To want to move for this?

[Renovationhell]

I live in a semi detached. Been here 7 years, 2 sets of neighbors previously no issues.

Got new ones a month ago. They are lovely but my god they are noisy. Doors slamming, loud talking (never heard someone talk through the wall before!) DIY late at night. Dogs who bark constantly for no apparent reason and howl constantly when they leave.

I’ve tried to ignore it but as times going on it’s annoying me more and more. I’m on edge waiting for a noise now which is ridiculous. It feels like my privacy has been invaded and all the work I’ve put into this house so far is pointless.

Is this just what it’s like living in close proximity to someone. How do I get used to it?

Ive spoken to DH about moving last night. There’s a huge 1000 house new build estate up the road just begun. The catch is I would be increasing my mortgage by £150k to upgrade to a detached house. There are no older detached houses in the village or surrounding area within budget that don’t need complete renovation and I haven’t got it in me to start again- I literally would need to move in somewhere finished.

The new builds are a worse location and are smaller than current house (old Victorian, not finished renovating yet so can’t sell for full price) but it would be detached and also finished which mine won’t be for years! I have small children who may benefit from living in an estate full of others bs current location in an old village full of older people? I have more building work booked in for this summer to the tune of 20k and I’m now thinking of cancelling as putting more money into a house I may leave seems daft. New neighbours are also renovating and likely to be for years so my building work just goes alongside theirs.

Any input into my scrambled thoughts much appreciated 😄 are new builds generally really noisy places to live? Are new build houses as rubbish as people claim? Any thoughts on living on such a huge estate?

I’d move if I were you, and I had the opportunity. Detached is the only way.

Have you spoken to the neighbours about the dogs and DIY noise?

If it's just begun you will be listening to building noise for years. We got a new build, and it was on and off construction noise around us for a good few years

The only caution I would have is that detached doesn't guarantee you will get neighbours that are quiet. You won't hear them through the walls the same way, but you can still hear them.

In my experience once you become noise sensitive to the neighbours it never goes away.
I found myself listening for the bang of their front door, knowing they were home and the noise was about to start.

I'd definitely move to a detached. You can still get some outside noise but at least you can just close the windows

I lived on a new build estate it was very friendly lots of young children. It helps if there is a playground as all the children can play out together.

Oh dear. I hear you on this one. Lived in our house over 20 years. Various neighbours. Last lot (renting) are, like yours, very nice but the noise is insane. I WFH and no longer work in my office as all their dogs are left in the room next to it and they bark literally all day. If they are in they shout and their youngest seems to have a lot of arguments/tantrums.
Couldn’t sit outside last summer (it’s a rural location so have enjoyed a lot of quiet previously) as the kids were often outside arguing.
Can hear them throughout the house which we’ve never had before. Spoken to the landlord and the neighbours but made no difference. We accepted defeat have bought a detached in a village a few miles away.

I have and they are really nice about it but i don’t think they realise how loud they are. Im
such a non confrontational person I'm finding it hard! They aren’t awful people at all, just thoughtless compared to my old ones.

The dogs are the most annoying bit. One seems to just yap at them throughout the day and they make no attempt at stopping it. If they leave the house all of the dogs howl and bark until they get back. They say they are rescue with separation problems and they are working on it. They try and move them to different rooms, put radios etc on but the dogs still bark. I have dogs so I’m not averse to a dog barking when the postman’s coming etc but this is seemingly for nothing.

What are the negatives of living in an estate? The house I’ve seen has its own drive but the garden backs onto lots of other gardens so potentially lots of people overlooking maybe? It’s also got a large proportion of affordable housing which puts DH off, just because where we are now is an affluent area compared to the new area (although we are probably the skint ones in the middle!)

Financially I could make it work. I would have potentially 60k equity in this house which may be enough for the deposit etc on a new build.
DH is stressed about increasing mortgage so much but I’m thinking how much easier it would be to have a done house!

DH concern is loads of kids banging on the door every 2 seconds and running in and out all the time. Is this the reality or is he being silly?

Are you me 😄

We are also rural. Nothing around us but fields and next door. Lovely little school half a mile walk. I’ve got a huge garden which used to be lovely, not a noise but birds…now dogs bark at me when I go out. My own dog has got stressed by it all and seems really unsettled.

My new neighbour's bought and have huge plans for the house so no chance of them moving any time soon.

Our village is so small. We are out priced by hundreds of thousands to buy a detached, if I could even sell mine in time! A detached bungalow half the size of mine recently sold for 200k more than us so I would have no chance.

We live in a 4 bed detached "new build" on a large estate - our house is spacious and has plenty of storage - I know a lot on here say new builds don't have storage. But our garden is pretty small. Also the walls are very thin and my friend who lives in one of the semis says they hear everything through the walls eg next doors toilet flushing!

Ours is from the first phase and we didn't buy it off plan it was 7 years old when we bought it so no more building in our bit and it's quiet here, no parking issues, it's all detached with a couple of semis. Yes there are families and there is a playground but no kids causing issues. However, further down into the development where phase 4 is being built, the houses are smaller, closer together, terraced or 3 storey semis, plus several blocks of flats and yes some social housing and although no issues I'm aware of I have definitely seen a lot more older kids/teens hanging around in the playgrounds outside the shop down there.

Overall it's a very nice estate to live on, there are lots of community events, it is kept very clean and the tennis court, green areas and playgrounds well maintained due to the high service charge. However, I would not consider buying in the other phases (2-4) of the estate deeper in due to the volume of houses in close proximity, parking issues and ongoing building. So I would say be careful buying on an estate that is still being built!

This is brand new. There are about 5 or so other phases?! This is the second but there are 2 developers working on it (so first for one type of that makes sense)

The plot I’m looking at is surrounded by 2 bed terraces. Theres also flats, bungalows and lots of packed in ones on the development. I would be buying off plan. It’s such a minefield isn’t it.

In that case I'd think carefully. Also if your dog is getting stressed by lots of noise and other dogs barking, there will be lots of ongoing building noise, lots of families and dogs barking on a large development. It will be a big change going from rural to a development as well.

Good grief! You are us and we are you! 😁
Loved sitting in the garden, I feed the birds and wildlife - feeling awful about leaving them as they are so used to being fed now - and we have a bit of land so love playing out with the dog, but if the neighbours dogs are out they bark at us too and my dog doesn't like it. I guess its unnerving for him as they have multiple dogs.

Our son thinks the new location is too far from work/friends so is going to get his own place which I am so sad about.
There is nothing here to buy as it's not even really a village so that wasn't an option.
Our new place is a renovation and it will be stunning but I do feel sad that we were in effect 'forced out'. To be honest, its affected me quite badly.
I really hope you can find somewhere you love.

My guess is the new place being surrounded by two bed terraces may well be no better. To me, the potential for groups of children making noise on an estate wouldn’t be worth the risk and one that is only on phase 2 will have a lot of builders noise. At least your current neighbours are nice people and haven’t started kicking off about your complaints. I would invest in some top quality noise cancelling headphones - these have been my lifesaver as I am very noise sensitive. When I am doing jobs around the house I listen to radio or podcasts. When working from home if there is noise from building works locally I pop them on just with noise cancelling.

We had a detached house on a new build estate with just one road in and out. No problem with the house and to begin with the estate was fine. Over time the small boys grew into teens and would stand in gangs in the middle of the road looking at you menacingly before deciding whether to allow you to drive home. Our house was a corner plot with no fencing etc allowed around the front garden and the kids would ride over our garden on bikes and wreck it. We put in bushes which were pulled out. We moved and when we met old neighbours out and about it seems things got worse. There was no social housing there

Someone else I knew bought a house on an estate where there was social housing and the private houses were 'targeted' with fences pulled down and a car windscreen smashed. He moved away too.

I'm not sure I'd buy a house in the position you're talking about in the new build estate.
If surrounded by terraced housing and flats there will be cars everywhere and parking issues.

If I was buying a detached house I'd definitely want to be on a street of detached houses with their own driveways. Also we are in our 3rd house on an estate and we've always managed to make sure the garden is not overlooked by choosing the location carefully.

I wouldn't do anything in haste.

Sounds a good idea to reconsider your building work.

Maybe get an agent round, look into what else you could buy but don't jump for the first thing out of panic.

Start by buying noise cancelling headphones to manage the noise stress right now.

That’s a good point. Maybe I’m jumping the gun.

I thought this would be my last home before retirement. My mortgage is 100k lower than what it would be if I moved. The new build would be top of my affordability (I think we could make it work but just)
I’ve spent around 60k doing things to make this house what I wanted. I’m just about to do a small extension, new patios all round and new bathrooms. It’s a much bigger house than most in the area. Floor space wise it’s probably bigger than the new build, plus I have a huge garden backing onto a nature reserve/woodland.

I would still need to do some work to sell but probably wouldn’t do the extension, just update the bathrooms (one of which is ripped out at present!) and sort out the mud pit out the back.

Im just gutted but I understand this is a first world problem!!!

Maybe the new neighbours are the sort to do it all up to make a profit and sell it on again in a year?!

Can you look at getting a soundproofing company to help? It would be a lot cheaper than moving.

Are you in the house all day? I’m WFH and get cabin fever - the slightest noise irritates me no end. I find if I’m out all day I somewhere desensitise to noise. I try and get into the office at leat twice a week. Moving house to an estate won’t guarantee you peace and quiet. I think you need to find a a way to live with the neighbours, their kids will grow up eventually. Have a word about the dogs though.

I’d consider moving but not to a new build estate. You don’t share walls if you’re detached but they can be horribly noisy- whether it’s construction, parties, other kids playing, people revving cars/ motorbikes, older kids, etc. Plus the other downsides of living in a new build like snagging, potentially smaller rooms/ no storage, garden might have drainage issues/ be rubble. I’d at least want to see what the estate is like before I moved.

Is there no chance of you finishing the renovations at your house to maximise the price, then looking for an older detached, maybe even if it needs a bit of work?

We lived on a new build estate temporarily, the worst noise was the building site as it was a work in progress.

Our current house is detached on a new build style estate although the houses are 15 years old.
The pros
it's very quiet , we are away from main roads/traffic
There's more of a neighbourly feel in a culdesac
Children can play out
Lots of similar age people/kids
House is easy to maintain- straight walls,wooden floors

The cons
All houses are identical layout/less character
Parking- go look round on a weekend we have a double drive and a small space on the front but it's still a nightmare with people blocking us in/blocking the road
If you are unfortunate to live in one of the areas where kids choose to play out it will be noisier
Smaller rooms/garden
Poor storage in the house

In your circumstances I wouldn't move to the new estate.

The potential for different noise issues and other irritations like parking is too much i think.

We moved from a Victorian terrace to a detached new build but our estate is smaller and is mostly detached so there's a bit more space.

But the soundproofing is worse than in my old house. I can hear conversations from the street and sound travels within the house too. Fortunately the neighbours are quiet.