Are my builders unreasonable to have the odd bonfire in our backgarden?

[jazee]

Not having a good day as it is but have just had a knock on the door from next door neighbour to say we are being unreasonable to have a bonfire . . .
We are extending our property over the next 3 months and are having to clear some of the garden trees and shrubbery for this.
Our neighbours extended theirs last summer. No bonfires though!
Any way, this is only the second one we have had and the complaint was that their washing on line now smells of smoke and on the hottest day of the year, they cant open their windows. Well I have my front windows open but not the back. Do I tell my builders to wait until the Autumn to have a bonfire.
Any suggestions on how Not to fall out with them.
They don't like the noise either or the vans in the road. I have purposely parked away from their house so they still have a parking space! We didn't fuss about there 2 story extention at all!

You usually have bonfires in the evening to avoid smoking other people out of their gardens and filling their houses with the smell. Fresh wood is very smoky and stinky.

You are being a bit unreasonable, I think. And if you have builders, they should really take the green waste to the dump rather than daytime bonfires.

It is polite to wait until the evening (I think our council says after 7.30pm).

Take the shrubs and trees down to the council waste site where you can dispose of them properly.

Over the bonfires issue, I think YABU. It is so hot today - you can't expect people to put up with having their houses filled with smoke. That's pretty unneighbourly and inconsiderate, really. Your council probably will collect garden waste for a fee.

If you make a big thing of not having bonfires, they might let the other stuff (noise, parking) drop.

Yes don't have a bonfire FULL STOP.

YAB totally U.

It's a nice day FFS! Think of peoples washing out, people with asthma or breathing issues, people enjoying their gardens.

The council provides more than enough facilities for ALL your building/greenery crap. Don't be a lazy arse and get it down to the tip or hire a skip.

There really is no need.

Well done to your neighbours, when my neighbours did this, I just fumed. Yes of course, yabu and selfish and inconsiderate. Take your rubbish to the tip. Our council pages give advice on when to have bonfires, and when it becomes a pollution issue.

Hi again, Have apologized to neighbours and said there wont be any more fires.
Feel really bad now.
I came back home an hour ago to this!
Have had a quiet word with the builders and they have put the fire out.
Oh dear - not a good day at all for me - feel so bad about this all.
I dont like falling out with people.

You haven't fallen out with anyone , sounds like it was dealt with in an adult way....enjoy the rest of the day

YABVVU, especially as they are home during the day, might be different if they WOTH. It is July, theya re not BU to want to have their windows open our enjoy their garden. A bonfire is totally unnecessary and unpleasant for all your neighbours.

Blame your builders .

But really, they should know better, and you weren't, I presume, actively encouraging their pyromania? They are just being lazy, they should be disposing of the waste properly.

what carocaro said, yabu. Last summer our neighbours bonfires made our garden a no-go zone for 2 weeks solid. It was vile we couldn't open windows, everything got covered in ash and I couldn't dry any washing. In the end I had to call the council who visited and threatened to serve an abatement notice if the fire continued.
In hot weather you may be making your neighbours lives intolerable.

oops sorry OP x-posted, well done you have done the right thing

There have been lots of trips to the tip etc so it wasn't a huge fire.
Also it wasn't me who lit it and i do feel VERY bad about it.
Just wanted some friendly advice.
Never had a bonfire before so had no idea about the after 7.30 thing.
It was only burning for about 1 and half hours.
My other neighbour had a fire recently and it didn't bother me at all!
Guess I must be different from most! Takes a lot to anoy me!!

I complained when the grumpy old sod next door lit a bonfire just when I'd got the washing out. The next day, he brought me a bunch of flowers from his garden and we are on good neighbourly terms.

well, with a small baby and temperatures upstairs hitting nearly 30 degrees I wouldn't be happy about having to shut any windows because someone's having a bonfire, the smell can take over the house in no time. Bonfires ARE for autumn, on evenings when people won't be sitting out, have their washing out or their windows open - then, the smell is lovely. In the summer - go to the tip. This is a real bugbear of mine, people are always having bonfires on sunny days round here, am fed up of having to rush out to get the washing in and shut the windows!

I agree that you have done the right thing now! I wish I had spoken to my neighbours although I hate conflict.

Can you not shove a giant grill on top of it and pretend it is a BBQ?

Seriously though, things shouldnt be awkward, she complained, you apologised and got the builders to put it out. If she is still arsey about it in the future then she is being unreasonable.