Tips on how to deal with constant construction?

[LittleWhiteMoth]

Bad luck for us I suppose, but a very large warehouse is being built two streets across from us on what was once open land. There is already one warehouse, which is a constant source of heavy noise on weekdays, but a new one is in process of being erected beside it. The existing one is only several feet from the front door:(

The new construction encompasses a huge section of land and has been in process for over a year. They are still levelling the ground and nothing has been built or any foundations as yet. It seems they are shifting underground rock or pile driving (sp?), so the house is constantly shuddering, and it feels as if we have pins and needles all over.

It also continues through Saturday and Sundays now, with literally no end in sight. We are moving within a few months, but I would love some tips how to cope with it at this stage as it is getting to me quite a bit. Can this type of vibration cause me any harm? I am hoping the council who saw fit to allow this must have checked for any health related issues?

It is impossible to ignore a constant buzzing in your body. It wakes me when I am not working and interferes with concentration often when I wfh. I know many people don't mind this kind of thing but it is weird and insidious, the effect it has physically. It isn't so much anger as a kind of physical intrusion in any room of the house. Complaining is impossible, it is not a great council or place. As I type this it feels as if my legs and chest are buzzing violently.

That sounds horrendous. I think the Health and Safety Executive have a helpline number you can ring to get advice about what constitutes a risk. I phoned them once about air fresheners at work which were causing me health problems. This was a long time ago though.

Other than that, it has to be the council I'm afraid.

That sounds horrible and very protracted. I suspect by now you have demolition and piling nearly out of the way maybe foundations too and they are pretty noisy parts of a warehouse construction.

A warehouse would typically be built with a steel structure which is usually very fast to erect and pretty quite compared to what you would have experienced with the piling, then cladding is pretty quick too.

Hopefully the worst will be over soon but I would write off a quiet summer. I a really surprised they are allowed to work on the weekends in built up areas maybe get onto the council and complain but beware if they are working Sundays at significant extra cost for labour then it is a fast track project so you are likely to get it done quicker for that reason.

Oh as for how to handle it well the vibration should be nearly over hopefully but I would be getting ear defenders/noise cancelling headphones. All people on site west ear plugs so they obviously help. But getting out of the house as much as humanly possible.

Thanks for responses:)

I could deal with it better if it didn't interfere with sleep. I don't work typical 9-5.

It only began on weekends last week, was very surprised to notice it kicking off the morning of the Coronation!
It's a terrible place now, just seemed to collect a lot of industrial detritus in the past 5 years or so, think the council wrote it off tbh. We are moving in october, so yes, probably a crap summer!

Forgot to say it is only loud of you open a window or front door. So the noise is bearable inside, just eh vibrations that are upsetting. They shake you even if you can't hear it.

As for it being over soon, we suffered this last autumn for a few months, then it stopped and we thought that process was done. It kicked off again, seemingly no further forward about a month ago. I walked past last week and all you can see are digging machines and a big hole in the ground.

@LittleWhiteMoth is there a really tall auger visible from behind the hoarding. If so that is a piling rig and they are extremely expensive to have on site so they maybe trying to reduce the number of weeks hire by working weekends.

Thanks, I am not well versed in construction lingo My DP says it is the piling, yes. I can see a JCB, a crane thing, but not sure about anything else. I imagine it stopped through winter as the ground might have been too hard? It would be lovely to think it might be over soon, oh boy.

“I walked past last week and all you can see are digging machines and a big hole in the ground.”

A basement maybe? Very unusual under a warehouse but not impossible I guess. They are either rock breaking to get rocks out of the ground to excavate that big hole or piling. Both cause significant vibration and they are shit and noisy. But they do come to an end relatively quickly. No comfort when you live beside it though.

Complain to the council about the weekend working. They can't carry on like that seven days a week so close to a residential area.

I do hope it is short lived, Fiddle.

As for complaining, the council will be very aware of it, it is pointless. It would also take the months to act on a complaint.