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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that starting work on your house on a bank holiday is anti-social

266 replies

polarpig · 19/04/2019 11:27

Our neighbour is very elderly and has advanced dementia so he's moving into a care home. Recently they have had gardeners in clearing the over grown garden and so on to prepare the house for sale. Today they have had workmen in since 8am who are taking out all of the rotten windows and doors and replacing them with new windows and bifold doors and have some others in cutting down trees in the front and back garden so it's very noisy with chainsaws, drills and hammering going on.

AIBU to be annoyed at all the noise on a day when we're trying to relax and enjoy our garden?

OP posts:
Alsohuman · 19/04/2019 11:42

Sorry, OP, I’m sure this revelation will be a shock to you, but the world doesn’t revolve around you.

Nicknacky · 19/04/2019 11:42

I think most tradesmen are probably working today? It coming into summer and that’s when people do most of their improvements.

And given he is going into a care home I would feel like a bitch moaning about it. It’s not as if he is enjoying the improvements.

MustStopSnacking28 · 19/04/2019 11:42

It is annoying - we have had people doing work a few houses down and it’s pretty loud, makes our house and cars grubby from dust etc. But everyone is entitled to have work done and maybe the bank hol was the only free time? I’m on maternity so would prefer no work at all so as not to disturb DS but can’t really complain about it!

Original poster
polarpig · 19/04/2019 11:44

I am relaxing, two DCs are revising for exams after the Easter holidays.
No, he's not going to enjoy the improvements, his DCs will (they already own his house)

OP posts:
WhoAteMyNuts · 19/04/2019 11:45

I am sure you make noise that would annoy neighbours. It's not as if they are holding a loud party all night. And yes lots of people are working today and yes people have to get stuff done when they can.

YABU.

mabelsgarden · 19/04/2019 11:45

Try ringing the doctors, dentists, banks, post offices, building societies, libraries, DWP, any building firm, any garage/mechanic, or plumber, or electrician, or carpenter (or builder of any kind,) solicitors, estate agents, the council, a housing association, the tax office, the DVLA... see how many answer the phone today!

Of course it's not a bloody normal working day. It's a BANK HOLIDAY!

YANBU OP. Ignore people having a go at you. You are quite right to be angry about shit loads of noise from builders on Good Friday! There are 7 houses being built, 300-350 yards from me, and they packed up yesterday (til Tuesday,) like any normal builders! Hmm

TrendyNorthLondonTeen · 19/04/2019 11:46

Life's a bitch, eh OP? How dare those people who have to work disturb your precious relaxation.

chocolatemademefat · 19/04/2019 11:46

I sympathise with you. You won’t get much of that on here.

EleanorOalike · 19/04/2019 11:46

You can’t do much about it but YANBU and I feel your pain!

My NDNs have been retired for many years but seem to see every single bank holiday as an excuse to do all sorts of “work” on their house, starting at the crack of dawn and banging, hammering, sawing, drilling and causing no end of noise always with a radio brought outdoors and turned up to full volume. They also spend an hour hoovering and hosing their car every single Sunday morning at 7.30am and their driveway is directly below my bedroom.

They do not work. At all. During the working week. Only at times that they can wake up or disturb the workers or children who live on all three sides of their house. And don’t get me started on all the beer and wine bottles they dump loudly without fail into the wheelie bin underneath my bedroom window at 5am every single morning.

Original poster
polarpig · 19/04/2019 11:47

We haven't had any building work done and don't play loud music, have motorbikes or noisy children or have parties, fireworks and so on so I can't think what would be as annoying as chainsaws, drills and hammers at 8am.

OP posts:
mabelsgarden · 19/04/2019 11:47

Your neighbours sound like my neighbours uncle Eleanor. Rude, inconsiderate, thoughtless, and entitled.

AleFailTrail · 19/04/2019 11:48

should have arranged the work for during the working week

And whose working week is that? I used to work Wednesday through to Sunday, so do people in retail etc. So people who do work Monday and Tuesday used to interrupt my relaxation and my lie in.

Maybe a bank holiday was the only time the people supervising were free?

FrancisCrawford · 19/04/2019 11:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ratatatouille · 19/04/2019 11:50

YABU. You need to buy a house somewhere remote if you don't want to hear noise. People have building work done on their houses from time to time. That's life. Maybe they could have left it until 9am to start but it doesn't sound like you would have been happy with that anyway. Lots of DIYers are working on their homes over the holiday anyway and they will be making noise so it doesn't really make a difference whether it's a regular working day or not. I'm not saying it's not annoying, but it's part and parcel of living near other people and it doesn't make your neighbours thoughtless or rude.

Original poster
polarpig · 19/04/2019 11:50

How dare those people who have to work disturb your precious relaxation.

It's not the workmen I have a problem with in general (apart from the 8am start) it's the neighbours inconsiderate children for arranging it on a Bank Holiday.

OP posts:
WhoAteMyNuts · 19/04/2019 11:54

it's the neighbours inconsiderate children for arranging it on a Bank Holiday.

How inconsiderate for them not to get your approval everytime they want to do DIY work on the house.

People work on their houses all the time especially on bank holidays. You need to realise that other people do not need to revolve their life around you.

chocolatelog · 19/04/2019 11:55

My husband/dad/and brother are all builders and are working today. It's life people have to work and if that means working on a good Friday then so be it. My neighbours have been out mowing there garden all morning and chopping down trees. They can crack on, I don't bat an eyelid.

Buccanarab · 19/04/2019 11:55

@mabelsgarden

I'm a mechanic and I'm working today and Monday, as are all of the other garages I know. I've also have a lot of trades customers who are also all working the easter weekend. I'm on Scotland though so maybe different up here.

my2bundles · 19/04/2019 11:56

Maybe that's the only time the builders where available . The rest of the world dosent revolve around your shift patterns and relaxation time.

Alsohuman · 19/04/2019 11:57

As you’ve not had any building work done, you clearly don’t realise that the builders dictate the timescale. Any builder worth having is booked up months in advance and if they can “squeeze you in” over a bank holiday, you bite their hand off. Especially in a case like this where time’s of the essence.

MoistMolly · 19/04/2019 11:58

Yanbu to think that starting work on your house on a bank holiday is anti-social, but yabvu to make a post about it like it's the end of the fucking world.

You're neighbours children probably work full time and this is the only opportunity to get this work done. I'm sure they would like to be enjoying their bank holiday with their own families, but instead have this along with the stress of a parent with dementia.

LIVIA999 · 19/04/2019 11:58

We were actually going to have trades here today as the contractor said it's the only day he could do. When I mentioned it was a bank holiday he said ' yeah but not a proper one '. As it happens they haven't come but were intending to on all the days apart from Sunday as they wanted to work and it made me feel very uncomfortable as I didn't want to upset the neighbours.
To be fair I think a gardener is slightly different to a builder in the house. Also lots of people do spring cleaning type work in the Easter bank holiday so equally they could have come and done it themselves and it would have been just as noisy.

AnyOldPrion · 19/04/2019 11:59

You have my sympathy. Our neighbour has form for this. He’s been known to start work at 7am on bank holidays, most recently with a digger right outside our bedroom window.

Hopefully it won’t happen again.

Hidingtonothing · 19/04/2019 12:02

I think you can be forgiven for being annoyed OP, they've fucked with your sleep and that really matters when you work funny hours. It's happened now though, nothing you can do about it and at least it will be finished today, don't let it spoil your day Flowers

IHateUncleJamie · 19/04/2019 12:05

Actually I don’t think YABU OP

Our NDNB1 have been building a fucking “playroom” the size of a static caravan in their back garden (which like ours is the size of a postage stamp). The work has been going on every dry weekend since last September. Driving me absolutely pissing MAD, inconsiderate fuckers.

The hammering etc today is inside the “room” so could have been done on a rainy day but no, we’ll have incessant hammering and power-sawing all bloody weekend. 🤬

YANBU to want to sit in your garden on a sunny bank holiday.