- Joined
- 24 Feb 2012
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- 66
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Hi all,
I've been losing sleep and feeling very ill trying to think of how best to tackle my predicament.
In a nutshell:
I Put my dormer loft conversion out to tender and attracted several quotes.
Received quotes/advice/info etc. Everyone agreed it is within permitted development and ticks those boxes. My own research and a householder enquiry submission confirmed this.
A builder I know was chosen and work progressed.
The dormer is on and looking great. The roof done and ridge tiles have just gone back on.
It has emerged that, due to a construction decision along the way, that the ridge has increased in height a little.
To try and give this some point of reference, the new ridge tiles are almost a full brick higher up the chimney stack (60-70mm?). they are also at a bit of a different pitch to the main roof.
The house is an end terrace house and has a chimney stack on each side, so the ridge line isn't linked to next door. While it is not directly comparable in that sense, it IS visibly higher.
Up until this point I was protected by permitted development legislation. Now, I'd be in a sticky position should any case be opened for any reason.
Sorting the ridge out is tricky and the builders won't want to do it, simple as that... So what do I do?
My options seem to be:
1) demand the builders sort it out now while scaffold is still up (won't go down well, stress is inevitable).
2) accept the slight height increase and hope it's fine until the 4 year mark. Can anyone really live like that??
3) call the planners out to assess the situation, explain things, and pile some 3rd party pressure on the builders to sort it (force them, but also 'turn myself in').
Information that might be of relevance is:
- not in a conservation area
- the ridge isn't visible in the general street scene due the house height, unless you walk down a private back alley and get a full view.
- the planners are aware of the development and that it is being built within permitted development guidelines (I consulted with them in the first place). It's possible they may do a spot check in the future?
This could cause huge trauma right now, or a big blow-back in the future. Or it could be totally fine.
I'll be on site with the builders tomorrow morning. I don't know what to do... I don't know how to handle them.
I've been losing sleep and feeling very ill trying to think of how best to tackle my predicament.
In a nutshell:
I Put my dormer loft conversion out to tender and attracted several quotes.
Received quotes/advice/info etc. Everyone agreed it is within permitted development and ticks those boxes. My own research and a householder enquiry submission confirmed this.
A builder I know was chosen and work progressed.
The dormer is on and looking great. The roof done and ridge tiles have just gone back on.
It has emerged that, due to a construction decision along the way, that the ridge has increased in height a little.
To try and give this some point of reference, the new ridge tiles are almost a full brick higher up the chimney stack (60-70mm?). they are also at a bit of a different pitch to the main roof.
The house is an end terrace house and has a chimney stack on each side, so the ridge line isn't linked to next door. While it is not directly comparable in that sense, it IS visibly higher.
Up until this point I was protected by permitted development legislation. Now, I'd be in a sticky position should any case be opened for any reason.
Sorting the ridge out is tricky and the builders won't want to do it, simple as that... So what do I do?
My options seem to be:
1) demand the builders sort it out now while scaffold is still up (won't go down well, stress is inevitable).
2) accept the slight height increase and hope it's fine until the 4 year mark. Can anyone really live like that??
3) call the planners out to assess the situation, explain things, and pile some 3rd party pressure on the builders to sort it (force them, but also 'turn myself in').
Information that might be of relevance is:
- not in a conservation area
- the ridge isn't visible in the general street scene due the house height, unless you walk down a private back alley and get a full view.
- the planners are aware of the development and that it is being built within permitted development guidelines (I consulted with them in the first place). It's possible they may do a spot check in the future?
This could cause huge trauma right now, or a big blow-back in the future. Or it could be totally fine.
I'll be on site with the builders tomorrow morning. I don't know what to do... I don't know how to handle them.