RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted February 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2014 I don't actually know what my neighbour's shed is placed on but am hoping for it to rot down and send the walls and roof out of alignment. I don't think it is concrete. As for the temporary store I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't nailed it to my garage brickwork! I'm guessing it won't be long before that happens ! How old is this fella ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 I'm guessing it won't be long before that happens ! How old is this fella ? Early 50s. Self-centred would be a very apt description. The other evening he came round to borrow "Some of that plaster of paris you use on your model railway" We root around in my garage for some. "What happened to your railway? "Well, it's in a skip at the town dump because damp came through the end wall. I haven't got any plaster of paris. That went in the skip too" "I can probably use Polyfilla then", as he wandered off into the night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted February 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2014 Early 50s. Self-centred would be a very apt description. The other evening he came round to borrow "Some of that plaster of paris you use on your model railway" We root around in my garage for some. "What happened to your railway? "Well, it's in a skip at the town dump because damp came through the end wall. I haven't got any plaster of paris. That went in the skip too" "I can probably use Polyfilla then", as he wandered off into the night. Aaah Yes I know people like that. Selfish muppets. If he comes borrowing again just say that you want something in return, sometimes some people will only do something to get something. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 If he comes borrowing again just say that you want something in return Yeah, like his shed moved 6 inches... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 I remember once when his children were tiny he came round and asked if I was going to Sainsburys. Sure, what do you need? Nappies, nappy wipes, calpol... I drop the stuff off later expecting he'd pay for the stuff and instead a few days later a carrier bag with it all in ends up on my doorstep saying "Not needed after all - hope you can get your money back." Been thinking about it. He used to be a neighbour (definition "people who help each other out"). I now think of him as the person who lives next door, but not a neighbour. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I remember once when his children were tiny he came round and asked if I was going to Sainsburys. Sure, what do you need? Nappies, nappy wipes, calpol... I drop the stuff off later expecting he'd pay for the stuff and instead a few days later a carrier bag with it all in ends up on my doorstep saying "Not needed after all - hope you can get your money back." Been thinking about it. He used to be a neighbour (definition "people who help each other out"). I now think of him as the person who lives next door, but not a neighbour. I really shouldn't laugh, but Bl**dy Hell... maybe he's just tight and thinks that helping you out will cost him? Good grief... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidH Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I don't beeliiieve it ... Maybe you made a mistake (politely) asking for help. You perhaps need to tell him you're doing work on your garage wall, and ask for his help in solving your damp problem, but in the manner he takes from you - with the assurance that comes from the automatic assumption that he will help. It is entirely possible to talk him into helping you move the shed without recourse to the law or argument - given that he had the nerve to come and ask for plaster or paris, I wonder how he would do it if your roles were reversed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 I really shouldn't laugh, but Bl**dy Hell... maybe he's just tight and thinks that helping you out will cost him? Good grief... Ever been asked to look after a pond full of koi carp for a fortnight whilst ya neighbour goes on a summer holiday only to find that a) he hasn't left any food and b) the pond leaks and needs topping up every day from a hose. That was about £10 for koi carp food never reimbursed. A bottle of wine as a thank you might have been nice! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted February 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2014 My ex was asked by a friend to house/pet sit a house in Somerset for two weeks. Ok, a free holiday in Somerset where she used to live. No food was left for the hyperactive lurcher, ferret and mice, the electric key meter ran out the first night and she ended up driving 3 people to Bristol Airport and fetching them again, with no money offered for petrol. So, not such a free holiday. Next year she was asked again. Ok she said if you make sure there's enough dog food and if you pay for petrol to the airport. Said friend threw a wobbler and said she'd ask somebody else. They haven't spoken since, yet they had been quite close. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted February 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 3, 2014 Ever been asked to look after a pond full of koi carp for a fortnight whilst ya neighbour goes on a summer holiday only to find that a) he hasn't left any food and B) the pond leaks and needs topping up every day from a hose. That was about £10 for koi carp food never reimbursed. A bottle of wine as a thank you might have been nice! That is not a neighbour that is a parasite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I'm a firm believer in the ethos behind "give and take" but even at times in my younger life when I had nothing, I've always preferred to "give". Even if it's just a kind word or a gesture, rather than something physical. Sadly that seems to be lost on an increasing number of people, your "neighbour" included... For God's sake, STOP doing him any favours Andy! Edit: "Favour" is the wrong word - that implies you'll get something back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidH Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 This has all the makings of a League of Gentlemen style story ... the self-obsessed neighbour who takes, takes, takes, until that dark and stormy night when the normally quiet modeller next door wreaks a strange and deadly revenge, involving a length of flexitrack, a shed, a chainsaw, and a pond of hungry fish ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwrosebury2000 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 If it was me then my gutter and his roof may have been damaged by the winds and rain… water will run into his shed and hopefully destroy what’s inside, and as their isn’t enough room for him to repair the roof the shed will need to be moved to allow the repair. How many times can things like this get ‘storm damaged’? quite a lot me thinks! Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Lifeboatman and DavidH, you'll both want to watch this space then. As for favours you can be assured that both swmbo and myself are waiting for the next time he turns up on the doorstep "needing a favour". Oh, yes. Bring it on. We (swmbo and myself) had a chat last night and for a variety of reasons (stress mainly) we're going to not do anything to make life in our little part of the world less pleasant. So out and out confrontation escalating to court orders are not on the cards. But from now on the door will be closed in their faces if they come round. We will be lining and insulating the garage but only on the side walls and main door. The end wall we will leave open to breathe. Today I've bought a gadget, a de-humidifier to help the process along which can remove up to 12 litres of water a day. I've gone for a model which is self draining. The only question is where to diver the water to. I like to think of myself as a recycling kind of chap, so I'm contemplating pumping it out of the back of the garage straight into the neighbour's garden. A varient might be a high pressure pump which kicks in once a day and sends a jet of 12 litres of water arcing over his property. In reality I'm going to put a short pipe in to drain the water onto a nearby flower bed, saving me the trouble of watering it. Ok, most of the water is going to be condensed out when it's been raining rather than when it is most needed in hot weather....maybe I could put a water butt in in the corner of my garden to store up the water. Of course this might get left to drain occasionnally when it is full to overflowing. Sadly this may flow into my neighbour's garden...but hey, I don't control gravity any more than I can influence my neighbour. Apres moi le deluge! The review of the dehumidifer say it is quiet operation which I'm sure I can cure for occassions when I'm away on holiday. A rather sad bi-product of this situation is that swmbo has indicated that when our (nice, charming) neighbour moves next year we will be removing the electricity supply that we installed to provide him with lighting and mains for his garage. She has decided that being overly helpful to anyone is a complete waste of time and effort. We'll also be moving home a bit sooner than we anticipated once our children have changed school. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I don't often use that little heart shaped icon but you know what I mean. Andy Y, can we please have a "I'll shake you by the hand and wish you well" icon? Seriously, all the best. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted February 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 4, 2014 We will be lining and insulating the garage but only on the side walls and main door. The end wall we will leave open to breathe. I'm off out to club shortly but I'll try and sketch something for you for the end wall which will give you what you want (insulated etc) but let the wall breath, A couple of questions first though - 1- Is the rear wall (the damp one) single skin or 2 skin brickwork (4 1/2 inch or 9 inch) 2 - do you have any mates/rellies who are in the building game ? as you will need some Tyvek (or similar) breathable membrane. 3 - can you get me some nappies and calpol and fish food............. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 I'm off out to club shortly but I'll try and sketch something for you for the end wall which will give you what you want (insulated etc) but let the wall breath, A couple of questions first though - 1- Is the rear wall (the damp one) single skin or 2 skin brickwork (4 1/2 inch or 9 inch) 2 - do you have any mates/rellies who are in the building game ? as you will need some Tyvek (or similar) breathable membrane. 3 - can you get me some nappies and calpol and fish food............. Bless you, Dave. 3. Yes, of course. Feel free to unwrap the items use those you need and bring back the remainder of any food I get for you after its use by date. Don't worry about keeping the receipt, Sainsburys don't really need any proof of purchase and are delighted to offer a "return unused items to China for re-wrapping and re-export. 2. Tyvek shouldn't be a problem. 1. I'm 99% certain it is 4 1/2 single skin. Just put a ladder up and confirmed. Enjoy your evening at the club. Andy Edited: Wall thickness confirmed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted February 4, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2014 Could you not drill a hole through the wall and have the de-humidifier draining into his shed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 4, 2014 If I were you I'd drill a hole through the garage wall at very low level so it drained out of the garage onto your property, but where it happens to be very close to shedman's. He reminds me of the chap we used to live next door to although (fortunately) he wasn't as bad as your specimen - ours had a habit of borrowing wire brushes and then returning them in a near wire-less state and next to useless. I quickly cottoned on to the idea whatever tool he asked to borrow I hadn't got or had just lost. We lived in a semi and he was in the other half - not long after we moved out our former neighbours on the other side - a very pleasant couple - told us that the people who had bought our house were very noisy and seemed to make a lot of noise in the house although fortunately they weren't disturbed by it. You can imagine my reaction, and the fact that I was hoping someone was disturbed by it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Could you not drill a hole through the wall and have the de-humidifier draining into his shed? Perish the thought, Phil. I believe the law on chopping overhanging branches down is that they must be returned to the owner of the tree. I imagine the same applies to rain water - all 12 kg per day, come rain, come shine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymw Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hi Andy, I hope your comments wrt returning the water, etc, is meant as a joke. Having had a few 'disputes', throughout my life, I decided a few years ago to only concern myself with ones I thought tat I would win, and then concentrate and work damn hard to make sure that I did win. In the example you have here, it will involve court orders, or at least the threat of them, for you to resolve the problem, and you have stated that you do not want to go down that route. So, if you are not going to fight to win, then no point in fighting, so don't put any effort into being a 'bit more mean' to him now, than before - rise above it. You will most likely find it will eventually resolve itself. I think you need to make sure (I can't recall if you have already) that you have planning approval for change of use of the garage. When you've got that, if needed, then when you are out drinking again with your neighbour, ask if he'd be free some time to give you a hand with laying the floor/whatever. (On the principle of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer). The last thing that you or your neighbour wants is an escalating dispute. Best wishes, Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted February 4, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hi Andy, I think you need to make sure (I can't recall if you have already) that you have planning approval for change of use of the garage. When you've got that, if needed, then when you are out drinking again with your neighbour, ask if he'd be free some time to give you a hand with laying the floor/whatever. (On the principle of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer). The last thing that you or your neighbour wants is an escalating dispute. Best wishes, Ray Ray. I have a feeling that if Andy went out with the neighbour he'd be picking up the bill........ Myself I would just put some distance between myself and him, nothing antagonistic the usual "Morning" if you see him but nothing more, it's so much better for your sanity in the end. And just to prove that you haven't the only muppet next to you, I spent the best part of 2 hours this morning having to deal with my MiL's new neighbour who decided that he didn't want to share a path (even though the deeds show it) and put a fence up on it. And he was also claiming the deeds were wrong and that he owns the watercourse ditch between the front boundary and the highway and so this morning tipped about 60 tons of stone and mixed building rubble into it and levelled it off with a digger. To cut a long story short after explaining to him the error of his ways the fence is not going up and the Environment Agency were arriving just as I finished. The man is an idiot and I think this morning he actually realised it himself ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted February 5, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 5, 2014 Ok, now I've had a think about various things you could do to alleviate this problem, essentially the best option is for him to move his shed but you can bet until his shed rots and falls over that is not going to happen. So the next best thing is to get you into the garage doing what you want to do and then you'll eventually forget about it. On the plus side the single skin brickwork means that any damp will not create a long term problem if you follow a few simple steps. I've done a sketch of what is the most simple thing you can do. As the wall is going to get damp the last thing you want to do is paint a sealer over it and seal it in, as it penetrates from the outside capillary action will draw it inside so what you need to do it create an environment where the moisture is drawn off the face of the bricks. The simplest way I can think of doing this is to drill out every 3rd or 4th perp ( thats the upright brick joint - just the mortar) just above the damp course, do a series of holes with a drill and link them together to form a slot. If you just do the perps and not the bricks it is very easy to correct at a later date when your neighbour has been locked up for nappy theft with a bit of cement mix (or "muck" as it's known in the trade). If the garage has no ceiling then good, if it has then you will need to open a series of vents or one long strip into the roof void. The idea behind this is that the garage roof is vented and warmer and will create an airflow that passes over the wall and slowly draws off the moisture. The next part to this is to make it pull the moisture over a small area, so you will need to make a stud out of 95mm/100mm timber and stretch a layer of Tyvek (or similar breathable membrane) over the stud and fix it so that there is a clear 75mm airspace between the brick and stud, if there is a pier then you will have to move it 20mm off the pier (120mm off the brickwork) the studwork must have 75mm of Celotex/Xtratherm in it, this will mean that the side of the stud facing the brickwork does not radiate heat and disrupt the airflow. If it was me I would make the studwork flat on the floor of the garage staple/nail the Tyvek on and then stand it up to fix, You stand it on a plate on DPC (damp proof course) and put 50mm packers on the side which gives you enough "jiggling" space to stand it upright. When it's up you can cover the stud with what you fancy but you must cover it. That's pretty much the simplest way I can think of doing something that should help with the problem and get you on your way, at the worst you are losing 75mm of the garage and not spending money on the damp, I've seen other "bodges" to deal with similar issues but reckon this would be the simplest for you toi achieve. The sooner you get in your room the sooner you'll forget about numptie..............until you see nappies and calpol on offer..... Chris Dave....Duh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Dave, First of all, thank you from both myself and swmbo for your excellent suggestion. We'll be putting this into practice very soon. One option I do have is to perhaps include a small fan unit within the cavity to help circulate the air. I happen to have some IP68 dust and waterproof fans with a 7 year life expectancy on them. This might assist the natural convection within the space, perhaps. As ever the RMweb community has proved a supportive place to be when life throws challenges at us. Obviously some of the suggestions have been with tongue in cheek and a reaction to a somewhat stressful situation. I particularly enjoyed the ideas offered for either acro jacks or a tunnel from the garage under the shed to form a sink hole. Just as soon as we make some tangible progress I'll start a layout thread. Hope that the layout will be of sufficient quality to justify all the time and thinking that folk have offered! But even if it isn't the best layout on here it'll be a fantastic and relaxing space to enjoy watching the trains go by. Hope to see you all at RMweb Live and say thank you each in person. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymw Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Hi Chris, I'm not sure that drilling out the mortar would be the best idea. I don't think it is known if there is debris/soil above the dpc, and even if it is clear at the moment, it may not be in a few years time. I think I would have the lower vents on the inside of the garage, through the new stud walling. Best wishes, Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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