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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Chainsaw not appropriate?

31 replies

Fatstacks · 30/06/2015 20:10

This is a real one, gulp, if IABU be diplomatic please Smile

Our neighbour is a bit of a laid back chap lazy and not really a practical sort and in his garden a tree has fallen down.

We don't really speak or neighbour with them but my DP asked if neighbour wanted him to move the tree. We have a real fire and DP was convinced the tree wouldn't be moved otherwise.

Today he borrowed a chainsaw from his work and we went into next doors garden to chop up the tree.

After 5 minutes next door but one (our neighbours neighbour) came to the fence and demanded to know how long we would be.
Not in a conversational way I mean REALLY making a point of yelling 'Excuse me' at us.

She said she wanted to know because the chainsaw noise was scaring her ds, I said as soon as possible and my DP said 10 minutes.

She took her ds in and we hurried up.
Because she had said it was upsetting her ds we actually cut the tree into pieces so big they took 3 people to move, to saw later with reciprocating saw.

As we struggled to lift a massive bit of tree over the gravel board into our garden she bobbed back up at the fence and angrily wanted to know if we had finished.
DP told her yes, so she informed us 'fine I will fetch my ds out again to enjoy the garden'

I got the rage a bit hot, sweaty and carrying a ducking tree wasn't making me super patient as she stormed off to fetch her ds I asked 'why is she angry?'
She didn't hear/answer so we carried on shifting the tree.

Then she came to the fence with her ds and her two visitors to supervise us tidying up Confused

Now I know the chainsaw was noisy but here is my reckoning,

We weren't dicking about making ice sculpture we were very obviously doing a job that needed doing.
My DP was still in his uniform (army) so it clearly wasn't going to be an all night thing.
It was 14.00 on a Tuesday afternoon so not an unsuitable time.
Whilst I would do my best to avoid upsetting her ds this was one of those things she should have comforted him, not expected life to stop.

Or am I being an U twat?

OP posts:
IKnowIAmButWhatAreYou · 30/06/2015 20:13

Fuck Her, she's being a twat.

Maybe you should buy logs every week & make it a regular thing??

Grin
LaurieFairyCake · 30/06/2015 20:14

I'd have carried on - what on earth did you cave in for?

Who made her Queen of the silent garden?

Pipbin · 30/06/2015 20:14

She needs to get a grip.
If it was 7am or 10pm she might have a point but not at 2 in the afternoon. Yes the noise is annoying but it should have been obvious that you were doing it for a good reason. Would she have said the same if you were mowing the lawn?

UniS · 30/06/2015 20:15

Neighbour complaining was unreasonable. But I think you could have been less oppooptiopp optimisticmistic about timing and said 30 mins, then taken tree down to smaller pieces.
How are you going to log it? Chainsaw again or bow saw and elbow grease?

LaurieFairyCake · 30/06/2015 20:15

When we had our trees done 5 workers took ALL day - it's perfectly fine to have tree work done using chainsaws

BarbarianMum · 30/06/2015 20:20

On the one hand, I can see that having a chainsaw go off as you are trying to enjoy your garden is massively irritating. On the other, it was one tree, so what -an hour max? YANBU at all, its hardly like you opened a lumber yard.

Pipbin · 30/06/2015 20:22

I would find the sound of a chain saw vastly more tolerable than a thumping bass or many other forms of noise pollution.

Original poster
Fatstacks · 30/06/2015 20:26

Phew!
I was starting to doubt myself.

I'm not at all bothered by her asking how long, she was angry and that bothered me.

We have a smaller chainsaw and various splitters that we use rarely to break up windfalls and finds but DP does that down the drive so hopefully any noise is muffled she can't see it to moan about it but we can't promise not to use power tools.

She should be kissing my bum in thanks that I refuse to allow DP to bring a 50 calibre home to shoot rats in the field Angry

OP posts:
lljkk · 30/06/2015 20:39

She was being a grouse. Her issues, nothing you did wrong.

Wolfiefan · 30/06/2015 20:42

Take up chainsaw sculpture! Grin

MERLYPUSSEDOFF · 30/06/2015 21:21

If the kid was a baby then it may've been upset by it. So take it inside. It wont realise it's missing out on garden time.

If not interest the kid in the tree being chopped up. Mine would've loved it.

(at least it wasn't a body)

WinterOfOurDiscountTents15 · 30/06/2015 21:25

Maybe she was upset rather than angry and you read her wrong. You have an obvious slant to make her look unreasonable: Not in a conversational way I mean REALLY making a point of yelling 'Excuse me' at us. Well, duh, it was over the noise of a chainsaw, of course she yelled rather than meekly whispered!

Her kid was scared, she asked you how long you would be, then she asked if you were done. I can't see the problem. You caused yourself the irritation by saying you'd be ten minutes when you really wanted to take 30, you should have just said 30, she might have gone out or something.

WinterOfOurDiscountTents15 · 30/06/2015 21:27

And no she really shouldn't: She should be kissing my bum in thanks that I refuse to allow DP to bring a 50 calibre home to shoot rats in the field

That would be a twatty thing for him to do, no-one has to thank you for not doing it.

Original poster
Fatstacks · 30/06/2015 21:38

A 50 cal is the machine gun you see on tanks Winter DP would have more than me to convince if he really wanted to bring one home, it was a joke.
Hmm

OP posts:
WinterOfOurDiscountTents15 · 30/06/2015 21:45

Oddly most people don't know much about guns (luckily) so it wasn't funny. But then jokes about shooting things rarely are, I find.

Original poster
Fatstacks · 30/06/2015 21:47

I just knew you were a card Smile

OP posts:
ollieplimsoles · 30/06/2015 22:28

I got the joke...

Oh dear op you seem to have forgotten that said neighbour's child is the most important one in the world, and his garden time was being ruined by your selfish behaviour! Seriously she needs to get a grip. Does the chainsaw have a slow setting?

RagstheInvincible · 30/06/2015 23:27

YANBU. Your neighbour is a precious twat, if not an actual 100% stupid bitch.

MidniteScribbler · 01/07/2015 00:15

YWNBU. If it's in reasonable working hours, then you are well within your rights to use equipment to do tasks around your property. Gosh, she'd hate me last week - two days of chainsaws chopping back trees and stump grinders digging out stumps, followed by two days of an excavator digging up the backyard and levelling it. Work needs to get done, and as long as it's not too early in the morning, or late at night (or sunday afternoon nap times!) then it has to be done.

BabyFeets · 01/07/2015 00:24

I would of told her to F off
I had the downstairs neighbour complain to me about hammering/drilling in the afternoon, told them I will be done when I feel like it and slammed the door in his face.
Funny these types never complain about work men who start sanding/drilling at 9am but they complain to neighbours.

Fanjango · 01/07/2015 00:26

YANBU. She would fucking hate us! We've had a JCB, a mini digger and 2 chainsaws over the course of 3 weeks to sort out the trees in the garden. The angle grinders we took to the static caravans are a whole other story GrinGrin

FlumptyDumpty · 01/07/2015 00:32

YWNBU. Ok, so it's not ideal to have that sort of noise on a nice day when people want to enjoy their garden, but the job needed doing and you were quick about it. Far better to do a noisy job like that on a working day than the weekend.

noddingoff · 01/07/2015 01:03

My DH is a tree surgeon and they get ranty neighbours having a go when they're on jobs all the time. They stick to the law (only use chainsaws etc between 7am and 8pm on weekdays, 9am-8pm weekends I think....but they usually start a bit later and finish earlier if they are working very close to houses) and just get on and get the job done as your DP did. If the client wants the wood cut up into small bits, it gets cut into small bits with the chainsaw on site.

Kytti · 01/07/2015 01:04

YANBU - you were doing her a favour. Stupid woman.

tomatodizzymum · 01/07/2015 01:10

YANBU just that.