We've had a noise pollution letter from the council!!!

[Stillmonday]

We aren't big DIYers but February my husband fitted us a new kitchen, it took a whole month inbetween work and he always stopped any noise at 6pm.
Now we are doing some decking in the garden whilst on lockdown. Some sawing, sanding & banging again stops at 6pm.
A letter has just arrived warning us of noise pollution and excessive hammering, banging & use of power tools.

Our neighbour was really annoyed when we had our kitchen, they even recorded the noise it made one day but I tried to explain it was a one off and that's what happens when a new kitchen is being fitted.

Now we are quite shocked to receive the letter but don't know where we stand. Are we allowed to finish the decking or shall we not bother?!

My neighbours recently had a new kitchen fitted, with walls taken out etc. It took about ten days 8.30 to 5pm.

That was infinitely preferable to a whole month of two hours a night plus weekends. That would seem interminable.

Of course you should be able to do diy, but at the same time you have a responsibility to minimise the impact on those around you - so perhaps your husband taking a week off and doing it one go, over less than a month would have been a better option.

Best of all would be talking to your neighbours... Compromising.

We often underestimate how noisy we are, and the impact it has on others.

I would carry on and finish the decking. Maybe your H could get it done and dusted this weekend?

Your neighbours are being ridiculous. If you buy a house that is close to other houses you should expect some noise when necessary projects are under way.

Loud music all day and night or all weekend, screeching matches, constant dog barking, loud guests in your garden all the time, mowing the lawn at silly o'clock on a weekend morning - that is different, and I think there would be a problem with that.

But the occasional home improvement project should be tolerated even if a few projects happen in quick succession.

You seem to believe you are justified, by your post and updates. So why ask us ?

mathanxiety

I get the feeling that the complaint wouldn't have been made if the OP had just got on with the work and it not taken so long.

Your neighbours are being unreasonable
We had an extension done last year- took two months, new kitchen two months later (was done in one weekend though) and we've just done all garden new decking ect, besides the extension it really hasn't being much noise and it was done between 8-4 min-fri, got the decking done in a weekend and that really didn't make much noise either.
Your allowed to do diy work it's not like your doing it late at night or early morni nag. We have got various neighbours doing diy jobs they have got the drills out ect especially at the moment and it's not bothered me in the slightest.

Could they hear your baby at night, music, tv, shouting? Maybe it's not just diy that's causing upset?

@sleepingpup, you've already been deleted once. Pack it in.

likewise lovely @JudyCoolibar

You think your neighbours are petty and malicious, they think you’re selfish and noisy 🤷‍♀️

People do work on their house all the time - there is no stipulations to noise during social hours . We used to have a neighbour that used to complain about us all the time to the council - they came around - we explained the situation to them , never heard a peep again !

So no one is allowed to improve their home now? That letter will have been automatic because there was a complaint. You don't need to do anything. If you would like some reassurance give the council a call or email and ask them to clarify noise pollution regulations. You're allowed to do DIY as long as it's not during unsociable hours. Worst case scenario is your neighbours complete a diary and the council attend (which they won't if your neighbours are honest) and they see that you're not causing noise pollution.

FrippEnos, perhaps, but seven or eight hours daily for a week with hired kitchen fitters might have provoked a letter from the neighbours too. Or workmen shouting to each other over the hammering and sawing noises, having their lunch in the garden or out in their van..

Imo the kind of people who would actually go through with a noise nuisance complaint are very hard to please. Most people's default is 'put up with it, it won't last forever'/ 'at least they don't have a hot tub'.

That should be:
"Imo the kind of people who would actually go through with a noise nuisance complaint about DIY noise are very hard to please."

People are justified in complaining about incessant barking, loud music, parties til all hours, etc.

Everyone is using lockdown as a time to get things done. Just ignore them.

It's so miserable living near to constant noise. Could you at least ooo and note in and let them know how long the project would be going on for. It's the not knowing when it will end that soul destroying. Also I do think it's different now on lockdown as people working from Home and it's hard for loads at the moment with extra stress and worry. Think you should delay your decking project to give some peace to your neighbours.

Used to manage a team dealing with neighbour nuisance. Just call the council it's all about compromises they can't take any legal action against you so they speak to you and then your neighbour and get an agreement between the two of you. For example DIY between house 10am to 4pm only. Even mediation between the two of you if need be long way off before anything else can be done!

The retired woman threatened to punch my DH in the face when he was doing the kitchen.

To be honest this says everything about the kind of people the neighbours are. People who will do that, could well also lie to the council when making complaints.

I'm on OP's side here. But then, my next door neighbours routinely did their building work until 11 at night, with 1am being their record! Stopping at 6pm would have been a dream.

Building noise is annoying, but there is no right to never be annoyed. You are being reasonable.

mathanxiety

Thing is though if its a builder doing the work then people know that their will be an end date.

If it is just the people in the house doing it and dragging it on, then that is another thing altogether.

From experience there is nothing worse than thinking (after a long period of silence) maybe they have finished for the day, only to have them start up again.

Agreed - it's the 'not knowing when will it fucking end'. It's like coronavirus, if we knew a definitive date for when it would all be over, we could all just get used to it. But we don't have an end in sight. And it's a fucking long road that has no turning.
I'd inform the council that you're open to mediation, that the works will be FINSHED completely by x date and that should give your long suffering neighbours some hope of sanity restoring for them.
Banging, hammering, sawing and drilling have to be THE MOST annoying noises in the world.

If you think of it like someone tapping a pen in a meeting at work. For them it's soothing, but for anyone listening to it, it's torture. Multiply that by 100, and you've got the annoyance level your neighbours are at.

*The retired woman threatened to punch my DH in the face when he was doing the kitchen.

To be honest this says everything about the kind of people the neighbours are*

If you assume the 'retired neighbour' is a normal person (which is a likely scenario), then you could argue that this what the noise has driven her to.

then you could argue that this what the noise has driven her to.

have you ever threatened to punch someone in the face!!!!!!????? It would have to be BAAADDDD!

Read the thread - they installed a KITCHEN and are laying some DECKING. Not building a Nightingale Hospital.

Yes, it would have to be bad, but your 'bad' would not be the same as my 'bad'. Clearly it's too much for the neighbour to cope with at present, and who knows what else is really going on.

@Stillmonday

Could you post the letter's contents without any identifying information?

That would help with your actual query.

Wow so much rudeness here - time to exit Convo.

As someone whose neighbours have had work on the go for 6 months I really sympathise with your neighbours, it’s bloody awful having that noise inflicted on you