Fire Pits. Horrible anti social stink.

All my neighbours are inconsiderate in some way. There's the family with the teen son with his big unfriendly dog and scummy mates, the neighbor who used a sander on her kitchen cupboard doors outside for an entire bank holiday weekend, who also sings very, very badly with the windows open. Then there's the neighbour who has radio 2 on at high volume, and next door to her there's the people with the naughty yappy dogs. Then there's the couple who have blazing rows in the garden regularly. And there's the family where the teens play bass and drums. And the guy who barbecues from about 10 in the morning on a weekday so you can't put your washing out. Our contribution is we occasionally sit outside with a glass of wine and burn stuff. In fact, we are planning on doing just that tonight if the weather holds. I figure none of them gets to complain.

Because it is cooler at night, so you can shut your windows and doors without overheating, and people aren't generally out gardening or doing other outside jobs after dark.

There are no restrictions on bonfires around my way, not even in the nearby city with a population of over 250k. My council are shit hot at dealing with bonfire complaints though. When my mate complained about her neighbour repeatedly having large, smelly bonfires during the day, they were very quick to tell him to stop and threaten him with prosecution under the Control of Pollution Act.

He was also my boss, and he didn't half moan about it. I had trouble maintaining my poker face...

If you live in a city, unfortunately it comes with living in close surroundings to neighbours. So everyone should be cooped up indoors just because you don't like how they chose to enjoy being outdoors.

Equally, if you want to enjoy open fires in the garden, maybe don’t live in a city in close surroundings to neighbours. Or go camping?

What if everyone started living their country life fantasy in suburbia? Would you be happy if your neighbours kept chickens or were shooting vermin in their gardens?

I do. But not in summer, not if my windows are open and not if I have washing out. Certainly wouldn’t want it all night long! Christ the environment, my lungs, the black soot along my window sill, the smoke always blows one way or the other.

YANBU. It’s extra annoying when people light them at 10pm during a heatwave when you finally think you can open your windows, only for the house to be filled with smoke from next door’s fire pit 🙄.

I like an open fire and would absolutely get one if I was living rurally with no close neighbours. They’re not for tiny gardens on housing estates.

YANBU. They stink. They're not really meant for tiny suburban gardens are they, more of a camping thing I thought.
I used to have a neighbour who was fond of them. I was running around my house trying to find a fire because it literally smelt like my house was on fire every time they used it, even with windows closed. Who even wants a fire on in this heat, madness.

I agree with you OP. There's a selfish bastard who has bonfires on our street. Guaranteed, the first sunny weekend of the year and he sets fire to all the crap from his garden over the winter. We have a green bin collection service!!

YANBU. When I lived in the middle of nowhere I would have a fire outside but now I live surrounded by neighbours I wouldn't be so inconsiderate. Some of them would, though...

I love a good fire.

Especially the crackling ones.

The smell is gorgeous.

Someone cooking a bbq or pizza for a couple of hours is not the same as someone burning wood in a fire pit all night.

They are normally lit on days when it's so warm people don't actually need them.
They stink and hang heavy in the air.

We have a couple of these for the bedrooms and they're god sends in the height of summer when it's the humid style of hot.

TBF, it does make me happy to hear decent engines going, I love cars.

Would you say the same if someone was making wood fired pizzas? Or cooking on a coal BBQ? They're still burning stuff but they're enjoying their own outside space, which many people don't have.

So yes, people enjoying their gardens makes me happy. Because I've lived without one and when I could finally afford to buy a house it was a non-negotiable for me that we had a decent sized one we could use. And over lockdown I was so grateful for it, and very much worried about the mental health of people living like I used to with no outside space of their own to escape to.

We love our fire pit but only use dry wood and it's at the end of the garden where no one can be bothered by it. We have the occasional necessary bonfire but always wait until the wind is blowing it away from our neighbour, and we also check with them first if it's ok with them to light it.

We have one of these (well actually a big one and a little one). Brilliant aren’t they?

Love the smell of woodsmoke - one of the most evocative smells I can think of. It always makes me think of all the happy times associated with it.

Really, that was quick 😂

We have one and use it maybe twice a year. But we have literally no neighbours. I think I'd feel uncomfortable lighting it if we did.
Ours is just a ring of old granite blocks which we sit on, and we light a fire in the middle.
I also wonder if we ought to stop altogether. We now know wood stoves are bad for air quality - most people don't burn the right wood at the right temperature.
Hmmmm.. I've just talked myself out of lighting a fire this summer!

No it’s ridiculous .

it’s like saying “fewer young people are doing driving tests. So when I hear someone with a de-catted exhaust flying up and down a B road making noise, it makes me happy because those of us who still drive are enjoying it.”

You can enjoy your garden without burning things. YABU

Might be worth getting a small AC unit?

Surprised a fire pit could have that much impact on your whole home. Generally they are quite small, max a couple of feet diameter.

they don’t bother me at all.

I knew it wouldn't be long until this type of post came along, seeing as your weather is changing now.

There have been so many posts recently about he bad weather and rain. Now there is an opportunity to do some outside living, and still more complaining about that too.

If you live in a city, unfortunately it comes with living in close surroundings to neighbours. So everyone should be cooped up indoors just because you don't like how they chose to enjoy being outdoors.

You would not fair very well living in a hot country where your neighbours enjoy the outdoors all year round.

Every time we gets hot evenings, a neighbour inevitably burns theirs all night and I have to make a choice between either letting letting my baby breathe in pollution and smoke all night or closing the windows and stressing all night that they're too hot.

Good idea! Problem solved!

Yabu, I would like a fire pit (and a hot tub) if my garden was bigger

From the title I assumed this was going to be about someone with really awful BO