Neighbour building his own extension??

Beeboo23

Around 6 months after we moved in our neighbours did. Their house was in a bit of a mess and needed a complete refurb. They told us they have enough money to not work for a while and consequently have been doing most of the work themselves. 

I have no idea what the inside of their house looks like but outside they’ve erected a few eyesores (photos attached). 

He started with a humongous garage extension which looks pretty terrible but it’s their house so I minded my own business. Then we got a letter through the post that they applied for planning permission. They were originally planning a huge wrap around extension but thankfully changed the plans to just do a rear extension. 

Work has begun but the issue is he’s building it himself. I’m no building expert but he’s dug out a couple of metres of his back garden and laid some tarpaulin down and is now building an extension directly on top made out of timber? 

As far as I know from brief chats with him asking how he’s been getting on he’s not got any qualifications to do this he must be self teaching. My question is, is it safe to do this? For the unsuspecting person that buys after him, for our house - is there a risk of subsidence if he’s digging out lots of land and more selfishly this isn’t our forever home. We don’t plan to move soon but will possibly in the next 5-7 years. Slightly worried that having all of these wooden shack buildings in view would put off future buyers. 

RHemmings

I was curious about this and googled. According to what I found (more knowledgeable people will be along soon) it's legal for an unskilled person to build an extension, and this page says that most people should be capable of it. But, there are many rules to be followed and what would be a problem is if your neighbour hasn't followed the rules and process. 

https://sipset.co.uk/can-i-build-my-own-extension/#terms

stuart45

He's using SIPS construction, which is an acceptable method. It will be clad with something. 

Beeboo23

Wow thank you both. I personally think it’s crazy to take something like this on but as long as it’s properly signed off I guess it is what it is. 

As for the eyesores I guess live and let live. Hopefully as long as our home and garden is in good condition it shouldn’t put people off in the future. 

stuart45

I guess he's going to clad it with timber shingles.

prettyandfluffy

If this is what he got planning permission for, that's fine.  If it isn't, it's a matter for Building Control at your local authority.  You can review his planning application and consent online via your local authority's website.

Beeboo23

stuart45 said:

I guess he's going to clad it with timber shingles.

That would really be ugly. I guess I’ll be investing in a new fence without gaps haha. 

RHemmings

As a bit of an aside, there was one house I rejected because I thought it was terrible. The crowning glory (or the antonym of glory) was an extension that looked like someone utterly incompetent had built it. Particularly the mortar. This doesn't help the OP, however. 

ProDave

I first thought you were talking about that ugly concrete block building in the distance in the first picture?  but then you talked about wooden shacks so I assume you mean the wooden garage?  that looks fine to me.

Re the extension, nothing wrong with timber frame.  The foundations might be a concrete slab and lots of insulation under that damp proof membrane.  Again nothing wrong with that if done properly.

The interesting bit will be how is he going to build a waterproof, properly tanked, retaining wall to hold up the excavated garden.  I assume the garden level in the back is higher than the floor level?  What was there before a slope or a wall holding the garden up?

As he has excavated close to your boundry, has he drawn up any form of party wall agreement with you?

Gavin83

There are very few construction/DIY jobs you aren’t allowed to do on your own house. You can’t play with gas and there’s a few specialist jobs you can’t do but that’s about it.

There are jobs you’ll need to get checked though. Building regs apply and certain jobs (such as some electrical work) will need sign off from the council too.

Was the planning application approved? Did you object? Do the plans match what they’re building? Plans are normally quite detailed and specific, especially around sizing and materials used so they’ll need to follow those. You can complain if they don’t.

However if it’s been approved and they’re following the plans then there isn’t a lot you can do. Unfortunately any reduction in the value of your house isn’t a valid consideration for rejecting a planning application. Neighbours houses can drastically reduce the value of your property but it’s the luck of the draw and there’s generally little you can do about it.

Personally I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the garage though. In all honesty I think it looks better than yours! Were I looking at your house that garage wouldn’t put me off.

Beeboo23

ProDave said:

I first thought you were talking about that ugly concrete block building in the distance in the first picture?  but then you talked about wooden shacks so I assume you mean the wooden garage?  that looks fine to me.

Re the extension, nothing wrong with timber frame.  The foundations might be a concrete slab and lots of insulation under that damp proof membrane.  Again nothing wrong with that if done properly.

The interesting bit will be how is he going to build a waterproof, properly tanked, retaining wall to hold up the excavated garden.  I assume the garden level in the back is higher than the floor level?  What was there before a slope or a wall holding the garden up?

As he has excavated close to your boundry, has he drawn up any form of party wall agreement with you?

I thought he was going to lay concrete after digging out the garden but he’s just laid tarpaulin and is building on that. I’m no expert though so maybe he could pour it through after?

The garden steps up at the back but I think that was flat where he’s put the extension and he’s dug down so maybe the retaining wall will come after. There wasn’t one at that bit before, just grass. 

We don’t have a party wall agreement drawn up. Is this something we need to get done?