We have a fire pit, we burn wood only and I put the ash in the compost. It hardly produces any smoke as I wouldn’t want to sit in a cloud of smoke. If people want to use their gardens to entertain by cooking outside why is that antisocial?
I don’t like wind chimes but my neighbours do unfortunately. My pet hate is squeaky trampolines.
Tend to agree @Liriodendron especially gas fired patio heaters.
I did look into having a bread/pizza oven here but then I realised we only eat pizza about once a year and I don't want to eat enough of them to justify an oven.
I did buy a lovely old enamelled wood burner stove in a flea market in Angoulême a few years ago so that will be my patio heater, one day. We didn't use our BBQ once last year as it was just the two of us.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
The wood we use is broken pallets from a friends builders yard that would be burnt anyway so if we can use it I don’t see the difference. Is gas very environmentally unsound? Compared to other cooking methods? I honestly don’t know so would be interested to read the facts.
Butane and Propane are the usual bottled gases for fuel in cookers, BBQs and patio heaters and are fossil fuels so due to be phased out to meet climate change targets.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Yesterday afternoon, sunny, washing out, windows open, someone in the next road, (which has a walk way meaning as the crow flies, it's not far) had a bonfire, everywhere stank, house full of smoke
If people want to use their gardens to entertain by cooking outside why is that antisocial?
I think it's partly to do with how close the houses are to each other. On a sunny summer Sunday around six close neighbours will be cooking out at one time in the terraced gardens around mine, plus chimneas and firepits etc going. It does make for a lot of smoke usually.
I know that for veggies or neighbours with lung conditions (long covid, asthma, COPD ) it can prove hard to have that much going on close by; Clouds of meat aromas going all day, every weekend; The smell of burning every time you open the window. Some argue that that is just the nature of urban life. I think that having some gentle consideration is really helpful. We all know each other on our street, so usually a quick, gentle phone call is enough when the smoke gets a bit much.
Pallets use preserved wood, so you are burning that too. Probably ok outside (not inside) but I really wouldn't use it to cook with.
Some neighbours (not that near me) smoke incredibly strong skunk all day long and that I would find much harder if it were floating under my doors and into my windows. I often feel woozy just walking past some houses.
I guess it's a matter of having an element of control over personal space - we want our homes to be some kind of haven to rest in; so anyone else's noise, smells or stuff might feel intrusive; be it wind chimes, skunk smells, buzz saws at 6am, a huge hedge, thievery or cat poo. We can control all of it, but we can know that everyone else probably feels as sensitive about their peace as we do ourselves.
I don’t cook over it. Just use it occasionally to keep warm on a summer evening. I wouldn’t use it if people had washing outside and as I say it gives off almost no smoke as I wouldn’t sit near it if it did. I wouldn’t play loud music or have a party late into the night.I don’t have a barking dog or wind chimes I try to be considerate of my neighbours in a suburban area. I think an occasional barbecue during the summer or a fire pit in the evening is acceptable. I understand that others struggle with inconsiderate neighbours and I am grateful that I don’t have that issue to deal with but I think a blanket condemnation of cooking outside is a little harsh.
Just for example, we have neighbours about 50m away and smoke drifts from their fire pit into our conservatory to the point where we cannot have the doors open in summer if they are burning wood as it completely stinks the place out. We also cannot leave washing out etc. I never say anything as I do get that people should enjoy their property but I genuinely feel it detrimental to my enjoyment of my property. Maybe I am unusual in not wanting to stink of burnt wood from other people's fires but I don't have to like it. I just don't really get it but it seems to be a growing problem 'inspired' by garden design programmes.
Maybe they need to dry the wood out properly? You have given me something to consider I will definitely check with my neighbours although my NDN, an elderly lady living alone, has said before that she loves to look out at her bedtime and see the glow of the fire pit or even my son’s cigarette as it comforts her to think there are people awake. But I am going to ask the ladies on the other side whether it’s an issue and if it is I will reduce our use.
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I did look into having a bread/pizza oven here but then I realised we only eat pizza about once a year and I don't want to eat enough of them to justify an oven.
I did buy a lovely old enamelled wood burner stove in a flea market in Angoulême a few years ago so that will be my patio heater, one day. We didn't use our BBQ once last year as it was just the two of us.
Maybe I am unusual in not wanting to stink of burnt wood from other people's fires but I don't have to like it.
I just don't really get it but it seems to be a growing problem 'inspired' by garden design programmes.