DIY noise

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.... So we're doing some work for our utility room. DH and DS have been drilling out floors and walls to lay new gas and water pipes

This work was done between the hours is 11am-2pm, off an on. And they've done this once each weekend for thelat three weeks.

So 2-3 hours of noise either on sat or sun, once a week.

It is noisy masonry work and it is on a shared wall.

I just had the neighbours round at 2pm today complaining about the noise... The wall/corridor backs on to their living room. They said that it was an unreasonable amount of noise that had been "going on for months"

I refuted that it had been going on that long, bit acknowledged it was noisy and apologised, but it was not at an unsociable hour. They claimed it was, because they couldn't watch the TV.
So I asked when we should be allowed to make the noise and would they rather it be done at 8/9 at night during the week?

Then she muttered in about how DH could do it during the day in the week. I said, well, he can't because he's at work until around 6:30pm, and (again) it would not be fair for him to start the noisy work at around 8pm on a weekday evening.

Then she went off on some crazy rant about how DH doesn't even go to work,and his van "never moves"... and that workmen never make noise at the weekend, so DH should be doing the drilling during the week

Bear in mind, her DH works during the week, leaving at 7am (hence partly why we don't drill in the evenings). He and DH often bump into each other in the morning and say hello, and they go to bed around 9pm.

Anyway, are we being unreasonable for drilling masonry (floors/ceilings) between 11-2 one day of the weekend over the past 3 weekends?

YANBU. Sounds like whatever you did wouldn't please your neighbours & you're being as considerate as possible.

Google “workmen noise times uk “ and it tells you the hours that noisy weekend work can happen. Which is Saturday 8am to 1pm and not at all on Sundays. You can check your local authority’s website for your area too.
So you were an hour in the wrong on Saturdays and totally wrong to undertake noisy work on Sundays. Although quieter work like a small bit of hand sawing or something not jack hammering would probably be ok?

However, I’m sure your neighbour would complain even more if you started at 8am, which legally you can do on Saturdays!
Perhaps you could say to her that you’ve considered her feelings and investigated the times for doing noisy work at the weekend. In future you will be obeying the guidelines and working between 9am-1pm, Saturdays, and is there any particular time they would prefer you to start as you appreciate it’s noisy and you’re very sorry but repairs must be done. The earlier they start the more will get done and the sooner it’s finally finished. How about we start at 10am? Etc etc.

I know it will take longer not working Sunday’s but if it’s the law....

...well, it's a bit of a moot point really.... The work is finished :/

But I will check the local by laws.

I have been on both sides. It was great when my neighbours gave me a heads up about when (times) and how long it was going to go on for. And I gave the same courtesy when I needed to do work myself.

My advice would be to try and keep things diplomatic with your neighbour. Give them reasonable times when you’re expecting to do some work and stick to them. Good neighbours and boundaries etc

X post!

I think it being ongoing for a month, every weekend, would drive me nuts. Could it not be done all in one hit?

Cross-posted.

This is technically noisy DIY noise... Website says Sundays/BH 10am-2pm

And Saturday 9-5

Https:www.southampton.gov.uk/environmental-issues/environmental-health/noise/diy-noise.aspx

So l, I don't think we've done anything wrong....apart from perhaps not warning them

I don't like you're being unreasonable but it's noisy work and I understand how that might be irritating. Our neighbors did something similar, it sounded like they were coming through the wall and because he's been doing it himself it went on for weeks.

With hindsight it would have been useful to have a chat in advance. I'd pop a bottle of wine round and let them know it'll be two more days or whatever it will be.

It's not a month.

It's 3 weekends. But only between those hours in one day.and not for a constant 3 hours.

It's couldn't be done in one weekend because DH was on call, got called out, and also have other commitments at weekends.

I did apologise, and will take some cake round and say sorry again to keep the peace in the week.

If you lived in London you'd be used to builders working anti social hours, creating mess, walking over roofs of terraced houses as they add floors, failing to get party wall permissions, no consideration.

My dsis was feeding neighbour's cats over the road one weekend, and when she went in she found the builders working on the adjoining property had spilt cement on the raised roof light of the kitchen extension. The neighbour had to come home to sort it out, and insisted her builder replaced the glass as the concrete had dried on the glass and the roof. The builder had been using subbies who had been unsupervised over weekends and was also then restricted to hours he could work

So you aren't being unreasonable.

God of much rather you did the work 11-2 on any day at weekend rather than start at 8 or even 9! I would be sleeping then as have chronic illness and sleep in at weekend to recover from work! Who wants to hear soy noise at 8 or 9 on a Saturday morning !!!

Whilst you’re doing work at reasonable times, it’s bloody annoying to be the neighbour listening to the banging and drilling etc. It’s really irritating. I’m the neighbour now. Wouldn’t be so bad if they actually apologised once in blue moon.

I don't think we've done anything wrong....apart from perhaps not warning them

I think if it matters to you to have a good relationship with your neighbours, this is important.

It just makes life so much better for both parties better when you know what to expect and to have a friendly agreement in advance.

I'm amazed that you didn't warn them and apologise in advance!

YANBU. Everyone has to do work on their house now and again and a couple of hours on a few successive weekends isn't a big deal. God knows what your neighbours would do if they lived next door to someone building an extension or something.

Your hours sound fine but it would be helpful for the neighbours to have known in advance. So they could maybe plan to be out of the house during those times or not get 10 minutes into a tv programme and then have to turn it off. DIY is much less annoying to listen to when you know what time it will finish.

My annoying neighbours are already at it .....grrrrr!

I agree with PPs that you should have let them know. If it's a shared wall then it will have been very noisy for them.

If you let people know about stuff like this they tend not to mind much at all.

Yes, DH should have told them.... Oh well. I shall go round later today with cake and apologies