That would be awful. I bought my house partially because of the sunroom. Not long after, though, the neighbors catty-corner in back of me moved in with screaming boys. It was constant and I used to love to relax when not working and read out there. No more.

They moved but the sunroom is gone now and I have a little boy next door who had a large party yesterday. Lot of kids playing and laughing, no screaming like they were beating each other up so it is much more pleasant now. I enjoy my porch that replaced the sunroom now.

A big fan might help.

Absolutely get a fan.

So sorry their lifestyle trumps yours. This makes my blood boil.

Thanks Eld. It makes me really sad. When I am a solo act again someday, I am planning to move somewhere that is smoke free.

Oh man! So sorry you have to deal with that - a big box fan might be just what you need.

And this reminded me of a friend who had a couple move in to her next door apt. and she says they do nothing but sit outside and drink and fight at the top of their lungs all day & night - they play music too. She related a couple of weeks ago that the woman got locked out and the man had passed out inside, with her phone, so there were hours of her screaming and banging on doors and windows. She refused any help.

Apparently they're 'friends' of the landlord too 🙄

I guess we can all count our blessings...

It was a beautiful day. I got home from work at 4:30 today and was looking forward to being outside and she smoked all afternoon/evening. They finally went inside about 1/2 hour ago--it's dark and getting cold now. I suspect she is here for the holiday weekend. I don't even know how I will mulch/garden with the chain smoking.

I feel as you do - I have to watch for the times my neighbor is at work (he has irregular hours) in order to work in my yard or enjoy my patio, because he will be on his porch smoking if he is at home. We are in separate, single family houses - so he has every right to smoke there; it is just that the wind currents around our houses bring all of his smoke over to me - even to my patio on the opposite side of my house! I can't have open windows or doors in summer, which I always did before they purchased that house..

Every once in a while i get to smell my neighbor's marijuana. It's legal here so nothng can be said about it. I can only smell it when the wind blows in a certain direction, which doesn't happen often. Thankfully, because it smells terrible.

" Is it rude if I ask her to smoke on the side of the house or somewhere else when I am out there first? "

Yes.

Get a fan, and/or hang a curtain between the two porches.

Asking her to smoke on the other side might not help. I lived upstairs from a smoker and boyfriend. They had padded moiré walls (hey, it was the ’80s). When they opened their windows on nice days, the stench rose right up to my windows.

In DMIL’s building, you are no longer allowed to smoke outside, even on your own balcony! It’s actually because people flicked ash and spent cigarettes off the balconies, a sparks would land on balconies below and actually started fires!

I'm so sorry for you. No smokers near me, thank goodness, but a neighbor next door whose property sits below mine, lights a chiminea in their back yard every summer night and the smoke/smell fills my yard and my house if my windows are open. Luckily, it cools off after dark and it burns out, so I can have the windows open.

If you have something to set box fans on (though they can be really noisy), that might work. Or I have one of these pedestal fans that I use to keep mosquitoes at bay when I am on my terrace - it doesn't help with the chiminea smoke because the source is too far away and there is too much of it. https://www.lowes.com/pl/Portable-fans-Air-conditioners-fans-Heating-cooling/4294856700?refinement=4294749177,920389041044,4294546694,1311067304083

I think this might be the year to try to the fan. Thank you all for the support.

That is so annoying. I wish there were a way to put a big glass jar over the heads of smokers so the smoke was contained just around them!

All of this makes me glad I have no close neighbors, but gives me pause for when/if I should ever have to move someplace else.

You might even want to build a Corsi-Rosenthal box, which also filters. They're not attractive, but they work (and are easy to build).

It is not rude to ask her to smoke where the smoke/odor will not permeate your yard and patio. She is being rude by ignoring anyone around her and her cigarettes (I assume she is not a pipe smoker?).

I feel aggravated on your behalf! Grrrrr. I would be very tempted to approach her in a very apologetic manner. You never know…..she might be one of the few (very few) smokers who want to be considerate.

But if you don’t feel like you can do that, I wouldn’t hesitate about trying the fans. I hope it works.

I'm not sure about rude or not- some people take it as rude, some do not. Asking them not to smoke on their porch would be about on par if they had a thing about dogs and asked the OP to keep the dog on the other side of the house or elsewhere if the smokers are on their porch.

I totally understand. At my last house I lived on top of a hill, on an acre of land.....but....there was a campground below me. In the hot Summer, no AC...we'd open the window and the camp fire smoke would engulf the house.

Can you surreptitiously slip smoking cessation brochures under her door?

;)

I thought too what Rhizo mentions. But, my gut feeling is that a chain smoker would not be receptive because they are so addictive..

Buy the fan that moves the most volume of air. Maybe they will complain about your fan noise and then you can explain why.....

Sorry you're experiencing this. I think the fan is the better solution.

So music is another thing--they play music really really loud. There have been times when i have played opera when I've had the good fortune to get out on the patio first. I actually like opera and Enrico Caruso reminds me of my Nonni.

But the scratchy old ones are so irritating!

Yeah but that's all Nonni had--scratchy old records and her bottle of red wine (-: I use Amazon Music on Alexa dot when I am on patio so no records for me. I can't believe vinyl is making such a big comeback!

Red wine cures all!

The problem with asking them to smoke 'elsewhere' is that they probably use the patio to avoid stinking up their house! I doubt they have any idea how much it bothers you.

Try the fan.

Yes, the owner of the house--the man--he asked the new girlfriend to smoke outside for this reason. I don't know how he can stand to sit next to her with that stench.

You think this maybe reminds him of his late wife?

Maybe I don't know. He is a very, very nice person. I just know I can't in this lonely stage of my life be banished from my patio.

Maybe meet with both of them and tell them the smell of the smoke makes you so sad because it reminds you so much if his late wife and how much she suffered and died from smoking- what a miserable end of life she had and how you wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.

I’m joking, of course, but a little tough love is tempting.

I feel your pain. I detest cigarette smoke although I grew up in a house where my father smoked. He died at 71 of lung cancer. I have no solution except maybe talk to the neighbor about your problem. Maybe he can persuade his friend to smoke elsewhere. Neighbors can be a real problem. I live in a small town and you'd think I'd have problems. I find the suburbs are the worse with parties, screaming kids, and pool activity. When I moved here 40 years ago there was a day care in the house beside me which was a noise problem. They moved and then the neighbors from hell moved in with barking dogs and many cars parked everywhere. Thankfully they've been gone a long time and the ones who replaced them were fine but they moved three years ago and the house is empty. I don't know why but I love it. It is our only neighbor house because we live on a corner surrounded by streets and an alley. We were on our porch today and there isn't a sound except birds singing and fountains and waterfalls in the ponds.

Hubby and I have had a number of conversations, reminiscing about how nice and quiet everything was during the lockdown in 2020 - we both miss that part.

Me too Carol!