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?

Do you watch the property programmes?

Yes, all the time. Builders don't generally hire builders in them though.

Or did you mean they were property developers?

Of course, it is equally likely that they are a couple looking for a family home.

IIRR they are allowed access to dig footings but that aside, I don't normally call people out on here, just read and move on but you truly sound such an unpleasant character and a lot like our neighbours who went out of their way to hold us up (we aren't even joined to them). But, I now have my fantastic double storey extension at the back and side extension and she's moved onto calling building control on the people next to her.

I take great enjoyment out of being happy in my home and smiling whenever I see her screwed up bitter face 😊

Seriously, life is too short to be angry with the world for something that hasn't even happened yet.

Genuinely staggered that OP refuses to acknowledge the overwhelming vote and consistent feedback that YABU.

None of the OP’s posts suggest that they’re generally inclined to take another perspective onboard or give any consideration to other people’s viewpoint, though, so it can’t be that staggering.

Do you watch the property programmes? Buy - pay a builder - sell for £50K more?

Easy money.

Why would a builder pay another builder to do work that they could do themselves for less? Factoring in the labour costs of hiring someone else to do a job that you’re able to do yourself decimates your profits.

@BigBadVoodooHat

Genuinely staggered that OP refuses to acknowledge the overwhelming vote and consistent feedback that YABU.

None of the OP’s posts suggest that they’re generally inclined to take another perspective onboard or give any consideration to other people’s viewpoint, though, so it can’t be that staggering.

So why set up a poll and ask for people's opinions?

So why set up a poll and ask for people's opinions?

To be proved right, of course.

@bridgetreilly

So why set up a poll and ask for people's opinions?

To be proved right, of course.

Well that backfired then

You are massively overreacting
And quite odd

If they want an extension, they’ll just do it, you can’t stop it by building something in your garden
When, or if they ask for access, you just say,”sorry, no” end of conversation

So why set up a poll and ask for people's opinions?

Why indeed. I raised a similar point earlier in the thread. The OP is clearly not interested in anything anyone has to say, and has barely engaged with the opinions given in the thread, so who knows what the fuck the point was 🤷‍♀️

To be proved right, of course.

I did wonder if the OP was expecting an avalanche of supportive backslaps and high-fives

If you re-read the OP, she wasn’t actually asking whether her position on this was unreasonable.

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

As opposed to

“My only concern is I might be being unreasonable by objecting”.

My re-reading is that it’s not an AIBU, but a question posted “for traffic” in the AIBU section, about whether she could be forced to take down the structures she plans to build with a view to obstructing her prospective neighbours’ plans. She’s not interested in whether we think she’s being unreasonable to object in the first place. All her subsequent responses simply don’t engage with the deluge of criticism coming her way and return to the best ways to foil the prospective neighbour’s (suspected) plans.

A really nasty piece of work.

@Piglet89 100 percent agree, its malicious. I'd love to know who the prospect neighbours are so they could use this post in court.

So conclude OP was trying to figure out legal ways of preventing her potential neighbours from building on their own land because they quote 'didn't want it' because their garden is big enough for building elsewhere. OP hasn't given anymore info really as to why building at the boundary would be shitty so I will ask for all of us, why is it that you don't want them to build up to the boundary what have you been told they will build, how long will it take ect?

To conclude *

We had neighbours like you @Greenfingeredsue when we bought our house. Our extension had to be built with no access from their side as the wife was absolutely mental and made things as difficult as possible (her husband was lovely and apologetic re her behaviour).

We still built our extension and the only issue is the brickwork mortar on their side next to their garage looks a bit messy, we don't give a toss as we can't see it but she had the audacity to complain pmsl. A section of their fence did have to be replaced due to the work, we apologised and paid for the replacement fence.

Your greenhouse and shed plan will make absolutely no difference to anything.

We extended our terraced house because we needed extra room and we didn't have much equity and wouldn't really be able to make the next step up to buy a bigger place.

No scaffolding went in the neighbours garden, one neighbour was a bit funny about it - we continued anyway, the neighbour on the end of terraced like to park their car in the alleyway but the builder parked his van in there and she was a bit put out about it. Life went on it got done no one is affected now.

If the greenhouse is in your garden I doubt it will make sod all difference

I don't understand the attitude of people who think you should buy a house the size you want it to always be to "meet their needs" as OP said. Plenty of people buy property for its potential, if everyone had the same attitude and didn't renovate then everyone's houses would be stuck in the era they were built.

We bought 3 years ago, a property that needed renovation work. Deceased estate, terrible layout, decor, kitchen, bathroom etc.
We bought with the intention to refurb first then extend at some point in the future when we could afford it. At the time we wouldn't have been able to afford a 4 bed house (currently a 3 bed) the extension has just started

Maybe they just said it in passing but I'm
Not sure why you've jumped on the defensive straight away. I detect a hint of jealousy

I wonder if OP will return and say whether they find any of the feedback on here about their behaviour valid? Or if not, why not?

Loving your replies OP. It's like you haven't read all the comments saying YABU and are just completely ignoring it.

@Astillbe

as the wife was absolutely mental and made things as difficult as possible (her husband was lovely and apologetic re her behaviour).

Same with us. I wouldn’t have described the husband as “apologetic” as such - but he was the more conciliatory party.

We were particularly angry about the whole thing because they had come round one time for a chat before we ever had plans drawn up or anything, we mentioned the possibility of extending to moot the idea with them and the husband was like “oh yes let us know if you do because we might consider going in with you on that”. On reflection the wife said nothing, but he clearly spoke out of turn and we relied on his statement as a suggestion they certainly wouldn’t object.

I can’t even describe on here all the shit they pulled and the really quite unbelievable stuff we had to put up with, as it’s terrifically outing, but suffice it to say, they behaved appallingly and made our lives very miserable.

@Piglet89

Luckily our neighbours did not object at all at the planning stage (probably as they knew they had no viable reason to object, like the op). The wife then tried to make the actual build as difficult as possible. No idea why as she just caused herself a lot of stress.

She knocked on one day in the pouring rain and then stood in the street, drenched, screaming abuse at my husband, about something very trivial. Absolute nutter!

What made the whole thing even more comical is that the husband then asked my dh to draw up plans for their new build. He did so and had no issues with the husband, they now live nearby and are friendly when we see them. Bizarre.

The thing is, neighbour may do the extention before they actually move in. So, having no access from side may have no problem for them except for it may take a bit longer. But for op, it will be prolonged period of building work going on, and potentially an unfriendly neighbour of long term.