Something Different

[rambler]

hi folks

now here's a question,completley none car related im afraid.

our neighbours are having their garage converted to living quarters and a utility room,and have taken down an old lean too as well.

they have replaced the lean to with a newer garage with a pitched roof

so we now have a 70 foot long & 9 foot high brick wall right on the boundary,all the way along our drive..not very pretty...but we put up with it to be neighbourly

when i got home this evening,i see that the builders have drilled two 5" round holes in the new wall,right opposite our back door,so the extractor fans will 'bellow' out right in front of us....barely even 8 foot from our back door

im in the building / plumbing trade myself,and im not sure this is entirely legal?

anybody on here know by any chance?

[Davrav]

hi folks

now here's a question,completley none car related im afraid.

our neighbours are having their garage converted to living quarters and a utility room,and have taken down an old lean too as well.

they have replaced the lean to with a newer garage with a pitched roof

so we now have a 70 foot long & 9 foot high brick wall right on the boundary,all the way along our drive..not very pretty...but we put up with it to be neighbourly

when i got home this evening,i see that the builders have drilled two 5" round holes in the new wall,right opposite our back door,so the extractor fans will 'bellow' out right in front of us....barely even 8 foot from our back door

im in the building / plumbing trade myself,and im not sure this is entirely legal?

anybody on here know by any chance?

If the wall is on the boundary, then whatever is going to come through the vents is coming straight onto/into your property. Suggest you contact building control and planning department [do they have planning permission?]and as them to visit the site for a ruling.

Good Luck

Just to keep this RAV related, I had a neighbour issue this morning - neighbour had lobbed an egg onto the roof of my motor. Unfortnately, having lived 42 years 20 miles north of London with neighbours of every type and never a problem, I now live in rural Gloucestershire nextdoor to the village idiot

[jedi134]

Fry the egg and stick it to his face

[Davrav]

Fry the egg and stick it to his face

Now there's a suggestion :P

[Ravmania]

Build your own wall right up against theirs and see how well the vents do then!

A nice heavy case ball could come in handy too, chalk up a goal and use the wall for football practice.

(I never would have made a diplomat...well maybe for the USA...)

[anchorman]

hi folks

now here's a question,completley none car related im afraid.

our neighbours are having their garage converted to living quarters and a utility room,and have taken down an old lean too as well.

they have replaced the lean to with a newer garage with a pitched roof

so we now have a 70 foot long & 9 foot high brick wall right on the boundary,all the way along our drive..not very pretty...but we put up with it to be neighbourly

when i got home this evening,i see that the builders have drilled two 5" round holes in the new wall,right opposite our back door,so the extractor fans will 'bellow' out right in front of us....barely even 8 foot from our back door

im in the building / plumbing trade myself,and im not sure this is entirely legal?

anybody on here know by any chance?

I guess the the outlets are for an extractor fan and a boiler (there are very strict rules for a soil pipe) but you will have him if any part of the exhausts project over your property. The question is, do you want to get into a dispute with your neighbour so you'll have to decide how far you want to go. If push comes to shove, it should have been him that came to discuss his plans with you.

You can also build to his border. An 8ft wall would look nice just there. Seriously, its an awkward one Rambs. You have to live next door the bggr and you can live far better without a war. Make some enquiries with planning and consider a chat to see what he is planning. They can vent through the roof if they put their minds to it.

[local hero]

Rambler, I am just having a small extension/porch built on my house and because this comes within 6ft of my neighbours BOUNDARY i have had to get both planning permission + building regs, + neighbours either side + facing my property were informed + my plans would be made available to them for inspection should they have any concerns,If i were you i would contact your local council planning dept either online or by letter, or even call in (they are quite helpful) and voice your concerns.. Also if you go online to your planning dept + type in your postcode, it should show an OS map of all the properties in your area that have had planning permission granted.. The Govt direct website also has guidance on what alterations require PP, and from your description I can assure you a 70ft long 9ft high wall on your boundary certainly does

hope this helps.. Stew

[Davrav]

hi folks

now here's a question,completley none car related im afraid.

our neighbours are having their garage converted to living quarters and a utility room,and have taken down an old lean too as well.

they have replaced the lean to with a newer garage with a pitched roof

so we now have a 70 foot long & 9 foot high brick wall right on the boundary,all the way along our drive..not very pretty...but we put up with it to be neighbourly

when i got home this evening,i see that the builders have drilled two 5" round holes in the new wall,right opposite our back door,so the extractor fans will 'bellow' out right in front of us....barely even 8 foot from our back door

im in the building / plumbing trade myself,and im not sure this is entirely legal?

anybody on here know by any chance?

They can vent through the roof if they put their minds to it.

Agree with Anchs - have just done exactly that with a new boiler vent. Though our boiler vent would have been onto my property, plumber pointed out that it would be opposite neighbours [not the egg throwing one] kitchen window, and plume from condensing boiler can get quite long. His main point was that, though existing neighbours were not concerned, any future neighbours could well be. We vented through roof to avoid any potential future problems.

Does your neighbour's wall fall right on the boundary? If so, presumably the soffit and gutter would then project over the boundary. If one of the holes is for a boiler vent and it is close to the soffit it will need to project beyond the soffit.

Can you get hold of a Gas Safe manual? All the requirements are in there. I guess you know plenty of gas certified plumbers/boiler engineers in your job. They can give you chapter and verse.

Deffinitely raise the issue with your neighbour in a friendly manner initially, just to find out what they are planning.

[bothwell_buyer]

You are entirely missing the opportunity - why did you buy a diesel RAV4 in the first place?

Surely you have a towbar fitted which could accidentally get tangled in the vents etc whilst pulling a heavy rope tied around a large object (the high wall).

Or buy a wood burning stove and obtain car tyres as fuel...you then need an industrial strength fan and blow the black toxic fumes back up his/her/its vents.

If the worst comes to the worst, buy an old car and torch it in an appropriate place ...... every week.

then they'll move away.

[rambler]

hi folks

well well well,thanks for all your replies,considering this is a none rav4 subject

as i live with me mother still ,she mentioned her concerns to the builders today....and the holes were quickly made good.

and the extractor fan ducts have been re-routed away from our side and within the build itself ,so only the ghastly long,tall brick wall to live with now :( .

thanks again

[Bristim]

Good to hear it is sorted. The relevant issues for anyone else with a similar situation are 3 legal processes:

1) Party Wall Etc. Act - guidance to this can be found for free online from the direct gov website or via your local council / building control. Basically there are rules as to how close you can build to a boundary before you need a neighbour's consent or do things to shared structures. This will involve either your architect or a surveyor if you are the 'building owner' (the one doing the work) or an 'adjoining owner' (i.e. your neighbour is doing the work).

2) Tort of Trespass - rough and ready legal definition being something placed on or over your land.

3) Tort of Nuisance - rough and ready legal definition that you are doing something to annoy someone when they have a reasonable right not to be annoyed.

Anyone doing building work on or near their boundary, including to boundary walls, is recommended to check the Party Wall Act before they start - there are some nasty penalties for not complying.

This is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or construed as advice.

You should verify independently such matters from primary sources of information and by taking specific professional advice.