to have expected a warning from neighbour?

[wednesdaynovember2020]

We live in a terrace house, our neighbours have seemingly embarked on a complete refurb of their entire house

They didn't feel the need to warn us that we would be living next door to 6 weeks (and counting) of constant hammering and drilling. No signs of stopping any time soon, each time we think they might have finished another pile of junk appears outside and the banging starts again.

AIBU to have expected a quick knock to let us know, even just a note through the door?

I know these threads have been done to death but I'm just venting - I need something to take my mind off the constant banging!!

Its just so rude not to consult your neighbours first. What if you were living next door to a terminally ill person or something. At least take a bottle of wine round.

I'm dreading this happening next door to us.

The family in there have been in for 40 odd years (we've been in 35) and haven't done ANYTHING to it - and I mean anything- not even a coat of paint.

One day they'll move/die and it will be sold on and as t is little more than a wreck to start off with, whoever buys it will have to do loads of stuff.

I'm honestlyafrain that any damage that is happening to their place now could be affecting our home (it'll certainly affect the sale price if we want to move.)

They are very good neighbours in that they don't make a noise or cause any trouble - but the place is a total muck hole.

I did go round after the late/early instances and thankfully they paid attention, didn't realise i could ask them to clean to windows etc, figured it was tough, had to just deal with it.
My bug bear was just not being given a heads up, i get people renovate, fine, just tell me when your planning to work on the party wall/create a load of dust and i could have gone to the office.
I am a little worried about any damage to our diving walls as it's a 1940's house but i guess there is no way i can check that!
We had external work done and sent all nearby houses a note to apologies in advance for noise/dust and gave them work times plus start and end date for the work, i just think that's polite

@uhohbrusselsprouts

What would it have changed for you though, if they had given you notice? Would you have moved out for the duration of their refurb?

No, but having been in this situation it would make all the difference to feel that neighbours realised the inconvenience they were causing and grateful to you for putting up with it. A bottle of wine or some chocolates after a particularly noisy week would have made all the difference in my head.

@wednesdaynovember2020
SIX WEEKS!!!!????
Is that ALL?

I have suffered years of it, first one side, then the other.
It intolerable.
All weekend, too, starting at 8am
I’d NEVER EVER live in a terrace again.
One thinks “ What the hell are they doing NOW???

YANBU i even warned my elderly next door neighbour when we had laminate flooring put down as that staple gun thing is well loud.

We have such thin walls, she would have heard it.

Bottles of wine?
Chocolates???
Bloody hell, OP what world do you live in.
You seem very fussy.

One just has to endure it.

[quote oakleaffy]@wednesdaynovember2020
SIX WEEKS!!!!????
Is that ALL?

I have suffered years of it, first one side, then the other.
It intolerable.
All weekend, too, starting at 8am
I’d NEVER EVER live in a terrace again.
One thinks “ What the hell are they doing NOW???[/quote]
We are now into year 4 and counting. At the current progress rate I confidently expect 10 more years.

I did 15 weeks par time renovations to my small house, only day time, my neighbour did complain.
I explained she accepted it, I did pre warn her

Wow I think I'm too considerate I always tell my neighbour I'm joined to if I'm going to be doing any loud DIY. She works night shifts and ide hate to disturb her sleep.

@Iwantacookie

Wow I think I'm too considerate I always tell my neighbour I'm joined to if I'm going to be doing any loud DIY. She works night shifts and ide hate to disturb her sleep.

But do you bring her wine and / or chocs for her trouble?

@uhohbrusselsprouts

What would it have changed for you though, if they had given you notice? Would you have moved out for the duration of their refurb?

They could have given you the heads up but like this poster said what would it change ?

It would have been polite of them, yes, but you could have gone and asked them how long do they think it will take before now, too. I know I'd have said "Gosh, that's taking a long time isn't it, poor you... D'you reckon they'll be finished before lockdown/Christmas/whenever?" in passing to one of my neighbours, before I'd think of posting it on here.

Yanbu

A) whether it changes things or not it’s just the polite/not selfish thing to do
B) you could arrange to be out some of the time (or move your car if they block you in like my selfish neighbours do)

The first I knew of my neighbours loft extension was the scaffolding being put up.
Party wall agreement? Planning permission? They just looked blank and the builders looked amazed and embarrassed...
I wish I could find a house on top of its own hill a la peppa pig...

YANBU
MY next door neighbour hadn’t even introduced himself after buying the house and he stripped it back to walls and made major alterations - I hat a 7 week old baby. It went on like that for 8 months and made getting him to nap impossible as he’d wake in terrible fear 5 mins after going down.

Well we won’t be telling him when we do it. Yes I’m petty.

I can't understand why people are mentioning the party wall. It's irrelevant unless they are taking some of it down, eg a chimney breast. They are perfectly entitled to replaster, decorate, and drill holes in a party wall without having to invoke the PWA FGS.

@Corneliusmurphy

The first I knew of my neighbours loft extension was the scaffolding being put up. Party wall agreement? Planning permission? They just looked blank and the builders looked amazed and embarrassed... I wish I could find a house on top of its own hill a la peppa pig...

Neither planning permission or Party Wall agreement is needed for a standard loft conversion. That perhaps was why they looked funny at you.

It would be polite, not required unless it somehow affects your house too.

Also depends if the neighbour is a general dickhead or not. Mine LOVES to play his shitty metal music with bass as loud as possible, I'm dreaming of the day I get to loudly renovate and annoy the fuck out of him for days on end with 0 warning. Petty I know...

Try 3 years of constant noise, disruption, 0ur house shaking and the resulting cracks, wrangling for compensation. Not being able to do stuff to our house until the major building works next door are done.....party wall surveyors, lawyers etc. It is exhausting - not sure I will be inviting them in for a cuppa when they do move in......

I wish, never got 1 from my next door neighbour.

They're in the wrong and you're in the right. I often work from home, suffer with migraines once a month and have young children who like to go toned early, I'd be so angry if this happened to me, rude and inconsiderate of them not to give you a heads up. If my neighbours did this and warned me I'd work from the office the whole time and go to a friends if I was having a bad head day and insist they finish by 7pm so kids can go to sleep, one of mine is autistic so they need their bedtime routine to stay the same. I'd say something if I were you x

We had this on and off for a year, including them toppling a chimney into our garden which narrowly missed my son and would have certainly killed him if he hadn’t just got up. Also an extension which looks directly down into our kitchen via our skylights. I hate them and don’t speak to them not that they’ve moved in.

I too fantasise about owning a detached house (can’t afford one, sadly).