I am dreading the house at the bottom of our drive being demolished.

Planning consent was granted in 2023. There were irregularities in that we were not notified within the statuary time and the parish council did not consult either. They just passed it off without even visiting the site. I did a lot of historical research and submitted my objections. These were ignored. The previous owner wrote a letter of correction on historical dates. That too was overridden and permission granted. I felt I had given it my best shot and would just have to accept it.

It is going to be a trying 18 months but made worse by a cheap Jack contractor who clearly doesn’t give a damn. On top of the previous annoyances two beautiful acers have been unceremoniously uprooted and hacked to bits when only one was on the planning permission to be removed. No consultation although it is part of consent. Iam scouring the original plans now. It makes us fearful of our own property. Is it too much to expect a contractor to knock on the door and give a time table? The road is private and all the council says is it’s a civil matter if they block it as is wanting to knock down our wall. Does this sound the kind of reasonable contractor you can have trust in. The owners of the house almost didn’t proceed because the quotes they received from local reputable builders were too high.

When we were first married we lived in a new house on a building site for two years. When we moved here to our detached house on a large plot we had builders for 6 months before we could move in. However we employed a responsible contractor and our neighbours had minimum of any disruption. We paid extra to have small trucks rather than one giant lorry as the road is narrow. All of the employees were polite and respectful to us and our neighbours.

So we feel we have good reason to be fearful. By comparison the demolition contractor arrived today and so far has been quietly demolishing, removing windows and putting them on the back of a small lorry parked where it cannot interfere with anybody. Their phone number is clearly displayed and a name if you need to talk to anyone. How very different from the main building contractor.

I’m off to bed again with my small glass of Baileys and my book.

Just a thought. We recently had a large extension built and the time scale for the build, in your case 18 months is not all taken with noisy dusty work. Once the outside structural works are done the builders will move to the inside and after that you will be much less disturbed.

Interesting how some replies are totally non emphasising whilst others really get it, probably because they have their own horror stories to tell. My thanks to the latter and those who have posted helpful remarks. We are meeting with the building contractors soon and hopefully will be able to establish some ground rules and make sure they adhere to the planning consent.

Did they not contact you prior when planning permission was being submitted?

In your shoes I would document with photos any damage and disruption caused by the builders. It may be useful if you need to talk to someone about it. As for the tree, have you spoken to the Council about it? If they have already breached planning permission by cutting down 2 trees instead of 1 then that needs reporting otherwise how many other breaches will there be? My local Council takes a dim view of trees been cut down illegally and quite right too.

Sorry, me again! It sounds as if you are off the beaten track so unscrupulous builders will hope that out of sight will be out of mind and gives them the red light to do as they please. Don't let them get away with it. Keep an eye!

Have any trees got preservation orders on them? Your Council Tree Officer will know.

Why should there be any "confrontation"? The builders will just want to get on with their job. How about viewing it from a different angle - pop down the drive to say a cheery hello to them, make friends with them, and then it'll be dead easy to ask them if you need them to do/move/change anything they are doing.
I know it will be annoying, but you really have to think that it's not forever, you might get some very nice helpful neighbours when it's done.

Have you seen a copy of the Planning Permission document? Should be available to view on the Council's website. Often they will include specific times and days of the week when work can be carried out, e.g. not before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. or only on Saturday mornings and not other times at the weekend or not at all on Bank Holidays. If they do not keep to these times without very good reason then contact the Planning department and also Building Control who must oversee the work. If possible take photos and detailed notes of breaches of Planning Permission to support your complaint.

Sarnia

Sorry, me again! It sounds as if you are off the beaten track so unscrupulous builders will hope that out of sight will be out of mind and gives them the red light to do as they please. Don't let them get away with it. Keep an eye!

Yep....agreed as a valid point.

As for builders only allowed to work between certain hours = that may be (indeed is) what the regulations say. However, a large building got knocked down and replaced by another one very near my last house and they didn't bother about the regulations - until I complained they werent sticking to allowed hours.

It was a VERY public location/couldnt have been much more public - hordes of people passing regularly and they still cracked on with the work at illegal hours. Cue for that stopped when I did complain and they stuck to allowed building hours only then. I think I was so gobsmacked at them blatantly and so openly breaking the rules that I didn't think they'd try that on more than once or twice - until it occurred to me that (though the location was so very public) yet again everyone else seemed to be leaving it to someone else to do their work for them of complaining. So I did...and it stopped at that point.

Ok..you have to stay positive.If its something you have no control over..well..no solution.Change is awful...

25Avalon
You have my deepest sympathy but apart from some of the good advice offered by others ie checking planning appln and taking photos of any blocked access etc there is very little you can do except put up with it. I would definitely be friendly to the builders but I'm afraid you must just try to accept that the work is going on, you have no control over it and try to relax into it (easy to say I know). The more agitated you get the worse it will be for you but not for anybody else and nor will it improve the situation in any way. Take care.

Goodness...what a rant!

Was jumping in to say, good luck and take before and after photos, but I see you already have that advice.
Pace yourself, and good luck.

Have you looked to the deeds to determine ownership of boundary wall? They also now want to knock down a boundary wall

Norah

Have you looked to the deeds to determine ownership of boundary wall? ^They also now want to knock down a boundary wall^

Yep...good thinking Macduff. They will indeed knock that wall down if they want to - unless they get stopped - with evidence - telling them they aren't allowed to do so.

There are indeed people (builders or otherwise) that work on the basis of apologising (insincerely) after the event - rather than asking permission before the event.

I've not forgotten being told (not asked - but told) "I will be butting my fence up against your wall". He should have known (given the type of job he does I'm sure he did know that "butt up against" means "butt up against" - ie "sit beside"). Cue for me finding he'd gone and drilled into my wall and attached his fence to it!!!! That did not last long and, funnily enough, his fence equally mysteriously stopped being attached to my wall. He didnt dare illicitly join it up again....

Fatoldlady

Why should there be any "confrontation"? The builders will just want to get on with their job. How about viewing it from a different angle - pop down the drive to say a cheery hello to them, make friends with them, and then it'll be dead easy to ask them if you need them to do/move/change anything they are doing.
I know it will be annoying, but you really have to think that it's not forever, you might get some very nice helpful neighbours when it's done.

Don't offer to provide cups of tea! 18 months x number of builders at least twice a day would soon lose its appeal.

My heart goes out to you. A near neighbour had a really extensive extension built on the side of their house recently. The next thing we knew other neighbours decided "what a good idea" and went down the same path. We had noise, inconvenience, mud and everything that goes with it, blocked drives, contractors vans for at least 2 years. We have now settled down and we are back to peace and quiet. Fortunately relations have recovered although I was a bit tight-lipped for a while.

My friend's have had very similar problems with the chap next door to them who had planning permission to build an extension and then promptly removed a fence and was trying to build on their land. They consulted a solicitor and work was stopped after a letter warning them of further action if they didn't. I suggest you speak to a solicitor pronto to see if you have the right to deny permission to stop them demolishing your property. Check your home insurance to see if you have legal cover to help pay for any action. Act before the builders act; it will be far easier in the long run.

This sounds nightmarish for you and of course you must talk about it or you’ll explode! A similar thing happened in our family about 20 years ago but it went on for years. After six months an approach was made to the owner of the property and who was living elsewhere. He was invited to spend a day in our family member’s house and compensation was paid with profuse apologies. Worth a try?

My DH works in construction, have you received any paperwork from them? Party wall agreement A party wall agreement is a legal document required under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 in England and Wales, necessary when conducting construction work on or near a shared wall or boundary. It ensures neighbors consent to work 😁

If you can afford it, I’d be booking a few cruises for the next year!

Dempie55

If you can afford it, I’d be booking a few cruises for the next year!

Slight snag to that idea.

That being I've lost count of the number of times I've read of incidents of Bad Neighbour behaviour and they do their best a lot of the time specifically to "get up to mischief" when the decent neighbours back is turned. It happens very frequently.
eg Decent Neighbour goes on holiday and their fence is in the correct place - but they come back from holiday to find Bad Neighbour noticed the "coast was clear" and shifted the fence in the hopes that they'd achieve a fait accompli of what they wanted and the fence would stay in the wrong position.

Then there's scaffolding erected partly on Decent Neighbours garden and/or the scaffolders have managed to damage that garden anyway by trespassing into it and damaging plants in it, etc.

When my bad neighbours were at the height of their shenanigans I needed to be "on guard" and they still trespassed into my garden frequently (even though by then I'd made it VERY plain "My garden - keep out").

Slight snag to that idea.

Yes! I'd stay put to make sure my house didn't get demolished 'accidentally'.