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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

about building work next door till 7pm everu day

52 replies

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 19:10

Today the cowboy builder was drilling from when we got home at about 5. Just outside our front window. At half 6 I asked if he's going to be much longer because we're having dinner and baby needs to go to bed soon. He tells me it's daylight and other people are making noise. I told him I think the council say noise needs to stop at about 5. He says he's working till 7 and we can shut our windows.
We had to. It's bloody hot.

Sigh.

I'm having a bbq tomorrow and it will be the same thing.

We're going to have to listen to those idiots all day.

AIBU to think they're taking the piss a bit by working till 7 on a weekday let alone a Saturday and Sunday.

OP posts:

foreverforaging · 19/07/2014 22:01

Really?

A friend of mine was putting coving up at 10pm when I lived in a flat. No one complained.

What if you work full time and get home at 7pm? You can't get a lot of DIY done in a few hours on a Saturday.

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 22:03

I'm not talking about DIY. They are builders working from about 11am to 7pm

OP posts:

MollyHooper · 19/07/2014 22:08

Well that's not on, they really should have offered to get that sorted for you. Definitely have a chat about getting it fixed properly.

I do sympathise with you re the scaffolding and stuff, it all sounds like a right pain in the arse.

ThatWasNice · 19/07/2014 22:12

If its builders doing the work it's definitely not on and THEY know they are out of order too. .

Call the environmental health dept on Monday morning. Keep a record of whats happening in the meantime. It might be useful if you can video or record some of the noise

Your council may have an out of hours noise abatement team. If so give them a call tomorrow.

Silverdaisy · 19/07/2014 22:16

It sounds like you are lucky 11 am start, I would be thankful. Some of your other neighbours may not have a baby and welcome the working hours?

Really what I mean is you can't suit everyone.

MollyHooper · 19/07/2014 22:17

Is the builder the actual next door neighbour or is he just doing some work there?

I'm easily confused. :o

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 22:27

The neighbour has hired builders.

The neighbour has done the odd bit of DIY, not a problem.

I should probably speak to the neighbour about my concerns, he's a reasonable guy. He offered to pay to get the satellite dish fixed, but while the scaffolding is up, it is not possible to fix it.

Nobody knows when the work will be finished and the scaffolding will be taken down.

OP posts:

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 22:28

The neighbour is away, I suspect just for the weekend.

OP posts:

MollyHooper · 19/07/2014 22:36

In that case I would speak to him before you begin contacting environmental health.

It may be a loud weekend but you'll presumably have to live next door to this guy for a long time, so it's worth putting up with it in the hope that he will sort things out when he gets back.

Your BBQ will hopefully still be fun, put on some music.

Jynxed · 19/07/2014 22:38

I sympathise, neighbours/ builders can drive you potty, and it's not surprising you end up loosing perspective when you feel your peace and privacy are not being respected. My new neighbours have been banging and crashing for a whole year now and do not give a damn about the impact on us. The builders trample through our garden (they ripped the hedge out months ago and are not worried about boundaries), even moving my plant pots out of their way, they park across our drive blocking us in or out, and the noise goes on 7 days a week. Admittedly, sometimes the noise is just radios and shouting, but I have become very sensitive! Ever since being told to F-off when asking them to hurry up when they ambled along to move their van off my drive I have been waging a war of attrition against them. I will happily tell delivery drivers I have no idea where the address is, and ask friends to park on our drive when we are out to stop the builders from using it. I work in construction, and there are ways to get on with neighbours, and it starts from the very beginning.

LOLeater · 19/07/2014 22:43

YANBU. And I sympathise. How long do you think they will be?

And starting at 11am is crap. They need to start at 8.30 at the latest and leave by 6.

Talk to your neighbour. Be reasonable but say how much it's disturbing you.

LOLeater · 19/07/2014 22:44

And Jynxed, that sounds horrendous. Poor you :(

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 22:54

jynxed that sounds awful. I suppose I am lucky really.

I spoke to my neighbour early in the week, he said they keep finding more problems so no idea how long it will take.

We rent, so I am actually considering moving. Not because of this. Although it certainly doesn't make me want to stay!

OP posts:

DownByTheRiverside · 19/07/2014 22:56

When would you rather they worked on the house?

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 23:04

If I could choose down (which obviously I can't), I'd say the drilling that needs to be done directly outside my window to be done earlier in the day, say, office hours so before 5. It's easier to be out during the day.

Not ideal to be out of the house 5-7. Would be nice if they could do the quieter work then.

I think if I hired builders, I would ask them to do that. I would also warn my neighbours in advance.

OP posts:

ThatWasNice · 19/07/2014 23:07

I would imagine the OP would like the builders to work during normal builders working hours .

OP, you could speak to the builders tomorrow. If they don't stop making a noise you should call environmental health. They are taking you for a mug and clearly don't care about disturbing you. I wouldn't have any reservations about reporting them.

Why should normal law abiding builders have to conform to normal building work hours but not these cowboys.

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 23:08

I would also like them to take Sunday off.

OP posts:

DownByTheRiverside · 19/07/2014 23:11

Round here, builders don't tend to start until after 9.30 because of commuter runs and school runs.Their lorries and vans cause a traffic flow problem.
Could you negotiate with your neighbour about times?

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 19/07/2014 23:16

Interesting. In a pretty big city so traffic is mayhem at all times anyway. (Builder doesn't have a van, brings his tools in his car/taxi)

OP posts:

maddening · 19/07/2014 23:17

I think general rules are 8am - 6pm and 9-1 Saturday, I don't think commercial builders are allowed on a Sunday without special permission - DIY wouldn't be considered the same unless it was extreme and for a prolonged period in which case it would be a an environmental health complaint re noise

ThatWasNice · 19/07/2014 23:19

There are definitely NOT allowed to work Sundays. They already know that.

ThatWasNice · 19/07/2014 23:21

OP,why don't you see if your Council has an out of hours noise abatement team? Google something like 'your council name + noise nuisance + out of hours service'

bloodyteenagers · 19/07/2014 23:28

Contact environmental health and anyone else they recommend.
Had to do it myself. Tried with the owner and cowboys. They laughed and carried on.
Action was taken. Work was supposed to be 2 weeks. 6 months later and it was stopped. Not sure exactly how, a few of us grouped together to complain. Knew the works had been forcibly stopped when owner came banging on my door. He picked me out because i had in the passed spoke to him about the noise. So I was the fucking evil, deranged fucked up bitch that had ruined his ducking life and he would screw me for every fucking penny i owed.. Don't think it helped when I gave him the change, less than 10p and said well that's sorted then.
But anyway, only on here is it acceptable to be an inconsiderate pain. In rl you can have peace. You just have to go throughh the right avenues

Original poster

WhatsMyAgeAgain · 20/07/2014 11:16

They are back this morning. Looks like brickwork at the moment, so quiet at least.

I'm going to enjoy my day and speak to my neighbour when I get chance. Would rather come to an amicable compromise before calling environmental health.

jynxed have you taken any action- reported them to anyone?

OP posts:

ThatWasNice · 20/07/2014 12:10

An amicable compramise is always better. Less hard feelings and it's usually more effective. However, it might be worth contacting EH anyhow to get the issue logged. It might be useful if the builder drags things out. Don't take their word for it if they say it's nearly finished, I've known nearly finished jobs last for months.

You could ask for a site meeting with the owner and builder.
Good luck.

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