Am I right? (building work on Sundays)

[mycatisannoying]

Hi. Next door are having an extension built. It feels like it has been going on forever, and I haven't once complained (well, I did very politely say something when it started at 7am one day!).
I know that the builders have some catching up to do, which means they've been working weekends too (not Sundays so far). But they are there this morning with their noisy drills etc.
At this point it feels like a pisstake, so I popped my head over the fence to say that building work is prohibited on Sundays. Builder very gruffly told me that it's allowed after 9am.
Who is right? I'm hoping it's me so that I haven't made a total fool out of myself
Thanks.

Where are you located?

Scotland.

I think it depends on where you are. Each council sets different rules.

There is no law, it’s just guidelines, but check your local authority to see what their guidelines are.

Check your local council website, but most seem to prohibit noisy works on Sunday/Bank hols.

Thanks everyone. Have just checked and it seems I'm right.
Any builder would surely know this!

You could speak to the council next week

what is the wording on the council website?

Even if you are right, it’s not the law. It’s just a guideline.

Is it they are working today instead of the funeral day tomorrow?

That would really piss me off too OP

Wonder if they'll turn up tomorrow and bang their way through the funeral?

Or maybe they're there today because they've been told not to come tomorrow

There is guidance on our LA site saying they can work sunday but should avoid excessive construction noise giving examples like road drills, piling and Stihl saws. Not sure if a normal drill would fit into that.

While it is not ideal maybe get some ear plugs, or noise cancelling earphones to get you through and comsole yourself that working today means the.whole job will be completed sooner.

We had the same issue with our NDN and his 13 weeks of works every day. I checked with council and they said builders aren't allowed to work Sat afternoon or Sundays, but there was nothing they could do about it😡

Whatever the guidelines say, I think after 09:00 on a Sunday is fine. The work won’t go on forever, and it’s just another day. Lots of people work on Sunday, or would rather have the noise then because they’re WFH on a weekday 🤷🏻‍♀️ This is just life, and there’s nothing inherently special about Sunday.

And no, I haven’t had Sunday work done myself.

I just think you have to live and let live - and that includes some types of noise.

I get its annoying but realistically the more you complain and stop them working the longer it will take.

Our local council would take action. 8- 6 weekdays and 8-1 on a Saturday are the permitted hours.

I suspect they have another contractor arriving or something specific they need to get finished for Tuesday so are working today instead of tomorrow. If it was a one off I'd let it pass for this situation with a last minute bank holiday. If it is regular, not so much, it's not really on.

Even if you are right, it’s not the law. It’s just a guideline

When we had planning permission granted, permissible working hours were specified in the conditions.

I'd let them get on with it but ask if they could be quiet during the funeral tomorrow

Or, to be more precise, outside those hours, work could take place as long as it wasn’t audible from outside the property boundary.

In my area of Scotland the council have recommended times that work can be carried out between. On a Sunday and PHs they suggest no noisy operations should be carried out but don't actually specify clearly what that means.

Doesn’t really change anything. People can write whatever they want, the police aren’t going to interfere and nobody’s going to stop them.

Previous home was a terrace, and the one adjoining me had work that went on for over twelve months. It was a nightmare as I work shifts and it felt like the three days a week they’d work would be the days I was off or home early or working late to lying in.

They also decided to fit an alarm that went off at all hours, no one came to answer it or do anything, so the final time I went around to the owners house at 3am when it was going off and woke his whole house, it was magically taken down the following day.

I digress, the poor idiot who started drilling at 8am on a Sunday morning didn’t know what happened when I turned up after he woke me up after four hours sleep and I read him the riot act. Our council explicitly states that only work that cannot be heard beyond the boundary, such as painting, can be carried out on a Sunday.

This is fairly common in England, so have a check and it needed contact your noise abatement officer, but a stern word from a furious person in a dressing gown did the trick (and my new bf who was staying over one of the first times learnt I was not a morning person 😳😅)

From Monday to Friday, the standard hours for which this noisy line of work is deemed acceptable is usually between 8 am and 6 pm. On Saturdays, this period generally shortens to between 8 am and 1 pm.
Most councils state that on Sundays, as well as Bank Holidays, no noisy work should take place. 'Noisy work' includes the use of certain machineries, such as hand tools, and is duly prohibited outside of working hours.

My brother had the same issue with his neighbors and told the builders to stop work. Quoting the guidelines.
They did.

Thanks all. It's the principle for me. Neighbours are lovely, but very rich (not me, in my wee flat!) and entitled. If they had messaged in advance to say 'builders are a bit behind. Would you mind if they came on Sunday morning for a bit?', I'd have replied with a 'no problem' message. But it's the fact that they consider this perfectly ok to do, and then their builder acts like I'm the mug. Sorry, not having it.

I don't think your neighbour needs to ask for your permission.

Is it causing you a huge problem?