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Original poster

Elderly neighbour v house renovation

195 replies

shazwee · 30/05/2023 15:21

I've inherited a house which had tons of damage, needed new roof, re wire, concrete base new ceilings etc..basically almost has to rebuild, semi detached dormer bungalow. House has been empty for many years. Some things have been done since March, new roof etc..elderly single lady next door is not coping well with the noise of the workmen. It's been difficult as I don't have a massive pot of money to put it right so relying on family and friends etc trying to keep noise to minimum at weekends ( although this is really only the time hubby and I can spare to do bits) I have sent flowers to neighbour, kept her informed etc..gave her some doors etc she wanted , basically I have tried to be as accommodating as possible. Yesterday the plasterer was in and she came round complaining its was a holiday and didn't want to noise ( she is round every time a trade is there complaining about noise) I dont know what else I can do. There is possibility months more of noise to come, plumbers, patio to be laid, new kitchen the list is endless...Yesterday she asked us to tell her everytime noise is going to be made...impossible for us as we're not always there and cannot ask workmen to do so...what can I do, I don't want to fall out but I can't see a way forward..she has had silence from the house for years. I didn't think a plasterer would make any noise 🤔 please help MN friends x

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
JenWillsiam · 30/05/2023 17:15

Nanalisa60 · 30/05/2023 15:33

A plasterer ? They don’t make any noise, just tell her sorry house has to be done just let her know when it all should be done.

Obviously they do.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 30/05/2023 17:16

so they can have their perfect house in their perfect location

A new roof and a complete rewire isn't really "perfection" it's to prevent the rain getting in or the electrics setting the house on fire...

FloweryName · 30/05/2023 17:16

I’m living next to someone that is taking years to renovate and extend their house and it’s a bloody awful for similar reasons to you, so I’m siding with the neighbour I’m afraid.

Don’t start a job that you know is going to impose on your neighbours if you can’t afford to finish it within a reasonable amount of time. Up to a year would be a reasonable timeframe, but beyond that is taking the piss. Sell the place as it is if you can’t afford to sort it out properly.

gogohmm · 30/05/2023 17:18

I strongly doubt the noise from plastering (including mixing and putting up boards) meets the threshold for noise complaints. If he had a loud radio that is a bigger issue.

This neighbour is going to really struggle when people actually live next door with tv, music, washing machine and perhaps noisy kids! Some people are just not realistic about what living in a neighbourhood means noise wise

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 30/05/2023 17:19

@gogohmm I was just thinking exactly that.

Big TV on the party wall, washing maching spinning away, noisy, erm, toaster...

PatAndMat · 30/05/2023 17:21

Had you needed planning permission the planners would allow working as follows
Monday to Saturday inc. 7:30am - 7pm
No work Sunday or Bank Holidays

So why not agree noisy activities start after 8am and stop 5/6pm
Your neighbour of course can contact the council and they can test the noise levels for acceptability but they only do this if it’s exceptionally loud and after midnight.
The quicker the work is done the better really,

I wouldn’t agree to let the neighbour know every single time / day you will be making noise as noise to you may not be the same to her. Is hammering occasionally really noisy?
If you know you’re digging up the drive / garden with heavy machinery fare enough.

Hairpinleg · 30/05/2023 17:21

She needs to know when exactly there will be no noise so she knows she'll have a break from it at some point. So if you're working there at weekends, you need to be able to guarantee that no work takes place on Mondays and Tuesdays, for example. She can't live thinking it's non stop every day.

Cottagecheeseisnotcheese · 30/05/2023 17:23

the thing is the hours restrcitions apply to commercial building companies and trades not DIY ,
B and Q etc are full of people buying stuff to DIY on Bank holiday weekends
there is no law against DIY at weekends etc
technically legally you can have buildrers there Monday- friday and Saturday morning then DIY for rest of weekend but this while legal would be too much
however OP should try and ensure there is at least one day a week noise free
I think you should agree an evening cut off time even for DIY and you won't work DIY all weekend when trades have already been in 5 days, however if no trades have been in or only a couple of days then DIY at weekends is Ok
you do need to say the more days without work the more weeks it will take

Justanothercatlady · 30/05/2023 17:24

Perhaps you could go around to spend some time to really understand what the problem is for her? ‘Noise’ is very different for people. Also the lack of proper plan in your behalf is causing her anxiety. Can you imagine thinking ‘this is going to be my life until the end of my days’? It’s stressful and anxiety inducing in an elderly person with no support. Talk to her and get a better plan/control so she can manage better. Not everyone deals with change well - it doesn’t sound like you are either as you are not taking responsibility and shrugging off the issues as you are ‘helpless’. Perhaps you feel
guilty about the impact you are having on this lady in her last years and are using ‘excuses’ to distance yourself?

PatAndMat · 30/05/2023 17:26

FloweryName · 30/05/2023 17:16

I’m living next to someone that is taking years to renovate and extend their house and it’s a bloody awful for similar reasons to you, so I’m siding with the neighbour I’m afraid.

Don’t start a job that you know is going to impose on your neighbours if you can’t afford to finish it within a reasonable amount of time. Up to a year would be a reasonable timeframe, but beyond that is taking the piss. Sell the place as it is if you can’t afford to sort it out properly.

We re the same as you.
neighbours Bought 2 barns in 2020.
Haven't even finished the first one yet and seem to have run out of money.
They need about £ 2million more.
When they use machinery our entire house ( 14th century listed ) shakes. On and off work for 3 years now.

It’s driving us crazy but legally there’s absolutely nothing we can do. Although they are no longer allowed the heavy machinery.
We just have to wait, that’s life.

Prettypaisleyslippers · 30/05/2023 17:27

Any trades make noise, we booked a carpenter to lay laminate and it was louder than when we had a wall demolished!

A list of what’s outstanding is a good idea tbh

AllyCart · 30/05/2023 17:27

@Cottagecheeseisnotcheese

the thing is the hours restrcitions apply to commercial building companies and trades not DIY ,
B and Q etc are full of people buying stuff to DIY on Bank holiday weekends
there is no law against DIY at weekends etc

There are laws against DIY noise At weekends and bank holidays in many/most areas.

gogohmm · 30/05/2023 17:27

The noise restrictions refer only to commercial builders and power tools, when I did major renovations I looked into it carefully, diy jobs can be done on Sundays and bank holidays as long as they are not involving the continuous use of power tools eg don't break up concrete with a pneumatic drill! but putting up pictures frames drilling a few holes would be fine.

MooMooSharoo · 30/05/2023 17:29

We had a plasterer come and do our ceiling - the plasterboard was already up, so he was literally just plastering it. He closed the kitchen door to avoid disturbing us and so he had full access to the ceiling and a couple of hours later he opened up and said he was finished. He did the whole thing without us hearing a peep! Unless he was putting up plasterboard as well as plastering, I can't see how it was noisy (unless he had his radio blasting, which would be annoying).

All you can do it stick within your own local council's construction noise hours and keep your neighbour informed and acknowledge you know it upsets her, but you unfortunately have no choice but to continue to work on the house as it was unsafe to live in.

Do you live in the house while you work on it? Does she complain about general "living" noise too?

ThickSkinnedSoWhat · 30/05/2023 17:30

To be fair, the elderly lady is stuck listening to this day in and out, you can't blame her for being a bit pissed off. And she shouldn't really care about bank Holidays because she isn't working? Really? I'd not be thrilled either. Especially when you don't show any real empathy

AngelinaFibres · 30/05/2023 17:30

Heronwatcher · 30/05/2023 15:50

I think it depends on what noise she’s hearing.
Did the plasterer have one of those massive radios?
I agree, I think you should give her an approximate schedule and estimated completion date.
I also think you should have one day a week where you say that no work will be done unless essential (and you’ll tell her if that day changes).
Are you living there? If not I would be there as much as you can and also drop in at random times.
We had this earlier this year- terrace next door was being renovated. The family rented a flat elsewhere and left the rest of the street to suffer! The builders were PERFECT when the owner was there, quiet, calm and polite. As soon as the owner left it was like bedlam, Rihanna at full blast, swearing and shouting, noisy work well into the evening, massive vehicles reversing with that annoying beeping at all hours. The owners had no idea of why everyone was complaining!

This. Our neighbours bought the old primary school building next door. It needed a huge amount doing. When the large driveway was being dug out and a retaining wall built they found the noise and mess of their own work too much and went off to France for 6 weeks. It was noisy when they were home. Once they left the radio went up to full blast and every sentence had fuck or cunt as part of it. They are still doing work 6 years later ( stop and start when money allows). I fully understand now how people get to the point where they contemplate doing terrible things to their neighbours. I absolutely hate them.

ChillinwiththeVillains · 30/05/2023 17:31

My friends live next door to a house that a vicar has just bought. Vicar and her family not living there. Works most days including noisy radio and shouting yesterday as workmen were digging a giant hole. And they haven’t had any comms about schedule etc..
Whereas I thought the protocol was that you tell them what you are doing and likely how long, share builders’ number and ask them to let you know if any issues. Have been really surprised that the vicar isn’t loving her neighbour (by being thoughtful at very least).
So some sympathies with your neighbour if you haven’t communicated clearly. Not sure if you have given her a likely schedule and explained all the stuff that needs doing, in which case less sympathy for her.

mastertomsmum · 30/05/2023 17:32

So are you moving in there?

ItsAllGoneToHellAgain · 30/05/2023 17:34

It's just an awful situation that could potentially go on for months and months..even years

Jesus that poor woman. It’s already been going on for 9/10 weeks if you started end of March. You are seriously affecting her MH, that’s why she’s complaining every time someone pulls up in a van.

Thesharkradar · 30/05/2023 17:34

tell her that if the work isnt done asap the house will fall down & take her house with it

ItsAllGoneToHellAgain · 30/05/2023 17:35

It’s not being done asap @Thesharkradar op has said it will be going on for months and months…even years

Oliotya · 30/05/2023 17:36

ItsAllGoneToHellAgain · 30/05/2023 17:35

It’s not being done asap @Thesharkradar op has said it will be going on for months and months…even years

It's not OPs fault the house was neglected to the point of needing total renovation

Hayliebells · 30/05/2023 17:39

I don't think there's much you can do other than what you have been doing. It's reasonable to have a couple of days off from the noise every week. Even if it's not at the weekend, surely as she's not working when in the week the days off fall is not that important? I think she was probably not expecting work to be going on on a bank holiday, so was looking forward to piece and quiet, and when that didn't happen it prompted an extreme reaction. You say you don't know when work will be going on, but if you know that work definitely won't be happening, could you let your neighbour know, so she can enjoy the peace without worrying the noise will start up? Then I think it's only fair that you stick to what you've said, there's got to be some give and take to maintain neighbourly relations.

PatAndMat · 30/05/2023 17:41

My previous post re working times was a compromise you could work to OP

However
you can legally work all day, every day. After Midnight might result in a call from the council but even then they’d have to check the noise level.
That is the reality of your legal situation.
Posters saying you can’t work late, all week or on Bank holidays are wrong. Most diy, mowing the grass etc happens at weekends and Bank Holidays.
If your neighbour is around complaining before workmen have even started she’s being completely unreasonable.

Plasterers, for example, do not make an unreasonable amount of noise.
A lot less than children playing in the garden or practicing their trumpet.

I would simply tell your neighbour you have to do the work. It will be noisy but it won’t last forever.

whowhatwerewhy · 30/05/2023 17:43

Hi op , i think all you can do is tell the neighbour the work will be going on for around another x amount of months, your sorry about the noise but it will only be between x and x time as permitted by the council.
My neighbour renovated there house and it wasn't a pleasant experience but I just had to suck it up as they were working within the " law "