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

[Kerberos]

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.

@Hopoindown31

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

Yes, very authoritarian to quote the law

Quoting the law (as in, putting the facts out there) is very different to agreeing with it, y'know.

On what planet is 8:30 late?! Especially on a non working day. MN never fails to make me laugh
My kids are playing and I'm sat in bed on here. I've never got up with them at stupid o'clock in the morning thank god!

It’s hardly authoritarian to expect everyone to abide by the law and show consideration. I have to.

@vanillandhoney acting like guidelines are absolute laws is authoritarian.

There is no law that says when construction work can be carried out. Local councils do have powers to take action against nuisance noise if informal discussions don't lead to a satisfactory outcome, but that enforcement is far from trivial and if a contractor has a reasonable reason for working on a Sunday then they will struggle to enforce it. Of course contractors should be considerate and should be informing residents beforehand if work outside normal times, but these things are good practice, not legal requirements.

[quote Hopoindown31]@vanillandhoney acting like guidelines are absolute laws is authoritarian.

There is no law that says when construction work can be carried out. Local councils do have powers to take action against nuisance noise if informal discussions don't lead to a satisfactory outcome, but that enforcement is far from trivial and if a contractor has a reasonable reason for working on a Sunday then they will struggle to enforce it. Of course contractors should be considerate and should be informing residents beforehand if work outside normal times, but these things are good practice, not legal requirements.[/quote]
But by-laws are just that. Laws. They're not guidelines.

From the government website:

Byelaws are local laws made by a local council under an enabling power contained in a public general act or a local act requiring something to be done – or not done – in a specified area. They are accompanied by some sanction or penalty for their non-observance.

If validly made, byelaws have the force of law within the areas to which they apply. Generally byelaws are overseen by the relevant government department or confirming authority who has policy responsibility for the subject matter.

The council can fine and prosecute people for breaking by laws. Whether they will or not is a different matter and I agree that generally they won't bother. But that doesn't mean the law isn't being broken in the first place, which is what people are discussing.

Whether noise is considered "reasonable" or not is down to the discretion of the council officer. Arguing that people need to work on Sundays because the weather is nice then doesn't make the noise any more reasonable.

Link here:

www.gov.uk/guidance/local-government-legislation-byelaws

Of course by laws are laws . They are not vague preferences that someone once dreamed up and wrote down on a scrap of paper to be used as guidance only and ignored if you don’t fancy it.

@WizWoz I get up at 9.30, currently on mat leave. I have a 7 month old and a 2.9 year old. The 7 month old still thinks get up is 8.30 though, so we b feed in bed and then he sits on bed and plays til it's time. I Will condition him. 😂

If you happen to live near a motorway they're rebuilding at night @arealactualkaren then yes! Or near a railway line where they're cutting trees down at night.

Cutting masonry on a Sunday morning is not ok.

I had this back during the nice lockdown weather (so bedroom windows open). Next door neighbours were having a massive extension and had moved out, so their builders clearly assumed it didn't matter if they started hammering and scraping at 6am on a bank holiday weekend!

I'm afraid I did have a robust word, and also with the "boss" when he turned up later. Said it really wasn't on (in my best British manner). He mumbled something about being behind on the schedule (not my problem) and it wasn't for much longer (not the point) but to be fair, they didn't do it again. He's quite well-known as a builder locally, so maybe he didn't want his reputation wrecked.

There has been a relaxation of the guidelines for construction to allow for social distancing on sites.

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-construction-update-qa#will-extensions-to-construction-working-hours-into-late-evening-or-at-weekends-be-allowed

However Sundays are still excluded. Phone the noise officer at your Council.

We have had (in many parts of the country) heavy rain for part of the last two weeks. We are about to put the clocks back (a practice that is no longer defensible at least in England but cannot be changed at short notice).

Much as it is not nice, I think they would have a reasonable argument to decline any request. I cannot imagine any complaint to the Council would be acted upon.

I'd have put ear plugs in and gone back to sleep, chances are it wouldn't wake me though.
My days of early mornings have gone Sunday is usually about 10am.

Not sure Sunday lie ins are as relevant as they used to be - lots of people do flexible working and shifts these days, so you could argue that some people might like their lie in during the week if they work weekends, but as the saying goes, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. It is what it is.

We had this with our (lovely, and who we get on with really well) neighbours a couple of years ago. We got to know the builders well, and they used our paths and gardens to access the property a fair bit, which was fine; but August Bank holiday Sunday and Monday sent me over the edge and I lost the plot completely. Neighbours were away of course but I'm afraid I let rip. It is really inconsiderate if nothing else.

My sympathies - I not start noisy diy, mowing etc at a weekend until 10 or 11 and not before 9 in the week.

However we all expect, virus apart, to go shopping, drinking/eating, have car sorted etc at all hours and at the weekend - is this any different?

We’re all guilty of this to some extent.

I think if it's a one off, let it go. However, as it's been going on for months, I completely understand your frustration. You're well within your rights to say something. We've had a similar situation with new people across the road but it's died down a bit recently.