to think builders next door making at racket 8.30 Sunday morning is a bit off?

[minxthemanx]

Our next door neighbours are a lovely couple in their sixties - we've lived next to them for 15 years and get on really well. Their eldest son has bought their house (they pay him rent) and he has just decided to have major, and I mean major, building work done. Fair enough, we all have things done to our houses. I've put up (with gritted teeth) with a week of vans outside our house - one day there were 7, most days 5 - we live on a busy access route/bus route (they've parked across the bus stop), and it's been very dicey getting off the drive in the mornings as I have to try to see round 4 vans. So fairly inconvenient for all of the immediate neighbours, but we've been pretty tolerant. So far. This morning a van arrived at 8.15am, admittedly only one, but he opened all the windows, french doors etc and starting hammering, scraping etc etc AND put radio on full blast. I shouted over the fence 3 times, asking him to turn music down, but he couldn't hear me (it was that loud), so I went round in my pyjamas, into the house and right up to him before I could make myself heard. He turned it down, but by lunch time it was back up again, and another neighbour had a go.

I realise that the guy who owns the property has every right to do whatever to his house. BUT he doesn't live there, has been nowhere to be seen, and has no idea of the chaos. His parents have had to move out as they found it so stressful having 6 builders in the house by 7.30am each morning. (They're sleeping in someon'e spare room.)

AIBU in thinking this bloke is a bit of a selfish twat? Would you expect him to come round and speak to the nieghbours before all this starts, to say "sorry about the inconvenience, hope it doesn't take too long" etc? Common courtesy? And since when do builders work on Sundays? I'm assuming they'll be here Bank Holiday monday too. Grrr. I'm really irritated but maybe it's just me. Although my other neighbours are equally peed off about the safety re trying to get off the drive.

If and when he ever turns up to inspect his building work, I don't know whether to say something or not. Thoughts?

[janey223]

I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to do work on a Sunday!

[5madthings]

They can work on a Saturday but most people have the decency to not start till later in the morning and to keep the noise down.


The parking sounds a nightmare, its illegal to park at the bus stop? I would call the council to get the logical traffic warden to have a word.

[5madthings]

Duh Sunday... Its not illegal to do the work at the wkend it is inconsiderate to start early and make so much noise,

[minxthemanx]

The parking is friggin awful - on Thursday I had to go and get one of the builders to stand in the road and stop the traffic as I could not see up or down the road. I'm not angry with them - they're doing their job - but I'm very pissed off with the son that owns the house as he has no idea whatsoever of the chaos he's causing. This is likely to go on for another 2-3 weeks. It's a good job I don't have his phone number as I would have rung him at 8.30am this morning.

Do I confront him when he comes along to see it? The problem is he's talking about moving into the house with his family, farming his parents out to a bungalow for a year, then emigrating. I don't want a slanging match with him and then find I have to live next door!

[CSIJanner]

Talk to your neighbours and find out how many others are peeved. You can then try and write a letter from you all

[minxthemanx]

Mmm well I know one lady has been finding it hard to get off her drive as she can't see around the vans. It's so difficult as the older couple who actually live there are lovely, and I don't want to upset them any more than they are - she's been in floods of tears at the stress of it all.

[Montybojangles]

www.chelmsford.gov.uk/construction-site-noise

Audible work on a Sunday is not acceptable according to this local council, I would check what yours says, but I think they are all similar.

Hope that helps.

[BackforGood]

It clearly is annoying, but I'd take the view, more work that gets done now, the quicker it will all be over.

[minxthemanx]

Montybo thank you - that's our local council too, so that was really helpful. I did think it was a bit out of order doing it on a Sunday with no prior warning. I may phone the council for some advice during the week.

[Montybojangles]

:)

[minxthemanx]

And can I just add that I'm not a difficult neighbour - I told the builders to put at least one van on my drive while I'm at work, so was trying to be cooperative. I just think the son should have shown a bit more courtesy by talking to us who are having to live with it.

[andubelievedthat]

everyone on here is correct/almost correct, simply even putting aside the / any legality of working on a Sunday ,its jeffing bad manners /very bad P.R.>> .For myself ,years ago I had loads done but told foreman there would be no sound system ever, no loud shouting swearing and as others said ,no starting w/end before 9.30am .the sound system loud swearing is my "trigger point " ! hope you get it sorted.

[marjproops]

you should report him and the building firm. it is against the law to do building/loud diy on a sunday.

[NUFC69]

The house next door to us was demolished a few years ago and a new one built. As part of the agreement from the council it said that work during the week had to take place between 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m., on Saturday it was 8.00 - 1.00 p.m. with no work taking place on a Sunday. I guess that is standard for builders. I remember I used to be incensed in the winter (the work went on for 18 months!), when lorries used to arrive outside before 7.00 a.m. and they would just sit there with the engines running until 8.00. I also had problems with music being played very loudly and the council told me that it should not be heard over the boundary of the property. All these are great rules (oh, and wheelwashing before going back on the road etc.) but only any good if the council is prepared to enforce them.

I would get on to the Council as soon as you can and have a word with them.

[marjproops]

yes, thats the prob NUF all these laws yet the councils never seem to enforce them.

and thems the rules in my area too.

OPs builders were prob being paid double to work on a sunday, so absolutely OP get onto the council tomoz (prob be closed bank hols-typical) or 101 t least and get your other neighbours to back you up.

Thats what i did the other eve with neighbour on other side of next door as he was making a racket at 8.30 pm.

[minxthemanx]

Thanks ladies. It's a tricky one as I don't want to fall out with people but I do think he's takin the piss, especially as he's not even here to see the bedlam. I'll see what happens tomorrow, Bank Holiday ....

[mouseymummy]

Op, I sympathise, I really do. I was woken up at 4am for the 6th weekend in a row because of my neighbours music!!

I'm shattered again but there is nothing I can do, I can't phone the council or the police as I will be seen as a grass and then I dread to think what will happen (i live on a council estate and although I'm moving, the council refuse to help)

Is there any way you could write to the owner of the property with your concerns?

[kawliga]

I know this is about the builders, but are the lovely couple in their 60s ok? They sound like they've been driven out of their home by their son, floods of tears, now they're crashing with friends, and soon to be farmed off? If you see them tell them to seek legal advice. There are ways to reverse such 'sales' of property if the son in any way put them under pressure to sell or 'persuaded' them in a way that wasn't fair. Sounds like he doesn't even want to live there, he's planning to emigrate! Something sounds fishy with regard to how he has treated his parents. Maybe he just wants to sell the house? Who would send builders at 7am to the home of his elderlyparents?

[LondonNinja]

Tell the council - no one has to know it was you... Sundays are a no-no for noisy work. YADNBU.

Hate noisy neighbours.

[MidniteScribbler]

I would be incensed about the noise, but I agree with kawliga that I'd be concerned about the neighbours. Is there anyway you can talk to them? It sounds like they are being driven out of their home by their own son (who sounds like an utter bastard quite frankly). Here we have a government body called the Office of the Adult Guardian which will intervene in cases where they feel that elderly people or disabled adults are being taken advantage of and can take legal steps to protect them. Do you have anything like that in the UK that you can call for some advice?

[mirry2]

We've had to put up with similar for the past 5 months while the house next door has been gutted and renovated. Neighbours (owners) have moved out while it's going on so probably have no idea what we are having to put up with although they never told us the extent of the work they were planning to do or how long it was going to take. The noise has been horrendous and unpredictable

[Rockinhippy]

We've had similar in the past too, so you have my sympathy, its a nightmare if its ongoing major work, as our problem was.

There is a law with audible work, but it varies slightly from area to area, but its usually 8 am-7pm weekday, 8-12 Sat & not at all on a Sunday & bank holidays - some may be 8-6 & 8-1 on a Saturday pr similar - but I doubt very much that Sunday will be legal

[iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii]

Don't think for one second that the builder doesn't know that he is NOT allowed to work on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

Make notes, take photos and complain.

[LeoandBoosmum]

Our old nextdoor neighbour's partner (didn't even live there after she got rid when he turned violent on her...he was a bit of a loose canon!) started drilling at 7.45am one Sunday morning. I very childishly put two separate heavy metal cds on full blast in two separate rooms, got ready and went out leaving them both playing... It seemed to work as it didn't happen again. Some people are ignorant bastards and much as I felt crap bringing myself down to their level, it's the only thing that works sometimes!

[minxthemanx]

Thanks ladies, interesting points. His retired, no income parents rent the house from him (he's loaded, 2 kids at private school, had his own £800k house built), and apparently he is going to buy them a bungalow once he sells this house. Anyway, that's his business and up to him, and them as a family; there is a another son, wife and DC who are very close to the older couple, so they're not totally on their own, though I wouldn't treat my parents like that!

I'm thinking I may write him a letter, to outline the disruption caused this week, and how hurt we are at the lack of respect/consideration, as we have been good friends and neighbours of his family for many years. I doubt whether he could give a monkey's, but it might make me feel better, and I will point out that I haven't gone down the route of complaining to council/bus company/traffic enforcement, which I could easily have done.

God there are some arseholes around!!