To be getting fed up by noisy building work

[krystellie]

I took the decision to go freelance in May and work from home in a spare room. I know most of my neighbours and they are aware that I am now working from home.

Since May, about 9 of our neighbours have decided to have extensive building work on their house and/or garden.

I appreciate that these things need to happen but my street (a private mews) is currently a building site, full of skips, portaloos, builders shouting from 8am to 6pm, and trucks parking in the middle of the road, making it impossible for people to get into and out of the street.

Once again, I appreciate that people have every right to get work done but if people are getting extensive (i.e. noisy and disruptive) work done that's going to take weeks, would it not be a courtesy to let people know, especially those who work from home?

Especially as the ones causing the most disruption don't actually live on the street, but are using it as through access to their gardens which back onto my street?

[UptheChimney]

So, imagine they had warned you. What could you have done? You are basically just complaining about the noise.

[fluffyraggies]

Warning you wouldn't stop the noise.

Trucks should not be parking in the middle of the street.

Your decision to work from home was probably the last thing on your neighbors minds when they decided to get building work done on their home.

YABU onthe whole, sorry.

[krystellie]

If I knew how long it was going to take, I could plan my days differently so I worked from a coffeeshop.

Surely I can at least ask the builders how long it's likely to take?

[fluffyraggies]

You can ask certainly.

My advice would be to take what they say and double it though. IME building work always takes longer than planned.

[krystellie]

Thanks Fluffyraggies!

I think that's what is so frustrating; any neighbour who did say what was happening said it would "only" take 2-3 months at most, yet some are still going 6 months later!

[UptheChimney]

I had extensive building work done last year. It took a lot longer than the builders & I (and I'm fairly experienced at this) estimated, for all sorts of reasons. As long as my builders kept within reasonable hours (they worked 8am to 5pm) and respected the parking regs residents' parking so they had to get a council permit there's not much else I could do.

I think you need to work out what you think you can achieve by complaining or talking to other people's builders.

Overall, YABU, I'm afraid.

[fluffyraggies]

My experience comes from being married to a builder.

When he's planning a biggish job; i ask how long it'll take; he says ''oh, er ... it should take 3 weeks ish'', i say ''right, 2 months then'' :)