We did have a slight delay as the red bricks that were due for delivery were missed off by the builders merchants so expect this type of problem, it is quite common. It has only put us back a day or so though so its not a problem.
Saturday 27 August 2011
First bricks down
My builder does not mess about, I went out to work and when I got home this was done.
We did have a slight delay as the red bricks that were due for delivery were missed off by the builders merchants so expect this type of problem, it is quite common. It has only put us back a day or so though so its not a problem.
We did have a slight delay as the red bricks that were due for delivery were missed off by the builders merchants so expect this type of problem, it is quite common. It has only put us back a day or so though so its not a problem.
Continuing Neighbour dispute
I received another letter from my neighbour this week, this time they have decided to contest the opinion of my Party Wall Surveyor stating that in their opinion he is incorrect and his decision and that if he does not change his decision they will take legal action. I was somewhat amused and annoyed at this at the same time, amusing in that my neighbour feels she knows more about the Party Wall than a Chartered Surveyor but annoyed that they are still threatening legal action against us with no grounds.
I did note that in their last letter from their solicitor they said all communication from that point was to go via them but this letter was just from my neighbours so I suspect they are on their last attempts to block us now, knowing full well that legally they have no case.
It is amazing the lengths people will go to to get their way in something that is not their business. Suffice to say we are cracking on and ignoring them.
I did note that in their last letter from their solicitor they said all communication from that point was to go via them but this letter was just from my neighbours so I suspect they are on their last attempts to block us now, knowing full well that legally they have no case.
It is amazing the lengths people will go to to get their way in something that is not their business. Suffice to say we are cracking on and ignoring them.
Saturday 20 August 2011
Wheres the pain?
I have to say that so far the whole experience has been pretty good and the mess has been minimal and I have not found any inconvenience really. I would say that having this done in the summer is important, I would not want to see the mud if this was winter and I can understand that the concrete and foundation digging would be more difficult if it was raining.
Even my wife has not been bothered so far with the work which must mean it is all going well!
Even my wife has not been bothered so far with the work which must mean it is all going well!
Foundation Work
I have had a good week of work done this week, all the foundations have been dug and the concrete poured and set so we are ready to go for block and beam and damp course bricks now.
I have to say when Steve works on the mini digger it is an art to behold, he is able to dig the foundations with great accuracy and he made sure that nothing happened to our garden wall. I was chatting with our man Ed and he explained he has a 1st Class Degree in Civil Engineering so building our extension is straight forward work for him and thats always good to know.
I have to say when Steve works on the mini digger it is an art to behold, he is able to dig the foundations with great accuracy and he made sure that nothing happened to our garden wall. I was chatting with our man Ed and he explained he has a 1st Class Degree in Civil Engineering so building our extension is straight forward work for him and thats always good to know.
Friday 12 August 2011
Party Wall Act
Excellent news today! I was sure that my extension did not fall under the Party Wall Act but my neighbour has been relentless in their insistence that it did and they had sent a pretty threatening letter from their solicitor regarding this. So I decided I had better get a Party Wall Surveyor in to confirm this, it will cost £100 but I will know for sure.
Well it turns out I was right and the Act does not apply and I did not need to serve notice, which I of course had not as if you serve notice and the Act does not apply you still have to follow the Act as you served the notice.
So now I can build with no fear of a injunction and if my neighbour takes one out they will fail at their own costs.
My advice is neighbours may threaten you, dont be scared and get your facts right, if you are right stand your ground and dont let them bully you.
Well it turns out I was right and the Act does not apply and I did not need to serve notice, which I of course had not as if you serve notice and the Act does not apply you still have to follow the Act as you served the notice.
So now I can build with no fear of a injunction and if my neighbour takes one out they will fail at their own costs.
My advice is neighbours may threaten you, dont be scared and get your facts right, if you are right stand your ground and dont let them bully you.
Sunday 7 August 2011
Neighbours
When you plan for an extension you may find that some of your neighbours will try to block your proposals. Our neighbours that are next to our side plot and about a metre below us tried every trick in the book to block our extension. We saw solicitors letters about rights to light, rights to air, Party Wall Act and any other threat they could make to us.
My suggestion is to talk to your neighbours and see if they are reasonable, if they are then I am sure a talk will enable them to accept your intentions, however if they are unreasonable do not let them threaten you or make you think you cannot build your extension.
We got our planning permission in October 2010 and I have spent the last months arranging a Structural Engineer to design a foundation so that I know my extension will not affect my house or my neighbours, I used a Lab to analyse the soil so that I knew the plasticity and could establish what depth of foundation I would need. In my opinion I went beyond the level required to make sure I have a safe build.
My neighbours are still threatening us with legal action over the Party Wall Act and I believe think they can block our works even though they cannot. The Planning Permission means you can build and they have to over turn that if they want to stop my build.
So my advice is ignore neighbours if they are unreasonable and stay within the rules and carry on.
My suggestion is to talk to your neighbours and see if they are reasonable, if they are then I am sure a talk will enable them to accept your intentions, however if they are unreasonable do not let them threaten you or make you think you cannot build your extension.
We got our planning permission in October 2010 and I have spent the last months arranging a Structural Engineer to design a foundation so that I know my extension will not affect my house or my neighbours, I used a Lab to analyse the soil so that I knew the plasticity and could establish what depth of foundation I would need. In my opinion I went beyond the level required to make sure I have a safe build.
My neighbours are still threatening us with legal action over the Party Wall Act and I believe think they can block our works even though they cannot. The Planning Permission means you can build and they have to over turn that if they want to stop my build.
So my advice is ignore neighbours if they are unreasonable and stay within the rules and carry on.
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