To think people should synchronise their lawn mowing and hedge cutting

[jnfrrss]

I know IBU. But I've barely had more then 10 mins of silence today in the garden as people are using their machines. It wouldn't take much for everyone to do them at the similar times so at least their will be some quiet time.

Maybe 9-10 machines then an hour no machines, then repeat this so there's a few hours of peace throughout the day.

An the mechanics of this? We have a gardener so would have to cooridinate with dozens and dozens of his clients. Stupid idea

Ridiculous idea. I have a gardener as well.

Well gardeners aren't using power machines all the time, most of the time they are silent. Just use the power tools during the eight hours, it's workable. Some just want to see problems rather than try to make things a bit better

Yes some just want to see problems hence your thread.

It probably won't get as many replies as yesterday's oranges one though.

Someone once told me that somewhere in Europe (Germany?) use of garden machinery is restricted to a couple of quite narrow time slots at weekends. No idea if it's true though.

I'm not sure if it would work, tbh. Because we have high hedges, for privacy, part of the garden is quite shady and doesn't get dry enough to cut until about lunchtime. The same is probably true of a lot of houses. We'd be a bit stuffed if the prescribed hours for grass cutting were, say, 10-12, as it's almost never dry enough to cut until 1!

My gardener uses: mower; strimmer; hedge trimmer; and blower. All power tools and all make a lot of noise. Your idea is still bonkers

I cut the grass when I have time to do so, when the grass is dry and I can be arsed. I try to do as little house/garden work as possible at the weekends so grass cutting usually happens on a weekday evening, I might do it tonight as it happens.

I do not have the time or the headspace to canvas all my neighbours to see when it would inconvenience them the least for my grass to be cut. There will always be someone who is trying to get DCs to sleep, sleep around shiftwork, or some other requirement for quietness so there is little point tieing yourself in knots trying to do the impossible of pleasing everyone.

From Der Speigel on line -

Should you end up living in Germany, however, knowing how to deal with the neighbors is vitally important. The following is a brief list of the ordinances and rules you need to know:

QUIET TIME (Ruhezeit): Quiet time is from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. and all day Sundays and holidays. A little quiet snoring is allowed, but house and garden appliances and machinery are off limits. No midnight clothes washing or Sunday afternoon lawn mowing.

The southern German state of Hesse used to have a legally mandated quiet time from 1 to 3 p.m. every afternoon. It was repealed last year, but many will still ask you to keep it down during this time. You are, of course, fully within your rights to ignore such requests after all, the law is on your side should you want to practice drums in the garden after lunch but keep in mind that you have to live with these people.

If you have any specific questions, like: Can I use my brand new Super X-G ACME chainsaw to trim daisies on sunny summer afternoons?, ask the Ordnungsamt representative (usually located in your local city hall).

WASHING YOUR CAR: Generally not allowed because of the chemicals in the soap seep into the ground water. Still, you can get away with it (use dish soap) as long as none of your neighbors complain.

BARBEQUES: The general rule is that you're only allowed to grill once a month. Of course many of us grill much more often in the summer months. What's important is that the smoke and smell does not bother your neighbours. If you live in close quarters, perhaps just let your neighbours know when you're firing up the grill so they can close the windows, or move your grill to the other side of the garden.

PARTIES: Generally you are allowed to make noise outside until 10 p.m. Again, it may not be 'excessive'. The 'rubber-rulebook' also says you may have bigger parties up to four times a year. If you're planning a major bash, perhaps it would be a good idea to tell the neighbours ahead of time, or better yet, invite them too.