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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not allow the plasterer to play his radio?

417 replies

Shedbuilder · 13/07/2021 10:22

I have a plasterer booked for four days of fiddly work all over the house, repairing the mess left by the so-called specialist fitters we paid a small fortune to install triple glazing —but I'm not going there!

We both work from home and around us we have other households with people working from home and noise-sensitive older people. It's a hot day and our windows are open because it's hot and to keep the air moving just in case of Covid. So when he arrived yesterday with his giant radio we nipped the problem in the bud early on and said sorry, both working from home, both need to be able to think and make calls without background noise — no radio. Which he glumly accepted. Today he's had a brief conversation with us about how tedious his work is without music in the background, so we suggested he use his phone and some earbuds. But no, he doesn't want to run out of data and he doesn't have earbuds.

We've ordered some cheap earbuds and we'll see if we can rig up some kind of free wifi connection for him tomorrow, but he's really huffy and I'm wondering whether we'll see him again tomorrow. He's a good plasterer and we've waited two months to get him. Are we being unreasonable?

Yes = we are unreasonable
No = we're no unreasonable

OP posts:
BeetyAxe · 13/07/2021 10:24

Surely he could have had it on low? It’s only for a few hours of the day for a few days, hardly a big deal.

Disfordarkchocolate · 13/07/2021 10:25

Is there a reason he can't use your WiFi for a few days?

Doggitydog · 13/07/2021 10:25

Working from home I assume you have wifi? Surely he can use that and earbuds? I agree that it’s a tedious job but he has to work around you.

ChrissyPlummer · 13/07/2021 10:26

Wow! I mean it’s your house and that but I find it really difficult to work in complete silence. I always need background noise. I imagine it’s boring as hell for him. I’ve never known anyone in the building trade to not bring their own radio/music unless it was a quick ten minute job.

notanotherguitar · 13/07/2021 10:26

DP is a plasterer. He would have no qualms about this and would happily use earphones, he takes a pair to work everyday so I assume he must use them often. YANBU

Elune · 13/07/2021 10:26

He didn't need to have it blasting out surely? Just a low-level hum of radio wouldn't be that disruptive to everyone else if he kept it at a normal/low volume? Do you have doors that shut?

3Britnee · 13/07/2021 10:27

@BeetyAxe

Surely he could have had it on low? It’s only for a few hours of the day for a few days, hardly a big deal.
Exactly.

You sound like a barrel of laughs op.

MaMelon · 13/07/2021 10:28

Why can’t he use your WiFi?

Otherwise he would have to have it on very low for this to work for me, and I’d agree times when it would need to be off if I was on a call for example.

PegasusReturns · 13/07/2021 10:28

Why can’t he just hook up to your wifi and have it on low??

livingwithbees · 13/07/2021 10:29

Most of my friends/family work in a trade and I don’t think any of them use a radio inside unless the house is empty, they all use headphones. DH has noise cancelling headphones and an audible subscription which he swears he wouldn’t be able to work without Grin

twinkletwankle · 13/07/2021 10:29

What is your wifi set up that you would have to go to the trouble of rigging something up for him? Confused

I do think YABABU

Witchesbelazy · 13/07/2021 10:29

YABU

walkoflifewoohoo · 13/07/2021 10:29

You won't let him use your WiFi?

Purple21 · 13/07/2021 10:29

Give him your wifi for his phone but tbh just tell him to have it at a certain volume.
It will be so boring for him without some background noise honestly

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 13/07/2021 10:29

His 'giant' radio?! Surely asking him to be sure to keep the volume reasonably low would have been a much more proportionate to 'nip it in the bud'...

Lazypuppy · 13/07/2021 10:30

YABU

Kanaloa · 13/07/2021 10:30

Well you are working and loud music isn’t conducive to that. It is a bit rubbish for him, but in my job I’m not allowed to listen to music although I’d like to. I’m sure if he needed music he can organise some earphones for himself.

He is a tradesman, he isn’t a mate doing you a massive favour by doing your plastering.

StMarysKettle · 13/07/2021 10:31

Really it wouldn't kill you to let him have his radio on quietly. Using other households is a ridiculous excuse - do you avoid putting your telly on so as not to annoy your neighbours?

dreamingbohemian · 13/07/2021 10:31

Plenty of people have tedious boring jobs and have to make do without music. YANBU as long as you let him use your WiFi, buying him ear buds is a good idea as well.

strawberrydonuts · 13/07/2021 10:31

You are paying him to do the work. Obviously he needs to respect your need for peace and quiet in your house.

I once worked in an office where someone wanted the radio on all the time. It was OK for them as they had a straightforward job they didn't have to think much about, but my job required intense concentration. Luckily the manager quickly quashed it.

I think it's a very entitled attitude to assume you can bring your music into someone else's home or a shared workspace (which is what your house currently is).

He is acting like a child and it's really not your problem if he finds his job boring. I would suggest that he uses (his own!) headphones, or otherwise get another plasterer who has a more mature attitude to their work.

TwoLeftElbows · 13/07/2021 10:32

I've voted YABU, we got through a lot of loud carpentry recently with DH and DC (self isolating from school) using headsets and noise cancelling earphones. YABU by not meeting him halfway, by using some tech yourselves and/or giving him the WiFi password.

RampantIvy · 13/07/2021 10:32
  1. Let him use your Wi-Fi
  2. Allow him to have the radio on low

When I am decorating having the radio on really does help with the tedium.

Do you have very thin walls or doors that don't shut?

And where is it hot today? It's blooming miserable here.

HeavenHotel · 13/07/2021 10:32

I can't get passed the you bought him earphones mumsnet is nuts!!

It's your home, you're paying jinn. Enough said!!

JeepersCreeping · 13/07/2021 10:33

i'm not permitted to listen to music during work hours, it would intefere with client work.

he needs to suck it up a bit. use earbuds, etc.

i'm wondering why you don't just give him temp wifi access though - are you limited on data/speed? (our connection really can't handle 2 people working from home, so someone steaming music would kill an already crap system, no ability to upgrade, so i'm assuming similar shite from openreach is in place at your house)

Original poster
Shedbuilder · 13/07/2021 10:33

@BeetyAxe

Surely he could have had it on low? It’s only for a few hours of the day for a few days, hardly a big deal.
He's working all over the house all the time: ten minutes in one room measuring and prepping and fitting batons etc, then moving to another room and doing the same, then going round them all doing the next stage. He's up and down stairs a lot and it's difficult to keep doors shut and keep the air moving, which is for his comfort and safety as well as ours: It's already 22 degrees in the house today. It'd actually be a pita for him to keep carrying it around everywhere. It's one of those huge construction-worker's radios.
OP posts:
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