No Swimming Pool After 8pm - AIBU?

[Varala]

We had a swimming pool built (outdoor) last spring which has been great fun for DD and DH (I’m not much of a swimmer), especially during lockdown.

We do have a large garden, but it is bordered by three other nearby houses. Two just by the garden, but one of the houses is up against one of the far walls of the garden, by the pool.

Earlier today, a note was found shoved under DH’s windscreen wiper (not sure what’s wrong with the letter box, but hey ho). It is signed “your neighbours” and requests that we not use the pool after 8pm as they are being disturbed by shouting and splashing.

Very rarely is the pool in use that late in the evening anyway, but on the rare occasion it is, there is certainly not any shouting (though a bit of splashing can’t be helped). Are the neighbours just jealous that we have a pool? I’m fuming and ready to go round each of the neighbours individually to discuss, but DH has told me to drop it and they’ll let it go. AIBU to think it’s nobody else’s business what we do with our pool?

I bought a house with an outdoor swimming pool, and had it demolished, so no envy here. I'd say it was fine if my neighbours had one and were splashing around in it, so long as everything was quiet by 10PM (though my children are 16 plus, so I might think differently if they were small).

It doesn’t seem that many people on here have actually experienced true nightmare neighbours ‘Ooh my neighbours are too noisy in their pool’ 🤯😂

@DeathOrGlory

In the real world, no one is happy to hear noisy kids at 5 am

I can't find the post where anyone said they would be happy with this?

You, by pretending that "kids noise" is perfectly acceptable and to be expected.

Read how many families have children who get up early, they might as well let them play in the garden then?

Be consistent, either kids noise is fine or it isn't.

In the real world, if you want to make noise, you don't move to a busy area. If you chose to have neighbours, it's on you to keep it down I am afraid. Some like to be up early, some like to stay up late, if everyone is considerate it doesn't matter.

I do see their point if you really are being “noisy”. You can use the pool but use it to SWIM in rather than mess around jumping about shouting. I don’t make much noise when doing breaststroke lengths in a swimming pool. If you swim properly it’s very quiet in fact so do that instead

Sounds like jealously

But shouting would do my head in, not splashing though

You, by pretending that "kids noise" is perfectly acceptable and to be expected

Eh? I never said 5am though. There's a big difference between 8pm and 5am. One that's generally agreed upon by society, to the point that it's covered by the law, which restricts noise levels between 11pm and 7am.

Just a bizarre extrapolation to think that saying kids noise in a built-up area is fine at 8pm is the same as saying it's fine at 5am. Surprised so many people agreed with such an illogical leap.

Why did you build it so close to their house?

Are the neighbours just jealous that we have a pool?

I can't imagine how anyone on MN could know if that's the case or not.

@SantaClaritaDiet yes, actually, really !

5am is clearly no go, as is anything after 11pm. That is just basic manners. If my children were making any kind of noise then I would be horrified and they would be in the doghouse.
However.... I've been immensely lucky to live next to live and let live types, and they me. I'm never going to be bringing my kids in at 8pm because a neighbour thinks that is the done thing. A neighbour who is a paramedic on earlies who needs to sleep? Absolutely fine. No issues.

What is the problem.with normal, human, respectful conversations?? That's how things get sorted. You may think your 730am weekend starts are brilliant and totally reasonable. We dont wake up till 1030. That's life!

Feralkidsatthecampsite

“Noise laws aren't 8pm. Ignore them.
Dc are under enough bloody restrictions as it is!!”

In normal circumstances, I’d probably be amongst the complainers. I appreciate tranquility in the evenings and am very aware of our family causing possible nuisance to neighbours. I’m generally if the persuasion that if you want to make a racket, move to a field.

But ..... our 17 year old has been fantastic through this whole, horrible situation. Hasn’t seen another soul of his age since March: he travels a long way to college and since restrictions began to ease he still hasn’t had the practical opportunity and now, in the North West, he couldn’t anyway.

We can’t go on our hoped for holiday so I bought him a large, above ground pool. He generally doesn’t use it in the evenings anyway, tbf, but if he did and our frightened, elderly neighbours who have been shielding (the husband puffing away on his fags on the patio all the while 🙄) complained, I would cheerfully tell them precisely where to go because he’s done what he’s doing - without complaint - for the benefit of people like them.

The pool is neither here nor there - theyre telling you that you cant use your back garden after 8pm.
Ridiculous!
I believe that noise rules come into play from 11pm to 7am. Outside of those hours, enjoy your pool. Really nasty neighbours.

@lookatallthosechickens

They're just jealous, if I had a pool in today's weather I'd be in it until 11 pm then I'd pop in long enough to grab my pillow and go back out to sleep on a lilo.

God me too!! It sounds wonderful. Ignore them OP. They are jealous they have no pool to lounge in.

So jealous OP. Sigh.

I think that child screamy pool noises would be a bit annoying every evening, especially as your pool is so close to their house. However 8pm is unreasonably early to ask you to stop, I think 9 would be better. Plus or won’t be every evening will it, so if I were your neighbour, on balance I’d be fine with it.

I do think your immediate assumption that they must be jealous is really unpleasant though, and makes me wonder if there is more to this.

I think it was crappy to build the pool near someone else's house. You should have built it nearer your house and splashed your own property. Our neighbours have their massive paddling pool right next to our fence and when their irritating kids splash in it all day it soaks our garden. I'm not jealous of their pool I just don't like them soaking me

Like a PP said, noise laws don’t mean much when it is a nuisance (eg music playing loud all day disturbing people isn’t ok regardless of the time, I know my council will take action)

8pm is slightly early, but what circumstances are your neighbours in? Is someone ill ? Do they have young children? There’s no harm in trying to find away for everyone to feel happy.

I won’t lie I grit my teeth when I’m putting my child to bed at night after 9 and the neighbours kids are up screaming in the garden and rattling a basketball into a net. It’s just unnecessary. It’s worse so as my child has hyper sensitive hearing. Thankfully the basketballs novelty wore thin fast We had issues with music. We spoke to them, they were mortified and apologetic.

I would say get to know your neighbours, speak to them if possible.

Ok, Your neighbours might just be knobs. They might however have a reason, and maybe there’s a compromise.

I don't think 8 is too early. After 7, we rarely hear children in the garden where we live.
It's fine as occasional happening, but if it's regular occurring, I can see why neighbours are annoyed, if they were disturbed chilled evenings often during the week.

It would have been better if they had come round and discussed this with you and said what the problems were and ought a compromise.
I don't think 8pm is too late in the summer holidays, but if children have been splashing and shrieking all day long it could be wearing for the neighbours and they would like a couple of hours quiet to relax.
It's a rare child who can play in a pool without splashing and shouting etc.
That said, I wish people would appreciate that with the current pandemic situation, we all need to be a bit more tolerant than we normally would. There are reduced opportunities for kids to go out for the day and of course a lot of people are holidaying at home as they have no other option. So this all means that there is going to be more noise in gardens than normal and annoying as it is, we all need to understand that things are difficult for everyone. More people working from home is also exacerbating things as many people are normally in the office during the summer holidays and therefore not listening to the neighbours' kids playing outside all day.
I live in another country and although there are no children living in the immediate vicinity, various neighbours' grandchildren are here much more often and for longer periods of time than in normal summers (ie. for a week at a time). And yes, they can be very noisy and it is annoying and the noise often goes on until 8 or 9pm when they've been outside since 7am! I'm wfh and it does get on my nerves a bit but I understand that these are exceptional circumstances. I'd rather the children were outside making a noise than suffering from being cooped up and similarly their parents suffering having to deal with it.

8 is still very early. I’m out on my patio at just 10 past 9 it’s still daylight and it’s the school holidays.
We won’t have too many more nice days and it’s getting darker earlier each week so in a few more weeks it won’t a an issue.
If you had huge floodlights and were carrying on till midnight on week nights then they would have a point.
They are being vvvvv unreasonable.

Personally I would have 8.30 9.00pm as a cut off for fun pool time sessions

Only if the neighbours agree that that time is a general curfew for all outside entertainments, eg drinking and chatting after a barbecue.

Whathewhatnow

well, that's the thing. We don't need to have conversation about anti-social and unreasonable behaviour - people around here are naturally polite and respectful, so everybody benefits, those who are up early, and those who go to bed early, or simply want some peace.

If you need to have to start a discussion about unreasonable noise, there's a CF in there.

It's not about what YOU think is reasonable, it's about everybody else's.

But @SantaClaritaDiet... not everyone agrees about everything! That's life. I'm not a CF. nor are any of my neighbours. We have all got along really well for ever and a day.

I've skipped about180 posts, i.e from the OP's second post, or thereabouts, where she's again mentioned 'jealousy' as their reason for complaining.

No. Just no. Please do not assume people want, and crave, what you have. People don't. The inflatable hot tub threads are awash with 'jaealuous niehgburs' (complaining about screaming kids, midnight movies at full volume etc) 😉

Don't be as ignorant, or self-important ('what an amazing decision we made, installing a pool!') - to assume their irritation is jealousy.

I think 9pm on a weeknight is fair, 10 on a weekend, unless you're having a get-together pool-party, when 11 and a polite notice through the neighbours' doors is appropriate.

8pm is way too early. At 9pm my neighbours at the side’s little girl was playing in the garden on her bike, laughing etc and the neighbours behind us are still out in their garden having fun. Admittedly it’s quieter than usual years because of restrictions on visitors etc.

9pm weeknights 10pm weekends is entirely reasonable.