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

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Weren't you contacted by the Planning Department prior to this happening?
They usually send a letter to all neighbouring properties inviting any objections and comments to an Application.

In my City they also attach a copy of the Planning Application (weather protected in plastic) to the nearest lamppost.
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A mini estate was built at the bottom of our garden, with the house at the end of the terrace demolished to make an access road. I think the whole process only took about 9 months, but building work was 7 days a week, with heavy plant and cranes delivered in the wee small hours. I remember at the time I felt awfully stressed by it, but once work was done I did get used to it. In my experience, demolition and laying foundations were the worst bits, although it did take quite a long time to get used to being overlooked. It sounds like there are quite a few restrictions on how the build must be delivered. My hot tip would be to tell the planning office if the builders break those. In my instance, building hours were limited at the weekend, and I had to call in the Council a couple of times when work started outside the agreed hours. I know it’s horrible, but try getting out of the house as much as possible, maybe move your bedroom away from the garden end and know this will get better eventually. Maybe invest in a shrub or tree that will provide you with more privacy in your garden.

The first part of my post was to AuntieE.

I really am finding it hard to take this seriously.
Do please, for your own sake, try to calm down.

How unhelpful.

According to 25Avalon so far:
The workmen started preparatory work, didn’t communicate with us, cut through the gas main, blocked the driveway, all before they start the demolition.

They now want to knock down the boundary wall between them. This house is at the bottom of their drive so there is going to be a lot of disruption.
And you tell her to calm down?

Why did you mention wolf-whistling? That is your imagination, the OP never mentioned that.

25Avalon I agree with those posters who suggest being polite and friendly and they will be more accommodating, hopefully. My friend has building work going on at a site at the bottom of her garden; she chatted to the builders and, whilst they were trimming tree and hedges, they offered to do some of hers on the boundary free of charge.

Feed the builders the odd bacon sarnie,
And cuppa, you will be surprised at how accommodating they can be. As previously posted they have to give you notice of any services disruption and access to your property is a must.

I feel your pain! Refurbishment/ Extension been going on since April 2024 next door. On most days 7 vans in our narrow road. Noise levels vary but last year couldn’t use the garden or hang out washing because of the dust! Nice young couple moving in … but probably not until Summer this year!!

I really am finding it hard to take this seriously.

If the owner of the property wants either to demolish the house and build a new one, or completely renovate the existing building and has planning permission to do so, that anwers your question as to what right they have.

The builders have to abide by the by-laws for the area, regarding how early they start work and how late they finish. If they exceed these rules, you can complain.

Why can you not just walk past with the dog? Or cross to the other side of the road?

How exactly do you expect the workmen to annoy you?
The last time a workman wolf-whistled at me, or made a cheeky remark was over 55 years ago, and I doubt even if you are far more attractive than I am at 74, you will be in any danger of that sort of thing.

Do please, for your own sake, try to calm down.

I live in Scotland; part of applying for PP is sending your neighbours (if you have a common boundary) a notice of what is being planned.
I would go into the planning dept and query what is going on.

My neighbours had a very large extension which took quite a long time to be constructed. We had the usual builders noise and mess. One day I asked one of them if it would be possible to turn the radio down just whilst we had our lunch in the garden ( it was glorious weather for the whole of the build). The builder looked stunned, it really hadn’t occurred to them that we could hear their radio. He apologised and afterwards the volume was much quieter and the radio was off between 12 & 2 every day. Builders are only human.

I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience.

I accept I chose to live there and the OP didn’t. I was giving advice that worked for me when I was surrounded by building. She can chose to respond differently.

It wasn’t about a relationship with the developer, rather a relationship with the people I saw every day. I found they were easier to deal with about everyday stuff than trying to get a response through the offices of the developer.

Lathyrus3

My experience is somewhat different to yours in that I bought a new house at the start of a development of 1500 homes, so I lived on a total building site for 2 years and then the building moved on, but still with the lorries and supplies and stuff, trundling through. Though there was still intermittent work around me like making up the roads and green spaces etc

My advice is to make friends with the builders. They are just people doing a job, not the enemy.
If they do anything that causes a problem tell them, but equally if it isn’t let it go. My driveway was sometimes blocked but if I wasn’t going out anyway, it didn’t really matter. I learned to abandon my idea of what they shouldnt do for practicality. It didn’t come easily to me😬

It paid dividends though because as we got to know each other they started to help me out with a few little jobs that come up on new builds, sorting an never doorstep. Helped me carry furniture and garden stuff and even helped me put up a shed 🙂

I hope your builders will be just as nice when you get to know them.

The difference is you chose to live on a building site, the OP didn't and I didn't.

You also have a relationship with the developer. I've phoned to complain about things, like Lorryload of earth being moved on a hot day with a huge cloud of dust covering everything as the lorry passes. The reaction? Which plot are you on? And then a distinct lack of interest when they realise you aren't actually on the development.

I sympathise.
Long ago a block of 16 flats on 4 floors was built on an empty site (which was once a row of cottages) at the top of our driveway, so sharing a drive.

The first thing was the digger driver accidentally dug through our gas and water pipes. It was so bad it was funny (we were younger then)
There was upheaval for months. I wrote to complain but got nothing except a letter from their law department refuting my complaint.

The trouble then began when they couldn't sell the flats and eventually allowed the Council to use them as emergency housing and although most tenants were ok a few were antisocial and my DD who was a young teenager was scared to walk past and I got verbal abuse if I complained about anything.

I complained to the letting agents who sympathised and said they would deal with it. The agents were in Glasgow so not local.

The ownership of the flats changed over the years and it's hard to know who to speak to now. The tenants seldom remain for more than 6 months so there are old sofas and fridges left outside and their bins are hardly ever put out for collection.

I guess there are worse things in the world.

Good luck to you living next to a building site.

butterandjam

* I’m not going to be able to drive in and out freely without fear of some kind of confrontation. Even walking the dog will put me on edge. *

Enough drama; the builders will be far too busy to bother with you. You'll just drive/walk out (and back) as usual.

The builders MUST provide a clear vehicle access to your property, at all times, for you and emergency services vehicles.

True. A "right of way" is only allowed to be blocked for 15 minutes maximum (yep....you can tell how often I've had in the past to sit there thinking "14 minutes 30 seconds, 14 minutes 31 seconds etc") and it's only for the purpose of "loading or unloading people or goods" and not parking parking so to say.

An effective tactic to use against someone parking parking (especially if you can see they've done it deliberately to block access to your house) is to get any vehicle that is coming to see you to park right behind them. Then they can't move and have kicked themselves up the backside by doing that. It might take them a couple of hours to accept they've got to come out apologising and move their blocking vehicle - but daylight dawns on them eventually and they don't do it again.

butterandjam

* I’m not going to be able to drive in and out freely without fear of some kind of confrontation. Even walking the dog will put me on edge. *

Enough drama; the builders will be far too busy to bother with you. You'll just drive/walk out (and back) as usual.

The builders MUST provide a clear vehicle access to your property, at all times, for you and emergency services vehicles.

Big sunglasses worn whenever you go past them.

Personal recommendation - as I've had bad neighbours deliberately standing and trying to eyeball me as I've gone past them before now and I know I have an expressive face - so was concerned in case I looked at all offput by them in any way.

So - on went the sunglasses and, after a while, they realised I knew about hiding my eyes and making sure I stood as upright as I could and firmly stepping out (ie walking) confidently past them.

I guess tell yourself it could be worse, ie "Bulldozers moving onto a field next door at the start of a bank holiday etc".

I had a very similar experience to Lathyrus when my house was new and the house behind me was in the process of being built. I was friendly towards the builders and in return they were polite and helpful to me. I have only good memories of that time. I hope it will be the same for you OP.

I think my first stop would be the planning department at the local council. Ask them questions about boundary walls and everything you have mentioned in your post. I would have thought that with being so near this house that you would have been informed about the plans and have the right to object to them. Ask the council why this hasn't happened. The builders need to treat you with courtesy. Your home and access to it should not be compromised in any way and if you have problems with them and a face to face polite chat hasn't improved matters then I would be back on to the Council for their advice.

I can totally understand where your fears and disappointments are but I think Lathyrus has given you very good advice don’t make enemies of the builders, they are only doing a job, and may be more than helpful to you if you ever have a problem.
I do wish you well though and as others have said do make sure all the necessary permits have been put in place
I m surprised you haven’t had information through the post as to what to expect etc
Good luck

My experience is somewhat different to yours in that I bought a new house at the start of a development of 1500 homes, so I lived on a total building site for 2 years and then the building moved on, but still with the lorries and supplies and stuff, trundling through. Though there was still intermittent work around me like making up the roads and green spaces etc

My advice is to make friends with the builders. They are just people doing a job, not the enemy.
If they do anything that causes a problem tell them, but equally if it isn’t let it go. My driveway was sometimes blocked but if I wasn’t going out anyway, it didn’t really matter. I learned to abandon my idea of what they shouldnt do for practicality. It didn’t come easily to me😬

It paid dividends though because as we got to know each other they started to help me out with a few little jobs that come up on new builds, sorting an never doorstep. Helped me carry furniture and garden stuff and even helped me put up a shed 🙂

I hope your builders will be just as nice when you get to know them.

madeleine45 what a useful and constructive reply.

I often have to remind myself that I can change my reaction to things!
I would also look at planting some new trees or tall shrubs near the boundary, ready to give me some joy in the future.

Another way of looking at this is to realise that our own property may well have caused someone else some temporary inconvenience when it was constructed. Does that help?

I can understand your feelings at the moment, a lot of which is that you are unable to change anything and are dreading what is to come and feeling helpless. There is much that you cannot alter of course, but I think you now need to look at what you can do, and try and focus on that.

So as others have said , you can check up on the rules and regulations re access and blocking drives, causing problems such as water cut off or whatever. Once you have the information, you will see what you can and cant do anything about. Then once they really get down to the job, can you notice if there is a pattern to the weeks. So that if they tend to finish early on a friday , then that is a day to stay at home and make the best of that quieter afternoon. If the worst day is monday with lots of deliveries of bricks and noise etc, then make that a day you try to go out early, have your shopping list at the ready, or have a plan to go somewhere you can enjoy something. Maybe that could become a day to start going swimming, or visiting NT properties or arranging to meet friends for coffee. Whatever would make the day better for you. DONT think of it being a day you are pushed out, but that you are choosing to do something other than stay and listen to the racket which upsets you. Next look in your local library to see what courses might be happening, that would appeal to you. Let this get you to make that effort to join and learn something new.

The point is that we only own the place we live in and are just lucky if the neighbours are pleasant and things stay the same for some time. You see so many people saying how much they like the outlook from their property, and I always think that they need to check on the likely or possible changes that could occur. Having moved 19 times both in this country and abroad I have experienced a wide range of situations , and have been sad to see a lovely meadow taken for building etc etc. However the only things you can change are yourselves and what you do and your pattern of things.

Whilst you are naturally sad about the changes and no doubt feeling very frustrated that you are unable to alter things, turning your attention to what can make life easier for yourself is your only positive thing you can do. Today you could at least buy some earplugs , perhaps change your furniture round so that you are not looking at the mess going on, and then check out the rules re passing by and blocking the way etc. You might also start taking pictures of any lorries blocking you in, showing their number plate etc., but I dont think you will help the situation to deliberately look for problems. You can only look at your own situation and think of the things that you might choose to do. So, for example at one extreme, would you want to move yourselves, and spend some time looking for a place that would suit you better? If that thought fills you with horror, then you will see that finding a way to cope with this temporary situation is your best way to feel in charge of your own response and change what you can and find ways to limit the effect on you of the things that you cant alter.

Sounds absolutely horrific!

I can only wish you luck and many Baileys!

Has the local Council actually granted full planning permission or is it going to be yet another case of applying for permission retrospectively with fingers crossed?

'Build Now and Get Permission Later' just seems to be almost the norm these days.

Allsorts

Have I got this wrong? The builders are only working two days a week for a year. Never heard such a thing, it's usually daily to get the job done.

I think it means 5 and a half days per week, so presumably Saturday mornings too.
Nightmare for the OP.

Have I got this wrong? The builders are only working two days a week for a year. Never heard such a thing, it's usually daily to get the job done.