If you have a big extension to your home, AIBU to think you should consider the impact on your neighbours?

[angelos02]

Neighbour is having a huge extension - so much so, we have found out that they are moving out for 6 months. It will have a huge impact on my life - noise, scaffolding etc. At the end of it I will have lost a huge amount of view - they will gain everything and the only person to be negatively impacted is me! So do I just have to suck it up as it is just the way things are now?

It was a benefit that you enjoyed but you’re not entitled to the view forever more.

Look up, you can still see the sky and trees or move.

Your neighbours have every right to renovate the house and land they bought.

You don't say if you engaged at all in the planning process, did you comment on the application or try to speak with them about how it would affect you?

I do agree with you that people seem to be able to get away with some quite anti-social stuff when it comes to building extensions, you can protect your access to natural light and not be overlooked, but you have no right to keep your view.

But basically yes you have to suck it up, it does have to be built and that is disruptive, and honestly it would probably be even worse if you had a family coming and going along with all the builders. When we had our kitchen redone there were times when we had 9 different tradies here at the same time so it can be chaotic but it won't be forever.

So you’d rather they lived there making the build a longer project because every evening they have to have water, electricity etc. Rather than just having the builders leave as is and pick up
each morning?

As I said previously a turkey voting for Christmas ….. if they can afford to move out, good for them and a quicker build and less disruption for everyone.

Blimey I think our planning rules are incredibly lax! I'd make them stricter! Though more for established developers who build crap quality houses.

For individuals my biggest bugbear is turning bungalows into houses. I think it should only be allowed in certain circumstances eg you buy a plot in the countryside with a ramshackle bungalow on it - you can do what you like then. Although if a plot is a reasonable size I think it should be used for more than one house.

And there should be strict laws about noise when work is being done. You can't help the noise of the tools but the actual builders can be a lot quieter.

I do take your point about the outside loo ;)

If you don’t want to be inconvenienced by others, maybe it’s you that incapable having neighbours. I’ve had neighbours blast their music all summer however they’ve done it where it was legal & I’ve had neighbours have renovation work. To expect to not be inconvenienced is to be entitled. People looking after their properties raise the standard of the area. If they add £10k to their home and others then do work (which tends to happen) it raises the house prices of everyone’s.

And all extensions / new builds should only be allowed if the property owner/developer will make it energy efficient via things like solar and not just one panel to suffice, heat pumps and such.

Want to upgrade your home great but make it better for environment while you do it.

And no fully fake gardens tbh full
of concrete and plastic.

If people don’t want to live next to people who may carry out building work on their house they should buy somewhere without neighbours.

Sadly it is all legal and noting you can do. I would say it is better people renovating and adding value to the area.

I say all this with a heavy heart that one of our neighbours gave daily banging and drilling for over a year, yes even Sundays. They have a lovely wrap extension, we just had headaches and stress.

Everyone and their dog seems to be getting extensions where I live! One finishes and the next starts. The noise is annoying but it's the loud radio music played that really misses me off! Xx

Not recent, but our neighbours wanted to build a huge, single storey but tall red brick square extension which would have taken up half of their garden. Both we and the other neighbour objected and it was not given permission. Now that you can build many extensions without permission I suspect that it might have gone ahead.

We live in a flat so there are no extensions, but we do still hear a lot of renovation work. Our management company are very strict that noise can only happen between 9 and 5 on weekdays and I think that most local authorities have 8.30 - 6.00, though they do allow Saturday morning working.

Oh poor you! They want to improve their home. Jerks. Well, you don’t have to put up with that. Go over there with a briefcase with £1m and buy the house from them and then you shall have the right to say what happens to it.

You sound quite bitter tbh

if your objections weren’t upheld during planning there’s nothing you can do, it may not even be that noisy

our neighbours had a double storey extension and I didn’t notice the noise much

Yes, of course

We’ve been on both sides. It’s stressful for everyone.
Upside for neighbours, is that everyone’s home appreciates a bit once neighbours start developing and improving. So although it’s annoying there is ultimately a benefit.

My parents ' house has had its view removed by a huge extension under permitted development. I appreciate it's legal but the impact of the house is entirely negative.

That's a bit of a sweeping generalisation. Our house hasn't appreciated in value since our NDN put on their extension I mentioned upthread, and there will be many, many other examples where extensions have contributed absolutely nada to other property values.

Our new neighbours did the same, lived elsewhere but they did lots of work themselves and with friends as they are in the trade so it was slow. And then they kept applying for more, small bungalow and they trebled the size.
Worst part was when ine summer they were working on the roof for months looking in our gsrden, blaring out music chatting full volumne.. We didnt really sit in or use the garden for the entire summer.

Indeed our neighbour trying to steal our land would certainly not improve our property value

Planning departments just don’t do their job
its really easy for them to grant planning with
time restrictions on noise etc
its crazy works should be can be restricted to
hours
I’m a developer and never start before 8 am and all noise stops at 4.30
not because we had to but because we give a shit

What’s the problem with turning bungalows into houses?

The view didn’t come with their house. They still have what they have paid for.

House prices are through the roof now, so just moving to a bigger property just isn’t an option for so many, yet the desire for the bigger property or just a nicer more liveable property is still there so we’re just left with the more affordable option to get the builders in.

@angelos02it is also not difficult to understand that people a) have reasons for doing so and b) are legally entitled to.

You've also conveniently ignored anyone asking if they are within planning rules and whether you made any objections in the planning permission stage?

I empathise. We are 6 months into a very long and drawn out huge & very over bearing extension build next door. Nowhere near finished either. Loud radio noise, workers swearing & singing (yes, I know it's their job and they need to get through their day, but 😩..), constant construction noise & dust and lorries blocking my driveway are a daily occurrence. It has affected my mental health, and I consider myself quite immune to that kind of affliction, I'm from a generation who don't like to admit that kind of thing to anyone. Neighbours couldn't give a 💩 how it affects us. Very sad, but a reflection of modern day life here, and I'm not even sure if I'm the one being unreasonable (or not).