For the last four days my neighbours have had some builders in erecting a fairly substantial fence to keep their new terrier contained. On day one the workies were ripping up flag stones and cutting them with a stihl or grinder of some sort, this absolutely covered my car in cement dust, and on top of that they saw fit to partially block my drive with their van and trailer and I had to ask them to move, so that I could use my car.

Now on day four and every day they block the drive, or partially block it which has the same result, and have been cutting up concrete fence posts. I came home from a trip today to find them completely blocking the drive, when there was absolutely no need. Simply pulling forward six foot would have left me clear to park my car in my own driveway, and not blcoked anyone else.

I haven’t had any problems with my neighbours as yet and want to keep it that way, however these builders are taking the piss a bit. IMO it’s common courtesy to not block peoples driveways where possible, and there’s nothing stopping them from doing all this cutting/grinding in the rear of the house where it won’t turn my black car fifty ****ing shades of grey!

Am I over reacting? What would Jesus do? What would STW do?

Just tell the builders blocking your drive is unacceptable

Did they move when you asked them too?

jam bo – Member

Did they move when you asked them too?

Oh yeah, with all the enthusiasm and gusto of a man going to the gallows.

Quite legal to park across an empty drive … very inconsiderate tho .

Just call enviromental health, they should not be cutting without a water kit on the saw to suppress the dust.
and the very least they should be paying to wash your car and the house windows if they are dusty.
Should really speak to your neighbour first though before escalating the situation.

The builders are a temporary inconvenience, they’ll be gone in a few days and so long as they move the van when asked I don’t really see the problem.

I’d prefer a dusty car to dog eggs but I’d move my car upwind of this for a few days.

Remove all pudding from their lunchboxes as punishment.

I’d let the builders carry on if I wanted out I would politely ask.

I wouldn’t trust a builder to clean my car to be honest, rubbing that cement dust in with a sponge used to grout tiles equals paintwork death…… Just park your car away from the house for a few days.

Are they:

or

as it will affect the answer.

HEre’s a radical one… why not knock at next doors house with a couple of beers and discuss with them

Just call enviromental health, they should not be cutting without a water kit on the saw to suppress the dust.

yep. thats the way to make friends and influence people…

weeksy – Member

HEre’s a radical one… why not knock at next doors house with a couple of beers and discuss with them

Nah, because then I am making a big deal out of it. I’m just posting to try and gauge whether others would get wound up about the same.

Are they:

or

as it will affect the answer.

Not intimidated by them at all, which is why I am having to bite my tongue. If I didn’t like my neighbours I would have already ripped them several new orifices. And I would park my car up the street but getting my two toddlers into the car would prove pretty awkward then.

block them in so that when they finish they have to come find you

Well after almost 2 years, and counting, of putting up with my neighbours buiding works I’d be having a word with them. The dust probably isn’t something that can be avoided but frankly inconsiderate parking is.

I would just ask the builders to not park across the drive. This is all a bit of sport for some tradesmen.

Hopefully they’ll have their fence up in under two years. Although, I would have thought a day would have done it tbh.

4 days for a fence to contain a terrier? Has Footflaps gone into fencing??

oldschool – Member

4 days for a fence to contain a terrier? Has Footflaps gone into fencing??

Yes, I’m pretty impressed by their tardiness tbh. By the looks of it I’d say they’ll get another two or three days out of it. To be fair to them though they did have to dismantle a big wooden shed. That took a day and a half 😆

At least you know of one builder you won’t ever use.

I got forced off the road by a landscape gardener whilst on my roadbike. Quite deliberate, he’d got frustrated that he couldn’t pass on a narrow lane, revved past me blaring his horn and pushed me onto the verge. No other witnesses, so no point calling the Police.

I did, however, give him a ring and ask him to quote removing a few trees and some groundwork in my large garden. I asked his day rate, and how much he could get done in a week. He was very keen and we negotiated a fairly good price.

Every credit to the bloke, he turned up on time and unloaded his trailer all on his own before knocking at the door as the curtains were still drawn. And he only swore once when I explained that I was the cyclist that he almost killed a week earlier and that I didn’t actually want any work doing.

Play the long game…

G

I had to ask them to move, so that I could use my car.

That’s awful, are you okay?

Silica dust would be my biggest concern http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg463.htm

Personally I’d speak to the builders and if it happened again, speak to the neighbour. No need for beer, it makes it seem like a bigger issue than it is. Just say ‘please can you ask your builders not to block my car in’.

I had the same thing just after I’d moved in. Spoke to the builders nicely, but decided not to say anything to the neighbours at the time because I didn’t want to rock the boat so soon after moving in. Completely idiotic in hindsight.

Next thing I know, the helmets have parked a tipper behind my car and refuse to move it. Neighbours weren’t in so I had to do a 9,000 point turn between three extremely tight gate posts and a tipper à la Austin Powers then reverse approx 50 yards down a very narrow alley and out onto an unsighted busy road to get my car out. I was **** fuming afterwards, and was really cross with the neighbours even though they had no knowledge of it. 😆

Gary_M
That’s awful, are you okay?

Just about Gary, thanks for asking. Though it’s really cold outside and I’m going to get cold hands when I’m washing the car. And no doubt it’ll be that burning cold that takes forever to go away even when you heat them by the fire. Keep me in your thoughts.

Bless, any point washing the car though. Bit of rain and the dust will soon wash off.

You think?

I do, if you can drive it as is then whats the point in going out to wash it when its freezing cold. Apart from showing the builders that they’ve made a frightful mess of your car and it must be washed.

I’ve just had a job done on my garage which involved a bit of tile/block cutting and some pebbledashing.
An hour or so after it was finished my neighbour came out and started sweeping up the tiny amount of pebbledashing which had landed on his drive although he left his own pebbledashing that had been falling off his own wall over the months. It was like he was saying “it’s ok, I’ll clean up your builders mess”
I also offered to wash his car, an offer which he declined before proceeding to wash it himself.
Some neighbours can be really annoying, don’t be one of these. Let it go. 🙂

They should have got Greenscape in for that fence…

Aye right 😆

That is some time for a fence. You two don’t straddle the dividing line in Berlin do you? Maybe used to fight a common enemy but have now fallen out?

Why don’t you just grow a pair and ask them not to do all the things that are making you cry of an evening?

Wow the testosterone there just made me go dizzy

SWOONS

Wait till they’ve finished and the terrier is out in the garden yapping all day.

Nah, because then I am making a big deal out of it. I’m just posting to try and gauge whether others would get wound up about the same.

No, but then I’ve a life 😉

Next thing I know, the helmets have parked a tipper behind my car and refuse to move it.

For next time

Quite legal to park across an empty drive

Not necessarily. THC says “DO NOT” block a dropped kerb. It depends on your council as to whether they will enforce this.

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, grant councils that are Special Enforcement Areas (SPA) the power to enforce contravention code 27: Parked adjacent to a dropped footway.

Also, it may well fall under “causing an unnecessary obstruction, which is explicitly illegal.”

The empty / occupied drive thing is an old wives’ tale though, it’s nonsense.