Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Another neighbours and hot tub one

220 replies

nooverheadlighting · 02/05/2024 21:29

I would love anyone's input here. AIBU to be really upset over my neighbour's new inflatable hot tub? For context, we are a family of four in a family neighbourhood. We do make some noise but just the usual family stuff. Sometimes music practice, singing etc can be heard from the garden but we mostly shut windows etc. Our children play in the garden too, but never late and not excessively.
Basically, we're really sensitive to our neighbour's noise dislikes as they live alone and have said they don't like the sound of children.
However, they have recently acquired a hot tub and it is driving me insane. We don't have big gardens. Ours is around 7m across and theirs 3.5m across. This means the tub cannot be positioned more than 0.5m from our boundary fence. It's on all the time, 24/7 with a hum that's impossible to tune out. We can also hear it from bathroom, kitchen and two back bedrooms if the windows are open.
We told neighbour this and at first they were fairly amenable, building a soundproof box to encase the pump. But it's barely made any difference and we're bathed in the sound as soon as we step outside. Neighbour has said it's just like a fridge and that we should get used to it as they've had to get used to our children. Literally, as in you have laughing, babbling, crying children, I have a hot tub, c'est la vie. Which has made me feel really sad because comparing children to a hot tub is just mean?!
Plus, our children are not outside all the time.. older one no more than an hour or so during the week, little one maybe more but always supervised and rushed indoors as soon as they make a grumpy sound (but apparently even joyful sounds have to be 'tolerated').
We haven't asked for the tub to be removed, just to be able to aid in building an improved sound dampener, with an expert if necessary. We are being friendly but honest in sharing how we feel because it's literally ruining our outside space. It's much louder than a fridge.. more like a substation. Our youngest says 'zzzzzz', making the sound of it when we go outdoors.
We don't want to fall out with neighbour any more than this and moving from this otherwise lovely neighbourhood seems rash and expensive.
What would you do??

OP posts:
SpeedwellBlue · 04/05/2024 17:53

I didn't know they had to be on all the time. Why's that? Can't they just fill it and heat it when needed? Sounds like a waste of electricity.

Lambriniwages · 03/05/2024 16:43

You can go the environmental health route BUT it's a long haul of diaries etc and depending on the scale of it and the time of night normally they sometimes aren't the most helpful and can sometimes make you feel worse if they tell you it's normal noise . I know it's not and I get how annoying it is . Also if you want to sell you will have to declare it if you do .
Just food for thought

Original poster
nooverheadlighting · 03/05/2024 16:38

DrNo007 · 03/05/2024 15:28

if you are serious about stopping this noise (most people in this country are too timid to confront the problem), contact Sanctum Consultants (see their website) for cheap and effective advice. But you have to let go of being seen as Mrs Nice Guy. Note that most people and councils fail to understand the law on noise. What counts as unreasonable noise can take place at any time of day or night. I used Sanctum and solved all neighbour noise problems at very little cost and did not need to go to court.

Thank you for this tip. We're not at that stage yet but it's good to know where to find effective external help should we need it.

OP posts:
Lambriniwages · 03/05/2024 16:25

We had neighbours who loved a hot tub along with loud music and would shout over the top no offence to anyone but she had a shrill Liverpudlian accent too I was so relieved when they sold up and moved , all the neighbours were.

I find them annoying myself even the pump makes a racket and it's harder when you have children as they need their sleep (they didnt care what day of the week it was either)

I asked them politely to keep it down made no difference. I hope you can resolve it nicely nothing worse than noisy neighbours unfortunately people are becoming less concerned about anyone else around them.

Don't keep your children quiet or close windows either they don't care about the noise from their end !

DrNo007 · 03/05/2024 15:28

if you are serious about stopping this noise (most people in this country are too timid to confront the problem), contact Sanctum Consultants (see their website) for cheap and effective advice. But you have to let go of being seen as Mrs Nice Guy. Note that most people and councils fail to understand the law on noise. What counts as unreasonable noise can take place at any time of day or night. I used Sanctum and solved all neighbour noise problems at very little cost and did not need to go to court.

TheValueOfEverything · 03/05/2024 15:13

Runnerinthenight · 03/05/2024 13:52

Same, except in this case he thinks he's Jimi Hendrix and I am here to tell you, he really isn't! Plays outside in the summer which drives me mad if I am quietly sunbathing with a book!

Show quote history

Even if he was Jimi Hendrix, I wouldn't want to listen to him in my garden!

He could come around for the occasional party and play in my kitchen, when invited.

RickyGervaislovesdogs · 03/05/2024 14:35

@Strictlymad Not sure! If it was some kind of meditation we would accommodate if we could if they were nice.
They just garden, he chops wood and has bonfires (no matter what the weather).
It doesn’t end there, when we had the windows done he was advising we probably shouldn’t be doing it, same when we had the house painted, he’s even given our window cleaner a mouthful. Horrid man!

HectorPlasm · 03/05/2024 14:10

Water feature and / or wind chimes - create your own background noise

hoonicorn · 03/05/2024 14:08

They have a hot tub to relax in. It won't be very relaxing if each time they are in it is timed perfectly with your children appearing in your garden to play football, bounce basketballs and have a freezing cold water fight where the water sprays everywhere, possibly through the fence. Will it? 😜

TheTigerWhoCameToEatMyHusband · 03/05/2024 13:54

Hereyoume · 03/05/2024 09:07

Wait until everyone has a heat pump exchanger in their back garden.

The hot tub will become yesterday's news in a few months. It's inflatable so it will leak, the pump will break and it will be left to fester until they get bored of the eyesore in their garden.

Patience . . . .

Mines 5 years old 😂

Runnerinthenight · 03/05/2024 13:52

Floralnomad · 02/05/2024 21:51

But that is how you feel . Personally I’d rather have a droning hot tub than my neighbours son and his basketball hoop

Show quote history

Same, except in this case he thinks he's Jimi Hendrix and I am here to tell you, he really isn't! Plays outside in the summer which drives me mad if I am quietly sunbathing with a book!

CantGetDecentNickname · 03/05/2024 13:45

ShoveItUpYourArseMargaret · 03/05/2024 10:58

What a knob.

My child free neighbour also got an inflatable hot tub. During lockdown. It was really annoying but they soon got bored of it and gave up on it.

Definitely start being less considerate about the noise the kids make. Also put the radio on when you’re out in the garden.

I'd go with this. Carry on being polite to them but let the subject of the hot tub go. They can't really complain about your noise when they are now making noise.

Let your children run around in the garden making ZZZZZZZZZ sounds and have some music on. If your neighbour says anything, just laugh and say that you're thinking of getting a dog. Can your children start learning the trumpet?

yumyum33 · 03/05/2024 13:41

You really have my sympathy. I hate that sort of noise you can't ignore.

EdithArtois · 03/05/2024 13:38

This is my worst nightmare. People who are not sensitive to this kind of noise wouldn’t understand!

Strictlymad · 03/05/2024 13:38

RickyGervaislovesdogs · 03/05/2024 03:32

You both need to move to detached homes, not new build detached but proper detached! 😆

I sympathise slightly from both sides, they don’t want to hear children- you don’t want to hear a hot tub. They must be able to hear the zzzzz too? You’ll soon get used to it, or they’ll get bored of it. There’s not much either if you can do as I don’t think either of you are being unreasonable. It’s called living.

We are detached, our neighbour is semi. They cannot tolerate any kind of sound, when we moved in they told us all about their neighbours who played music, who had the occasional party which meant they wouldn’t use their garden so if we wouldn’t mind using ours that would be great. Initially we both worked and travelled, were never really at home. All was well.

Then we had DD and started using the garden more, not early, not late, no parties, no music and never for long. They no longer speak to us. We’ve been hosed, he’s hosed our washing, he’s burnt his household waste outside and it stinks, so we’ve had to go inside. We’ve heard his wife crying screeching “I can’t go out there”. We heard her because we weren’t making any bloody noise. We’ve heard them screeching and swearing at their attached neighbour to get inside. Batshit.

Every time I go outside now I play music, to drown out his swearing and his muttering. Every single time, he’s moaned so much I’ve given them something to whinge about.

Don’t start a war with your neighbours!

What do they want to do outside which they scream they can’t because of kid noise? Deep meditation maybe? They sound utterly crackers and deeply unpleasant to boot!

TheValueOfEverything · 03/05/2024 13:34

YANBU. This loud buzz would absolutely drive me up the wall and make me want to move house.

And I agree it's really unpleasant of them to compare a constant 24/7 mechanical humming sound with that of children playing in a garden for a couple hours a day.

Hopefully in the long-term the neighbours will get bored / dislike their high electricity bills. In the short term, stop bringing your children in from the garden the minute they make a grumpy noise, just enjoy your outside space as normal - play music and make more noise yourselves - and look at getting a trampoline!

ChipsCheeseAndGravey · 03/05/2024 13:04

I don’t think they’re comparing your children to a hot tub I think they’re comparing the noise your children make to the noise their hot tub makes. That isn’t worth getting upset about. The noise will be annoying and frustrating, but I don’t really think there’s anything you can reasonably do. You will get used to it overtime and also they probably will get board of it. If it is still bothering you in 6 weeks then maybe try and talk to them and have a proper sit down chat. You’ll have to give a little and make a few compromises regarding your noise, but they sound reasonable and you sound pretty sane so I’m sure together a compromise could be worked out. :)

IcedPurple · 03/05/2024 12:55

Happyhoppy15 · 03/05/2024 07:52

My new neighbours have children and believe me they make far more noise than they think they do. I can hear their children through the walls, in the garden all the time when ever there is a bit of sunshine. As children do they cry, scream, laugh loudly etc. My peaceful Garden times are no more. However children are children and you can’t complain but perhaps be mindful of the fact you probably make a lot more noise than you think and it goes both ways….

Parents really underestimate how much noise their children make, because they have become so used to it and it's just background noise for them. Even well behaved children make a lot of noise, which will be at least as annoying to her neighbours as the hot tub is to her.

ThePelicansBriefs · 03/05/2024 12:44

Sorry I haven't read the full thread but we have a similar problem with our neighbour, it's not a hot tub but some kind of generator making a constant hum.

I'm planning on buying a solar powered water fountain in the hope that I'll be hearing the gentle trickles of water instead of the hum!

Nanny0gg · 03/05/2024 12:28

Thing is, you live where there are people, you expect people noise, not silence.

Not sure that mechanical noises are the equivalent

Parkerpenny · 03/05/2024 12:19

The constant hum would drive me insane. Our neighbours kindly insulated and then moved their hot tub pump when the same thing happened. I felt like I was really on the edge and thought we would have to move as it was like torture. I was grateful for their understanding.

Ifyoucouldreadmymindlove · 03/05/2024 12:05

Which has made me feel really sad because comparing children to a hot tub is just mean?!

😂

MotherofGorgons · 03/05/2024 11:22

nooverheadlighting · 02/05/2024 21:40

Thank you for all these responses so far. I totally understand that we can make noise and chat outside etc and that could annoy others. I just personally struggle to compare the sound of people, which I think of us as being evolved to tolerate, to a nonstop electrical drone. I honestly enjoy the sound of other people getting on and living their lives in normal social hours but this feels invasive in a whole other way.
Also, our own discernible noise is probably 2-3 hours max in a 24 hour period and obvious far less on poor weather days.

See, I really hate the sound of other people's children ( I have two of my own). I prefer white noise like a machine droning. I can work with my dishwasher droning, for instance, but I can't work with another person talking on the phone very easily.

Dentistlakes · 03/05/2024 11:16

I would stop caring so much about the noise you make. They clearly don’t really care whether they are annoying you. Hot tubs a hideous things, especially in close proximity to neighbours. You have my sympathy op.

Takeaways · 03/05/2024 11:15

We just turn the pump on when we want to heat our hot tub. Am I doing it wrong?

Swipe left for the next trending thread