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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours who work from home

283 replies

Confusednewmum1 · 19/02/2020 02:29

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?

OP posts:
feetfreckles · 19/02/2020 07:06

Didn't this come up yesterday?

Most councils have a set of rules you need to abide by. One of which is often scheduling noisy work to the neighbours convince

WhereShallWeMoveTo · 19/02/2020 07:06

Nothing wrong with trying to mitigate the hell she is putting her neighbour through. OP just seems to be shrugging her shoulders and saying tough titty.

Well you must be seeing a post that I can't see then, because I see NOTHING that leads me to believe that the OP is doing that, or not apologising. for something she has little control over.

The simple fact is that she is paying tradesmen to be there, they will be on a tight schedule and they are not going to want to down tools every time the neighbour says he has a business call to make, because that costs them money and throws out the whole timing of the project and the need to get their bit of work done on time in order to fit in around other tradies' schedules.

The neighbour can go elsewhere to take the call. The tradesmen can't go elsewhere to do their work.

I get that it's hugely annoying but there is a solution. If he's just working with a phone and a laptop he can go anywhere for a few weeks. It's part of life's give and take to have to just get through this sort of stuff - one day it might be his turn.

TheGlitterFairy · 19/02/2020 07:07

They’re being ridiculous. Carry on with your renovations - presumably anyone living in the house would need to do this work if nothing has been done for so long. Nice bouquet of flowers at the end of the project perhaps but that’s all

FizzyIce · 19/02/2020 07:09

Have to say on reflection though , a year ? Jeez.. that would tip me over the edge , especially with a toddler too and just because it doesn’t affect your child doesn’t mean theirs is a heavy sleeper .
You have to put yourself in their place .
Do they get any respite from building noise ,like weekends ?

LoopyLu2019 · 19/02/2020 07:09

I wfh a few times a week. I moved into phase 1 of a new build estate. Builders noise daily around the place and you get used to it. When our neighbours have done work on their place (we're semi detached) it's noisy but I can't complain. A few times it's been really bad so I've gone to a shared working space (office is quite far).

DesLynamsMoustache · 19/02/2020 07:12

They are BU but building work every day for a year is also shit so I sympathise with them on that part. I work from home (and pay all my taxes Hmm) and have a toddler who still has a daytime nap, so it would make life significantly more difficult if there was noisy building work every day for a year. Nothing I could do about it, but I'd still find it annoying.

ILSSM · 19/02/2020 07:13

It’s tough shit for your neighbor.

Building work needs to be done, you have warned them and said it will stop by 5.30 ish. They will have to get over it.

adaline · 19/02/2020 07:16

I get that it's hugely annoying but there is a solution. If he's just working with a phone and a laptop he can go anywhere for a few weeks. It's part of life's give and take to have to just get through this sort of stuff - one day it might be his turn.

It's not just "for a few weeks" though. It's for an entire year!

I really doubt all the people on here saying it's fine would be saying the same thing if they were the ones affected by it for 50+ weeks.

PooWillyBumBum · 19/02/2020 07:17

I can see why they’re frustrated but if I were them I’d want next door renovated and not dilapidated. YANBU.

I think noise cancelling headphones is a good idea. Also maybe a local coffee shop voucher for if it gets really bad? Worth trying to keep them as sweet as possible.

WhereShallWeMoveTo · 19/02/2020 07:17

Just remember - you guys will be neighbours long after the work is done.

Again, yes, we know, and it's necessary to try to keep things as cordial as possible. But until someone can provide the OP with a solution that will keep her project noise free and on schedule, I honestly don't know what anyone expects her to do.

That's a long period of disruption for them and building works always tend to overrun.

Well this one is certainly going to, if they aren't able to just get on with it. He can't have it both ways. Fast and constant, or slow and intermittent. Either way it's going to happen so he'd do well to just accept it and work elsewhere for a while. It's a bummer but life's like that sometimes. Try arguing with Barratt Homes if they set up at the end of your garden.

adaline · 19/02/2020 07:19

But until someone can provide the OP with a solution that will keep her project noise free and on schedule, I honestly don't know what anyone expects her to do.

Be a bit more understanding of the impact it will have on her neighbours? A bit of understanding and empathy goes a long way in situations like this.

The attitude of "we have no choice over it so you'll just have to suck it up" is unlikely to do anyone any favours.

WhereShallWeMoveTo · 19/02/2020 07:19

It's not just "for a few weeks" though. It's for an entire year!

It won't be equally noisy all year. Some things are very noisy (knocking down walls, drilling) other things like plastering, tiling, painting and decorating, electrics can be reasonably quiet.

PineappleDanish · 19/02/2020 07:20

I often wonder whether folks "working from home" or using home as a business premises are payingapprop rates and tax.

Shame you know so little about working from home.

www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates/working-at-home

People working from a home office and who aren't dealing with customers on-site don't qualify for business rates. My insurer isn't interested that I am a freelancer working at home. In fact, I get a discount because the house is occupied most of the day.

I can see both sides too, noisy building work is undeniably disruptive and noisy, but you can't demand it doesn't happen.

pictish · 19/02/2020 07:23

I can imagine it’s annoying for them but yanbu. People do building work, it’s normal and they will simply have to work around it. They don’t have a right to control or dictate your renovations to suit their work schedule or toddler, not between 8am and 5pm.

adaline · 19/02/2020 07:23

I often wonder whether folks "working from home" or using home as a business premises are payingapprop rates and tax.

If you don't entertain clients at home you don't have to pay business rates.

I'm self employed and based out of my home, but because my job is either working solo at home or visiting clients elsewhere (I'm a professional dog walker/pet sitter) the council aren't remotely interested.

Most people who WFH are freelance - the council really don't care about them!

Sceptre86 · 19/02/2020 07:24

They need to up sticks and move to the middle of nowhere. Such noise as long as it doesn't start before 7am and go on after 10pm is annoying yes but you are allowed to get work done on your house. My dh works from home two days a week, if it was too noisy he would either head to his mum's and work from there or go into the office. The neighbour might have to make changes to their work schedule whilst your building work is happening. This may be annoying for them but that is life.

GeraltOfRivia · 19/02/2020 07:24

I work from home and if my neighbours had to do building work of this scale it would be really disruptive.

I would expect excellent communication. So if you new that you were due to start ground works etc that we're likely to be high level noise I'd appreciate at least a few days notice to try and sort a workspace out of home.

To be honest though I'd just be ok if my neighbour was nice and decent and spoke to us about plans etc

I suspect part of the problem is you're new. You and the neighbour have no relationship yet. I can hear In your original post that you want to try and do things right by them while also getting on with your work. I think that'll be hard to achieve.

They've presumably had quiet next door for a long time, they may just decide not to like what your doing off the bat regardless of what you do. You need to be prepared for that.

MrsAgassi · 19/02/2020 07:26

It won’t be noisy the entire time. Our builders worked from 8-4, we had an extension and some rejigging of the interior. There were noisy days, but it wasn’t constant. Our builder didn’t allow radios to be on loud when and there was absolutely no swearing allowed either.

Your neighbours don’t have to like it, but you’re not doing anything wrong. All you can do is ask your builders to be as considerate as possible. We took wine and chocolates around to our neighbours at the end to say thank you for their tolerance.

Bartlet · 19/02/2020 07:27

All these agressive fuck them posters won’t need to deal with the unpleasantness of living next to people who hate them (although having seen some of their selfish attitude they may well he loathed by their own neighbours).

Speak up your neighbours, communicate your plans, ask them if they have any holidays planned and try to book any really noisy activities then. And importantly implement a no radio site rule. If there’s anything worse then hearing unavoidable construction noise then it’s avoidable radios blaring.

WhereShallWeMoveTo · 19/02/2020 07:29

Be a bit more understanding of the impact it will have on her neighbours? A bit of understanding and empathy goes a long way in situations like this.

Totally agree. Where has the OP demostrated that she has no understanding or empathy? And even if she has loads, what can she do about it when the noise is an unavoidable part of getting the job done, other than apologise for the inconvenience, which I am sure she will have done already and in advance? (she said she ran her plans by the neighbours first.)

The attitude of "we have no choice over it so you'll just have to suck it up" is unlikely to do anyone any favours.

So what is her choice? Should that house have sat there unsold and unrenovated forever, for fear of taking on work that might annoy the neighbours? Would a scruffy and eventually derelict house next door please the neighbours any better in the long run? Hmm

Should we all avoid having extensions just in case it annoys someone else?

Goatinthegarden · 19/02/2020 07:31

@WhereShallWeMoveTo
Which is completely fine and why I was silently irritated and didn’t utter a single word of complaint to her.

coconuttelegraph · 19/02/2020 07:34

I'm surprised at how unsympathetic most are to the neighbours POV.

Take the WFH out of it, if you were at home with say young children would you want the noise and disruption of building work for the next 10 months? What about using your garden in the summer, maybe having work vehicles parked all around.?

I don't know what the answer is for you OP but if I was the neighbour I would not take well to the patrons gift of ear plugs or headphones. They'd be going straight in the bin.

What kind of work do they do? If clients are coming to the house it could mean they lose business.

I think you may be in for a difficult time

Sarcelle · 19/02/2020 07:35

Although the noise is going to be annoying what are you going to do, abandon the renovations?

I would give them a rough times scale, stick within council timescales on start and finish times.

I WFH sometimes - at one point I had near to me a huge office block being built - 2 years, lots of drilling. When I went into the office a huge office block was being built nearby, more noise. So, the reality is, they could go to an office and face the same noise. It is just life. The world does not revolve around them or their 2 year old.

Apologise for the noise, say you will stick to council guidelines, and obviously you want the build finished as soon as you can. Do not buy them headphones etc. Buy them something at the end.

WhereShallWeMoveTo · 19/02/2020 07:37

That makes you a nice, undertanding neighbour Goat Smile

You've been annoyed and inconvenienced but you accept that it's not really within her control to for things to be otherise. So much better for your stress levels and for neighbourly relations in the long run, to take that philosophy instead of going off at the deep end over something that can't really be helped.

adaline · 19/02/2020 07:39

There's just an attitude of "well, there's nothing I can do about it so suck it up" which is going to put people's backs up.

Letting neighbours know the schedule so that they're aware of any delays would help. Maybe seeing if they can schedule the noisiest work for certain days where the neighbours can be elsewhere, for example. There's plenty that can be done.

A whole year of loud building noise would drive most people mad. Most people can't afford to rent out office space for that period of time at short notice just because their neighbours are doing building work and libraries aren't an option if they have to make conference calls. Likewise coffee shops might be okay for a couple of days but you'd spend a fortune in there if you were sat there eight hours a day, five days a week for a year.