Friday 22 January 2021

My neighbour is stressing me out - Persnickety Neighbours Telford

25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford

So my neighbours (25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford) are stressing me out again and I am allowing them. I thought if I write it all down I might feel better.   Let me explain.  When I first moved into this property about 15 years ago, there was a couple on my joined side ( its a semi detached ) and the other side there was a single mum like myself. Everything was fine and dandy.  As I am joined to one house this couple are really the only folk I see.  They were and always have been fine and over the years we have got more friendly as to be expected.  I can't remember when, but a few years after moving in the other side single mum got a new fella. 

Initially he is quite scary to look at as he has tats on his head and face.  He didn't work and well he really fell on his feet moving in with her.  Anyway regardless, each to their own. Not my cup of tea but I was sort of happy for her as heard she was a widow.  He is a biker and has a huge quad bike thing that makes a hell of a racket which he has tinkered with for years. I don't think he worked for years, but apparently he is a school caretaker now.  Being an old biker myself I can kind of put up with it.  But I work from home and have for over 11 years so when he is revving this beast outside it can be frustrating.  But I have never said a word as well I am very easy going.  Plus after seeing the couple out and about I found them not very social or approachable so that was that, not a problem.

In 2013, having worked from my dining from since 09 I rebuilt my clay room which I called it which was the conservatory / side room which is attached to the side of my house which joins the (non joined house neighbours) :






The old one was falling apart and it was damp, so this was just upgrading what was already there. It houses my kiln.  It was now fit for purpose so I could move my business into there which I did.  I then went about creating a kitchen.  There is another post about that here if your interested.  I have some luck! You can see on the picture how nice the job was.

Then out of the blue I get a letter from the council telling me that my dog barking is a nuisance! WTF was my first reaction.  I had a trained border collie that was better behaved that ANY child.  As I was worried who I had upset I went knocking them all.  Turns out it was the scary tat man neighbour as I call him.  Every other neighbour was as in as much shock as me for getting that letter.  

I asked him why he didn't speak to me before going to council.  He didn't know why and was very sheepish and childlike.  It was a bit like ner ner ner ner ner type stuff.  Straight away I thought what a dick. I am very social and approachable so I couldn't understand why he did it, and he couldn't explain either.  He was just very twatty about it. I explained how I would play a game with the dog.  I would pretend to throw something down the garden and she would go off running and barking. I didn't do it that often.  By this stage I was running two businesses from home which would be impossible if the dog was a barking nuisance. Plus all the neighbours agreed he was just being a twat. 

The chat with him left me fuming and I called him a pussy and left. He was very strange.  I would ask him a question and he would just stare and smile.  Its like he lost the ability to talk.  He must have lied to the council as surely they are not allowed to send letters unless he had tried and failed to resolve with me. But I didn't know he had a problem. 

Ever since the dog incident I have been weary of him. I have been looking to move and been looking for years now.  For other reasons, not just cause of not getting on with him.  In 2017 I bought a motorbike and well it seemed to go down well with that neigbour as he became more social and would smile and talk. Just normal neighbour stuff.  So I thought great, live and let live we got over our hickup, neighborly again.  I was then offered a workshop down the local museum I work at and I thought yay, get me out of here. I haven't enjoyed working in that room since the fall out.  But boom 2020 Covid hell... 

Also during the past 5 years my joined 'nice' neighbours have heard about me wanting to move and it frightens them.  They are worried who might move in.  I have one side saying don't move and the other side I again now not getting on with...

So covid hits, my artist in residence on hold.  Dog died, life is shit.  I mention to nice neighbours about stuff and she said I have the space why not build a workshop.  This got me thinking and it was a no brainer.  So last year I spent loads of money on building a super new garden room which I should be moving into in a few weeks. 

There was a lot of prep work needed as the back on my garden was very overgrown and trees falling over.  My joined neighbour agreed to help.  Around the same time the tat man knocked my office and told me he was extending his workshop (which is attached to my current one in pic above) and that he is putting a new roof on it and my guttering will be down for a bit.   He said about putting a window and pointed where. I said I didn't need light as never sit out the front and anyway I am moving as I am building a new workshop at the back, which they could see.  I then showed him my art work and we chatted normally.  I was more excited about my workshop build than what he was doing.  

A couple of weeks later a window appeared which I thought odd.  Why put a window when I said I didn't need light?  Other neighbours told me he needed planning and shouldn't put a window looking down on another neighbour.  Frosted glass has to be used, but he needs my consent.  Everyone thought it was odd as even with that window, unless he opens his workshop up fully, no light will get through to that window anyway. 

So I spoke to them and said I am not happy could they brick it up.  For a while it looked like they were going to fill it in but now a frosted window is there:


Since he started his extension, I have built a 20 x 16 ft garden room all finished but windows and he still hasn't finished his roof.  It looks terrible and I told her.  Plus as the drain pipe is hanging off I have to listen to drip drip drip... 8 months now I think.  So annoying.  I have now moved into my kitchen as I feel even less comfortable working in there.  All work has stopped.


It has looked like that for months.  Not sure what he is waiting for.

This is the back of his cock up of a roof, and my frame for fence.

PUT MY GUTTER BACK PLEASE!





Since that time I have built this:








And created this wildlife area behind it. Its a great spot to watch the sun rise.



When I was preparing this land we noticed a number of trees growing dangerously so we cut them down.  The tat man came out and offered us the use of his chain saw which was kind.  I told him I was planning on turning this area into a wildlife area and he said him and his mrs were thinking the same. So I said we could cut two trees his side also as they were also leaning bad.  Thinking he might help!  But no he didn't help, he just spent hours sitting on his roof obviously portending to work on it.  You can see here of you forward to 3.34.  The man is the nice neighbour helping me:


This picture below shows the door they come out of which I hoped to hide.




That picture of the new fence going up is why I am doing this post.  My builder suggested I tidy that area up which I thought would please these neighbours.  So he started building the fence, I said to go as high as legally allowed.  Then I heard my builder talking to that neighbour and I could hear he wasn't pleased. 

So I went out there and he said its too high because it will block light into their utility room.  This made me giggle because well the sun comes from their side anyway it comes up in front of our houses then goes around THEIR side before dropping. He was just being awkward in my eyes.  The wall between us blocks light to my garden because of how the world revolves around the sun. Not much I can do about that.  Plus I have never been happy that they can see right into my garden and since they got that camera.  I know how wide angled cameras can be.  Not sure why he has it, we get nobody around the back of our gardens. With the fence I was hoping to hide their building and stop them looking over.  A bit of privacy.  They can see right over into my garden which I explained.  His reply, "we don't like you looking over us on that chair" pointing to the wildlife area I have created which is on council land so its not mine, he can go smash it up if he wants.  It was for everybody.  Like I told him when I was clearing the area.  I even offered to help the lazy twat when he does his side as love a bit of hard labor.  Why we cut the trees that were hanging over HIS side I don't know.  We was on a roll and assumed he would help. Wrong. Lazy twat. He has done pretty month nothing since then which was July last year.

This was like a kick in the teeth. I broke my back making that area, and I have sat on that chair what like 5 times.  You cannot see into their house or garden as its so far, my eyesight isn't that good.  I thought it would make a nice viewing area which it does and everyone can use it. 

By the way lucky them having a utility room.  If I had one, I doubt I would want to spend much time hanging out in there.  Surely a light-bulb is enough for a room where you do your laundry! Maybe she likes to watch the laundry go around in the machine.  Surly this is them being persnickety.   

So once I chilled out I went round and spoke to his the woman at 25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford saying I didn't want to fall out.  She was fuming so it was a bit heated at first but we soon got on track.  But it is quite clear that he lies to her.  Apparently I agreed to that window. Why would I?  Everyone around me thinks its odd, my boys think its to be nosy.  What she said didn't tally.  I thought as they put that window up when knew I didn't want it, the compromise would be letting me hide their building for privacy in the back. She did say she understands that I would like privacy.  But there was no compromise. She went on about the seat I made and how she was annoyed when the builder lifted a fence post. I asked her when the roof would be fixed and she looked down and said I know I keep on to him.  He has stopped all work.  She said they couldn't work out how to fill the hole so put the window in! Seriously. What was so tricky? I have had a window filled.  It is not rocket science.  I assume they intend to clad or render the breeze blocks.  But anyway excuse after excuse I left disappointed but kind of on better terms, with her anyway.  She admitted he was out of order with the council letter. But there was still no compromise. 

Well I am not happy with the pair of them at 25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford now thinking about it.  My kids have reminded me of stuff over the years.  All I do is compromise.  I had a lovely Virginia creeper vine I think its called that turned red in the autumn and I grew it to cover the fence. It did get a bit wild and I could tell they were cutting if back their side which was fair enough. One year I cut it down and replaced the fence panels. ( I remember that neighbor was moaning as it was open for a few weeks FEW WEEKS not months ).  They said they hated that vine so once the fence panels were up I stopped it growing.  WHY to please them.. I loved that vine, stopped me having to paint the fence.  I also removed the big root last year. 

I suppressed the dogs 'happy time' to please them.  Told my boys off enough.  WHY?  To please them and stop her annoying them!  And their dog barks also so its not like they are not dog lovers.  My eldest would always say to me, "WHY do you care what the neighbours think" or " who cares what they think" etc.  But the man is a twat and I have hated living next to him since the council letter. 

So that is it.  Today my builder wants to carry on so I have to decide what to do.  Do I compromise AGAIN and let them have their way, or do I stick to the legal height allowed and sod them?

Letter to them.. I might just give them the url of this blog actually... 

Dear the couple that live at 25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford

(you would think I know their names after 15 years)

If you ever want to move house I will give you 10K more than its value if you sell to me privately.  If you sell to me within 2 years from today I will make that 20K.

From Carolyn Clayton.

I do feel better now.

UPDATE

No compromise at all from them. This is what they wanted which was lower than the original:  





So I spoke to the chap, explained how he has made me ill over the last few days. I explained as you put that window I am not going lower than my legal right of 2 meters. He just looked down like a spoilt brat and never said a word.  It looked like for a moment he was sincere as he did then start working on the roof.  However my drainpipe is still hanging off so its still not finished. 

She came round shouting her mouth off. Going on about living here 26 years.  So what?  I've been here 15. I MYSELF have worked very hard to buy my house unlike her.  

So for the neighbours (I don't know their names, you would think I would after 15 years) at 25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford, I have stopped growing a Virginia creeper I loved.  I cut two tress down behind their house and the lazy twats just watched.  I stopped a game with my dog as it made her bark for a few minutes, god forbid. 

As I walk up the garden then have a clear head shot into my garden still. 

This is my fence now, I am planning on building a entrance arch and making a kiss my ass sculpture, so when they come out and look towards my garden all they see is an arsehole!


25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford
25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford
25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford
25 Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates, Telford


Covid Project - Building a Studio in my Garden 2020

So this has been a year we will all remember.  For me it was supposed to be the year of change in that I became an artist in residence at Coalport China Museum. Having worked from home for 11 years in SEO I was ready to change things around and become a full time artist or at least 80% of my time was going to be on my art.  Two floods and then Covid-19 in the Spring meant that the museum has been shut all year.  Coalport has been my happy place for many years and one of the reasons I have stayed in the area.  It won't be opening anytime soon. So that was sad.

What I have found hard this year is that it feels like my human rights have been taken away.  To keep me sane (and this is good advice for anyone planning to stay working from home),  you have to make sure you get out and have a social life away from home.  I used to play badminton twice a week with two different groups of people, that with my friends and family and trips away kept me sane.  I don't like the gym or pubs really, so I have felt frustrated with the restrictions.  

Loosing my old border collie in August was the last straw. She had been ill all year, she was 15, so when the inevitable happened and I couldn't go travelling (which was also my plan for this year) I decided to put all my focus on building a workshop studio in my back garden.  I will then be able to run classes and do all the stuff I planned to do down Coalport.  As for the public viewing, there of course is YouTube so the plan is to get busier on there.  I still want a space down the museum but at least when this is built I wont be able to turn down the bigger jobs which Coalport helped materialize.  I got a job to make a number of large wall flowers for the store Macy's in USA.  With no space here and the need of a larger kiln it was thanks to Coalport I could take the job.  Soon I will have a larger kiln and plenty of space.

I have a good 100ft plus garden so there was plenty of room:





Clearing behind my garden

This was my garden back in August 2020, dog just died, sad time, time to get busy:


I knew I had to sort out the mess behind my garden as the land was half way up my back fence.  Years of rubbish being chucked over (not me) and trees growing meant anyone could step onto my roof so it had to be cleared. 




So phase one was to clear this and create a base.  I spoke to my neighbor and he agreed to help.  I went away for a week down to Folkestone and he got busy from his side.  It was a good couple of weeks of work and it involved taking down some dangerously growing trees.

I bought a gazebo to store all my shed stuff.  The shed sold very quickly on Facebook Marketplace. 

What we found once we got excavating is that my old boundary posts were buried.  A tree was growing within the boundaries so we think the previous owner brought the fence forward rather than deal with the tree.  This is the tree root:  There was soil right up to the back of my then boundary: 



I got busy my side and removed the conifer and the slabs:





We collected all the brick and slabs to create hardcore for the base:


Reclaiming my boundries:




This is a video of the base work up until the concrete pour:


This split pictures shows just two weeks apart.  The frame went up very quickly:











The windows and doors should be installed in the next few weeks.
I am now working on the garden:


I am currently now having issues with my neighbours which might be worthy of a blog post.  I wanted to build an extra meter up on my studio so I could create an attic for storage, but as one side is a bit funny and well not approachable, I decided to keep to allowed height without planning.   I am now regretting that.