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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

For having an extension?

9 replies

CostaLotta25 · 08/07/2021 16:54

We lived in our house for 4 years. Next door are a lovely couple who have lives there for over 50 years. Their house is lovely and has a brick built conservatory on the back (relevant). Our house has a conservatory too but it's wooden and is about 20 years old. It's hanging on by a thread so we have scrimped and saved to be able to afford an extension, which has just started.
We submitted plans for the extension 18 months ago and they said it would be permitted development due to some special rule in our borough (it goes out 4m). Next door were obviously informed formally (and I told them) and they tried to appeal as apparently they thought he drawing looked like it crossed their boundary (it didn't but there you go). Anyway, submitted new drawings making it super clear where the line was, had a party wall survey done (at next doors request), crossed every T and dotted every I etc. Next door though are obviously really pissed off with us though and I can't work out why! They extension is small as extensions go, it's replacing the eyesore of a conservatory, we've paid for a survey and signed an award to say we will happily cover any damages etc. Presented our insurance details, got building regs... blah blah blah! I even give them regular updates via text (requested via the surveyor) and they never even reply!

I saw them on a dog walk this morning and they crossed over the road rather than look at me!

AIBU?!

OP posts:
Terrazzo · 08/07/2021 16:59

YANBU they're crazy, if you've given us the whole story!

We just received PP yesterday after 6 months of waiting, absolutely can see how extensions lead to breakdowns and we haven't even started yet!!

DGFB · 08/07/2021 17:00

Ha, ignore them! They will get over it eventually

ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 08/07/2021 17:02

YANBU

MatildaTheCat · 08/07/2021 17:12

We have some neighbours who wanted to essentially build a whole small house on the end of their garden which would have had a real and damaging impact on our house and various other neighbours. They would have obviously benefited financially.

We objected and they’ve never so much as looked at me since, only about 15 years 🤣.

Ignore and carry on as you were.

christyt114 · 08/07/2021 17:29

Being in the neighbouring property to building work is very annoying. You get all the inconvenience of the noise and dirt but none of the benefits. But you can't stop it happening if the planning permission etc is all there.

They'll just have to get over it. You've done nothing wrong.

GabriellaMontez · 08/07/2021 17:46

Yanbu. Stop indulging them. You're not guilty of anything. They're unneighbourly.

30degreesandmeltinghere · 08/07/2021 17:47

Well obviously your house is now going to outshine theirs!

PotassiumChloride · 08/07/2021 17:50

Fuck ‘em. You’ve done everything reasonably and by the book. There’s no satisfying some people.

CostaLotta25 · 08/07/2021 18:36

That is literally the whole story (minus the typos!) I have no idea why they are so pissy about it. I understand living next door to building work is annoying but our builder is being really considerate and isn't using their land for any scaffolding or anything. He is keeping it between 9am -3:30pm too because he needs to do the school run!

They wanted to see interior drawings as well as exterior, which we submitted despite it feeling a bit intrusive! Why do they care where my washing machine and loo are going?

I just don't understand it. We used to get on well (just hellos over the fence etc). Come to think about it, they stopped trimming our side of the front hedge about the same time as we submitted planning despite saying when we moved in that they had always done it (for about 20 years) as they planted it!

People are weird!

OP posts:
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