To hate my neighbours and their million pound basement??

[Amimissingsomethinghere]

Okay so yes IABU but lord help me guys I don't know what to do.

Background - we live in central London on a quiet street in the ground floor flat of a converted terrace house. Next door they are returning the whole house (basically ripping everything out top to toe) and then adding in a very elaborate huge cinema basement room. There currently is no basement so there will be a LOT of drilling.

Basement works haven't even started. They are currently only ripping out the existing kitchen but this is ALREADY causing my walls to vibrate and the banging noise is unbearable. It's so loud in my sons nursery. His bedroom wall is on their side (we are in a small flat) and there's no way he will be able to nap in there.

I am already feeling extremely anxious and every band makes me jump. I am a SAHM and so will be around the flat a lot with my little boy. (1.5)

What do I do? There's nothing I can do is there? It's awful. I feel like sobbing.

The party wall surveyor said the basement would probably take a YEAR to build.

I feel trapped.

YANBU. I mean, you are in that they're entitled to get work done, but anyone would feel the same. It's awful and relentless and there's nothing you can do. I think you'll have to make plans to be out and about more, and if they go a minute over 5pm or before 8pm then let them know it's unacceptable.

8am*

No there’s nothing you can do unfortunately. I would just plan to be out a lot!

Personally I think that if there is to be works over more than a few weeks then the person doing the work should have to factor in to their costs the cost of remuneration of impacted neighbours, a year of deep drilling in the foundations of your building will be horrendous, perhaps they can swap with you for the duration as I assume that they are living elsewhere while this happens.

Don't they have to agree times of work with you under the party wall act? I had this but in a much less intrusive way so you have my complete sympathy...

And I know there is nothing op can do, and they are legally entitled to do this but it and the rules still suck.

YANBU to not be enjoying it, but obviously they are going to do the work so it's about finding a way to live with it, really. Can you speak to the workmen and find out if they take lunch or breaks at a set time so you can plan nap times? Not all works will be as noisy either.

Do you own your flat? I would seriously consider moving out for a year into a rental and renting your property out to someone else. If you are renting you could ask your landlord if they’d let you sublet.

You’re going to have to plan to be out a lot.

This article may be helpful if they start doing work at silly o’clock.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2018/06/05/time-can-builders-start-work-uk-according-law-7606799/amp/

If you're renting I'd get out as soon as possible.

I have a similar thing going on here with my obnoxious neighbour. It's been 3 years now and he's still making my house shake ( and we're detached). I'd love to sell but he scuppered the last sale by soil compacting right up to our walls. the noise was unbearable.

There needs to be much more redress for affected neighbours and the party wall act is a toothless waste of time.

You have my sympathy. I'm finding it very hard and I'm not as affected as you are

YANBU, noise is a bugger.

I'm not sure what the price of the work they're having done has to do with the noise though?

I'm sure you'd hate it just as much if the bill came to £10,000?

I bet they will be moving out for the duration. My neighbours did this. We couldn't afford to move out so had to put up with months of noise.
Tbh, the builders' radio was almost worse than the drilling.

Yanbu. Our triends had the same next to them, and ended up with a crack in their wall they had to get repaired on insurance — the CFs next door wriggled out of paying for it. They are a curse.

To everyone saying she should sell/ sublet- who the hell would take her house if it's that bad?! Or for what price. Sure, move if you can, but be realistic.

IME you get used to the noise to a certain extent and try not to be on edge, waiting for the noise.

"perhaps they can swap with you for the duration as I assume that they are living elsewhere while this happens"

Made me laugh as if her multi millionaire neighbours want to live in her little flat listening to constant drilling! Dare you to suggest it though OP.

I completely sympathise. I am in central London also and the amount of building work is crazy. I don't understand why people can't just live. Everything has to be a grand design. It's so self-indulgent.

Anyway, that said I guess if you are able to take some control over the situation it might help. So make it clear to the builders only to work during daytime hours. (Where I am, the scaffolders always put contact details and a schedule of works outside the building so we know we have some redress if things are getting too intrusive).
Ask for a heads up when they are going to be particularly noisy.
(Go on holiday then?!)
Some jobs (e.g. plastering) won't be as noisy.

I'm sorry. It's really rubbish.

They are perfectly entitled to do the work, no denying it’s a nightmare for neighbours though.

Personally, I think the best way to deal with it is to keep on good terms with them and the workmen. Complaining about petty things (like working a few minutes past the agreed time into the evening) only cause to annoy and of course also make the work take longer - the more hours they do, the less days it takes (in theory)

By keeping on good terms people are generally more amenable to accommodate things that might crop up that are an issue.

Eg - neighbours who have been a pain in the arse throughout works ask if builders can try and keep the noise down one day as child is ill - unlikely

Neighbours who have been accommodating and friendly through make same request - more likely to be listened to.

It’s not pleasant, I had similar out of London with pile driving and the biggest issue being more rural was that my vehicles were regularly blocked in by huge delivery trucks, concrete deliveries etc

YANBU our new neighbours did a huge extension last year whilst living elsewhere so avoiding all the noise and inconvenience. Their bloody builders kept blocking our drive with their trucks and we have completely fallen out with them over the whole thing.

If you're renting, move. If not, I'm really not sure. Poor you.

If you're the owner I'd consider renting (to someone who isn't a SAHM with a toddler!).

If you're renting I'd be minded to give notice unless you have very favourable terms. I have a 2yo and this would break me.

I'd genuinely consider moving out
We had similar with our semi detached house, went on for about 6 months and both DP and I work from home. It was horrendous, and I still hate the neighbours for it.

YANBU

it's beyond inconvenient and very dangerous. But unless they are not sticking to the planning permission, there's not much you can do unfortunately.

Genuinely, advising you to move out somehow is the only solution. It's not fair, but that's what you end up doing.

It's even worst when the owners move out themselves and don't even have to put up with their own noise!

Honestly, if you’re renting I’d consider moving out. We rented a house where they built next door, right up against our wall. It was insufferable. Not just the noise but you feel everything too. All the drilling etc makes everything vibrate. I work from home so was there most of the time. We loved the house so decided to stay put, but the build went way overdue and just went on and on. We finally moved out as we had had enough, wished we’d done it at the start! (Sorry if you own and I’ve made you feel worse!!)

I am in central London also and the amount of building work is crazy. I don't understand why people can't just live.

It's no better in villages, believe me. We have had over ten years now of one neighbour after another undertaking a major building project. The noise is unbearable and there has been no opportunity to enjoy what we thought would be a lovely small village, to sit in our garden, etc., and although we should be able to work from home a couple of days a week, we often have to do the two hour commute to work anyway just to be able to hear ourselves think. Our next move will be to somewhere where there are no neighbours at all.

Assuming you can't move out I think I would enlist the help of mumsnet to write some excellent passive aggressive letters. If you start a diary thread I think you could really get somewhere.

If you are at home with a one year old then you will have the asset of time. Make yourself and your child known to the neighbours and their builders. Make your problems their problems.

I feel a lot of sympathy because we had this. I remember having to take my newborn downstairs to the flat beneath us with a leaflet about passive smoking....

also, if nothing else, you can post on here when you are feeling very sensitised as otherwise you might say something you regret and give them justification for closing down the communications.