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?

It's not a good start is it, they haven't even moved in yet and you're being awkward. Don't be that neighbour.

So... his mum has just died, he wants to live in her house, presumably because it holds happy memories and he still feels like a piece of her is there, but he needs an extension for it to be big enough for him/his family, and he hasn't even considered that this might cause some sort of minor inconvenience to you in regards to scaffolding, because you may want to extend your property in the future.

What an evil bastard he is. I don't know how you will cope with him as a neighbour.

It is the noise and the disruption we don’t want.

Then buy a detached property in a middle of nowhere.

Alas, you haven't done that, in which case, suck it up, princess.

You don't have to, but why are you determined to antagonise and be awkward to people you've never met and will be living right next to for year and years?

Jesus, go back to bed & get out of the other side!

What a grumpy bugger.

There's no reason they shouldn't buy that house & put an extension on, instead of buying another house. 101 reasons why they want this house & none of them are any of your business,

Building in your own garden just to try to make it more difficult for them is utterly ridiculous & nasty.

Your plan is so mean spirited. You'd be better to be upfront and say that your plan to contest any extension plans. You think you're being decent to the current owners in not scuppering the sale, but the potential buyers are people too. People whose money you are potentially wasting if they spend thousands moving to find they either can't easily do what they had planned with the house, or the neighbours are hostile. The planning permission isn't guaranteed obviously, but it is usually fairly easy to work out whether it is likely to be refused or contested.

@Lamentations
Good point (no pun intended)
Also OP - YOU will need something from them in the future, too. Don't forget that.

Are you jealous they're having an extension and you're not having one? They don't need to set foot in your garden to build. My builders didn't go into next door at all. You sound like the neighbour from hell. Poor people wanting to make a lovely house for themselves. Let's just hope they get their revenge and be the noisiest, most annoying neighbours possible

I grt you are annoyed.
I had comprehensive interior makeover, i live in 1 bed mid terrace, took a while as had to fit in with guys doing it, 15 weeks, my elderly neighbour was annoyed .
I explained that I was sorry, and would over relatively soon.
Land is expensive and prob one of the reasons fir extension, it won’t be noisy all the time either

@Greenfingeredsue

I have checked my title deeds and we don’t have to allow access to neighbours.

That’s nice.

You’re still terrible

God you are petty. If feel sorry for your new neighbours it sounds like you are going to make their life hell, not the other way round.

Have you spoken to them? Or are you just imagining how awful things will be for you.

@Alittleshortforaspacepooper

No, you've read the story wrong. The son has found a buyer.

They haven’t even asked for the right to access. I’m sure they can manage without.

Just FYI though - we are an extremely nice and friendly family. One side of us was wonderful and understanding re our building work. One side was a fucking nightmare. Guess who we give half a cake to when we are baking/helped out with building bits for free whilst work was ongoing?

Guess who we fucking hate and won’t be inviting for bbqs or otherwise?!?

You’re making your life very difficult!

You don't want any add-ons their side but you are happy to fire away yourself & put up a shed & greenhouse on the boundary. I have a neighbour like you, curtain twitching if I mow the grass.... are never.done with their powerhose & chainsaw plus kitchen extension & double garage to the rear (contrary to planning) but complained about my shrubbing/trees shading some of their front garden.... because of course they now need to sit out there for sunshine as the back is full of extension & double garage....no garden left!

I have said this before, but if the builders can't access the wall from scaffold they have to do hand over brick.

Typically you are facing the outside wall of the extension and so you make it look nice by scraping the "snots" ie the mortar that squishes out and then after a few rows you use a pointing tool to make the joints look pretty and smooth. The "inside" bit you don't care about as it is the cavity wall.

Now imagine the reverse, you are stood inside the extension, and you can only scrape the snots you cannot point it up because you cannot reach it. You, the neighbour who is being an arse is now left looking at a shit wall face. Your choice but screening it would be difficult.

You are being completely unreasonable about expecting people to find the perfect property. My Uncle had to have an extension built on his house for a new bedroom for him and his 24 hour carer due to a medical condition that happened in his late 40s.

‘We don’t want them to’ how entitled are you ? Why don’t you sell up and go somewhere with no neighbours

In this situation, normal people would be hoping they would be getting nice new neighbours. Maybe thinking about taking a cake or a bunch of flowers to welcome them to the neighbourhood.

Not actively looking for ways to be awkward and P them off.

HTH.

@Greenfingeredsue

I have checked my title deeds and we don’t have to allow access to neighbours.

Totally irrelevant. It won’t stop them extending.

I have checked my title deeds and we don’t have to allow access to neighbours.

Spectacularly misses point...

I would have been very surprised if you’d had to, to be honest @Greenfingeredsue

Would you like to post a listing of the property on here? Maybe a helpful MNer will purchase it instead and then spend the next ten years constructing something or other to give you what you deserve

@Greenfingeredsue

It is the noise and the disruption we don’t want. And we’d put money on them wanting to use our side entrance to bring stuff in (we’re end of terrace - side entrance is on the other side of them.) I have checked and we are not legally obliged to allow this.

So because you dont want disruption and noise you want to make the building work harder?

The bricked will just rip the fence out stand on the boundary to do it and take twice as long while whistling all day at the extra money.

stop being such a misery. There are lots of things in life that you might not want but that doesnt mean you should have a right to stop it. Hopefully you have got the message from the overwhelming majority of posts on this.

Right of access is generally to pass and repass on foot, not with mechanical vehicles - we were in a similar position and would have been fine with people walking stuff including on pallet trucks but not with driving a tracked digger through the garden because we didn't trust them to reinstate the paving slabs etc properly if/when they got broken.

I'm not sure why you think building a shed next to the boundary will be of benefit? Or why the new home owners would ask you to dismantle it? (For what it's worth, that seems a really extreme and unreasonable request, as long as the shed is on your land and meets planning regulations in terms of size.)

I understand why you don't want new neighbours extending their property but there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. I imagine if whoever buys that house chooses to extend it, they chose the house because it was in the right area / the right price etc., and extending will give them room they need / add value.

If a new owner decides to extend, they will need to seek planning permission, and the council will send you copies of their proposed plans and give you an option to comment / object. All you can do is wait to see IF the new owners decide to extend and then view their plans and discuss your concerns with them.

Op. Take a long look at yourself in the mirror and think carefully about your behaviour and attitude. We all have to suffer some inconvenience for the sake of community. One day you may need your neighbours. In my experience good relations with local people are worth a great deal.