Apart from the state of Sydenham Road (which thankfully seems to be showing signs of revival at last) the one thing that depresses me when I walk around the demi-paradise that is SE26 is the way in which people have taken perfectly good houses and ruined them.
A great example is Tannsfeld Road. I lived in this street for 12 years and when I go down there now and look at many of the homes, particularly on the right hand side, I totally despair - brash PVC windows, concrete drives, unsuitable front doors etc. It's a total mess. Even on a crude analysis of personal wealth, you'd think the owners would have more sense. A house has just sold in this road for over £500,000. Was it one of the messed-about properties? Of course not. It was one boasting "many original features" - and well away from the eyesores on the other side of the road.
These owners not only have little taste; they are just plain daft.
Thankfully, these monstrosities are still in a minority but in a sane world the rest of the inhabitants of streets like Tannsfeld Road should be able to claim financial compensation from these wreckers for having to look at their "home improvements" on a daily basis and for lowering property values.
Why do people ruin their homes?
No no no. People ALWAYS have a choice. If anyone is priviledged enough to own their own home and therefore make alterations to it - they should have a duty to their neighbours and the environment to act responsibly.
Unfortunately these days it seems to be purely about short term saving of money - and aethetics is bottom of the list. The main culprit and my pet hate is uPVC windows on old buildings!
Double glazing isn't even always a good idea on some houses - due to the lack of air they can cause condensation and even damp, so these days they have to have little holes drilled in them – otherwise known as trickle vents which, er seems to me you might as well stick with the draughty original ones in the first place.
If I was thinking of buying a really old property I wouldn't even look at a place that had been refitted with uPVC windows unless it was really cheap because I'd have to put something like the originals back in even if the expense meant eating beans everyday for the rest of my life.
If people make a loft conversion that's not so bad is it? And tarmaccing over the drive is bad but I suppose it could be essential for some people. But those windows...there's no excuse!
Unfortunately these days it seems to be purely about short term saving of money - and aethetics is bottom of the list. The main culprit and my pet hate is uPVC windows on old buildings!
Double glazing isn't even always a good idea on some houses - due to the lack of air they can cause condensation and even damp, so these days they have to have little holes drilled in them – otherwise known as trickle vents which, er seems to me you might as well stick with the draughty original ones in the first place.
If I was thinking of buying a really old property I wouldn't even look at a place that had been refitted with uPVC windows unless it was really cheap because I'd have to put something like the originals back in even if the expense meant eating beans everyday for the rest of my life.
If people make a loft conversion that's not so bad is it? And tarmaccing over the drive is bad but I suppose it could be essential for some people. But those windows...there's no excuse!
Ok I'll admit that's true in some cases and in that case they are the ones who will go for the uPVC windows . Some of my best friends are in that situation and I'm still trying to convince them its a false ecomony.
It will probably save them a load of money short term and its not them that will have to replace the whole lot when they eventually go pink in the sunlight but if a piece of the plastic or a handle breaks they'll have to replace the whole window rather than just a little piece of wood which means they'll spend loads more than if they'd put in wooden ones.
Mind you, if the people before them hadn't taken the original ones out in the first place (along with replacing the original front door with a plastic wooden effect door!!!) then my firiends wouldn't be faced with this dilemma and expense at all.
It will probably save them a load of money short term and its not them that will have to replace the whole lot when they eventually go pink in the sunlight but if a piece of the plastic or a handle breaks they'll have to replace the whole window rather than just a little piece of wood which means they'll spend loads more than if they'd put in wooden ones.
Mind you, if the people before them hadn't taken the original ones out in the first place (along with replacing the original front door with a plastic wooden effect door!!!) then my firiends wouldn't be faced with this dilemma and expense at all.
na most drainage problems are caused by old dried up leafs.leaf wrote:lol!
People inherit all sorts of rubbish when they buy a house,bad decor etc.
For me the worst thing is paved front gardens,i know for parking reasons this can be necessary,i just hate it!,i read that mass paving has caused all sorts of drainage problems?
Raymondus makes the point that one of the major reasons for front gardens being turned into parking bays is the need for more parking space.
But in the case of almost all homes in SE26 (terraced housing in the main) there is room for only car if the front garden is paved over. The space in front of the house is then unusable by anyone except the householder. Even though their car is absent for ten hours per day when they go to work, the space in front of their home is totally unusable by anyone else.
The real reason for parking bays in front gardens is to create personal parking space for the householder not to create extra space so that more than one car can be parked.
But in the case of almost all homes in SE26 (terraced housing in the main) there is room for only car if the front garden is paved over. The space in front of the house is then unusable by anyone except the householder. Even though their car is absent for ten hours per day when they go to work, the space in front of their home is totally unusable by anyone else.
The real reason for parking bays in front gardens is to create personal parking space for the householder not to create extra space so that more than one car can be parked.
The paving over of front gardens is a real problem, causing environmental damage on many fronts. In 2005 the GLA's Environmental Committee stated: "Not only does the continued paving over of front gardens mean that wildlife habitats are being lost and the visual amenity of the street environment is being degraded, but the increase in hard surfaces is contributing to London’s flooding problems. The more paved surfaces there are, the less rainfall is soaked into the ground and the more London’s dilapidated sewerage system struggles to cope." I'm not a scientist, but if less rainfall is being soaked into the ground then the ground beneath will shrink and harden, causing movement in the structures above. Sydenham's hills and valleys are largely formed of London clay, which, unless kept wet will shrink and lead to subsidence.
-
Muddy Waters
- Posts: 137
- Joined: 2 Oct 2004 17:05
Can I add another sore point about neighbouring properties spoiling the environment for others?
Close by where I live there are 5 terraced houses, but only two are owner-occupied - the other three are buy-to-lets.
Not only does this mean that often the permanent residents dont get to know their neighbours who can change every 6 months or so, but the tenants have little interest in the upkeep of the house and, particularly, front gardens.
The real owner has only a financial interest in the house they own, which increases steadily in value without the need for general maintenance, while surrounding residents can only look on in despair as their local environment goes down hill.
Close by where I live there are 5 terraced houses, but only two are owner-occupied - the other three are buy-to-lets.
Not only does this mean that often the permanent residents dont get to know their neighbours who can change every 6 months or so, but the tenants have little interest in the upkeep of the house and, particularly, front gardens.
The real owner has only a financial interest in the house they own, which increases steadily in value without the need for general maintenance, while surrounding residents can only look on in despair as their local environment goes down hill.
raymondus wrote:Very well put.The real reason for parking bays in front gardens is to create personal parking space for the householder not to create extra space so that more than one car can be parked.
From a legal viewpoint can a householder actually do anything to stop someone parking on the kerbside outside their 'driveway'??,surely they dont own the space outside do they?
Muddy Waters, my wrist is duly slapped. I own a property in Sydenham (not in your road from the description) which I rent out and as I walked past yesterday the front privet was an overgrown mess! It does say in the lease that the tennants are responsible for keeping it tidy so I'll get onto the agent forthwith. If you knew who the agent is in your street you could get onto them.
Savvy
Savvy
... sorry, I'm on a roll... And, they do know the neighbours in the block because I personally introduced them. We are in contact with all of them and if there were any problems with the tennants I would hear about it, I often email and ask if all is ok. I would hate any tennant of mine to upset the lives of our previous lovely neighbours.
Savvy
Savvy