Neighbours blocking my builder from parking

[HolmanHunt]

We are in the middle of a big renovation project. (Pretty much knocking house down and rebuilding it). I understand that it's disruptive to the neighbours with the noise and number of works vehicles etc. However, my neighbour has taken to parking his car on the street outside of his house rather than parking on his drive, presumably to stop the works vehicles from parking there. There is room for at least 3 cars on his drive. It's making it difficult for the workmen and my builder, who are now having to park some of their vehicles down the street.

Would I be unreasonable to ask my neighbour to go back to parking on his drive?

Do you have a drive? As long as his car us taxed, insured with a valid mot he has as much right to park there as your vehicles. Presumably you live elsewhere and your neighbours cope with the noise, dust and comings and goings. How much time have you taken to keep them onside?

Seriously? You think people shouldn't do up their houses unless their neighbours agree it is necessary? That makes zero sense.

3 occasions is more than enough to get people's backs up. You don't know if they are nervous getting out their drive or if they had appointments that day. Been blocked in (even if only for a few minutes) is annoying and can mean you are late to something.

You are a new neighbour too and might be one of those who owns 6 cars and needs to park them all on the street. Why are your builders not parking on your driveway? You are having loads of work done, I'm guessing this is taking time. They are probably wondering what will turn up next and for how long.

When we had our house done

Saw that one coming.

Neighbours had a big build all bloody summer - kids couldn’t play out without their foul language - smoking and drinking coffee on my entrance way - blocking me in, noise dust and dirt and not a single note from the neighbours until they wanted scaffolding up on my land - couldn’t have been nicer - then they asked the window cleaner to come through my gate and climb over my fence to clean the back of their house!!!

Cheeky fuckery all round.

How long has your renovations being going in for and how long have they still got to go? I am not surprised they are at the end of their tether if no end is in sight and they have been disrupted for months

My neighbours have been renovating their kitchen and bathroom since August and I am absolutely over it. The sound of the drill sounds like it’s right in my room and there is never any notice.

I will give them credit that they come to my door at least once a week with an update (they have been let down by a builder twice now) and there is usually some nice wine or chocolates handed in too

That is minor compared to a full rebuild that you are doing

Take a case of wine and a big box of chocolates round to him and have chat about it. See if you can apologise for the disruption go some way to understand his grievances and try to assist if you can.

I would not like to be living near your renovations and selfish Neanderthal builders and tradespeople.
Others have described you in the most unflattering terms, and I am obliged to join them- you are self centred, thoughtless, entitled, bossy, and unpleasant.

Your neighbours must be sick of all trucks,lorries ,vans and muck.

I'm surprised at the replies OP. I can see where you're coming from and do think the neighbour is being petty. They could have had a word with you if something is bothering them. They can park where they like but it does seem like they're doing it to make a point which is petty. Maybe you could write them a little note or token chocolates/wine to apologise for the inconvenience and give them an idea of when/how long the building work will be going on for. It might help ease any tensions having a conversation and that way if they have any concerns they can voice them and hopefully feel like their feelings are being considered

That's too often though. You never block someone's drive.

I'd be doing the same thing.

yes it would. Let him park where he wants you don’t own the road.

I have spent 2 years next to a next door neighbour building an extension I have been woken up from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Saturday and it has shredded my bloody nerves. Builders swearing in the back garden. My neighbours on the other side of her had lived there for 60 years and being 80 hoped to died there but their mental health had been so effected they have just moved out. It’s just not fair two years of bloody complete and utter hell. I have had my drive blocked hundreds of times by deliveries who when I complain tell me ‘in a minute love’ you can see why people have breakdowns due to their neighbours. Extension is now finished and it sticks right out on the garden and she’s covered it with powerful lights up and down ones - which blind my back bedrooms and kitchen and bathroom - it’s shit. My garden is no longer a sanctuary it’s overlooked after 150 years of not being.

The neighbours next to me have put up a 6 ft high fence now because her new lounge is at 90 degrees and she can see directly into our back bedroom, kitchen and bathrooms - it is totally and utter shit living next to someone doing their house renovations.

it’s aged me about 20 years - if I’m in my back garden sun bathing her new lounge overlooks me and my kids playing - it’s so upsetting.

So his parking on the road where he is legally allowed because his fed up of being blocked in and no doubt being told sorry mate just unloading then I’ll move and waiting anything upto half an hour depending on what’s being unloaded. Yabu

Ignore the sarky comments OP.

Maybe pop round and ask your neighbour. Explain the situation, take a bottle of wine with you perhaps.

Nothing you can do about it and not worth the argument as you have to live next door to him. Very frustrating though.

If I was having a big building project done first of all I would have called to few neighbours either side and across and talked to them and brought them noise cancelling headphones, some wine etc and try to get on with them as then they might be more reasonable. He is making it difficult but he probably does not want the trucks parked outside and blocking his light in his house. It is difficult for the person trying to get on with house project and also difficult for neighbours. Have lived where apartments were been done up and the noise was horrendous and no consideration as doing work at all hours and even early weekends and it is soo annoying but then also understand they just want to get the work done.
Go and talk to them calmly and explain the situation as you will have to be neighbours with them afterwards for a long time. Explain also to the drivers of your workmen trucks etc not to park there unless delivering stuff. You have to come to an agreement and you also need to get your work done so yes he is been unreasonable as he does not own the road. Communication is key.

If it's anything like the time our neighbours had protracted building, their vans will be causing your neighbour "issues", i.e. parking across our drive meaning we couldn't get our car out, or drive into our own drive. Then you go to ask them to move and get the runaround, "we're only here an hour", "we'll move it in a minute" etc - meaning we have to wait around until they deem to move their van, usually a lot longer wait than they say!

When it happened to us, we started parking on the road outside because it meant we could actually drive away when we wanted and not having to almost beg the workmen to move their vans from blocking our drive!

A lot of the time, the workmen don't actually "need" to park right outside anyway, and parking down the road a bit won't harm them. Fair enough if they're delivering things or have heavy equipment to load/unload, i.e. cement mixers, bags of plaster/cement, etc. But some will just be bringing their tool box/bag each day and don't "need" to be parked right outside!

Who cares if it comes across as being petty.
He’s been inconvenienced on more than one occasion, so for him the logical thing to do was to park where he can get in and out easily.

My next door neighbours had renovations that lasted almost a year.
We have separate driveways but share a drop kerb.
The sheer amount of times I’d come home from work and there would be a van/car/skip pickup blocking my way in.
Not to mention the noise. It was awful.
I got fed up with having to ask to get on my own driveway and being told they will only be 5 minutes 🙄, I parked on the road outside my house the days I had work.
They almost certainly took advantage because I was a lone female.

Being constantly inconvenienced wears very thin very quickly.
I completely and utterly sympathise with him.

This is so ridiculously OTT. Why do these threads escalate to being so unnecessarily abusive?

It sounds like he's parking on the road to avoid being blocked in.

I'd do the same if I'd been blocked in by builders 3 times in 3 months.

That's what I was going to say.

My neighbour is having a lot of building work done at the moment. Her builders are parking right up to the boundary. It makes getting into my drive awkward so I've taken to parking on the road. They also overhang my drive and once set up a little area and were eating their lunch and smoking on my drive (I'm a smoker but jt still pissed me off). I've had to ask them to move more often than I'm willing to do so I'm parking on the road. I also live by a school and it was making it impossible for me twice a day. Her drive has space for them to park so they can park there if its an issue to them.

Oh my sweet jesus, not the bins? The HORROR!

The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when I had a hospital appointment, I had plenty of time to get there but between me checking it was clear and leaving the house, a delivery had turned up. I asked them to move and they'd "only be a minute, love". 15 minutes later, I was on my way, I arrived 5 minutes late for my appointment, had to pay for parking and wait 8 weeks for a new appointment. I wasn't willing to risk that happening again so the car goes on the road.

Have you spoken to him about the building work before though? I know if it was me I’d pop round the day before maybe even with chocolates/biscuits just to say sorry I’m advance this is happening is it okay etc,

The neighbours who live bang opposite me are having an extension built and for months their builders have parked in such a way that it makes it very difficult for me to exit my drive. I’ve not said anything but it’s getting worse - I feel like they’re abusing the fact I’ve not said anything and are just being extremely inconsiderate, so I might start parking on the road which would mean taking up the neighbours space but it would mean I can exit my drive in the mornings without being delayed and inconvenienced!

Totally agree with this!