Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
JacquesHammer · 19/04/2019 13:22

some people work on Bank Holidays

Yes, like the workmen at your neighbours house.

Of course YABU - don’t let it spoil your day with resentment.

PlasmaRain · 19/04/2019 13:25

Long holiday weekends in spring are pretty much the optimum time to start home improvements for most householders, especially outside projects. 8am isn’t that early a start for most, it’s not their fault you didn’t get to bed until 4am, do you normally expect ordinary working life to come to a grinding halt to accommodate your special circumstances? If you’re a night worker surely daytime work goes on around your sleeping hours all the time or nothing would ever get done in your neighborhood.

Still18atheart · 19/04/2019 13:27

Would you have had the same issue of it was working couple next door who were doing similar work. But doing it themselves and the only time they had to do it was over the 4 day bank holiday weekend. Is it the fact that they are employing people to do it that is the issue. Ie same noise would be created if the DIYers were doing it

Bambamber · 19/04/2019 13:28

I think you're being tired and grumpy. I work overnight and know how shit it is to be woken up early after working into the night.

On the other hand of course the neighbours aren't going to arrange these things at a time that's convenient for you, they'll do what's best for them. I wouldn't be happy either though

TitusP · 19/04/2019 13:33

Threads like these make me so grateful for our neighbours. We warn each other about noise/building work in advance, there is never any major issues, any small issues we resolve with each other. They were so patient with us whilst we undertook a 6 month renovation and in turn we haven't said a word about their ongoing landscaping work because it's all part of living in a large town close together. It will be your turn to make noise soon enough!

lyralalala · 19/04/2019 13:35

At least if they've scheduled them in all on the one day you have the rest of the weekend.

MIL's neighbour does stuff every bank holiday, but does it in dribs in drabs. So starts at 7am for an hour. Then another hour at 10, then 12, then probably starts a fire in the garden, then does another hour at 2 and keeps that on and off going all weekend. Much prefer our neighbours who always do stuff on the Friday or Saturday of a BH weekend, but then that's it for the rest of the weekend.

My husband was out at 8am this morning washing and hoovering his car. Neighbours not happy at all. I did try telling him

Oh Tiger he really is a cockwomble determined to incite your neighbours. Is he trying to make them move or get a dispute noted so that you all have trouble selling if any of you do?

It really sounds like he's deliberately provoking your neighbours.

Lantern92 · 19/04/2019 13:37

Loads of trades are working today. YABVU. OP, I'm working today, tomorrow and Monday serving the idiotic public such as yourself who think it's a great idea to come and buy parts for their cars today 9 out of 10 of whom aren't qualified and will probably give me a load of abuse for something they have done rather than take their car to a garage. We also serve many trade customers over the weekend.

TeacupDrama · 19/04/2019 13:38

the rules regarding local authorities are re builders for a living so would apply to a window replacement company but they do not apply to people doing DIY
noisy work is generally not permissible before 8am and after 6pm (1pm on Saturdays and not at all on bank holidays and Sundays (it does not say non noisy work ie painting is not permitted)
it is definitely a bank holiday in England it is not in Scotland
DIY has often been done at evenings and weekends when lots of people are off work ( not OP she works nights or shifts)
I can see it is annoying but I think you might be being a bit unreasonable as it is just going to be 1 day

Littlechocola · 19/04/2019 13:39

I work shifts (NHS). We live on a farm. Noisy buggers always wake me up/disturb my peace Wink
I’ve not once grumbled and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Let it go.

madeyemoodysmum · 19/04/2019 13:39

No. Bank hols are traditionally Diy days in many houses

SomewhereInbetween1 · 19/04/2019 13:41

Ooh it's been a while since we've had a..
OP: AIBU?
Everyone: yes
OP: No!! I'm not! Here's why

...thread!

AWishForWingsThatWork · 19/04/2019 13:42

While it sucks, people still need to get stuff done when they can. And weekends and holiday days are the only day lots of people can get things done on their houses. Such is life.

And I imagine most everyone complaining that it's a Bank Holiday weekend so it shouldn't be allowed is more than happy to go out to a cafe for a snack, a restaurant for a meal, cinema/theatre trip on occasion, pop into the local grocery store or do a bit of shopping ... or heaven forbid need A&E or have a fire that needs putting out or a plumber in for an emergency fix ... all those people running those places for you are still at work. And lots of small builders and carpenters have to keep working through the holidays, too, to stay employed and feed their own families.

stucknoue · 19/04/2019 13:43

Yabu many people work good Friday these days, it's only a holiday for banks and public sector it seems. I got looked at with amazement when I said I wasn't coming in.

Livelovebehappy · 19/04/2019 13:44

TBH, is there ever a good time for building work? Other neighbours might work nights during a working week, may work weekends and have days off during the week - not everyone works Monday to Friday and off BHs and weekends. In fact flexible working patterns are very common. It’s just one of those situations you have to suck up I’m afraid.

TooManyPaws · 19/04/2019 13:47

Sitting here on my lunch in my council office....

My diary doesn't note a bank holiday until Monday and then only for England, Wales and Northern Ireland so it does cover bank holidays for the UK, not just Scotland where I am.

Scotland doesn't have a bank holiday on Monday and it doesn't look like any other UK country has one today. Some businesses may be treating it as a local holiday today but it's not nationwide. I won't get a bank holiday until 6 May.

Ariela · 19/04/2019 13:48

Think yourself lucky you are not my friend, her next door neighbours have had builders in for over a year. Today they arrived before 7am as usual, and were still banging drilling cutting etc when I left an hour ago, the dust is awful, we wanted to sit out with a hot cross bun and our coffee but there's nowhere in her garden that isn't really overlooked from the scaffolding that's in the sun, so we gave up and went indoors. She says the noise is OK apart from the builder that has a noisy exhaust on his car and the other one that slams his van doors, as it's been going on so long she is able to tune it out, it is the dust as it gets in their house too.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 19/04/2019 13:49

I sympathise as it is annoying but unfortunately its not really unreasonable of them.

I've been on nights all week, getting home at 5.30am, in bed for 6am and at 8.30am builders started next door. I had no idea they were having work done and it's none of my business , but god I was so tired! Luckily they left at 4.30pm so I could get a nap in before work.

Babuchak · 19/04/2019 13:53

check your council, it's not acceptable. It doesn't matter if some neighbours are happy with noise, it's just not legal, see this one for example.

general construction work should be restricted to the following hours:

Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
Saturdays 8am to 1pm
Noisy work is prohibited on Sundays and bank holidays

And Good Friday is legally a bank holiday.

You shouldn't have to put up with building work on a bank holiday any more than you should put up with it at 3am.

The posters might have different feelings, but in my council the builders are not allowed to be noisy today. Fact. Do check yours, you are not unreasonable.

MotherOfDragons90 · 19/04/2019 13:56

Hmmm I sympathise But it’s just one of those things when you live in close proximity to others. We are doing our garden today and next door are doing theirs too (terraced). 4 days in a row is gold dust to us in terms of getting things done on the house and I couldn’t just sit indoors watching tv all bank holiday.

I’ve just stopped to have some lunch and a glass of wine on the patio and I wish they weren’t still hammering away so I could relax and appreciate my handiwork but such is life!

Get some noise cancelling headphones 🎧 or turn the radio up in your garden and chill out with a Wine!

Original poster
polarpig · 19/04/2019 13:58

I hope no one was disturbed when you were coming home at 4am.

Not at all, I don't use the car at that time of night.

OP posts:
1DoesNotSimplyWalkIntoMordor · 19/04/2019 13:58

We were woken up at 7am today by our next door neighbour using a buzz saw on the drive directly below ds' bedroom window.

Maybe it's retaliation, ds was playing loudly on the Xbox at 4am.

neveradullmoment99 · 19/04/2019 14:03

Go to the park or out for the day Grin

Bookworm4 · 19/04/2019 14:04

I think you'll find self employed people don't tend to observe bank holidays; they can't afford to as they don't get holiday pay.
The house will need sold asap to cover the £1000+ pw care home fees.
Stop being such a moaning face git.

wibbleee · 19/04/2019 14:08

not read the whole thread BUT who`s manning the hospitals on bank hospitals love??? ooooh III know the patients see to themselves lol!!

sorry we`re in the real world not students ville....

Happilyacceptingcookies · 19/04/2019 14:10

It is for nurses, doctors, police etc but builders?

So if you needed help in an emergency it's absolutely fine that the nurses, doctors, police, firefighters are working on a bank holiday.

But if someone else needs work doing, or perhaps wants to earn some money, on a bank holiday it's entirely unfair?

I empathise, I remember revising with building work going on for months. And then I revised when I had a noisy toddler. Not easy, but that is how the world works. If your DCs go on to university there will be far worse distractions than a day of builders noise.