New neighbours extension plans

[Greenfingeredsue]

Hi all

My current neighbour has died. Now probate is completed her house is being sold.

Her son has prospective buyers. He has mentioned in passing to me that they want to extend the property out the back. I am wondering wtf they can’t just buy a house that meets their needs?

The gardens are quite big so there’s plenty of room for them to do this. However, we don’t want them to.

We need a new shed, so my husband has suggested we build a new one with a greenhouse on their side right as near to the boundary as we can, next to the house.

We’ll do this once contracts have been exchanged so we don’’t scupper the sale, plus they would have to get planning permission.

My only concern is that the new neighbours could force us to dismantle them so the builders can work?

Yabu and ridiculous.

You are being so completely and totally unreasonable. Who the hell do you think you are? I feel so sorry for these poor people being stuck with you.

On the fence about this one simply because the house next door to us was sold and moved into at the very beginning of lockdown. Had a feeling the owners were going to renovate the entire thing but I thought “Oh, it will be fine, work probably won’t start immediately” but OH BOY, was I wrong.

7:30am the vans arrive... followed by endless shouty phone calls directly underneath our bedroom window, their Ring door bell ringing endlessly, their dog barking constantly, drilling, hammering, banging so loud it sounds like our wall might cave in, doors slamming, radio blasting, swearing, vans parked all over the street, rubbish, dirty water, and dust everywhere, all over our car and garden.

Unfortunately that’s life and, if it’s any consolation OP, we’ve lived with in during lockdown for almost 3 months with no end in sight and it ruins any nice day we’ve had. Hopefully when it’s your turn you’ll at least be able to go out somewhat when it’s happening. We still took them a housewarming gift because... well, I guess we try not to be horrible people!

I’m really shocked at this thread. It is totally normal for people to renovate and update houses. If you live in an urban area that is life. Some posters have been harsh but I think the original post was truly shocking. It is not normal to dream up plans to prevent people from renovating/updating homes. Houses would deteriorate if people didn’t do this. I think a more relaxed approach suggested by some is appropriate. The new neighbours will do some work because they can have have permitted development if nothing else. In addition, decent people doing work will try and support neighbours - small jobs (like a new path), wine, cleaning windows, update on plans. If you kick up a fuss then none of that will happen and it creates bad feelings.

Live and let live.

I feel sorry for the prospective buyers , they’ll have some rotten neighbours

victoriashleigh
You have my sympathy, but many of those issues are down to lack of consideration, not the fact someone has chosen to renovate.

There's no reason why people working on their house shouldn't show consideration to their neighbours, assuming the neighbours are reasonable like you are.

Bloody hell, what meanies you sound!

@LolaSmiles You’re absolutely right! I get the impression they feel very much entitled to do it (which they are, as everyone has pointed out!) and expect all of their immediate neighbours to just put up with everything happily but sometimes a quick update when we pass in the street or “so sorry about X and Y” goes a long way.

Although I agree the shed/greenhouse idea is crackers, I do have some sympathy for the OP.

We moved into our house 3 years ago and our neighbours began work on a loft conversion a few months later. That was fine apart from the skip that was outside our living room window for months which inevitably ended up with all sorts of rubbish in. People would rummage through the skip and dump things in our drive way. Annoying but we didn’t say anything to neighbours.

Six months later they announced plans for a rear extension. We didn’t object (we had no grounds and wouldn’t anyway) but we did ask for some consideration as it would essentially put our garden out of use for the entire summer (they built over the winter which we appreciated as the summer was very hot). We made it clear we didn’t object and that it would be a lovely addition to the house etc etc. We simply wanted some consideration and I think that’s fair enough. We were able to discuss the plans with them. Yes, it was hideous, noisy and we got no benefit from it but that’s life.

The builders were anything but considerate as it turned out but that’s a whole other story!

Yabu. Providing they have reasonable plans to extend I can’t see the issue.

We moved 6 months ago into a house that we bought as we knew we’d be able to extend. It’s the only way we can afford the size of property we need, in the area we need.

All of the neighbours have had a look on the council website and says it looks great. I’m glad our new neighbours are so lovely.

How pathetic

What a grim neighbour you will make.

If this is a wind-up thread it's an absolute masterclass. How many posts has the OP deigned to throw into this bubbling cauldron of outrage? Three? Four?

Six months later they announced plans for a rear extension. We didn’t object (we had no grounds and wouldn’t anyway) but we did ask for some consideration as it would essentially put our garden out of use for the entire summer (they built over the winter which we appreciated as the summer was very hot). We made it clear we didn’t object and that it would be a lovely addition to the house etc etc. We simply wanted some consideration and I think that’s fair enough. We were able to discuss the plans with them. Yes, it was hideous, noisy and we got no benefit from it but that’s life

See this here? This is the perfect way to handle it. An honest yet considerate chat where both of you discuss it like the grown adults that you are so that you can both come to a compromise where both parties get a little of what they want and need. This is the way to handle matters like this. This is exactly why the OP wont get what she wants- barging in with her spiteful and combative plans without even having talked to her neighbours first WILL cause all kinds of bad feelings and hostility and will put the relationship on a bad footing right from the very start. Its only going to go downhill thereafter.

OP would be wise to take note of the way you handled it because you sound much more mature and considerate than she does.

I wonder if the OP now understands that they are being unreasonable.

Try did ask.

Are you this awful in all areas of your life?

They can do whatever they like with their house. If you don't like it, you should move, preferably into the middle of nowhere so that no one has to deal with such awful neighbours.

Hmm does the son know that you react like this? Were you difficult with his father? He's maybe just dropping you that little nugget of info to wind you up!

My neighbours are are currently getting an extension, I said oh good luck and I thought how lovely for them, what a lovely space that will be when its finished. There has been very little disruption if any to us, and no one has tried to put scaffolding in our garden. I'm actually quite enjoying watching the process!

Don't spend your life being scared of snow and then none falling. You're all worked up on such little information.

The son (Who I get on well with as I did with his late mum) told me. He said the prospective buyers are going to knock on my door to see if we’d object to the extension. He knew I probably would but asked me not to tell them this until the sale is complete!

Are you not actually going to address the fact everyone thinks YABU then, OP?

to see if we’d object to the extension

On what grounds do you imagine you are going to object? "I don't like noise" isn't a valid objection.

You need to have a specific objection to carry any weight with the planning department, op, and even then they can override it.
If you plan to put a shed or greenhouse on the other side of their building, you clearly don't have any loss of light or overbearing issues.
What objection are you going to raise?

So the son is trying to commit fraud? If he knows they want an extension, and he knows you will object, he is obliged to tell the prospective buyer this.

With every post you sound more vindictive and spiteful OP.

Yes, your poor future neighbours.

You don't own the road.

I also think you are just downright jealous. Aren't you lovely.