General Chat

My immediate neighbours moved in just before Christmas 2013.
The first thing they did was cover the back garden in tarpaulin.

Then I think they may have gutted the house - certainly there was a lot of hammering, drilling and thundering up and down the (uncarpeted) stairs that are next to my bedroom, and a plastic corrugated canopy was put up along the width of the house, where their washing machine lived.
After that, he asked if he could replace the fencing, and chop down an old dying elder tree in my garden, as he wanted to build a shed.
I said okay - I'd wanted to get rid of the tree for ages.

Next came early morning deliveries. One week I was off sick and, every morning I would be disturbed by these. Decking, wood, breezeblocks, cement - all arrived by huge lorries that then used crane attachments to unload. This was accompanied by my neighbour shouting instructions. These deliveries went on for months.

He removed the tarp from the garden, to put down decking.
I suggested he put the sloworms that would inevitably be found, in my garden, and pointed out it was illegal to kill them.
He didn't know what sloworms were, so presume he'd killed any he'd found, but promised to put any others he found in my garden.

He built his shed(?) - well it's nearly finished, I think he needs to plaster the breezeblocks. I've never seen a 'shed' the size of this one, neither have I seen one with insulated double breezeblock walls, with double glazed windows and door, and a wood burning stove - well not one without planning permission!

This morning though, I'd had enough!!
I was woken by them 'closing' doors - loudly!
I staggered downstairs - still the doors were slamming, then he went to his car and turned the engine on - for 20 minutes! It isn't frosty, so that's not an excuse. Eventually they went off. They came back an hour later, whence he proceeded to bl**dy hammer!!!

I realise that. as I make very little noise, they presume they just can't hear any noise I make. I rarely close doors, (cats) but made a concerted effort to slam a few - it's not easy, and the cats were a little scared. They'll have to get used to it.

Before these neighbours, I had a couple with 2 toddlers, and before that, a woman with 2 teenagers - one of whom played the drums in the (soundproof) attic. Neither of them made such a constant noise as the current ones.
Do they really have to have a conversation with the people across the road, from their respective doorsteps? Do they really have to 'talk' at 90 decibels?
:-| :-| :-| :-| :-| :-|

Oh dear, Maggie, I do sympathise. The people next door to us have three chihuahuas and they yap constantly. Summer days in the garden are ruined and they are taken for walkies at six o'clock in the morning before the owners go to work and they yap up and down the road (the dogs, not the owners). Your neighbour needs to be careful, though, many cars are stolen in the winter because owners leave them with the engines running and go back in the house while the car defrosts. Maybe you should warn him - or maybe not!

Annie

Oh - and another thing. Now his back garden is decking, gravel, shed and breezeblock walls with annuals in, his 2 cats cr*p on my grass :-| :-|
They don't even have the decency to go in the flower borders. My own cats go on the large barked area in my garden - or, the giant litter tray as my friends call it.
When he has the woodburning stove alight, as my garden is 6 - 8ft higher than his, any washing on my line is covered in smuts :-| :-| :-| :-| :-|

Rant over :-)

I must say, as rants go, it was a good one!

Annie

Aww, thanks Kuros :-D

His car is fairly safe. It's a bilious yellow Doblo.

Maggie, shove a spud up his exhaust pipe,there will probably be a big bang,but he won,t leave it running again,if ever. :-D :-D :-D

I'd be spotted, Merlin :-(

Have to admit to not being bothered about my overgrown scruffy hedges now.
They're a fine contrast to his painted breezeblock (with squares left for a plant), so nothing has the audacity to be 'out of place', front garden. :-D

He also killed a young yew that had planted itself right where he wanted to put a new fence between our front gardens. He dug it up whilst I was away and moved it a foot my way.
It stands there, 5ft of dead glory, being covered by the old man's beard that is creeping from the hedge. :-D

I feel sorry for you Maggie and I hope they realise that you are being inconvenienced.

I had a fairly large extension added to my house a few years ago and I was very aware that it caused a few problems for our neighbours.

Our project manager was fantastic and material deliveries only appeared at the point where they were required.
This meant that deliveries were being made on a weekly basis, often early in the morning in big lorries which whilst offloading, blocked the access to and from our end of the street.

The work took about 3 months to complete and no one complained although I wouldn't have blamed them!
When Christmas came, we visited all the neighbours who we knew had been inconvenienced and handed out gifts and cards thanking them for their patience during the build
It made me feel a whole lot better.
<3 <3 <3 <3

The shed will probably be let out to illegals. Bob

:-D Bob. An illegal building for illegals? Not with a wood burning stove in it, it won't.
They had their Christmas dinner in it.

Maggie, is it a sort of summer house? I always thought that if you built something with a concrete base or similar, you needed planning permission. As it has a wood burning stove does that constitute permission?

Just wonder if you can discreetly find out if it's legal. Maybe...just maybe it's not and you never know it might have to be pulled down! Now wouldn't that be such a shame for your neighbours :-D :-D

Florence
in the hebrides

I know it's not legal, Florence. It has foundations etc, and I've looked at the planning applications online. We have to ask permission to put up a shed, which is moveable (though few do).

I have no intention of reporting him, but as he's on the 'downward' slope of the road, (I'm on the corner), his construction can be seen by at least 20 other houses.
Not sure how legal the woodburning stove is. My sister had one fitted in her 'real' house 2 weeks ago, and had to have a special lining for her chimney. I can't actually see even a chimney for next doors stove. I can see the whole thing catching fire before too long.

I will ask him not to burn the stove when either I, or any of our neighbours have washing out - and the whole street hangs their washing out :-D

Well he's lucky he doesn't live here as the local council would have got wind of it before it was completed and myself and the other neighbours would have also put a stop to it.

I know you feel you can't do anything because you have to live next door and if you report them, you still have to live next to them and it would make things awkward.
But what goes around comes around and sooner or later maybe the stove will catch fire or something else will happen, but they will get their come uppance.

I believe in Karma!

Hang on in there and be patient

Florence
in the hebrides ;-)

I will be patient, Florence. :-D
The 'shed' doesn't bother me (apart from the smoke, and the possible death of sloworms, and his cats cr*pping on my grass because there's nowhere to do it in their own garden), but the banging of doors does :-|

i now how you feel
how pest neighbours rent a gob move out in October
we was glad to see the back of them.
trouble is thow next door is a privet rent but i did have a word with the landlord and told him next time put nice people in there.
now we have polish people all young about 4 of them so will what and see what thay are like in the summer as winter every one is more quiet

well almost every one

I have never had a post "reviewed" before, did I say something I shouldn't? Bob

Oooh Bob, I think you jokingly mentioned illegals :-S

Oh who RR'd Bob? For goodness sake, wasnt really bad enough was it?

The mind boggles

Florence
in the hebrides :-0

If anyone was offended, I apologise. Having spent my entire working life in an all male environment, (army and fire service) I developed a skin like a rhinoceros and sometimes forget how easily offended some people can get. Bob

Here's our recent experience:

i interesting neighbours very friendly, but kids ran along the roofs (really).
They did a moonlight flit one night.

ii woman with son, good laugh. Still visit her in her new place.

iii woman with son, neighbour from hell. Luckily after a few years they moved up the street, slightly beyond screaming distance.

iv answer to a maiden's prayer: older widow bought house next door. Has improved place no end. Really pleasant person.

Other side: smell of dog***t alternating with smell of disinfectant. Plus constant smoking in the garden with that gormless stare that only smokers seem to do.