new I was a contractor with a brain. My lot was 5 feet wider on one side that had underground Power, Water, Sewer, phone, cable and Gas Lines. I chose this lot for that reason.

So I sent my city and neighbors a letter. I had not granted anyone the use of my easement, and the developers did not file papers because my property was a vacant lot.

During the development, I installed a water Tee with a double shut off, a gas tee with a double shut off, and connections for the sewer, phone and cable.

I cut service, to 1600 homes, and parked my Ford F600 over that area, on my land.

It is the utility that will give you the price tag to run power to your place given the existing utility easements that they already have. If it cost you $10,000 to put up new poles, that cost will be on you on top of what the power company says.

How much would it take for you to break even & be done with the stress & move on?

As said above, down here, you just call (Duke Power) and they get power to the property and your contractor sets up a temp service pole. When the house is built, they come and hook it up to the house and make it permanent.

Nope, here in Va, the landowner calls the shots. Before I spent the $$ for what we've already had done, I had called Dominion and asked them if their ROW extended from the pole on neighbors land to ours? A gentleman who answered me said yes it "appeared " on his map that it did. My bad, I didn't get his name. We need 60' from pole to our line.

I don't see how the neighbors can stop you. Maybe things are different in VA, but here the utility companies have the right of way. You can fight them, but I have never heard of anybody winning.

Ken, I follow your thoughts.

I meant if there was already an easement for utilities.