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.

Christ, you people are mental. Have you any idea what it's like living next to noisy building works for months and months? I've done it, it was over 18 months of 7 days a week, working until 9 pm at times. They ended up driving us out of our home that we had been in for a decade.

There's a reason it's limited to certain days and times - so that the poor people around you get a flipping break from the constant drilling, hammering, table sawing torture.

Now, if it was a short and sweet 4 week deal, I wouldn't mind the 7 days a week personally and would think let's get it over and done with, but it's not just the people nextdoor to you that suffer the noise.
When it's longer than that, you really need to give the neighbours those few precious hours and days of peace. Remember that your horrible extension only benefits you, and more than likely makes their home less attractive and valuable (ours lost more money than I like to think about due to the prison wall that we ended up with rather than a nice little fence).

Oh, and it doesn't matter one bit the OPs dumb dumb husband said it was okay. He doesn't run the councils environmental health department, so it holds about as much weight as me saying you can all go celebrate indoors with all the people you want on Sunday. Have at it, folks! Covid for all!

Ridiculous.

Is there anything the council actually do, when restrictions are breached?

The house next door was empty for a few years due to a very messy divorce. Developers have bought it to do up and sell on. The scaffolders turned up at 7.30 yesterday, my neighbour went out but they ignored her. It will have taken about 2.5 months and is having everything done except a new roof. It is noisy some days and really annoying when DH is in a conference call as WFH but apart from that and the gas board turning up at 8 on a Sunday has been ok. They should abide to the working hours legislation but yes building work is miserable to live next to.

@Shopaholic100 I’ve twice seen the council noise team come and shut a site down for working during unauthorised hours.

One is a very big very prominent development that affects the London skyline.

Working at 19:00 on a Friday evening.
Noise guy arrived in his smart car. Spoke to the foreman. All builders left.

The communication between noise team & planners used to be poor so latter would give permission to work out of hours and former wouldn’t know. It’s been tightened up now so the hours of work are explicit fo everyone.

It’s slowly making a difference to those of us who live here.

@Prisonbreak

Earplug and grin and bear it. My mans a builder and he’s working the bank holiday. The more fuss you make, the longer it will take. It’s a back breaking job and having you on their case won’t help

Just no, especially as it was a religious holiday yesterday

@Prisonbreak

Earplug and grin and bear it. My mans a builder and he’s working the bank holiday. The more fuss you make, the longer it will take. It’s a back breaking job and having you on their case won’t help

He's to work if it's not noisy. If it is, it's against the law.

You aren’t being unreasonable at all. It’s easy for people who aren’t living through it to say you are being precious. We had major building works going on outside our house for over a year. Every single day Monday to Saturday they would start the vehicles up at 7.30ish, finishing after 6pm. No let up. Same on bank holidays even though they weren’t supposed to be working. Then, they installed a really loud 24/7 generator facing our bedroom window. We had this for over 6 weeks including school holidays. They could go home to peace and quiet after their working day and we were stuck with the constant drone. Council eventually sorted it, but it was a long, stressful process. I feel for you

Check their terms with building control, because they may have an agreement to work the hours they do. We had problems with our neighbours because our builders were perceived to be breaking the rules, but they actually weren’t.

@pam290358

Check their terms with building control, because they may have an agreement to work the hours they do. We had problems with our neighbours because our builders were perceived to be breaking the rules, but they actually weren’t.

If they did have some special agreement they wouldn't have gone home when OP told them to in the past. They're just your average rule breaking twat builders.

Spoken like someone that doesn’t live next to a building site . Honestly you sound totally reasonable ! Half of these answers don’t get it ! This is not a standard job it could go on for another 3 years and still not be done probably ! 15 mins extra laying in bed is important if your living with noise all day long .

It's a bank holiday. After a full year of crash, bang, wallop; I don't think you were unreasonable at all?
Can't believe the several "unhinged" comments. Maybe they're your neighbour?! They're certainly people of the same ignorant mindset.

My dsis lives in London, someone is always having something done, 4 lots of work next door, coming home to find scaffolding up and a builder fiddling with your roof. Unlike the one who knocked on the door to say he was blasting the front and repointing and would clear up. He did too, even cleaning cars.

There was a house opposite my dsis where they worked regularly till 9pm, 7 dats a week. Any complaints and they only spoke Polish.

I don't think you are being unreasonable. My other half works in the building/hard landscaping trade and he would agree with you. Especially if the work is going on for that long. They should be abiding by the rules that are put there for this very reason.

YANBU - this is unacceptable - complain and complain and complain some more

Of course Yabu to drag it out longer than necessary. Let them get on with it. I can’t bear people minding other people’s business.

Unfortunately it becomes your business if you live next door with adjoining walls

Fortunately next door haven't disregarded the bank holiday rules

YANBU. It would drive me mad. People have no consideration for others these days. I find it pretty shocking that others think it’s acceptable tbh.

@Lemmeout

Of course Yabu to drag it out longer than necessary. Let them get on with it. I can’t bear people minding other people’s business.

People deserve a break from the constant noise of their neighbours building works, is that really so hard to understand? There are rules put in place in order to make that happen, but there are people out there like you and OPs neighbours that, for some reason, think rules don't apply to them. "Other people's business" my arse.

I had stonework redone on house . Took a full week, VERY noisy. I cretinously warned all the neighbours and baked them crumbles in advance , forgetting the pregnant women next door who was ok until they came in on a Saturday at which point she exploded. I felt terrible and was hugely apologetic but the builders pointed out it wasn’t illegal and they did complete the shift. I would write a brief courteous note to your neighbour just saying as it’s been such a long job and you are done in , PLEASE could they meet you halfway by adhering to the word of the law

YANBU btw.... any normal person would have their inner NIMBY prodded by this

Someone has probably already mentioned this but you need to get on to the noise nuisance people at the council. Not planning. I am going through the same at the moment. Not allowed to start until 7.30am but they are always there at 7 banging and crashing

If it was a couple of weeks or months fine, but as it has been constant for a year then you are not being unreasonable, although it may be best to speak to the owner of the property about it.

YANBU. I had extensive building work done to my place a few years back and I was very particular that my builders didn’t break the rules about working hours because my poor neighbours had to put up with all kinds of inconvenience as it was. The rules are there for a reason. Working on a bank holiday??? They are taking unfair advantage of you and so is your neighbour for allowing it!

[quote highroadtothedangerzone]@BeagleEagle I'm fairly mild compared to some of my vocal neighbours so I'd be see as just one of many "those women".
But equally, is if fair that I get that reputation for just asking them to work within the guidelines? [/quote]
The problem here is, you think you know the law regarding construction and you clearly do not!
Firstly let me just clarify this, construction activities can be undertaken on bank holidays. With regards to weekend working it depends on the regulations within each area. There are strict rules regarding 'noisy works' and that generally pertains to machinery used on site.
So whilst I appreciate your inconvenienced by the builders, you need to wind your neck in. Who the hell do you think you are to dictate their working hours? All sites normally start work at 8am, it has been this way for years.
Secondly you have absolutely no right to tell them to go home, your not paying their wages, one minute your complaining that the works have been going on for ages and the next you want them dancing around to your demands.
You seriously think that they want to work bank holidays? Get a grip.

Noisy work is generally described as ‘noise audible at the site boundary’. It’s not permitted on bank holidays. There are some exceptions - like railway workers.

@Icepinkeskimo

I don't know where the hell you live, but in many parts of England, you cannot do noisy building works on a bank holiday, nor can you do noisy building works at 8 am on a Saturday, it's usually 9 am or even 10 am. Sundays are completely off limits in all parts of England as far as I'm aware.

How about you wind your neck in, luv?