Construction work in residential areas

I live in a semi detached house and my neighbours have been there for 2 years now. When they first moved in, the daughter apologised for the noise they were making, They took over the tenancy with the house "as is". The previous tenant had been an elderly man who had lived there for all of his life, so at the very least, it all needed to be redecorated at the very least. The new tenants replastered the whole houseand redecorated from top to bottom.
But then the drilling started along with the hammering. There has barely been a week when there hasn't been either of those either during the day or in the evenings and asking them to please stop has had no effect. The landlord is useless and has done nothing. I would just be interested to see if permission has been requested for any of the work !

I can understand where you are coming from. This past year has been awful perhaps due to the money saved not having foreign holidays folk are building. Next door had an extension built and everything was cut with electrical equipment: steel frame, concrete pillars, bricks. Clouds of dust wafting over was awful. Windows, bins, garden was covered in a layer of muck.Never given any warning when the dust would be produced. I was amazed the workers didn't wear any masks or ear defenders. The noise from machinery is awful.I couldn't open a window or rear door for 4 weeks. Lorries delivering skips are constantly going round the place.

Would it be better then to leave old, in need of refurbishment houses empty, rather than people buy them and do them up.
We moved into an empty house in a small close that was in need of modernisation 7 months ago and have gutted it, none of the neighbours were upset or annoyed about our work, in fact they were happy to see the house brought back to life. Seems there’s either a lot of envious people out there who don’t like to see young people get a foot on the property ladder by buying a property that needs work, or those who don’t like change in their area. It’s not always possible to buy the perfect home, sometimes the size and shape of the house is there, it just needs some work to put your personal stamp on it. By the way, I’m not a youngster, I’m 64 and have thoroughly enjoyed bringing my new home up to the standard I want.

Our semi-detached neighbours are having a huge extension in our tiny cul-de-sac (9 houses). They only have space to park one car (they have two cars). The disruption is just awful, builders park all over the place, huge lorries in and out, the noise is so bad it’s reduced me to tears. These are church going people who couldn’t give a damn about anyone but themselves. We never thought we would want to move from here, we are mid 70’s, but now grrrrr.

greenlady102

Savvy, did you conplain to the coucil environmental department?

Not a lot of point, my local council is useless. I've been complaining for over 4 years about the damp in my flat. Nothing gets done.

I think the local schooling is a major factor for young families. If the house is in the right area for the schools, or a desirable area, then that will be the main reason for buying. Once there, I suppose everyone wants to put their own touch on the house. Could be that the current layout doesn't fit with their living style. Everything considered, there isn't a lot you can do about it.

De-bungalowing is very popular because a bungalow has a large footprint so you can get a fabulously good size house out of it. I can see the appeal and have contemplated it myself, checking out even the dreariest old bungalows in Cornwall near us.

The ones I worry about are the very deep basements in Kensington. Back in ye olde pre-Covid days when I used the tube, I often wondered if I'd be on a Piccadilly line platform on the day a workman and drill broke through the roof!

I'd settle for a dreary bungalow with potential in the right location.

I bet they're pricey even though they are dreary, Paperbackwriter

But then - I'd be wanting work done on it

Yes & lockdown has had so many people having home offices built in back garden, conservatories, extensions & new patios etc. built. We also have a new housing development at the end of our cul de sac being built.
It used to be such a nice quiet road but at the moment it is just a building site!
That & everyone seems to have bought a dog! When they all go back to work I am thinking of setting myself up as a dog walker!!

A lot of younger families near me have bought bungalows and turned them into houses, it’s amazing how many compromise on their garden space as well, and lots of front gardens disappearing. Very much a sign of the times, sometimes I think I’m an old fuddyduddy.
The only thing I object to is the mobile sound systems they bring with themblarting out from the van whilst they work. No consideration for night workers. Dusty, sandy cars all the time.

There’s a house opposite my daughter’s house which is up for sale. The estate agents blurb says “scope to extend to the side and the rear” (it also says there’s a “view of the park from the front” but only, I would think, if you are clinging to the chimney pot!). They will too - it’s a big pull. For some people the bricks and mortar are a secondary consideration. They buy because of school catchment and if the house is not big enough, they build on. Every house but one in the road has been extended, including DD’s. We were out recently and DH commented that the whole country seems to be in a building frenzy.

Blame all these tv property programmes. Kirsty Allsop showing a house and immediately telling the prospective buyers how they can knock down walls to create open plan, tack on an extension here, convert the garage there. People no longer buy a house for what it is but for what it can become.

We have the blight of student houses. Many semis such as ours - kitchen, 2 downstairs rooms, 2 double bedrooms, box room and bathroom - have been converted to house six or more students with rooms on the side (so no rear access so bins in the front garden) and loft bedrooms. Some summers it's been like living on a building site. A couple of years ago, in brilliant weather, the elderly neighbours a couple of doors away couldn't enjoy their garden, hang out washing or have windows open because as soon as the students left for the summer vacation the builders moved in to build a 2-storey side extension that created noise and building dust until the students returned for the autumn term. There were often up to six workmen's vans parked in the street, none of them had names on so we don't know who the builders were, there was an electric cable snaking over the pavement from the cement mixer on the grass verge. It ruined summer for our neighbours.

Yes a lot of greed and selfishness around. Buying a house you can afford, living in it, deciding as money becomes available that you're going to extend the kitchen, convert the garage etc is fair enough

Buying a house that in no way meets your requirements, is on a normal residential road and deciding 'well we like the area, it's near good schools so we'll buy it and spend two years gutting it regardless of noise, dust elderly neighbours being woken up at 7am, no one being able to enjoy their gardens or hang out washing, old people having to carry their shopping down 2 streets because builders vans, cars trailers and trucks have taken up all parking spaces, and whole sections of the pavement being railed off ' is just totally selfish.

The adjoining house to us was renovated over 9 months of hell. Not so much the actual work but the radio blaring out and if asked to turn it down they turned it up. Come spring the radio was in the garden. One of the workmen had a very limited vocab ... f**k in every sentence. The owners were nowhere to be seen as it was being done up as a holiday cottage investment. Having said that, the house needed renovation and was a bit of an eyesore before.

One neighbour has totally gutted and rebuilt their house - by themselves. Two years of noise 7 days a week and dirt everywhere. No apologies, just demands to move our car when they need lorries to deliver more bricks etc. Totally selfish.

There’s a house near us that is actually two houses being made into one. The owner has now bought the house on the other side as well but there has been no work done on the site since November. It’s a wreck and a lot of the work that was done last year is now deteriorating. What was the point of starting it ?

Well in my London borough they would be breaking the law. Building work Monday to Friday 8 till six, Saturday 8 till 2 nothing Sunday or Bank Holiday. Even DIY has controlled hours.

Both our neighbours have done this. Their renovations took place over a finite time and it wouldn't have occurred to me to complain about the noise or deliveries. Quite frankly, I'll be happy if I can find a buyer who wants to do the same if it means I can sell our place! We also had 158 houses built behind our house and it was a bit more dusty, a lot more noisy and certainly more intrusive but, once again, we knew it would be over in a finite time so could cope with it. As sad as I was to see the fields built upon, the deer dislodged from their homes and the view gone forever, I was pleased that younger people would have affordable housing. Life is too short to be begrudging of other's good fortune.

Huitson1958

Why on earth shouldn’t people be able to renovate their homes if they wish without being called selfish ? I’m very much afraid this conversation is making you sound like miserable old curtain twitchers !!! Can’t you be happy that people , especially the young people, are able to make their own mark and also make their own home their own ... perhaps you could ask them how things are going and perhaps see what changes there have been...you never know you might like what they’re doing as well as being friendly with the neighbours

Why should people be, 'happy' to have constant noise and dirt, limited parking, no enjoyment of their garden, and their driveways being regularly blocked.
And how are people noticing all these very obvious inconveniences to their everyday lives and enjoyment of their own homes 'curtain twitchers'.

Do you really think people have to be peering out through their windows to realise there's a digger making monumental noise 2 doors down, or they have to park way down the road and lug two bags of shopping while controlling a toddler because their own road is taken over with trucks and trailers and skips and the fireman's massive 4x4?

Foreman, not fireman.

It is selfish. But as a 30 year old with 3 young children I intend to be wholly selfish when planning mine and my families future. We are house hunting and at present the absolute state of the housing market is a nightmare.
My priorities will be forming the perfect home for our family to grow up in. I really don’t want to move again so the house will more then likely need to become perfect. If someone chooses to live in a densely populated area then noise is one part of that. Luckily just as your easy solution is for them to simply buy their perfect house (?) another solution is for those who hate all the noise to move to the country side with no neighbours.

On the day our new young neighbours moved in I was at the hospital having laser eye surgery.
The following morning I woke up with a blinding headache and was looking forward to a lie in.
The sanding of the party wall in the bedroom, to remove the anaglypta wallpaper started at 7.00am and carried on for most of the day. Of course they had no idea about my operation and we said nothing as we didn't want to upset them on their first morning but oh how I wish we had. Noise of some sort has gone on every weekend since. We are moving in a few weeks time.

Bibbity

It is selfish. But as a 30 year old with 3 young children I intend to be wholly selfish when planning mine and my families future. We are house hunting and at present the absolute state of the housing market is a nightmare.
My priorities will be forming the perfect home for our family to grow up in. I really don’t want to move again so the house will more then likely need to become perfect. If someone chooses to live in a densely populated area then noise is one part of that. Luckily just as your easy solution is for them to simply buy their perfect house (?) another solution is for those who hate all the noise to move to the country side with no neighbours.

You seem to have misunderstood the point of the thread.

bibbity we live in what is classed as ‘open countryside’ people are moving from the towns and cities and coming to the country side, knocking down the homes and rebuilding £1m plus houses, some are now second homes.
So there is not as easy solution.