Can we legally uncover this window?

[rickandmorts]

Just found out from the previous owners of our house (we've lived here 2 years) that there was another window in the darkest room of our house but neighbours asked if it could be bricked up as it overlooked their garden. Previous owners agreed (no idea why 🫣) if neighbours paid for it to bricked up/ replastered inside. Same neighbours still live there. Can we legally open it up again into a window? It would absolutely transform the room if more light could get in but would no doubt piss the neighbours off.

@@DisforDarkChocolate I can't believe previous owners agreed to it 🫣 why would you purposefully remove light from a room!

@charlieinthehaystack I've already answered this but due to age of the house and thickness of the walls it would be a major project to enlarge the current window and would need a lot of underpinning/ potentially damage the foundations

Wow. You bought the house as is and are seriously considering doing this? As weird as the previous owner was for bricking it up (presumably they got some payment), to make a window in a boundary wall onto someone else's garden is very un-neighbourly.

You neighbour will probably put a fence panel infront of your new window. I would. Or a nice bush.

We have 2 windows that overlook our neighbours driveway and back garden. One is a bathroom and has privacy the glass, the other is a side window for our bedroom and also has privacy glass.
Unless there was a planning application or something made to stipulate that the window should be bricked up, I don’t see why you shouldn’t open it up again but use privacy glass.

It would be more unneighbourly to ask someone to brick up their window incase they might see you once or twice in your garden. Yeah screw their right to light in their home 😆

I'd make the whole wall glass
I would also go back and ask about rights of access for works and maintance plus about the boundary line etc
Go for it op, there isn't much they can do I would think. Even if they did put a bit of a fence up you'll still have more light

Yeah we had just accepted how dark the room was but now the possibility of a window would be absolutely transformative so yes we are seriously considering it, as I'm sure most people would! Even with a large bush it would still let more light in compared to now and also could open a window to let some airflow in which would be great!

Also my other neighbours see me in my garden and I usually just wave and say hello rather than offer to pay to brick their windows up 🤣

Wow. You bought the house as is and are seriously considering doing this?

What you don't think buy houses ' as is ' and not make changes to them?

Bit strange.

people buy houses

I would go for a light tunnel from above so you are guaranteed light all times of the day. Or a window higher up so you don’t overlook their garden. If you go for a higher up one it will give you more space to put things on/against the wall. The neighbours obviously wanted their privacy.

How much higher is your window than their garden?

I would definitely open it up, but consider working with them and using frosted glass. They will keep their privacy and you will get their light.

As a neighbour, I would work with you on this - especially if you were showing that you were considerate towards me.

If you went in too strongly and upset me as a neighbour, I'd consider a fence/ trellis or even planting a conifer in front of the new window…

Just seen it’s more like an upstairs window.

I think you need to check that the window has planning permission first and that the planning permission has not expired. The window could have been put in without planning permission and had to be covered up when the neighbours complained.
In our street, planning permission for side on upstairs windows is only give if the windows are above a certain height from the floor and have frosted glass.

You can put windows in via permitted development (if you have permitted development rights for your house), 1st floor and up need to be obscured glazing and non-opening unless over 1.7m high from internal floor.

Ground floor can be normal glass and opening. But you can't have it opening out because it would be trespass.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/doors-and-windows/planning-permission

And fire regs: Max size of windows / doors that are not fireproof glass 'unprotected area' on a boundary are 4% of the area:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/639ae7e98fa8f5069839c7d7/Approved_Document_B__fire_safety__volume_1_-_Dwellings__2019_edition_incorporating_2020_and_2022_amendments.pdf

You say that your house is very old so is it listed? If it is then you'll need to ask for consent and that can be a lengthy process and the neighbours will almost certainly be able to make representations.

Did you open up the window op and what did the previous owner say when you asked about it? Hopefully it’s work in progress :)

Any update @rickandmorts ?

Is this the neighbour from the other thread??

No I'm not the neighbour from that thread @YourSpleenIsDamp 🤣 they built a new extension with a window that wasn't on planning.

@Mygreyhair @Thankgoditsbedtyme update is we did speak to neighbours who said of course we can open up the window as it was already there (although they probably weren't relishing the idea but were too polite to say). When we ripped off all the plaster and saw where the old window was it's actually between two rooms so it would have been a lot of work to reconfigure the rooms, uncover the window and also NDN have rendered the back of our house so we'd have to be mindful of that and put right any damage we caused uncovering it so we've decided not to as our budget is limited! But watch this space as there's also a window upstairs that we probably will uncover as we have another room in desperate need of light 🤣 also if we ever sell the house we will tell any prospective buyers there is a window there if anyone wanted to uncover it.