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Stuart has lived in the house for more than four years and wanted to stay there forever (Picture: BPM Media)An NHS worker has lost access to the side of his house after his neighbour\u2019s huge extension was completed amid a \u2018catalogue of errors\u2019.
\nStuart Smith, 42, from Birmingham, says he is beside himself and struggling to sleep because of the situation.
\nThe city council is carrying out an investigation into the works which brought the two neighbouring properties closer than ever before. There is now just an eight inch gap between them.
\nMr Smith said: \u2018It\u2019s come over the boundary on the same land. Effectively you have two buildings occupying the same space. It\u2019s like a catalogue of errors right the way across.
\n\u2018It\u2019s been built so far over the boundary line onto our side there\u2019s no gap to be able to maintain our own property.
\n\u2018We can never remove the gutters now, we can\u2019t unfix the felt roof or the fascias, or render the side of the house.\u2019
\nMr Smith, who lives in Monyhull Hall Road, alleged plans were not followed as builders were unable to properly fit a roof on his neighbour\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
The works mean Stuart can\u2019t get to the side of his house (Picture: BPM Media)He told told BirminghamLive: \u2018They [the builders] didn\u2019t actually realise their mistake until they started building underneath my eaves. It was only when they got so far up they realised my roof was in the way of them putting their own roof on.
\n\u2018I did speak to the neighbour at that point and they said they would \u2018sort it out\u2019, but [the builders] didn\u2019t fix it, they just worked around it, bodged it, recessed it in, built a little flat roof and built the roof to the side \u2013 bizarre.\u2019
\nPlanning officers for Birmingham City Council are now probing the extension, which increased the property size from three to five bedrooms.
\nMr Smith, who works in IT for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, lives with his wife Sallyanne, 39, a nursery teacher.
\nThe key workers bought the house in February 2017 and hoped to live there forever. Now, after working tirelessly throughout the Covid pandemic, their future in it is less certain.
\nMr Smith said: \u2018I feel absolutely awful. I try to push it to the back of my mind trying to forget about it \u2013 but then I don\u2019t make any progress.
\n\u2018So then I have to concentrate on it and it just winds me up. I have difficulty sleeping. It\u2019s just very stressful. It\u2019s a lot of worry. We bought the house as the house we wanted to live in forever.
\n\u2018It\u2019s just tainted this a bit now. We need to get this sorted out and rebuilt further back. I don\u2019t see how anyone could be happy with that.<\/p>\n
\u2018They do actually overlap\u2019 \u2013 Stuart said his neighbour\u2019s renovation was \u2018bodged\u2019 (Picture: BPM Media)<\/p>\n
The 42-year-old said he feels \u2018absolutely\u2019 awful\u2019 about the predicament (Picture: BPM Media)\u2018At some points it\u2019s actually touching. Where I have a roof above a garage at the front it touches his roof above the garage and right at the very top the gutterings are touching. They do actually overlap.\u2019
\nMr Smith said he is in discussion with a solicitor, \u2018but it\u2019s very slow going as we\u2019re going through the building insurers\u2019.
\nHe said the extension has doubled the size of the neighbouring house \u2013 adding an extra 76,000 sq ft \u2013 giving them a bigger kitchen, garage, utility room and loft conversion.
\nMr Smith\u2019s neighbour, who had the works carried out, said he had cooperated fully with council officers and \u2018it is for them to decide\u2019 the outcome.
\nThe resident said: \u2018I\u2019ve already spoken to the city council. Leave it to the council to sort out.\u2019
\nA council spokesperson said: \u2018We have received a complaint that works are in breach of planning legislation.
\n\u2018The matter is currently under investigation and officers are in discussions with both the owner and complainant.\u2019
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