To ask my neighbours to ask their builders to change their radio channel

[HerveLeger]

Even though it’s a bank holiday, my neighbours are having building works done. They are lovely neighbours and generally very quiet. They let me know there would be work being done and it might be noisy. No problem. But… the major noise is the builders’ radio. It’s churning out some RnB-lite shite. I find it intrusive. They had a shed built about a year ago, and those people played Radio 6 or Magic Radio or something. I was fine with that. I am not objecting to the noise, I’m tolerant like that, but just the choice of station. Or they could turn it down? It’s booming out. It is bank holiday, it’s sunny, I’d like to sit in my garden. But I really can’t listen to this. Happy to listen to something else.

When her neighbour advised her in advance that the work was being done? Give over.

Sing along.

I could say the same about Radio 6!

At least its eclectic, surely a broad range is better than just one type of music

Yes even if you are advised the work is taking place in advance.

If you can hear them outside the council by law hours then first you complain to the trades and then to the relevant council with proof you complained to the trades.

I've only ever got to step one and it was with a rather large organisation.

Builders shouldn't be doing noisy work on a bank holiday. So YANBU.

Precious! but I get it!

I was all prepared to say yabu but having read the rest of your OP, you are NOT. I love music and often listen to the radio.
Fucking RnB…god awful, what an irritating background to be subjected to.
TURN THAT SHIT OFF.

Sounds like a total nightmare, some music is objectively better than other so I do feel your pain as it sounds like you have a level of taste and discretion.

I would just ask them to turn it down, no builder is going to suddenly work slower listening to music at a slightly lower volume, even in the highly unlikely event that they have a passion for mass produced music designed for teenagers

Sounds like a great way to maintain good relations with a neighbour with whom you’re on good terms, who warned you in advance and when you don’t actually have a problem with the building work itself.

You can ask them to turn it down yes, you’ll sound like a knob if you ask the. To change the channel.

😂

You can tell it's a bank holiday.

I'd just put my own choice of music (Abba or 80s) and play that slightly louder than their music - if they were smart, they'd realise that their own choice of music was intrusive and that's why I'd turned mine up, if not, I'd at least be able to hear my music and not theirs.

My sympathies. The window fitter we had, who took much longer than the average window fitters, blared out the most awful noise. I was embarrassed that people might think it was my choice when he was doing the back windows. Whoever was singing sounded like they needed to be put out of their misery.

Surprised by the number of YABU comments. YANBU at all, particularly as they're doing noisy work on a Bank Holiday, which is not allowed. I'm sure your neighbour would rather you politely ask the builders to turn their music down rather than report them to the council, which is what I would do.

People over the road had builders who listened to Absolute 90s doing their front and back extensions. It wasn't too bad from here but I overheard them having a conversation with the guy next door where it became obvious that he had complained about their music - and their singing. Their singing along more than the music. They had turned down the music but would serenade the neighbour when they saw him

There are actually rules about working weekends and Bank Holidays my dh team builds garden rooms and if they work weekends or Bank Holidays they don't start til 8.30 finish at 4 and only have a quiet radio. Honestly just ask them they probably aren't monsters

this is my council's guidance:
We recommend that you:
limit hours of work to between 8.00am and 6.00pm on weekdays, or 9.00am and 1.00pm on Saturday
do not carry out work on Sunday or public holidays
inform neighbours of proposed works and how long they will take
provide a contact telephone number in the event of any problems
do not use radios or stereos on site
avoid shouting
turn machinery off when not in use

obviously it's guidance but can be enforced

I complained direct to them if they breached this guidance and they backed straight down on each occasion - starting too early, finishing late, noise and mess disruption, radios and shouting. I was working from home and they were understanding.

I'd just speak to them, if they're difficult go t your council.

Oh, FFS, are you 6?

at least you recognise you’re being precious. Now go off and live your life.

It's pure ignorance to inflict unwanted music on neighbours. They have headphones they can use It's a BH for heaven's sake and they're not even supposed to be working.

In an ideal world no. But right now there is a massive shortage of builders. I’ve been waiting 11 months for my guys to start last week. They are going to do some work over the weekend simply because they’re still playing catch up form covid and the brexit shit show and trying to claw back their schedule as much as possible. I am far more concerned about these guys being coerced into overtime. Tbh. But I’m being assured they want the money - probably because of the rising cost of living.
Unfortunately if I told the company they couldn’t work weekends they’d give me pretty short shift and probably wouldn’t have taken on the jobs. Literally you as customer have to bend over backwards to keep them happy to get work done.
I know it shouldn’t be this way…but it is.

They didn’t start too early. I have a great relationship with my neighbours and would not jeopardise this for the world. It was a relatively light hearted whinge. Yes it’s annoying. Yes, it will continue for the next three days (according to lovely neighbours). Just wish they had the previous people in, who had much better taste in music!

It’s actually illegal for the building work to be continuing over bank holidays - you don’t have to put up with that. The owner might not even be aware the builders are working bank holiday.

But I don’t think you can ask for the channel to change except maybe in a jokey way direct to the builders.

I have a similar complaint to you OP.

My neighbour has contractors in doing gardening work - think concrete/fencing/paving that kind of thing. It's 1 house away so the music is only 12 ft to the side (we have narrow gardens/houses).

ALL bastard afternoon they've been playing drum and bass/garage type shite. It's nearly 8pm and it's still going.

I'm sitting in the conservatory with noise-cancelling headphones and waves crashing on repeat. I've got a banging headache today and don't want to listen to bloody waves crashing. But it's better than this shite wafting in from the garden.

And no, I haven't asked them to turn it down. And yes, I know that's stupid. They're new neighbours who aren't very friendly. Also I'm autistic and really sensitive to noise. I have no idea if I'm being reasonable or not. I can still hear it inside the main house, even with the door shut but I could hold a conversation in my garden without being drowned out. So I don't know. It might be me. I'm just sick of listening to it now. I can't even listen to music I LIKE for that long without getting overloaded, so this constant loud music I really dislike is driving me bonkers.

So I sympathise OP. I'm sucking it up too and I am probably unreasonable, but I'm here in solidarity 😅