County requires driveway replacement on new purchase STL St Louis

St. Louis, Missouri
General Landlording & Rental Properties
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County requires driveway replacement on new purchase STL St Louis

Lesley M.
New to Real Estate · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes

I am a first-time investor who purchased a property in St. Louis, MO (out of state, I live in CA).

We finished the county inspection and they stated we need to replace the driveway. The estimate is $9.8k, which is super high.

The property manager is calling the inspector to see if we can patch up the driveway, which would reduce the estimate. However, I'm wondering if there are other approaches, i.e. gravel driveway. Has anyone else had experiences and wisdom they can share?

Additionally, I re-reviewed the pre-sale inspection. The inspector didn't give notes on the driveway because there were leaves covering the driveway. Next time, I'm going to ask for pictures of the driveway.

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Colleen F.Pro Member
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y

@Lesley M.  the road area section looks ok but the part going into the backyard looks bad.  See if you actually need all that driveway.  If it is a SF who needs to drive into the backyard?

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  • Nathan Murith
    Investor · San Rafael · Member since 2020 · 376 posts · 274 votes
    4y

    sorry to hear that @Lesley M.. As mentioned over email, I was able to pass such an inspection with simple patching, but in STL each municipality will handle the occupancy inspection differently.

    Curious to hear what others have to share on the matter.

    Good luck!

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  • Lesley M.
    OP
    New to Real Estate · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes
    4y

    I just got pics from the PM. This doesn't look bad to me because it's level but this is not my area of expertise. Hoping this can be patched.

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  • Matt Alvino
    Member since 2021 · 9 posts · 10 votes
    4y

    Pictures are a little hard to tell sometimes, but is the driveway even really needed? It doesn't appear to be going to a garage, so it feels more like a parking pad. I know you can't tell the inspector "we promise not to use it," but would it be cheaper to just demo it outright? Can you just cover it with sod...? (mostly joking)

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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    4y

    @Lesley M.  the road area section looks ok but the part going into the backyard looks bad.  See if you actually need all that driveway.  If it is a SF who needs to drive into the backyard?

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  • Kyle Eckert
    Realtor · Saint Louis, MO · Member since 2017 · 228 posts · 174 votes
    4y

    @Lesley M. some STL county municipalities are using their inspections to spruce up the neighborhood, targeting investors.  University City is really big on it right now, as well as a couple of other North County townships.

    I would see what function is the driveway going to provide?  Does it need to go to the backyard?  Is the goal to get a car behind the fence, or is the length of it a relic of previous usage?

    Maybe you can demo half of it and pour a concrete pad for the useful part?  Then, while you have a concrete team out there, check the front steps and sidewalk for areas that need attention.  Getting the truck and guys out there is half the cost of concrete, so I always try to get my money's worth when they come out. 

    Last note, some towns have a sidewalk maintenance program, where they will share the cost of sidewalk replacement, or cover it.  Depends on the town, but its worth looking into.  The driveway will include some sidewalk, so it could mitigate some costs. 

    STL city has a 50% cost coverage on sidewalk replacement, for reference.

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  • Lesley M.
    OP
    New to Real Estate · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2018 · 24 posts · 13 votes
    4y

    Update:I got another estimate for the driveway, which was $6800 (much better than the original $9800). I also got an estimate for demo and rock, which was $4300. That’s only a $2k difference so I may have gone the route of a new driveway. 

    However, the PM met with the inspector, who said that it had to be a new driveway (no rock). Truly ridiculous but it is what it is. Thanks to everyone who provided input. 

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