Loft conversion

[adds21]

So, after about a year of planning, our loft conversion is starting on Wednesday

I am not looking forward to the disruption, but hopefully the end result should be worth it, two nice big rooms and a family bathroom. The plan is one room for me (officially an office, but in reality a playroom for me ), and a studio for the wife (she’s an artist, so need somewhere to be messy!).

It also means it’ll free up my current downstairs office to become a playroom for the kids, which in turn means the conservatory won’t be filled with kids toys and junk.

Hurray. Can’t wait (for it to be finished!).

 

[ianrauk]

good luck with the mess and dust..

We are planning ours at the moment for a start this time next year hopefully

 

[adds21]

good luck with the mess and dust..

We are planning ours at the moment for a start this time next year hopefully

Hopefully the mess won't be too bad, as they'll be working from the outside in, and will only be cutting the ceiling and adding the stairs near the end... That said though, it's sure to be quite messy!

 

[summerdays]

Please please be nice to your neighbours during this... I'm living next door to an extension that is going on at the moment and the builders and neighbours are both annoying me... the neighbours never tell us about anything until they want it done there and then ... and the builders don't have any problem coming into our garden so it seems. My daughter was in the house on her own when she suddenly saw a strange man standing in our garden carrying a chain saw just outside our patio doors. Now the builders are talking about chopping down some of our shrubs in OUR garden because they are getting too big .. (they are less than the height of the single storey extension that they are building and have been there for 12 + years). And they seem to think they can just stand in our garden to render the side of the extension. And the neighbour called round to tell us the fence was coming down as the builder was standing in our garden using the chain saw!!! And this was 2 ft away from my bike!!! which he was knocking as he moved around until I quickly shifted it away.

Sorry for the rant ... it is driving me mad at the moment - all it would take would be a simple request could they come in the garden and being kept informed what they intended to do rather than what they were actually doing/done.

 

[661-Pete]

Summerdays, if anyone enters your garden without your permission they are trespassing. Your neighbour has no right to allow builders to enter your property nor place any materials there, unless there exists an easement (in the deeds) granting them access.

Also they have no right to cut back trees or shrubs belonging to you, except for the parts overhanging the neighbour's property. Possibly criminal damage, there.

One for the lawyers, I think.

 

[summerdays]

Problem is I don't want bad neighbourly feelings at the end of it... I just wish they were more considerate. So can I do what I like with the plank they have put in my border ... totally in my garden, currently resting on my plants?

 

[adds21]

I feel your pain Summerdays. We’ve already spoken to the neighbours, so they know what’s going on (in fact, the scaffolding was due to go up on Tuesday, but we changed it to Wednesday for neighbourly reasons). They’ll certainly be no trampling over other people’s gardens though.

 

[surfdude]

i am landscape contractor and i do nothing without asking a neighbour if i have to go in their garden to do anything . also 661.pete ie right you cant just go into someones garden and start cutting thing down it is criminal act and the problems i have is a nightmare even cutting down stuff on the side iam working on which i do have the right to do .i would advise a word with your neighbour just in case they dont know what your builder is up to and if they do have a not so quiet word with your neighbours builder and tell him he continues you will get the police involed

 

[661-Pete]

Difficult to judge without knowing the neighbours - and having watched too many of those Neighbours from Hell on TV Perhaps a letter dropped next door, asking them "when are they going to remove the stuff in your garden and make good any damage?" sort of thing...

Of course, if the offending trees/shrubs happen to be Leylandii, all rights are revoked!

 

[summerdays]

Difficult to judge without knowing the neighbours - and having watched too many of those Neighbours from Hell on TV Perhaps a letter dropped next door, asking them "when are they going to remove the stuff in your garden and make good any damage?" sort of thing...

Of course, if the offending trees/shrubs happen to be Leylandii, all rights are revoked!

No the Leylandii was on their side and is the one good thing to have come from this work ... it was given the heave ho in the summer -as it was growing about 5 ft into our garden and we were regularly having to trim our side to stop it encroaching more. I think I'm the mutter under my breath type rather than approach the neighbours and tell them how it is.

Sounds like you are doing OK by your neighbour Adds21 - that was the reason for bringing up my story. I hope you enjoy your extra space... I must admit I would like more... but don't think I can justify a proper extension ... and keep wondering how green (energy wise) I could make a conservatory...

 

[Fnaar]

...unless there exists an easement .

We're having a new toilet put in... do I need an easement?

 

[adds21]

don't think I can justify a proper extension ... and keep wondering how green (energy wise) I could make a conservatory...

We only really use ours in the summer. It warms up quite quickly in winter with the heating, but it also cools down quickly so you need the heating on all the time it's in use. I also notice in the morning if we've forgotten to close one of the doors into it; Sucks the heat out of the house!

Lovely in the summer though.

 

[biggs682]

i had one done about 11 years ago , builder told us no longer than 3 weeks so we expected 4 lasted for 5 , told us going in through front roof of house , went out one saturday morning , came back 3 hrs later back garden wrecked as he had put scaffolding up and laid all his supplies all over garden .

it was nightmare really was , but after all finished we ended up with a room over 14ft square and a nice view .

cost aprox 10k if memorey serves me right

 

[postman]

We had one done 2007.It was a brilliant experience.Seven weeks enjoyed every min of it we also had work done on the inside .

We talked through every thing .I even gave them stage payments.Worked out between ourselves.What a fantastic job it turned out to be .

So my advice is talk talk and talk some more .Check everything each evening make sure you are happy .Also don't go changing your mind everyday .

Plan and stick too it .


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