Dormer woes

[Doggit]

It was designed by the architect, passed by the planning department, built by the builder, and signed off by the council, so why do you consider you're at fault. Either the person who drew up the plans didn't consider the implications, or more likely, the builder should have realised the implications, and brought it to someone attentions. Your neighbours sought advice, but you don't seem to have. Of course her solicitor is going to tell her the worst case scenario, just as I suspect you're solicitor will tell you to take out an indemnity waiver policy to cover any possible future action.

Post a picture, but I suspect 100mm isn't enough to worry about in the greater scheme of things. Can she still get access to any parts of her property, or is the overhang just in airspace, and not actually causing a problem anywhere.

 

[noseall]

Either the person who drew up the plans didn't consider the implications, or more likely, the builder should have realised the implications, and brought it to someone attentions.

I still find it astonishing that professionals carry on regardless knowing when something is not right. I've lost count the amount of times I have had to phone the architect and laisse with the customer over potential boundary breaches.

Your designer is an ass, so is your builder and ALL of you must be blind!

 

[Nige F]

I still find it astonishing that professionals carry on regardless knowing when something is not right.!

Some think they know but they don't. And the degree to which some people will go to in order to prove they ARE right : That is the most amazing/troubling facet of human nature.

 

[dishman]

I still find it astonishing that professionals carry on regardless knowing when something is not right. I've lost count the amount of times I have had to phone the architect and laisse with the customer over potential boundary breaches.

I had similar issues with my neighbours. They were building a side-return onto their house. Due to lack of space they needed every spare cm on the side elevation. This of course meant building up to the boundary line.

At the earliest possible point in the build (6 months before it started) after spray outlines were made on their concrete drive. I pointed out to my neighbour that the eaves and gutters had to be taken into account (they had not been at that time), and not to forget this as it would not be acceptable having these overhang the boundary. The builders seemed to continually forget this on multiple occasions.

The builders were well aware of the fact that this was an issue from beginning to the day of the build. It was pretty clear to me they knew what they were doing (trying to ignore it) to make it easy for themselves. Doing it properly would mean the building had to follow an angled boundary line, which made the build a bit more "complex".

But they never asked me about it, they just hoped that I was ignorant of what they were doing and I would not notice or complain until it was too late, after the work was completed.

Due to my perseverance, they ended up setting it back so that the gutter and eaves sit right up to the boundary line. However they reduced the eaves on this side to the minimum possible compared to the front and rear elevations.

The worst thing is, I felt like the bad person for bringing it up!