To have told the builders to go away?

[highroadtothedangerzone]

The house next has had major building work going on for over a year. So all the way through lockdown with a very short break of maybe two months in spring last year.
It's annoying but I accept it as part of everyday life.
But, the local laws state that building work is only allowed between 8am-6pm, Monday to Saturday. Not on Sunday's, not on Bank Holidays.
They've had a really annoying habit of starting at maybe 7.45 fairly regularly. Skips get delivered very early. Or they start to gather outside the house chatting from about 7.15.
They turned up on one of the bank holidays last year and started banging at about 7.40am. I told them they had to go home (they did)
There have been quite a few occasions where I've told them to stop whatever they are doing as it's not 8am yet.
DH forgot it was BH today, so when the builder told him he was coming to do some work today he said ok. I wasn't happy, so he messaged him to say please don't start before 10am. 7.30, chatting outside and emptying lots of glass bottles into the recycling bin. 8.30, sanding or something that we could here in all our bedrooms
We told them to stop. They got arsey, denied they'd been noisy early. But they have stopped. For now. We messaged the owner who was pretty unhelpful and said they wouldn't do anything noisy till after 10am. But they shouldn't bloody he here at all!!!!
I'm just so sick of it. DH is much more laid back than he and thinks if we just let them get on with it the end they'll finish more quickly. But I just want them to follow the bloody rules. I work bloody hard. I just don't want to be woken up all the time by sodding building work?
AIBU? Or just slightly unhinged and making a fuss out of nothing? MN jury, give it to me straight.

(Excuse the copious use of the words sodding and bloody...)

Neither of you are wrong, personally I’d want them there from th crack of dawn till it was dusk and every day so it gets finished quicker.

Or just slightly unhinged and making a fuss out of nothing?

This gets my vote. But doubtless there will plenty of other posters who think you’re the definition of reasonableness.

Telling them to ‘go home’ is a bit - actually, REALLY odd.
Telling them to keep the noise down if they arrive early is fine.
Asking them to start work no earlier than 8am is fine.

@Bluntness100

Neither of you are wrong, personally I’d want them there from th crack of dawn till it was dusk and every day so it gets finished quicker.

Agreed.

@Bluntness100 they usually finish at around 4ish. Why can't they push their day back by an hour? Some things, like deliveries, can't be helped. But their normal daily routine can easily be adapted so they stay within the time frames.

You are correct, 8-6 Monday to Friday. 8-1 Saturday. No work on a Sunday or bank holiday.

It must be awful to live with. But when you’re tired anyway, is them started at 7:45am rather than 8am going to make much difference? And if you’re getting very wound up by them not sticking religiously to the rules, then you won’t be relaxing at all.

I’d be inclined to just let them crack on as the more they work, the sooner it’ll be over. And I know it’s trotted out a lot and is a bit banal, but noise cancelling headphones really do make a difference.

@OutOfLine I probably said they needed to leave rather than go home. But that was because it was a bank holiday when they aren't allowed to be there at all...

Yabu

A year? They’ve been doing this for a sodding year? I think your neighbour is unhinged to allow this to continue. How is this part of “every day life”?!

@DishingOutDone it was a big job. But it needed doing. I just want them to stick to the rules that have clearly been made to reduce the impact of work such as this on neighbours like me

@DishingOutDone

A year? They’ve been doing this for a sodding year? I think your neighbour is unhinged to allow this to continue. How is this part of “every day life”?!

My house renovation took a year. They arrived at 7am and would be done by 4-5ish. Every single day. They worked like trains. It just took a really long time.

18 months of the same here. 7 days a week, 7.45-5pm. I didn’t even feel comfortable in my own garden as they tore down all the boundary trees a year ago and spent the majority of last summer working on the roof.
I am beyond fed up. So IMO YANBU.

I’ve been through this - no consideration for the rules, always expecting us to cave in. I am a reasonable person, but insisted that the builders stuck to the agreement. Tell them to get lost and enjoy the brief respite!

I get up at 6am for work nowadays and leave the house at 7am. During lockdown I would wake up naturally at 8-8.30am only because I was lazing around and staying up late.
What time do you get up OP?
It’s a given that work starts at 8am for builders. Just tell them that again if they are ignoring you.

What are they doing that takes a whole
Bloody year? That would drive me insane. I think it’s really selfish of the owners to think it’s ok to let them work on when they shouldn’t be there. These are the reasons that small jobs seeking planning permission get objected to - the few ruining it for the masses.

YANBU the rules are there for a reason. Especially after so long!!

I am gobsmacked that simply telling them to leave worked.

When I had extensive building work done, the permitted hours of work (provided by Building Control) were different to the standard local hours.

My builders needed to work a few Sundays; it was very easy to get authorisation from Building Control.

If you believe the builders are not adhering to their permitted hours, you have the choice to report to Building Control. They will tell you if they think the builders are being unreasonable (and will visit the site to issue a warning notice).

YANBU. I can't believe you've tolerated this for over a year!

I do a lot of work with various trades and they all seem to love getting up at 5 a.m. to beat the traffic, stating work ridiculously early and then fecking off at 4 p.m. - but if your local laws specify dates and times for working then they should stick to those. Too late for today but tell them you don't expect to see them again until Tuesday.

As an outsider looking in, I say YABU but I can imagine living with it for a year has been hell so I can completely understand how fed up you are. I’d want it done as soon as possible though.

As said, neither approach is wrong. Wanting them to comply and only work set hours, or wanting them to crack on and just get it done.

I think thought when you start arguing they have started work fifteen mins too early you’re likely going too far, but each to their own,

YANBU, one day a week and the occasional bank holiday and starting at a reasonable time isn't much to ask when you are putting up with the noise for a year!

I’d be inclined to just let them crack on as the more they work, the sooner it’ll be over. And I know it’s trotted out a lot and is a bit banal, but noise cancelling headphones really do make a difference.

If they are anything like the people over the road from us, they will start on the next noisy job straight away. First it was an extension on the front, now they are doing the back. So glad we live on a wide road!

I get it OP. The point is builders should not be working on a Bank Holiday and especially not Good Friday. I pointed this out to my neighbour this morning and although I am not going to fall out with him it is cheeky.

We had it both sides this morning and I think it is cheeky/rude. A normal week Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm fine. Although one neighbour seriously pissed us all off having a noisy grab lorry start at 6am one morning and the Dad of a new born was out venting at the driver pretty pronto!