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?

I really hope they have noisy children and a trampoline they like to use all day. What a miserable piece of work you are

No one likes disruption or noise like that, but it's temporary. To try and interfere like that is such a nasty thing to do.

Surely this has to be a reverse? I can’t believe someone would be this spiteful

It would take more than batshit neighbours to stop someone building an extension!

You might want to look at permitted development, they may not even need planning permission.

Our neighbours have just had an extension built, it’s not caused any issues for us other than a bit more noise. Once the walls go up then you hear virtually nothing.

We’ve built our own extension and had our neighbours build an extension (in fact two!) in the last twelve months. We are looking to move again and almost every house we’ve seen needs work - it’s one of the reasons people move!

Ok yes I understand, it’s annoying and dusty and noisy and parts of it really stressed me out as I had a newborn when next door were doing their work. BUT it’s such a small amount of time in the long run - 6 weeks for a loft, perhaps 10-12 for a kitchen. A lot of the work isn’t even that noisy. Then it’ll be back to normal.

We provided a week by week description of the work to our neighbours so they could see when the noisy bits would be (builders were happy to provide it), agreed to pause work for our respective babies’ nap times, were considerate about rubbish and deliveries etc.

But honestly it’ll be over before you know it. You have no idea when you’ll need your neighbours in the future so try to be obliging if you can.

You sound vindictive and petty, the joke is on you really though isn't it. I expect you spend a lot of time stewing in your own negative thoughts and becoming more and more embittered and mean spirited. Its no way to live your life, this kind of mindset eats away at you and twists you up over time.

I hope they get planning permission for a big fuck off extension and then install a hot tub up against the fence

Broadly you’re worrying about something outside of your control. IF they can afford the build straight away, which you don’t know they can, they would still have to get planning etc and get going (builders are crazy busy right now). Try to only worry about it when it happens. Because there is really nothing you can do.

So long as your neighbours are considerate about the build I see no reason for you to object. You should study the plans carefully and be aware of how (if at all) the build might impact you.

A friend of mine had new neighbours "assume" that it was acceptable to put scaffolding for their extension in his garden, which was beautifully landscaped and upon which he had spent a great deal of time and money. The scaffolding poles would have (he felt) constituted a danger to his grandchildren and also the build would have spoiled his and his families use of the garden through the summer. Not liking his neighbours cavalier manner he said he would run it past his solicitor, who would draw up a contract for the "rental of his land and loss of amenity" and he would get back with a costing. The pushy neighbour was shocked. He did not realise he would have to negotiate a contract with my friend or financially compensate him in any way. His idea was to "pay him a few quid" for the holes made by the scaffolding poles and make no allowance for other aspects of the build. When my friend did get back to him with a proposed contract and a costing he shelved his plans for an extension. Eventually he did manage to get a much less ambitious plan passed but on the other side of the house. He also had to negotiate with the other neighbour because my friend had warned him.

Always have a contingency fund to cover unforseen expenses of this kind and never assume that your neighbour is going to allow your work people on his land for free!

When I bought my house there were several discoloured plastic lean to type structures that had been put onto the house without planning permission. Not only did they look awful but there was an issu with heat loss in winter and blazing heat in summer and they also leaked when it rained. We knew when we bought the house that we would have to take them down and apply for planning permission to rebuild the areas properly. We openly discused this with both the estate agents and the son of the previous owner who had died. Two neighbours took an instant dislike to us when we moved in because they 'new' that we would be looking to access their properties to do our building work (that son had told them about). They also complained about the noise our building work would generate.

Actually we had no intention of accessing their properties. We had found a way to do all the work within our own boundary and didn't even consider using the neighbour's. My husband is away a lot with work and I work from home on the computer (no noise). I would say other than the building work which lasted 8 months (probably 4 of those actually produced noise) we are very quiet and hardly visible.

It was 'funny' that after we moved in we realised the one neighbour is a carpenter and works from home in the shed right on the boundary line next to our property. All day every day I have to listen to his loud power tools and hammering away with a radio full blast over the noise. I've moved my home office to the other side of my house to try to get away from his noise. The other neighbour does something with cars and is constantly reving up car engines which is both loud and fills my garden (and any open windows) with petrol smell. No chance of me hanging any washing out so I bought a dryer and try to keep my windows closed.

Even when my builders were here plastering, painting, installing electricity, installing plumbing and other relatively quiet things, we could hear neighbour's daily noise (and smells) over ours. Now my builders are gone and I am still distrupted daily by my neighbour's noise which even though I don't say anything I am less tolerant of their noise because of the huge fuss they kicked up before they even met me.

OP try to think about all the ways you might be inconveniencing or irritating your neighbours before you complain about people you've not even met and assuming they will be a problem for you.

You sound delightful. I don't think it's the neighbours building work that's going to be the issue here.

NIMBY.

You are being incredibly unreasonable. If you don't want the extension, you can object to the plans, but to try and undermine the project by building in your own garden is both ridiculous and misguided.

Yabu and to be honest you sound a nightmare neighbour!

You sound like a Nightmare Neighbour from HELL!

is this a reverse? Can't be true otherwise - surely no-one is this narrow minded?

I am wondering wtf they can’t just buy a house that meets their needs?

People extend houses because there isn't a house which matches their needs anywhere, or in the right area, or at the right price. They don't do it to annoy others and it's really selfish of neighbors to take this attitude.

Wow. I hope they also have a giant dog that barks constantly. And they play the drums.

Drums and saxophone.

Do you know what op, you sound horrible, vile, bitter and jealous. Just like my neighbour. I actually pity people like you, who make other people's lives hell just for the sake of it. We want a two story extension on our side, we need the space, love the area and don't want to move. Our neighbours in the other side, who it won't affect at all will definitely oppose it although they'll have no reason to. We know this, we know that's what they are like and so does everyone else in the street. You nee to get a life op.

We didn’t need planning permission for our extension.

You sound charming. If you don’t want noise and disruption why on earth would you live in a terraced house?

God you sound awful.

Build your shed if you need a shed but you won't stop them from building as long as they follow regs. And you having a shed in the garden isn't going to affect them or their extension in any way.
Why don't you wait and see who they are, what the plans are and how it might genuinely affect you, if at all.

YABU. You sound like a neighbour from hell.
I hope they are also neighbours from hell and make as much damn noise just to piss you off. Karma and all that jazz!

I can’t believe the amount of people on this thread wishing bad things on the OP, it’s really quite disturbing. There is so much hate around at the moment. We had two years of hell with our neighbours and extensions, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but then I must be a fairly nice person. Not much evidence of that on this thread.

Sounds like you're just jealous

We had two years of hell with our neighbours and extensions, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but then I must be a fairly nice person

Well firstly, thats unusual because extensions dont usually go on for two years do they? Secondly, just because you had a bad experience doesnt mean everyone else will. I was sexually assaulted by a dentist years ago, that doesnt mean I'd advise noone to their dentist. I wouldnt wish that on anyone either but I'm not going to tell people never to go to their dentist. If you move next door to someone you have to accept that they have the right to build an extension- if its allowed by law and planning then part of living next to someone is putting up with noise for a short time. The OP is being very unreasonable suggesting the new buyers move when she could also move.