Experience with dormas?

[Winterrain7]

Hi everyone. Has anyone had any experience with neighbours with dormas? My neighbour told me yesterday they plan on installing a dorma in the summer for their 2 older boys and explained they don't need planning permission but apparently need permission from us? Why do they need permission from us? Does it affect our home? Value of our house? Please forgive me for sounding stupid but I've no experience of these at all. I'm not sure why they need a dorma as they have 3 big bedrooms with 4 boys and 2 of them share one room and 2 the other. Are they noisy once installed? They are quite loud given the fact they have 4 boys which we don't mind that much but are the type to mention any tiny bit of noise we make but never consider the noise they make. We don't really want to fall out with them over it because they are neighbours but I'm struggling to understand why they don't need planning permission but need permission off us. We are not the moaning type what neighbours do is up to them but just wanted to know any experience anyone's had with dormas. They haven't even asked if we'd give permission just said that they need permission then went on to tell us what they are doing and when as though we definitely would give permission and dont really seem to consider us. They said it needs to be done else they'll move and we will have bad neighbours and to me that seemed abit like a threat if that makes sense. I know If it was the other way round they would complain to us and certainly wouldn't allow it. They moaned when we had a new door put on because it was noisy, a friend parked outside our drive no where near their drive but they mentioned that because they couldn't see when reversing out apparently and different things like that but when their kids are running up and downstairs screaming we don't say anything at all just to keep the peace Any experience with dormas? Tia

Well it’s a room in the roof! So maybe it’ll help with the noise as it’ll put the boys upstairs!

Dormers, OP. Not being snide — I was genuinely wondering for a minute whether this was some new DIY fad I hadn’t heard of.

Sounds like they can do the loft conversion under "permitted development" so don't need planning permission but would need to have a "party wall agreement" with you because they're doing something which will affect the party wall, the one which separates your two houses. That will give you a starting point for googling.

You say I'm not sure why they need a dorma as they have 3 big bedrooms with 4 boys and 2 of them share one room and 2 the other - well there you have it! Another two bedrooms in the loft and everyone has their own space as they grow. Fair enough in my book.

Loft conversions are pretty ubiquitous these days, at least around here. It's not as if they're doing anything unusual or controversial. You refusing to sign a party wall agreement doesn't stop them from going ahead, it will just cost them a bit more and slow things down.

@agedvellum thankyou for the correction 😳 as I said no idea whatsoever.
I don't want and wouldn't stop them from doing it it's more so how they've gone about it by saying we don't allow then they'll sell to noisy neighbours and that just didn't sit right I wouldn't dream of saying that to my neighbours. They moaned yesterday about my partner leaving for work because he needed to de ice his car but when their kids are screaming at silly hours I say nothing. So it just annoys me it's more of a we can do what we want but when you do anything you need to tell us if that makes sense. I'll do some research.
As long as it doesn't affect our property then that's fine but just wanted some advice first from people who know about them as I am so clueless to these type things I just leave it to dp but I get the brunt end from the neighbours as I see them more often than he does.

Sounds like a pretty standard dormer loft conversion which is likely to be allowed under permitted development rules.

They will probably need a party wall agreement with you to do the work - that is the bit that will ned to be agreed. Use you own party wall surveyor when they serve the notice on you - they will have to pay for it.

It'll be disruption for 3-6 months as it is built, once done you might have stairs next to a bedroom (depending on how they plan it) and you might lose some light to your house due to the increased height.

No worries, @Winterrain7. I was wondering for a minute whether dormas were the new Crital doors or garden offices or something.

Your neighbours sound awful -- did they literally say 'You have to let us do this or we'll sell to even noisier people and then you'll be sorry?'

I'm following this, because we bought a wreck a year ago and have intermittently had a lot of work done, but have made a point of being as considerate as possible of the neighbours in the attached house when the work affected them, and giving them a case of wine.

@rollercoaster1920 thankyou that's really helpful. They just said it's a case of us just saying yes and that's it so that information has really helped me thanks
@agedvellum anytime we have done anything that will affect them noise wise I also knock on and let them know but they don't, not that I'd expect them to it's just I like to be polite and wouldn't like to think I'm disturbing them too much.
The words were "just to let you know we are hoping to install in the summer and need permission off you for whatever reason but if you don't agree we will move and you'll probably end up with noisy neighbours" with a chuckle at the end. I was kind of taken back by it and didn't really know how to respond I just smiled and wish I had have said something now. It just seemed a bit threatening as in you will let us do it else we will make sure you get noisy neighbours. Since then whenever we have seen them they've made the point of telling us what they will be doing, how to decorate it so they obviously haven't really asked if we would be OK with it more like told us we will have to be. I have no issue with it in itself ots just how they've gone about it and the fact I didn't even know they needed to ask us first which made me think it might affect our property in someway so needed some advice first.

To set expectations: you can't stop them developing!

In some areas you would need planning permission for dormer windows. Roof lights possibly not. So check with the planning authority. Are there dormers in the street for loft conversions? They help with use of space in the new room so can be popular.

@tizerorfizz no there are no dormers in the street that I've seen. It has to be a dormer if they do it because of the shape of the roof of the properties in the street an actual loft conversion wouldn't be possible they have been told. The window to the dormer would look into their other neighbours bathroom as their window is on the side then there are a row of bungalows so seems strange they only need permission from us because of the party wall but not the other neighbours they would actually be overlooking into bathroom, gardens ect.

Make sure you get your own party wall surveyor that you choose and appoint - they pay. Don't let them talk you out of it. If the conversion damages your property you need to be properly covered. It's a very common type of development but you do need to protect yourself. It sounds like they are CFs and likely to push back on the cost of the surveyor and make you feel like you are in the wrong. Don't be swayed!

@theeconomista thankyou I will be looking into doing that. As I said the way they have said it is as though I just need to say yes and the dormer gets built. I really do think they've researched it and told us what they wnat to tell us I the hope we go with it with no clue which would have been true but after reading here abd researching I now know otherwise. They have mentioned keeping the cost down and know somebody that knows somebody who can do certain work so I will definitely looking to get a party wall surveyor but i can guarantee they won't like that if it means they have to pay. I also think that if they did damage our property they would send a quick fix it around to keep cost down so yes I'll be finding a party wall surveyor.

A loft conversion would be possible wutbbroic lights. They are holes in the roof like a dormer window. What roof lights don’t give is additional head height. I assume this is what they need to make the scheme work.

Are there already windows over looking the gardens/bungalows? A bathroom could have obscure glass fitted. But councils have views on overlooking. It’s not something that is never allowed.

I think the permission from you refers to a party wall agreement. I would contact the planning dept and look at their policies on loft conversions.