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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

It's Sunday morning and my neighbours builders are cutting masonry blocks in the front garden

68 replies

Kerberos · 18/10/2020 09:10

Would I be unreasonable to go over in my PJs with wild hair and request they STFU? Been going on 30 mins already and woke me up :(

This is on top of months of disruption, vans parked everywhere, mess and lots of noise.

OP posts:
Weebitawks · 18/10/2020 09:42

Yeah even if it's within the rules, I'd think it was pretty fucking rude to do this on a Sunday morning! I wouldn't even now my lawn till 11 am on a Sunday

echt · 18/10/2020 09:44

So what time did they start?

Should be helpful if you said. Hmm

ARealActualKaren · 18/10/2020 09:46

From reading the OP's first post, 30 mins before she posted?

SoupDragon · 18/10/2020 09:46

@echt

So what time did they start?

Should be helpful if you said. Hmm

30 minutes before she posted according to the first post.
namechangefail2020 · 18/10/2020 09:47

I try and keep quiet for my neighbour til 10 on a weekend. Not that I do ahh work like that but eg won't let me kids in the garden and try and get them to be quiet, I wouldn't even Hoover let alone DJ what they're doing. I reckon 9 is too early

vanillandhoney · 18/10/2020 09:49

@Florencex

Night time hours are 11pm - 7am every day of the week. You can’t really complain about noise outside those hours, so yes YABU.
Nope, this isn't always correct. I wish people wouldn't trot this out on every noise thread - all areas are different and what is true for your area is likely not true for others.

Lots of councils have rules about noisy work on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and Bank Holidays. I'm in Cumbria and noisy work is not allowed on Sundays and has to stop by lunchtime on Saturdays too.

OP, I would check your local council website and see if they're allowed to be doing noisy work today.

jambeforecreamofcourse · 18/10/2020 09:50

Yes I would go out and tell them to STFU (and have several times with builders near me). Local bylaws are there for a reason

vanillandhoney · 18/10/2020 09:50

@echt

So what time did they start?

Should be helpful if you said. Hmm

She did say. It's in her OP.

Been going on 30 mins already and woke me up

She posted at 9.10am, so just work backwards...

Kerberos · 18/10/2020 09:51

@echt

So what time did they start?

Should be helpful if you said. Hmm

Woke me up around 830 so I guess around then.

Think it's general irritation with the whole thing that's just ground down my reasonableness to an extent where Sunday morning working makes me cross.

OP posts:
slipperywhensparticus · 18/10/2020 09:53

I would have wandered over and said how much longer is this going to go on? As in the project

Personally I've slept through the removal of my bedroom window which shocked the window fitters the boss tickled my foot (he was my neighbour and I was a teenager) asked me nicely to hop out of bed so they could get on with the job I looked up to find a huge gaping hole and dust everywhere 🤣

Hopoindown31 · 18/10/2020 09:56

Council noise "restrictions" are mostly just guidelines. In the image someone posted it is pretty clear that all they can do is come round for a friendly chat and try and get some agreement to stop. There isn't much else they can do of it is within reasonable hours. Functionally there is no difference between the noise generated by a contractor cutting blocks on a Sunday and a home-owner cutting blocks as part of a DIY project on a Sunday and people would be up in arms if the council banned them from DIY on a Sunday.

Chocdrop14 · 18/10/2020 09:57

We've had been working near us for six weeks. They are slowing down now. But for the first 3 weeks solid they were we're they every day from 9.30 until bedtime.

I just try and see that this year people are trying to get some work in after lockdown.

Try and be reasonable. It's a small inconvenience.

Chocdrop14 · 18/10/2020 09:57

People not been

Hopoindown31 · 18/10/2020 09:57

Also, if you do get the Council on the case and they agree to stop working on a Sunday, it will just drag out the work even more.

Best off just trying to grin and bear it.

Chocdrop14 · 18/10/2020 09:58

They were there. Sorry I never read before I sent.

ARealActualKaren · 18/10/2020 10:00

I feel your pain @Kerberos

My neighbours building works have gone on for months. I've said nothing about the constant noise from 8am till late (removing rendering at 9pm at night was my particular fave), vehicles blocking the drive etc because I like them and the house will look amazing when it's done.

Early morning Sundays though are totally out of order and I'm so surprised they have let it happen tbh!

echt · 18/10/2020 10:03

Thank you, Kerberos.

  1. 30 is horrible but might be permissible where you live, as it is where I am. Unfortunately. I live in Australia , where houses are usually demolished, and since 2011 six properties have been torn down and re-built in my immediate vicinity. Horrendous.. I dread to see a For Sale sign because I know what it means.

Hmm big time to posters who implied I should be checking post times.

vanillandhoney · 18/10/2020 10:03

Functionally there is no difference between the noise generated by a contractor cutting blocks on a Sunday and a home-owner cutting blocks as part of a DIY project on a Sunday and people would be up in arms if the council banned them from DIY on a Sunday.

But it's not a ban on DIY, is it? It's a ban on unreasonable noise one day a week. Noisy work should be done during the week and during sociable hours, not at 8.30am on a Sunday morning. Whether it's being done by a professional or a home DIY-er is irrelevant. The by-laws apply to everyone whether they want them to or not.

Kerberos · 18/10/2020 10:06

@ARealActualKaren

I feel your pain *@Kerberos*

My neighbours building works have gone on for months. I've said nothing about the constant noise from 8am till late (removing rendering at 9pm at night was my particular fave), vehicles blocking the drive etc because I like them and the house will look amazing when it's done.

Early morning Sundays though are totally out of order and I'm so surprised they have let it happen tbh!

Actual neighbours aren't living in the house at the moment so they have no idea of the noise and disruption it's causing! At a guess we're over halfway through. No kitchen installed, still breeze blocks exposed outside etc.

Fortunately I didn't make a tit of myself with a PJ/wild hair rant and venting on MN helped.

OP posts:
Cantdoitallperfectly · 18/10/2020 10:08

I thought building work could only be carried out mon-Friday? Obviously there might be the odd thing during the weekend - our neighbours laid a stone patio a couple of weeks ago but let us know it was happening 10-4 sat Sunday and dropped over a bottle of wine after the job was finished. If it’s every day and also the weekend I would probably have a chat.

mysticpistachio · 18/10/2020 10:08

You can't expect the whole world to stay quiet for you at 830 in the morning. That's actually quite late. And I've only just rolled out of bed.

Hopoindown31 · 18/10/2020 10:08

But it's not a ban on DIY, is it? It's a ban on unreasonable noise one day a week. Noisy work should be done during the week and during sociable hours, not at 8.30am on a Sunday morning. Whether it's being done by a professional or a home DIY-er is irrelevant. The by-laws apply to everyone whether they want them to or not.

Lol, so you work Mon-Fri or Sat, when are you going to do your DIY? Evenings and Sunday. Some work needs to be done in daylight. Ergo...

Like I said it is usually guidance not restrictions for Sunday working and generation of noise. The council can only request that the work is not carried out on a Sunday during reasonable hours, they can't enforce it.

Chocdrop14 · 18/10/2020 10:12

Not everyone is on your schedule. The weather also affects laying patios and driveways for example. If Sundays a dry day perhaps that's why they need to crack on today.

As I said above people are trying to warn money after being locked down for a chunk of summer. Let people just get on. It's one Sunday. I have kids. I'm up at 7am so it wouldn't affect me. They can't please everyone.

Hopoindown31 · 18/10/2020 10:13

Topics like this really draw out the authoritarians on MN...

vanillandhoney · 18/10/2020 10:14

Lol, so you work Mon-Fri or Sat, when are you going to do your DIY? Evenings and Sunday. Some work needs to be done in daylight. Ergo...

Right, but the law doesn't care about your working hours.

I mean, you're right that most councils aren't going to much about the occasional bit of noise on a Sunday, but that doesn't mean people aren't entitled to put in a complaint if you're doing it all the time.

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