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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

pointtothetruth · 19/02/2020 14:55

"We work a normal length day and are even dressed when we do it."

Congratulations, you really are part of the small minority.

SueEllenMishke · 19/02/2020 15:06

It's really not abnormal to work from home. I work from home at least 2 days a week .... more if I can. I'm far more productive. I don't have to prove I'm working to my employer but they'd know pretty quickly of work didn't get done.

Pretty much everyone around the world who does my job will work from home at least part of the week

LolaSmiles · 19/02/2020 15:17

I get that I am being selfish but it’s part of semi detached living is it not. The person the other side of me is a builder and cuts material in his workshop all day and they complain to him as well.
As I suspected given they've complained before major structural work has started, they sound like the types who will live in a residential area but complain about any noise (possibly the types who post on MN in the summer because the neighbors dared to let the children play outside or they had friends to eat in the garden at 7pm as it ruins their 'peaceful enjoyment of their garden').

However, you're in a semi detached house and have chosen to live on site and arrange your renovations to be done room by room before putting an extension on and have chosen a set up that will involve substantial noise every week for a year, presumably because you want to save money and live on site. Not only is it an inefficient way to renovate a whole property, but it will also cost more and piss your neighbors off in the meantime.

Personally, I'd find that irritatating and unreasonable, and I'm very tolerant of DIY, garden landscaping etc.

ravenmum · 19/02/2020 15:24

Ugh, OP, just send @pointtothetruth round to your neighbours and she'll have them and their daughter off to sleep within minutes.

Otterseatpuffinsdontthey · 19/02/2020 15:28

DillyDilly · 19/02/2020 15:30

Give up trying to placate your neighbours. You’re entitled to carry out renovation works on your house, obviously subject to any planning permissions needed. As long as you keep with in recommended start/finishing hours, I wouldn’t really bother engaging with your neighbours about the works.

It sounds like they won’t be happy no matter what you do. The house they live in was probably renovated at different stages over the years either by themselves or previous occupants.

DesLynamsMoustache · 19/02/2020 15:39

Eh? I work from home full time as I'm self employed. My DH works from home because he doesn't need a fixed base. I have friends who work from home because their employers actively promote doing so. In fact I'd say that out of all my friends, the vast majority work from home some of the time. It's not a 'con'. People have to get their work done regardless. If they really do bog all at home then they have to do it some other time anyway, so what would be the point? my husband's work encourage it because they've found people are often more productive at home in a shorter period of time.

Original poster

Confusednewmum1 · 19/02/2020 15:51

Thanks for all the messages.

It’s a crap situation all round but it is what it is. Old Victorian houses need renovation and I enjoy the DIY.

I will send round some wine, flowers and an amazon gift card and explain again the “plan”

If no success then I will be a petty Betty and just complain to them about their constant rubbish burning and dog Walker in van turning up at 6am with a pack of barking dogs in the back.

Wait until the landscapers start my topiary train in the front hedge (we live facing onto a railway) I’m sure it will offend their sense of taste greatly

OP posts:

GeraltOfRivia · 19/02/2020 15:53

My son would live to live next door to a topiary train and railway line

IntermittentParps · 19/02/2020 15:54

It is abnormal to work from home. I've been called many things in the past...

I have a number of friends.......
Do ye, aye.

FlamingoAndJohn, are you a Glaswegian? I used to live there. I miss it.

WiddlinDiddlin · 19/02/2020 15:59

It is what it is...

I work from home, I also am disabled and have horrible health, noise really makes me feel awful..

But the clearing of scrub land behind my house, to build a small estate, has just started - its going to be noisy now for at least a year.

There is nothing I can do about that, I will just have to put up with it and as long as it goes on during normal working hours and not late into the night/early weekend mornings.. I will just have to get on and do my best to ignore it.

Sometimes, life just is annoying, and noisy, and inconvenient and it's tough titties to those affected.

Purpleartichoke · 19/02/2020 16:08

I work from home exclusively and this would drive me crazy. I would probably hate the neighbor forever, but I would recognize there is nothing I can do but try to mitigate the impact within my home myself.

make sure you do not violate any regulations. Make sure you know the exact noise limits and time constraints. Make sure your refuse is always disposed of properly and promptly. Don’t block their access or drive. Don’t access their property without permission. Make 100% sure they have no legal avenue of complaint.

Somanysocks · 19/02/2020 16:12

YABU to keep putting ect. There is no such abbreviation.

Purpleartichoke · 19/02/2020 16:13

I find it funny that people
Think wfh is odd. DH did it for 15 years. I have done it for the last 11 and plan to keep doing it for another 20 until I retire.

We are both highly paid professionals with successful careers.

ProfessorPollington · 19/02/2020 16:43

Well you are doing it in the most annoying way as you are saving money by living in and prolonging the renovations instead of just cracking on. Yes you have a right to renovate but you're choosing to do it in the most irritating manner room by room. So I could imagine they won't like you very much at the end of it.

independentfriend · 19/02/2020 17:44

About the only practical things that might help would be for the neighbours to have additional soundproofing insulation fitted to their side of the party wall, or if you're having work done that will include improving the soundproofing of the party wall, have that done as soon as you can within the schedule.

If all the building work, including replacing a front door is causing so much disturbance, it may be that the sound proofing of the houses just isn't good enough.

Other than that they just have to wait. You could maybe offer to not have building work happen on any special birthdays/family celebrations that are taking place mid week.

bumblingbovine49 · 19/02/2020 18:04

Thing is I worked in an office a couple of years ago where they were doing building work all around out building . It went on for a year. Yes it was noisy and hard to work but there was nothing to be done. It isn't only.people who work from home who have to put up with noise sometimes

MinisterforCheekyFuckery · 19/02/2020 18:11

Yes, OP why can't you just "choose" to have more money so you can renovate the entire house in one go and rent another property to live in while you do it? Very selfish of you

FlamingoAndJohn · 19/02/2020 18:12

FlamingoAndJohn, are you a Glaswegian? I used to live there. I miss it.

Sadly not. I’m about as unScottish as a person can be. But my soul is Scottish I’m sure of it.

Bikerider2020 · 19/02/2020 21:33

If they keep stopping works for calls etc, the whole project is going to just take longer and irritate them more!

I'd just crack on and tell them you're trying to minimise the inconvenience.

morrisseysquif · 20/02/2020 09:27

YANBU but it's really irritating. I'm a Childminder and when our neighbour had works done it was incessant. I asked if they would ask the builders to stop for half an hour at lunch time so I could put the babies to sleep and they refused.

I told the kids after that to make as much noise in the garden as they liked all summer long.

morrisseysquif · 20/02/2020 09:30

I told the kids after that to make as much noise in the garden as they liked all summer long.

morrisseysquif · 20/02/2020 09:31

I told the kids after that to make as much noise in the garden as they liked all summer long.

morrisseysquif · 20/02/2020 09:34

I told the kids after that to make as much noise in the garden as they liked all summer long.

WhatchaMaCalllit · 20/02/2020 10:04

Remind us again @morrisseysquif, what is your job??

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