Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour cutting grass at 8.30pm!

155 replies

Shootingstar1115 · 03/07/2019 20:44

Would you be annoyed?

I’m not usually one to moan but it happens quite often.

He doesn’t actually cut it himself, he gets a gardener in to do it. Cutting and strimming. But it’s always between 8 - 9.30pm at night. It’s quite a large garden and it takes a while. Does that seem too late?

It’s a neighbourhood where there’s lots of kids. It’s hot so people have their windows open. There’s kids either side of him. Somebody with a young baby behind him.

Struggling to get DS off to sleep tonight. He’s super sensitive to noise.

My neighbour gets home from work around 3/4pm so why does he get it done so late??

I’m not sure if I’m being unreasonable or not? We try and be respectful towards him noise wise. OH won’t go out and cut the grass on his days off until at least 10am just in case anyone is lying in.

OP posts:
Ameliablue · 03/07/2019 22:45

When my eldest were younger I couple only get peace to cut grass after they were in bed so I don't generally see a problem although I can understand it may be more difficult as your child is autistic.

notacooldad · 03/07/2019 22:47

I'd be ok up to the point when it is going dark. I'd have want him to be finished for 10.00pm.

HellYeah90s · 03/07/2019 22:48

I am currently living next to neighbours with a baby and a toddler because of that I try to avoid doing it in the evening at all possible.

However sometimes I have no choice because we are often away at weekends or it might rain.

In the weekdays at the very earliest I can do it is after 7, we are not time until 5, sometime 6, then I have to sort tea, help with homework etc so its pushing 7:30

Schnitzelvonkrumb · 03/07/2019 22:54

I heard some garden machinery (possibly a strimmer) before 7am the other weekend which i thought was pretty unsociable. That said, I'm a nightowl so early morning always seems worse to me!

Beansandcoffee · 03/07/2019 22:56

I cut my grass at 7:30pm tonight. Clearly I am a terrible neighbour. I have children too. However my neighbours baby wakes me up at 5:30 am every morning - the windows are open. Difficult one really. The worse is when we go camping and parents let their kids cycle round the campsite at 6am and the bikes always have squeaky brakes . Mad world but a privileged world for those of us moaning about a bit of noise.

Asdf12345 · 03/07/2019 23:02

I try and avoid power tools outside 0800-2100 weekdays, and 0830-2130 weekends.

Thismummyruns · 03/07/2019 23:07

That's not late in my opinion.

If that was my neighbour it wouldn't bother me not my 5 year old or 7 week old baby- they both sleep with the hoover on in the house. A lawn mower would be welcomed white noise for my youngest!

On the other hand though, a neighbour moving in to their new house at 11pm with a huge noisy diesel transit van... but that's for a different thread

Frequency · 03/07/2019 23:08

I'm so glad I saw this thread. I work stupid, long, unsociable hours. If I'm home during the day it's because I was on nights the previous night or going on nights that night. Weekends I tend to work 6am-6pm. My garden is like a jungle.

I am cutting my grass at 7pm on Sat when I get in from work. I had no idea most people thought this was acceptable. I usually just cope with jungle grass until I get a rare day off.

echt · 03/07/2019 23:20

Mower noise doesn't even register with me and unless it's a massive garden it doesn't take long

The OP said it's a large garden, takes quite a while and happens quite often.

Sundancer77 · 03/07/2019 23:36

Two of our neighbours do the same here with their gardeners..it’s very hot in the day though so is probably cooler at night, is annoying tho!

LadyRannaldini · 04/07/2019 00:14

You shouldn't cut the grass in the heat of the day, especially when it's very very hot, we usually wait until the evening.

Furries · 04/07/2019 00:34

Given it’s mowing a lawn, am assuming that this isn’t being done every night of the week? Once, maybe twice, a week. And won’t be done probably from around November to March. Therefore, YABU.

If it was after 10pm then I think you’d be right to be annoyed, but otherwise seems acceptable.

ChocoholicsAsylum · 04/07/2019 00:43

YANBU!!!!! Just because its daylight doesnt mean its not chill down time! Bloody hate the things!

my2bundles · 04/07/2019 02:09

Choco, other people carnt live their lives around your chill out time. 8.30 pm is not late, it's evening and the world dosent just stop at that time.

Monday55 · 04/07/2019 02:27

Night hours are 11.00 pm until 7.00 am.

Chimes from ice cream vans are only allowed between 12 noon and 7.00 pm.

Nonameslob · 04/07/2019 02:47

Apart from the OP's case of her son being particularly sensitive to noise, I can't believe mower noise bothers anyone. Most children wouldn't even notice it. 8:30 is not late at all and it's hardly every night! Having lived next door to a live band practicing for hours on end I'll take a lawn mower any day!

Nonameslob · 04/07/2019 02:59

Anothertempusername

YANBU. If this was my neighbour and it kept my baby awake it would soon stop.

Are you one of those people who expects everyone to live their lives around your babies sleeping routine?
I'd love to know how you'd make it stop!

Monty27 · 04/07/2019 03:05

If you cut the grass before it cools down in the summer the grass gets sunburned. It's very normal to do this.
Yabvu.

Bluerussian · 04/07/2019 03:47

I think it's OK to have lawnmower on at that time. It can't be happening every day, you can surely put up with it every so often.

Original poster
Shootingstar1115 · 04/07/2019 07:04

So it’s acceptable because it’s still light outside? So does that make it okay to go out and mow the lawn at 5am when it gets light too? 🤣🧐

As said before the mower wasn’t too bad, it was the strimmer. A commercial sized strimmer.

For everyone saying their kids sleep through anyway, so does DD. She was asleep, it didn’t wake her but my eldest was not asleep, bed time is a nightmare anyway add the noise in (they finally finished about 9.15pm) he would not settle at all. 😭 noises are ten times more painful for him.

OP posts:
PookieDo · 04/07/2019 07:58

I mean go ahead for it at 5am to make a facetious point, but then you would be in breach of the noise regulations, not just an irritation 🤷🏻‍♀️

www.gov.uk/guidance/noise-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

He’s not breaking any laws so I don’t know what point you are going to make
We are making the point that it’s not dark outside in the evening, many people work and are not just ‘chilling out’ because they have laundry and other household jobs to get done, their lives do not revolve around you. Close your windows and buy your child some headphones or ear plugs?

Pinkmalinky · 04/07/2019 08:09

I can hear a neighbour cutting theirs RN. Really not bothered.

adaline · 04/07/2019 08:12

I sympathise with your DC's health issues OP but the world can't stop because of that.

8.30pm is a perfectly reasonable time to be mowing the lawn - it's often damp in the morning, far too warm during the day and then most people work and are out of the house until 6/7pm. Once they've had dinner and sorted the kids out that's probably the first chance they get to do it!

Myimaginarycathasfleas · 04/07/2019 08:50

The OP says it's between 8 and 9:30pm at night. A commercial strimmer at 9:30 IS unreasonable I would suggest.

OP why don't you just ask your neighbour if it's at all possible for his gardener to start earlier so he can finish the noisy work by 8:30 latest? If he realises it's a problem for your DS he might be able to get the gardener to reschedule. Maybe not, but there's no harm in asking nicely. Give him a bottle of wine as a thank you and all will be well between you.

GruciusMalfoy · 04/07/2019 09:01

Mowers are just part of the sounds of summer for me. I'm use to waking up to the sound of a tractor cutting grass in the front of our house, so a mower/strimmer doesn't usually register. The council comes around using big petrol strimmers (we live facing an open park) so I think I understand the noise level you're meaning. I don't think 9pm is too late, 9.30 would be on the cusp of it for me.