To confront my neighbours

[neighbourhoodhell]

So, would love opinions on how to deal with this situation.

Neighbours moved in 3 or so months ago and when they moved in, I went over to introduce myself and say hello and welcome etc etc. They seemed friendly and apologised about the upcoming work they will be having done, asked if I WFH to which I said yes, hybrid but majority at home.

For the past 3 months, every single day there has been drilling, hammering, shouting etc that has been pretty unbearable however, I have just let it slide and put my headphones in... I should also add that the work starts at around 7am and finishes about 9pm... and goes on over the weekend on both Saturday and Sunday!

Last weekend we got a card through the door apologising and saying thanks for the patience etc, and that they were nearly half way through... I thought oh god another 3 months of this hell, but again thought they are doing what they need to do, keep shtum and say thanks for the note.

Until today.... my whole house is shaking, the noise is unbearable and my colleagues and clients can no longer actually hear me on calls (with or without headphones) and no matter what room I work in, it is the same! I had a peep in and it looks like they are completely knocking down walls and building a brand new kitchen

SO WIBU to go round and ask for clarity on what work happens on what day so I can plan accordingly and let them know I can no longer WFH because of them... or should I just grin and bear and try and go into the office more (although this costs me £50 a day...!)

V much this. You're the one, OP, who has let the frustration build up without having said something calmly sooner about 1) getting a schedule and 2) work taking place outside permitted hours.

Maybe read your thread title again. Re: @LemonLymanDotCom .

Gonna give @LemonLymanDotCom an apology OP, or just read/respond to what suits you?

Definitely ask them how long the really noisy work will last - once they're doing second fixes and decorating it will be much better. Also, tactfully, ask them if their contractors could abide by the council set working hours (usually 8-6 weekdays, 8-1 on Saturdays and none on Sundays). If they're unreasonable, then report them to building control.

Just here for the sorry lovely.

https://hertstools.co.uk/what-time-can-building-work-start-in-a-residential-area/
This gives you info about permitted hours of work for building work. The regulations are contained in the Environmental protection act 1990.
We have recent experience of obtaining a Party Wall Award relating to our neighbours work and this is The information we were given about permitted hours etc.

This is crucial.

Ask them to keep to permitted hours, but I'd be looking at the local council planning site asap to see if they have submitted anything and then checking with them about party walls.

OP,

It sounds like your neighbours are being polite and reasonable and are open to conversation, but their builders are being a bit cheeky!

I am sure others on this thread will have said the same, but I’d do the following:

• Check on your council website for construction noise rules. The council area I live in allows noise from construction 8am - 6pm Mon-Fri, then reduced hours on Saturday and nothing allowed ANY time on a Sunday or bank holiday. If your council has similar restrictions I would have these ready to show your neighbours and confirm they will stick to these hours going forward
• Are your houses attached, or even if detached, close to together? From what you’ve described I’m wondering if a party wall agreement should have been provided…!

good luck!

To be fair to the PP you used “confront” in your post title. Suck it up or go into the office, nothing you can do about their building works providing they’re keeping sociable hours. Weekends aren’t restricted for building works.

"Where did I say confront..?"
In the title OP!😅

@LemonLymanDotCom where did I say confront...? Maybe read properly before accusing lovely...!

Oh dear, op. Your thread title is four words long.

I can't understand why anyone here thinks you're being unreasonable, I think you're being exceptionally reasonable.
It seems like they don't want to piss you off, but also likely they are doing a lot of the work themselves if it's late and overnight so on that front you're in a bit of a catch 22. If they stop evenings/weekends, it will prolong the number of days. However you should absolutely raise it with them and see if you can make some agreement on days/times you can expect a bit of quiet time.

Pop round and have a friendly chat with them. They're probably surprised you haven't already!

Chances are they are far more keen to get it finished than you are. I’d just sit tight, don’t get funny, in years to come they might be good friends and you won’t remember it.

How worrying. I’d be so upset if I didn’t fully understand what happened.

Do you know the new partner/are you on reasonable terms? Does she seem like a reasonable person?As your ex can’t explain it/wasn’t present I’d be asking her / her boys to fill me on the details in a non accusatory way. Hopefully they’d be able to fill in the gaps and put your mind at rest. I’d completely understand any mum asking for the details of any accident involving their kids especially if your wee man can’t communicate these.

Whoops - wrong thread!!

Most councils have restrictions on noisy building work hours - eg where I am you can't make noise until 8am and have to finish by 6pm on weekdays, permitted hours on Saturday are 8 to 1pm and no noisy works permitted on Sundays. you should check what your local regulations are.

Oh, op, I feel your pain! I had this next door to me around 10 years ago and I swear that I’ve still got PTSD!

The “workmen”. didn’t exactly push themselves to get finished so the hellish noise went on from June to end of September - but in mad frantic bursts. I used to sit on the stairs and weep as they wobbled shifted and shook underneath me!

I get up at 4am so really need a quick nap mid-afternoon… no chance as that was during the mad burst of work before the boss visited at the end of the day.
God only knows what they did… I was expecting it to collapse at any moment as they seemed to have removed every internal wall, chimney breast and
piece of plaster in the house!

I did go and ask how much longer it would be, but I was always told “should be done next week”.

Finally it was…. But I’ve lived in fear of it all caving in one day!!😱

There is a code of practice that covers construction site noise - not just big sites but DIY and small sites which they must adhere to. No noisy working (audible at site boundary) outside of 8am to 6pm Mond to Fri and 8am to midday Saturday. This is the law, whether its a one person diy or a huge complex. Do they have planning permission? do they have building control permission? you have tried to be nice about this, they are now just taking the piss. Speak to your local EHO about construction site noise and start keeping a diary of when it occurs. all building work is noisy and if its happening next door it will disturb but only during the legally permitted hours.

The following seems pretty standard "Construction work should be restricted to the following hours: Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm. Saturdays 8am – 1pm. Avoid noisy work on Sundays and Bank Holidays."

So you do have grounds to ask them to stick those times.

I think it is entirely reasonable to ask for a rough schedule.

What the hell are they doing though? Whole housing estates can be put up in less time.

The neighbours might be entirely entitled to build away and make a tonne of drilling noise, but god I would have gone out of my mind by now.

I agree with this.
But I'd add in that work finishing at 9pm should probably be finishing at 6pm and no work (or really very very limited work) at the weekend (say 10am to 2pm on a Saturday) and definitely none on Sundays.

Have a chat and see how you get on with them.

This isn’t a ‘confrontation’, it is a reasonable conversation.

They know it is disruptive, they have shown they are willing to communicate so just continue that communication, tell them it would be useful to know when particularly noisy jobs are scheduled (like yesterday) and if you would like them to start later / finish earlier in the day, say that too.

It’s fine, keep it polite but straightforward.

Also, are your neighbours living there? If not, they will have a limited idea of the hours and disruption.

Whilst that's true - only to a point. People have historically worked from home for hundreds of years. Everything from piece work, taking in laundry, secretarial work, music teacher, home tutor, teachers at evenings and weekends, any other professional who has to take work home, students including kids with GCSEs or A levels, all kinds including all that unpaid housework our mothers and grnadmother and great grandmothers did. People live and indeed die at home. But they do also work there. And that's reasonable.

What is new is people doing such massive renovations. When I was a kid extensions were not that common - the odd room over a gargage, but where we live new kitchens and bathrooms seem to happen everytime anyone moves house. And as for massive undertakings such as knocking the back wall of the kitchen out and building one of those house-wide extensions with a wall of glass and velux windows which will date really quickly and cost a fortune to heat... and will probably cause a rash of demolishing in about a decade. Well that's all very new. There is a limit to what is reasonable with this kind of work more than with anyone wanting to work from home.

You could build a house from scratch at those hours, during the days described. This is not reasonable maintenance.

Buildings work should stay at 8am, end at 6. Saturdays end at 1pm. No work on Sundays. Check with your council first but that's the rule here (SW London). Next door is converting their loft but they were kind enough to hold of work til after my daughter sat her A levels. It's not so bad now, but the first month was relentless!

Why “confront” them? They’ve been polite. They’ve explained to you what’s going on. It won’t be forever. Perhaps you’re just the confrontational type