If you have a big extension to your home, AIBU to think you should consider the impact on your neighbours?

People are becoming increasingly more selfish OP.

So people should not expand or improve their property because the neighbors might be disturbed ? Ridiculous. If you work from home and it annoys you , that is not their problem.
However there are rules and regulations that should be respected. Like no trespass on your property ( but they can park their vans on the public street even if it is outside your house ) . Sticking to regulated hours .
Your concerns about light , distance etc should have been brought up at planning stage . But aware that some extensions within a certain size might not need planning. This is something that will hopefully have an end to it . It's out of your control so make peace with it

There's a reason that big detached houses with no neighbours cost more money OP.....

This exact thing happened to us. They moved out and stayed in a friend’s house overlooking the sea, while we had to suffer the dust, scaffolding, disruption and noise from 8am on the dot, 5 days a week and often on Saturdays too (but they granted us a lie in until 9am those days). It completely ruined the whole summer for us, it ran over schedule and went on for about 8 months in total. It’s lovely from the inside, but an eyesore from the outside, so all in all, we’re not happy bunnies, but they are delighted.
(The only positive thing is they took their yappy dogs with them for the duration, so we were spared their barking!)

I sympathise, I live next to someone who demolished the modest property that was there originally and built something three times larger. It was overlooking, dusty, noisy and disruptive and took two years.

But. At some point in time the house I live in was being built and probably annoyed some neighbours. Our old house had an extension the previous owners built and that’s why we bought it - but I dare say it was unpleasant for the neighbours while it was being built. One of those neighbours then built their own. It’s just part of life - if you want to live in a nice, maintained house in a community you have to expect that there will be building works, same as you’d expect to be able to do work on your property. So long as they’ve followed the proper planning process then yes, you do have to suck it up.

It’s like people who expect electricity at their home but whinge about roadworks and pylons, or who want full mobile coverage but protest about phone masts.

Yes it was part of our complaint but it didn’t stop the noise that weekend itself.

Just added fuel to the fire of hatred on both sides.

They hate us as we hampered their dreams and cost them a fortune.

We hate them as they took the piss, broke the law in multiple ways and damaged our property.

I used to know a Brazilian woman who found our planning permission regulations very strange. In Brazil the important thing is when you start and when you finish the work - and if the project goes over it’s going to lead to a fine.

Just awful and yep the noise from builders shouting with radios blaring as annoying as constant angle grinding and drilling.

@Polyestered

because it’s cheaper to buy and extend rather than buy the larger property? Because they want to live in the area and this is the only property suitable? Who knows.

As someone who had a small extension I let neighbours know and kept an eye on the builders. If your neighbours are moving out ask them for contact details and get in touch if there are issues

Ithink YABU. You are actually not entitled to a view, hopefully you put in comments opposing and the decision notice on the planning portal should address those

however it’s six months not a lifetime. Speak to the neighbours about it, ask what they will do re noise dust etc

YABU assuming they’ve gone through all the right channels etc.

But you can complain if they're breaching building hours regulations. No noise allowed after 2 pm Saturday and none at all on Sundays or bank holidays here. (Not UK, so it may be different.)

And, OP, unless you had grounds for complaint (loss of light, windows overlooked etc) at the planning stage, you just have to deal.

In my last house it was a small bungalow with an enormous garden - semi detached about £600 K. Next door neighbour not semi detached extended her house legally over the same size out the back- the work went on day and night for 2 years. She lived next to an older couple who had lived there was 60 years and they were 80. It destroyed their lives. The lady was frequently shaking and in tears and the guy was so worried about his wife. She couldn’t sit out in the garden (just after lock down) and it seemed to be relentless banging morning noon and night. Loud radios from builders and swearing. And the dust and despite having large drives they were regularly blocked in my rude workmen. Neighbour having the building work, went off to France often and just left the workmen to it and it was awful. Eventually the elderly couple decided they couldn’t live with it - big extension and their garden now mostly in the shade and they sold it. Despite living there for 60 years. Lady had a stroke and died day after exchange and he moved to a new house and lived 6 months. It was awful. Her nerves were shot to pieces. She had been unable to have children and been through a load of trauma in her life and the garden was their life and the last two years were awful. I miss them and I really feel for them. The neighbour didn’t need the extension she was a single lady and went from a 3 bed to a 6 bed house (!) but it was all legal.

I'm intrigued! What was the party wall issue and why did they think they had any legal grounds for sending you a bill? Did you pay it?

It's annoying but you might just have to live with it. If they've got the relevant planning permission - and you should have been informed by the council and had the right to raise an objection at that stage, I got a letter when my neighbour build an extension (which was fine by me fwiw). If you haven't objected and they've got the relevant planning permission then you just have to suck it up, unfortunately.

You would have been consulted if there was an impact on your view that was over and above the allowable amount. Building work and home improvements are part of life and yes it inconvenient but it is tough.

also they may not have been able to find a house to meet there needs so they bought this knowing the can improve it. They may have wanted to be buy a certain school or family etc

Agree. We bought ours because it has amazing views but it isn’t big enough for us so we will be doubling the size of it. Fortunately we don’t have any near neighbours so no one to be annoyed about the disruption. The village mafia might object for the fun of it though.

Yes! The neighbours builder was in my garden with zero permission at 9am on a Sunday!! Like wtf. All weekend from 9am - 3pm we had banging and drilling and all sorts. Come Monday the didn’t rock up till gone 10am and always left by 2pm. I’d rather a peaceful weekend.

It’s not quite that easy though.
We bought a house last year which needed a full renovation. We lived elsewhere for 3 months while the work was being completed.
It meant the work got done much quicker that way.

We could only afford the house because it required work and that was budgeted into the purchase.

Maybe it was the same for your neighbours?

You haven't said what objections you made during the planning process and consultation?

That's the time to do it. Loss of light sends the architect back to the drawing board. Loss of a view is a futile objection with our council. Being overlooked stands a chance especially balcony

All you can do is object at planning stage, and if the extension goes close to boundary, they will need party wall agreements in place. Where you can try to get some things in place around hours of work etc, if your neighbours are amenable. However, if they are like our horrific ex neighbours, they will be very put out that you requested party wall and then make your life hell and send you a bill at the end of it due to their half either surveyor being useless and making mistakes.

It happened to us during Covid. Drove us nuts! But if i bought a house i would look to extend too. What can you do. Sometimes you just need the space.

It’s cheaper often to buy a house and pop an extension on / change the house than it is to buy a larger one. Also it can be so hard to find a house that fits all criteria, so why not pick location and then alter the size yourself!

They might be moving out due to having no kitchen / bathroom / plumbing / electrics etc rather than just noise.

OP: AIBU?
Some posters: YABU
OP: No I’m not

…

In loads of parts of the country this just isn't possible. In London a family house in an ok neighbourhood (not posh) will set you back over a million. Plus stamp. Where it is possible to buy a flat or a wreck or something for not much more than half that that needs updating and if you're willing to do the work. Renovating means people can have family homes in the areas they grew up in who otherwise couldn't afford to live there.