Construction work in residential areas

A lot of people buy for location, irrespective of the house type. If works need planning permission, you can object and at least request a condition added to any permission given governing hours of work.

Later on we might look for a bungalow but the most important thing is the location and size of the plot, we would then have major alterations to make the bungalow work for us. We have no plans to move but you never know.

My husband and I have been looking for a home for our retirement for the last 15 years. We wanted to be walking distance to a decent town and a good station.
We bought an absolutely dilapidated bungalow in between two Edwardian houses which had already been given planning consent for a two story house. We’re building now. I feel really bad about the disruption to our neighbours and our builder is acutely aware that he needs to be mindful of them at all times.
We haven’t set out to upset anyone, I’m sure most people wouldn’t want to. Some people buy a property and never do anything to it but others are determined to have a home which suits their lives. No one is wrong, we’re all different.
If at all possible it’s always best to communicate.

I think it’s an ongoing situation these days.
We moved here fifteen years ago and built quite a large extension, then the nursing home opposite built a row of little apartments. Then two houses up, a builder bought some land and built three really high end houses which took about a year, he did most of the work himself, so that was mostly weekends. Then across the road, what was a field is now six houses, and the couple who bought the house the other side of us ten years ago, have been having something done ever since.
Some of your stories, admittedly do sound horrendous, but people will always want to improve their homes.

We live in a cul de sac where the houses are all the same age. Consequently they need renovations now.
We have all recently changed windows and doors, updated bathrooms and kitchens had solid roofs on our conservatories and replaced garden sheds.
The reason is we are all house owners and take pride in our homes. I look on that as a good thing as it makes for a very tidy road.

Since September next door (terrace) has had builders in 6 days a week. There's been 6 chimney breasts knocked out (all my side) without warning, each resulting in my house shaking and things falling of my walls. I've had three episodes of banging the walls so hard they've made holes through my walls (and Victorian fireplace). One lot of builders walked out, leaving the place empty for weeks, during which time it was burgled for some of the items they left behind. No apologies from the buyers -- they're staying in a hotel whilst the work's being done.

I've been told by the builder's they're about halfway through now, so another c6 months. of hell. Now they're quibbling over boundary walls (both sides). And they think they'll be welcomed to the neighbourhood? They're in their 60's, so although young to me, not so young for doing such major works as this. Anyway...it's good to have a moan on here about it!

I can't see the problem. The flat next door was totally gutted inside including having the plaster removed from the walls. A house across the road has been having building work done for last 18 months. Yes, its a problem when the lorries come down our very narrow street or the vans take up limited parking but it's just one of those things.

Some people buy properties that they can afford rather than what they actually want so they change them when they move in or before they move in.

You can only object in certain grounds Sara. The fact that it's the 3rd house on the road in recent years to be gutted and the neighbours are fed up of non stop drilling and hammering, part of the pavement being fenced off, dust and dirt everywhere, builders shouting and listening to the radio at full volume, trucks and skips and vans all over the place and noisy deliveries before 8am unfortunately isn't one of them.

Oops1 it’s very common in my area for people to buy nice little bungalows and demolish them to build big houses. I hate it. Bungalows are rare enough without destroying them. Much needed as people get older too. Personally I retired a couple of years ago. Day one!! of my retirement and the builders started next door. They gutted the whole house. It lasted 7 months and nearly drove me insane. Every hour of every day there was drilling and hammering. I looked after my baby GD twice a week and she could never sleep. We used to go out every day just to avoid the noise. The builders used vile language so I couldn’t sit with her in the garden. Hell. I asked nicely, not nicely and even shouted but nothing changed. I know people want go make nice houses but consideration for neighbours should be paramount.

I don’t see what can possibly be done if planning permission has been granted.

The residents would have had their opportunity to object before work was started.

I know they're not breaking any laws but it's very selfish behaviour really. 3 houses beside my mother have been sold recently. The one two doors down is currently having a huge renovation job done, the one across the road has received planning permission to hugely increase the size and she's just waiting for a planning application to appear on the gate of the one around the corner. That's 2 to 3 years of noise, dust, electricity being knocked off unexpectedly and cars and trucks everywhere for her and her neighbours, many whom are elderly and therefore at home all day. .

There really should be some restrictions on this kind of thing.

It seems as though people are buying an address, they have no intention of living in the house so demolish it and build a new house on the site.

As someone who has spent three months listening to builders hammering and drilling and basically pulling next door apart ! I feel neighbours should be compensated for having their peace and quiet destroyed !

When the old lady next door died her small bungalow was knocked down and an enormous house has been built, totally dwarfing our single storey bungalow, the builder took nearly 3 years to comeplete the house, with noise and dust every weekend and most week days, but he did agree to halt work on Bank Holidays.
Now our neighbour on the other side has died and I expect that his small bungalow will be knocked down and another house built, we will be squashed in between.
Not looking forward to months of building works yet again.
Both properties were perfectly adequate for anyone wanting single storey living, but as they have large gardens the developers swooped in and made the heirs an offer they couldn’t refuse,

Be very afraid if they start digging down for a basement!

Our new neighbours have ripped up the lovely garden that was planted by the previous owner and laid concrete slabs ready for the barbecue season and expect to host several people each weekend. They have put up a new fence which looks like it is falling down already and left the old one to rot in the front garden. Luckily we are moving to a new house in a nicer area. It has given us the push that we needed to do it.

Minor additions and changes I can understand. But buying a house in a row of houses with the full intention of tearing it apart and changing everything regardless of the noise, intrusion and inconvenience to your neighbours seems to have become standard and acceptable behaviour nowadays.

The couple who moved in next door to me ten years ago changed everything in the house bar the roof and the external walls. All the windows,doors, flooring, bathrooms, kitchen, heating, garage cut in half to make a utility room, paving in the drive dug up, replaced then dug up again because she wanted some garden, new paving at the back covered with decking, conservatory dismantled and replaced with a brick structure and the entire garden emptied then covered with gravel and triffid- like succulents. And they were in their sixties. It went on for years. Even the brand new shed had to be turned one quarter round. The only thing not replaced is the low garden fence, so she can lean over and say, are you going to pull up those weeds, and pull the leaves off my bushes because if they come over my fence I can cut them off.
As he is retired and she has never worked and has no friends, they are there All The Time.

The new owners probably liked the layout of the house they bought Septimia, it goes on a lot now, years ago you would buy the house and live for probably several years in it before you changed kitchens and bathrooms, but nowadays so many gut rooms and replace very soon after moving in,

In our village one couple spent a lot of time and money making their house really nice. The new owners gutted it and changed it completely. Why on earth did they buy it if it wasn't what they wanted? What a waste! New bathroom suite thrown out, kitchen too.

Changing a house after you've lived in it for a while, have discovered its shortcomings or need to make adaptations, is another matter.

We have a family in my street who have just bought their 3rd house, they buy a normal 3 bed semi and extend sideways and into the loft, concrete over the front garden and park numerous vans, cars there. It’s been horrendous for their immediate neighbours. They are about to start on one 2 doors from me I’m dreading it. They aren’t a young family either.

We have built two big extensions in two different houses.
I don’t think any of our neighbors were particularly bothered, mainly I suppose because they were out all day.
But if you employ a good building firm, with a good site manager, noise and mess is kept to a minimum, and it doesn’t go on for ever.

I think it's a generational thing, they don't understand the concept of working your way up to things, they want it all now.

When we were younger, you worked, you saved, you bought a home you could afford, without going into too much debt and fixed it up as you went along. Then as you got older, you sold it and bought somewhere better.

There was a phrase used in a movie once which just about summed up most, but not all, of the younger generations today: 'instant gratification takes too long.'