Advice on dealing with neighbour's cooking smells?

My next door neighbour recently had a large extension built which means their kitchen extractor fan is now 1m from the fence next to our patio area, blasting out strong cooking smells every evening and often at lunchtimes. I love Indian food as much as the next guy but the fumes we're being subjected to can be quite nauseous and overpowering. I'm sorry to say that sitting out on the patio enjoying the honeysuckle and jasmine growing there is becoming a distant memory. At the planning stage I feared this would be a problem but my suggestion to the local authority for re-siting the flue was not acted upon. Unfortunately, I don't believe that legally I can do anything about this as it's a residential property.

However, we get on reasonably well with the neighbour and small issues that arose during the extension construction were resolved amicably, so they might be prepared to help resolve this problem. Their fan vents out of the side wall, which, because there's a 1.5m drop between my house and theirs, means it's only at a height of around 1m above the ground level of my house, which probably exacerbates the problem.

Before I speak to them I wondered if anyone here has had similar problems and could give me any advice on solutions (short of installing a big fan on my side to blow it back to them!). e.g. would attaching an external vertical flue be possible as this might carry the fumes away before they hit us?

Thanks, Andy

Reply to
andylewis9876
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You could take action against them for causing a Nuisance, but as you

If it's a flat roof extension I would be inclined to double back over the roof and point the outlet towards their property not yours. This will probably blow the smells under their bedroom windows, but maybe they're so used to it they won't notice.

It would also be less visually intrusive than a crematorium-like chimney reaching for the sky.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

That's probably your only practical alternative - offer to pay half perhaps?

Otherwise - you're stuffed, unless you can get the Planning Dept. to explain why they didn't act on your request to re-site the flue :(

Reply to
Paul King

The smell of frying bacon or grilling a steak could be equally as nauseous to a vegetarian living next door.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I'm not sure what point you're making, Dave. Any strong smells are a nuisance, so I'd expect the vegetarian in your example to try and do something about it. As it happens, we are vegetarian and so eat a lot of Indian food but I don't subject others to the smells.

Andy

Reply to
andylewis9876

I think I know what you;re going through. In a previous existence, my bedsit door was opposite across a 2 foot gap from a couple of young malaysian girls I think. Thier cooking smells were overpowering and as you say nauseating.

Arthur I had to place a wet towel against the bottom of the door.

Reply to
Arthur

Use a can of expanding foam and a long extension pipe ;-)

Reply to
Matt

I doubt the vegetarian would be cooking bacon or frying steaks?

'Others' obviously will be. Your family?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Maybe so. It doesn't offend me so much. I just think to myself how primitive and unimaginative they are. :-)

Speaking of dead creatures Dave, have you had your seat cover mended yet?

Reply to
Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)

No - I'm still building up the car after the re-spray. And I think the seats will need some major surgery to match the now rather decent exterior.

If only Conneloy were still in Wimbledon. ;-(

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Id try to route the pipe upwards, as far as possible. You would need to watch for rain comming down into a vertical pipe.

Rick

Reply to
Rick

Any regrets about that attitude?

Reply to
ocidental

When a kid at home I used to get a pea shooter and some dried peas and take pot shots at them from my bedroom window.

Found that cats are the masters of the 'WTF is that?!?' look. :)

Also it was best not to hit them too hard, that way they stay around and the odd hit here and there helps give them a nice sense of paranoia. :)))

cheers, Pete.

Reply to
Pete C

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