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

@FlyingCatGirl I suggest you take a break and calm down….

I am not the one who doesn’t understand how life works.

If I buy a house backing onto fields with a lovely view I do not own that view unless I own those fields. Do you really not understand that?

As I already said I also understand that my neighbours can do any permitted building/renovation work & I cannot stop them. Which part of this are you struggling with?

The above are not extreme views, it’s extreme to argue the opposite!!

Stating the above also doesn’t mean I have ever carried out an extension or loft, why on earth would you assume that?

you think you should have everything you want

Lol, what gives you that idea? I live in London and have no choice but to compromise. 😆

I don't think you really understand how life works! People pay higher prices for properties in nicer areas! You are too extreme in your views, you think you should have everything you want but that your neighbours deserve absolutely nothing and that you should be able to take whatever you want away from them no matter how badly it impacts them! There's a post on here where someone of your mindset built a big obtrusive extension, blocked out all the sunlight to the very elderly neighbours garden, broke them mentally, the elderly people had to move, the poor lady died the day of exchange as the stress brought on a stroke, the old man died 6 months later in his new home. Do you have any compassion for that? Should there be limits to how badly you ruin someone's life?

You are being extreme

the irony 😆

You are being extreme! Nobody is saying people can't do anything to their homes, but you don't have to be an unpleasant person that wants the biggest, ugliest extension that absolutely ruins your neighbours home that removes day light, views and ultimately property values! You really didn't work that out?

Eight of our neighbours have had big extensions, since we have lived here - so, I don’t think we needed to worry about the effects of noise on the neighbours, when we had ours done. Our builder didn’t allow his men to have the radio on, while working outside, and I never heard them swearing outside. He gave his card to our next door neighbours if they wanted to complain about anything to him.

People in new builds can't extend, have you seen the foot prints of new builds these days?

When you get to a certain stage in life and stage of paying mortgages, you earn the right to have views and greenery and a bit of space between houses!

What? there is no right to a view unless you earn enough to own all the land around you. 😆

@FlyingCatGirl but people don’t have any right to stop permitted building/renovation work & the associated noise?

I would say it’s unusual to live anywhere with neighbours & have no one undertake some kind of work.

So you think a view is not a big factor in why people choose the houses they do? You think it's fair to come along and brick up the view a property has and lower it's value! There's nothing worse than these new builds surrounded by other people's brick walls and windows staring in at every inch of their life! When you get to a certain stage in life and stage of paying mortgages, you earn the right to have views and greenery and a bit of space between houses!

I find it puzzling that you only know of cities and countryside and think there's no other places that people live! I live right on the edge of a large town, I can see fields and trees from my upstairs windows. I have no desire to live out in the sticks, I've got the best of both worlds. And no being in a town I am not exposed to permanent construction noise, it's very peaceful where I live! My aunt lives in an apartment in a city and it's peaceful where she lives. You can't make these assumptions and tell people that they have no rights and should go and live in the middle of nowhere if they don't like it!

Buying a house that suits future needs is impossible. We bought a 3 bed detached several years ago because it was the only thing we could afford.

After one child it was fine but after 2 we are finding ourselves a bit cramped. Could do with a spare room and a bit more space downstairs.

When we bought the house we moved from a small 2 bed semi so this was a step up (still is!) but at this time we hadn't really decided how many kids to have.

We've looked at moving but the repayments are borderline unaffordable and a lot of the houses for sale are on an estate I would prefer not to live on. We are limited to area because of the kids school.

So we have a choice, wait for something to come up on the estate and pay more, move to a not so nice estate and get more room or build a conservatory/extension to get more living area and suck up not having an extra bedroom. Option #1 is more desirable because we have the nicer estate, we like the physical location of the house and it's a lot cheaper after you've factored in moving costs and stamp duty.

I have no desire to piss my neighbours off but if I can do something legally that will improve my life why would I not do it? Especially when there is more than likely to be a finite finish.

We've had someone replacing our facias (banging) replacing the fence (banging) and the bathrooms. As we are detached it's only the outside noise people can hear but obviously there is some. But tough shit, everything is 30 years old and needs replacing for function. Fence falling down, gutters leaking, bathroom leaking...

That's it until the autumn and then there will be another bathroom. It needs doing sooner or later, we could sell tomorrow and I'm sure the first thing they would do is replace it so as far as I'm concerned that's life. We

You should have been informed when they asked for planning permission, and you will have been given a window to raise objections before permission was granted- if you weren't informed I would go straight round to the building control department of your council to ask why you were not informed and to object now.

Because we need more bungalows and developers are not building them. Instead 4-5 bed “affordable” houses. Because the land the a bungalow uses is larger than what they could build a block of flats or an even two semis.

I empathise. We are 6 months into a very long and drawn out huge & very over bearing extension build next door. Nowhere near finished either. Loud radio noise, workers swearing & singing (yes, I know it's their job and they need to get through their day, but 😩..), constant construction noise & dust and lorries blocking my driveway are a daily occurrence. It has affected my mental health, and I consider myself quite immune to that kind of affliction, I'm from a generation who don't like to admit that kind of thing to anyone. Neighbours couldn't give a 💩 how it affects us. Very sad, but a reflection of modern day life here, and I'm not even sure if I'm the one being unreasonable (or not).

@angelos02it is also not difficult to understand that people a) have reasons for doing so and b) are legally entitled to.

You've also conveniently ignored anyone asking if they are within planning rules and whether you made any objections in the planning permission stage?

House prices are through the roof now, so just moving to a bigger property just isn’t an option for so many, yet the desire for the bigger property or just a nicer more liveable property is still there so we’re just left with the more affordable option to get the builders in.

The view didn’t come with their house. They still have what they have paid for.

What’s the problem with turning bungalows into houses?

Planning departments just don’t do their job
its really easy for them to grant planning with
time restrictions on noise etc
its crazy works should be can be restricted to
hours
I’m a developer and never start before 8 am and all noise stops at 4.30
not because we had to but because we give a shit

Indeed our neighbour trying to steal our land would certainly not improve our property value

Our new neighbours did the same, lived elsewhere but they did lots of work themselves and with friends as they are in the trade so it was slow. And then they kept applying for more, small bungalow and they trebled the size.
Worst part was when ine summer they were working on the roof for months looking in our gsrden, blaring out music chatting full volumne.. We didnt really sit in or use the garden for the entire summer.

That's a bit of a sweeping generalisation. Our house hasn't appreciated in value since our NDN put on their extension I mentioned upthread, and there will be many, many other examples where extensions have contributed absolutely nada to other property values.

My parents ' house has had its view removed by a huge extension under permitted development. I appreciate it's legal but the impact of the house is entirely negative.

We’ve been on both sides. It’s stressful for everyone.
Upside for neighbours, is that everyone’s home appreciates a bit once neighbours start developing and improving. So although it’s annoying there is ultimately a benefit.

Yes, of course