Neighbours who work from home

[Confusednewmum1]

So we have moved to a house that requires total renovation, it has not been touched for over 50 years. We have spoken to the NDN about plans ie rip house apart and start again/extension ect. However every time we do work they complain about the noise as they work from home.

I get that this can be frustrating but at the moment we can’t give a schedule of work just due to the nature of old house. Example last week new front door on Friday to be fitted told 1 hour job no real noise ect. It then turned into needing a lintel, brickwork repair....... but this all spiralled in the moment.

My neighbours seem to think my builders should work around their calls ect. But I have really just advised there will be building work most days Mon-Friday 8:30-5 until at least the end of the year, it’s the only honest timeline. Council are happy as they have said noise not excessive ie generators or nematic drilling. But my neighbours have said this is not acceptable and there 2 1/2 year old naps during the day???

I also have a young child who happened to still be asleep this morning when they complained at 10am as door frame was going in and they where on a call.

AIBU to think that if they work from home then noise is their issue to mitigate not mine?

I work from home. Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 5pm, for a year?

I wouldn't say anything to you, but I certainly wouldn't like you very much.

I wouldn't bother with the headphones or wine.

I've worked from home in the past. Put up with all sorts and not complained.

But Monday to Friday all day for the rest of this year?!? Fucking hell. That would take some tolerance.

Also, to all the posters saying rent commercial space??? 😂😂

Have a day off will you.

Just read they are doing an extension? Oh well. You'll both be noisy then

Are they going to whinge if BT starts digging up the street? Noise and building work happens everywhere at some point. Noise isn’t even a material consideration in planning applications - it’s tough, they just have to put up with it.

Are they going to whinge if BT starts digging up the street?

Every working day, all working day, until next year? Who wouldn't?!!

I pity your neighbours OP.

Who are you to tell them where or when they should work? You are massively disrupting them every day for an entire year.

Not to mention they clearly can't just go and work in Starbucks/WeWork because they have a young child.

My OH and I have just gone through this for the last few months with our upstairs neighbours. We both work from home.

I appreciate there's little you can do if you want to renovate the place but just be aware of what utter torture you're inflicting on them and, if possible, keep them as up to date as you can ie tell them every single thing that's happening that might affect them.

I would hate your guts though.

@Confusednewmum1 :

"So today’s update is a builders van has pulled up next door and I can hear drilling. So they must be doing some work in their own home ahead of their own 3 month building works for an extension due to start in May.

Do I go round and complain as no notice given or do I crack on removing skirting and architrave in what will be the nursery??? "

And you wanted to go round and give them flowers/headphones/Amazon gift card???

The fact they are doing and will be having their own building work is enough to justify telling them to "fuck off" while you do up your own house.

Your neighbours are cunts. I hope you've discovered that now.

As long as you stick to building work within the stated 8.30 - 5pm timeframe, you are absolutely not being unreasonable.

Oh wait, I must have missed the part about it being every day for the next year.
Ouch...Yep, I'd be pretty irritated if I was your neighbour too! Can't you make it 3 times a week or something? You need to try and be considerate as possible.
As a PP mentioned above, your neighbours are going to hate you. (Take wine and chocolates round to them, that'll ease the pain...)

*You are having work done during daylight hours. Nothing illegal in that.

And I certainly wouldnt be buying them any headphones or the like off of Amazon. They are the ones with the problem. Dont make it yours.*

This. I work from home. One of my neighbours is about 15 months into a major building project. It irritates me but I wouldn't dream of complaining. It's not going to change anything, if they want to do the work they're not going to stop because the neighbours don't like it... they are generally pretty inconsiderate arseholes I choose to live and work here so I just suck it up. That's what your neighbours should do

OP I like the idea of flowers and chocolate, possibly wine and an up-to-date schedule of works.
It is a residential area and whilst you keep within the law and reasonability which I think you are, they need to suck it up.
No offence to wah people.

We bought a house which needed gutting and went with all the best intentions to the neighbours - gift, introduction, contact details in case they wanted us to stop work for special occasions or if things got too loud and they wanted a break. Let them use skip and put their scaffolding on our property no problems etc. Wasn’t enough. They have been absolutely unbearable and rude, nasty.

Sometimes you can have all the best intentions and understand how annoying your work will be, and people don’t care. There is a lot of anger about being inconvenienced even though building work is just a way of life, and also jealousy involved. My builder told me everyone thinks their neighbours are lovely until they get work done 😁 at some point you can only shrug your shoulders and say “I tried” and be safe in the knowledge that you are acting within your legal parameters and have done your best to mitigate the annoyance.

My neighbour started work without telling us and without getting a party wall agreement. Dug the cellar out/ started 1st August finished Christmas Eve. I worked from home and ended up having to drive in my car to do conference calls.

By the time they moved in all of the neighbours had had some issue with their inconsiderate approach and their builders.

Communication is key (and don’t let the builders live in vans on the street for months on end and park over peoples drives)

Yeah I think you’re not technically in the wrong but as someone who still has a young child that needs to nap in the day I’d probably have a nervous breakdown if my neighbours were doing this for a year. I can see your side of things too. For work reasons I think they just have to accept that shit happens some times but if your builders can accomodatw nap times that may save your relationship - who know if you need them to be accommodating in the future - and save their mental health!! X

A year or more of renovation in a semi? If I was your neighbour I'd be a basket case in no time, even if I didn't have to work. That's horrendous.

Can you really not condense the work into a shorter amount of time?

ive been going through this for 2 years from NDN, work is driving me MAD, hammering banging drilling radio shouting to each other, from morning too night! but I know legally theres nothing I can do about it.
So go see them explain you will keep noise to stated hours but quicker its done the quicker all back to normality.offer to ask workmen to have lunch 1pm-2pm which gives neighbours children there hours nap. if still being difficult tell her to go to the council and report you! theres nothing she can do, BELIEVE me ive tried!

I probably wouldn’t buy them noise cancelling headphones. I know you mean it well but they could easily take it the wrong way and see it as a bit of a brush off given that they are already annoyed, which might make things worse!

I've seen lots of posts on here lately about this issue. Seems that noone likes work being done unless it's your own house! Neighbours cant control what you in your house and they need to get over it. Likewise if you dont like something happening in their house theres nothing you can do as long as teu are not breaching noise regulations.

I wish everyone could just get on and accept that this is a fact of life. Death taces and renovations

Their lifestyle choice is not your concern.

Have a sit down meeting. Explain what the works will be and for how long. Tell them you've discussed this with the council who have no issues with your renovation and you will be as considerate as possible but at the end of the day their lifestyle/working choices are really not your concern. Your house is old, it requires renovation and renovate you will.

Tell them you would like to preserve your relationship where possible but at the end of the day it is them that is being unreasonable and the more they interrupt your renovation the longer it will take.

They are being unrealistic in their outlook and it is not your job to manage their expectations.

Takingshape12
I think most people would consider renovations to be an annoying but reasonable fact of life.

I also think that when doing loud DIY or renovations that it should be done with reasonable consideration for those around you. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD.

Sometimes a little good will goes a long way. Often on these sorts of threads what stands out the most is the attitude of "but I can do X within the rules so everyone can get over it..." And other petty griping that would create ill-feeling. Then people wonder why they don't get on with their neighbours.

But you cant do major renovations without loud noises! OP has been reasonable in giving NDN a timeframe for the works. I am not sure what else she can do other than run next door each time the builder gets a drill out.

But you cant do major renovations without loud noises!
I haven't suggested otherwise.

I've said renovations are part of life and that consideration should be shown.
Eg. Scheduling the heavy major work for a block of a few weeks rather than having it on and off every day for a year.
Eg. Doing some house wife changes in one go rather than in bits on and off
Eg. Agreeing with the contractors for there no be no radios etc outside
Eg. If any skips need hiring, consider their placement so that there's no chance of workers going over adjoining front gardens
Eg. Get a schedule where the major work is done as quickly and efficiently as possible Vs slower for personal convenience where it lasts longer for neighbours (eg one of my friends moved in with her mum when large work was done / another couple factored in living costs into the project and kept the rent on their original house so their new house could be overhauled quickly to minimise disruption, their logic was that large renovations tend to run over budget so they'd budget the living as a project cost worth doing to keep other costs down).

There's no avoiding noise when doing renovations. There will be avoiding on off major structural work and noisy work on and off for a year.

*house WIDE changes

I get your point

They'll have to suck it up. When exactly do they think building work should happen exactly? I'd have more sympathy if they work nights and were trying to sleep in the day, but even then you have to suck it up! They're just life's moaners I'm afraid.