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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour reported us to the council

216 replies

EchothatICreated · 07/12/2023 21:45

We moved in 18(ish) months ago (semidetached) and we’ve been renovating the whole house. The last weekend we had builders in who worked until 8pm.

They worked that late as this was the last day of completing all the big jobs in the house. Apart from that one day we’ve only had work done between 8am and 4pm. Just one night we didn’t and she reported us. Aibu?

OP posts:
notmorezoom · 07/12/2023 22:12

There are legal restrictions - in my council it's:

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 8am to 1pm
Sunday and Bank Holidays, no noisy works allowed - such as power tools.

so if it could be heard outside the house then til 8pm at a weekend was extremely unreasonable.

SusanKennedyshouldLTB · 07/12/2023 22:15

Your builders should have known the rules around working hours. Did they suggest those times or did you expect them?

Original poster
EchothatICreated · 07/12/2023 22:16

AyCaray · 07/12/2023 22:02

18 months of renovation work done from 8am every weekend??

Yadbvu

I'm surprised they waited 18 months.

I didn’t sag that. The renovations have lasted 18 months during the week. It was one Saturday they lasted from 8am-8pm as a one off as it was the last day and we wanted it done before Christmas. Any housing/plumbing/plastering etc is now over/complete.

OP posts:
Fullofpudding · 07/12/2023 22:17

Even so 12 hours of listening to noise from a neighbour is too much.

Perfectlystill · 07/12/2023 22:18

YABU

Tinkerbyebye · 07/12/2023 22:18

18 months of building work is shit. So I d9n5 blame her for f8 ally losing it and complaining

i suggest you go round and apologise for all the noise, dirt and general inconvenience you have caused

Perfectlystill · 07/12/2023 22:19

Yes I agree. You go round and say sorry and take a bottle and some nice flowers.

How can you not realise what you've put them through??

LauderSyme · 07/12/2023 22:20

YABU to be miffed with your neighbour.

Don't you have any empathy for all the noise they've tolerated all this time? They share a party wall with you and renovation work is LOUD. Doing it within specified hours doesn't make it any quieter. I'm not surprised they snapped with your "just one night" outside of hours.

I think you've got some major apologising and mending fences (not literally!) to do.

Hiddenvoice · 07/12/2023 22:20

Sorry but if my neighbour did that without giving me a heads up about it then I’d be annoyed too. That’s a long day for you getting the finishing bits but a long day of them hearing banging etc.

If it was me, I’d take round flowers or a bottle of wine and apologise for the late noise and long renovations.

QuickDraining · 07/12/2023 22:20

Isn't DIY more of a grey area? Our new neighbours were polite as pie when moving in, introduced themselves, said they were going to be doing lots of renovations - as the place was a state etc etc. And said they'd keep to 9-5pm. When your home office is in the room next door, it's somewhat testing. Anyway that optimistic time span just got abandoned at one point. It's drilling and hammering at any opportunity. Every weekend, every evening, mates doing work etc. But as I say, nice as pie people with good intentions - they just fell away.

People eventually crack. I hate being woken up to drilling on the wall next to me at 8am on the weekend, let alone a week day. I'd say it's probably the straw that broke the camel's back. You might be able to claw it back with sincere apologies and understanding. As for what the council will do, I doubt anything whatsover.

Azandme · 07/12/2023 22:22

" ...it was the last day and we wanted it done before Christmas..."

You wanted it done before Christmas? Oh, well, that's all right then! Your wants obviously trump your long suffering neighbours' rights!

Except they don't. Are you always selfish?

EmmaEmerald · 07/12/2023 22:23

EchothatICreated · 07/12/2023 22:16

I didn’t sag that. The renovations have lasted 18 months during the week. It was one Saturday they lasted from 8am-8pm as a one off as it was the last day and we wanted it done before Christmas. Any housing/plumbing/plastering etc is now over/complete.

Show quote history

Sounds like it was the last straw

did you tell them in advance that it was a final day? If not forewarned, they'd think you were going to carry on like that.

what are your council regulations?

YABU.

Motnight · 07/12/2023 22:25

How were your neighbours to know that it was a one off?

gamerchick · 07/12/2023 22:27

That Saturday has probably tipped them over the edge. You deprived them of that expected day of some peace and quiet.

I'm surprised they just reported you. You would have had grief round here by now from multiple people at your door.

Duckeggbluebutton · 07/12/2023 22:27

nocoolnamesleft · 07/12/2023 22:02

I thought work on Saturdays had to finish by 13:00 (and not be done at all on the Sunday)?

This is correct. OP is selfish and entitled. I hope you get fined. The rules are there to protect neighbours from people like OP. No-one cares what the reason was.

FreshWinterMorning · 07/12/2023 22:28

HeddaGarbled · 07/12/2023 22:08

Can you not imagine what the last 18 months have been like for them? Yes, you are unreasonable.

Exactly. Must have been horrific. I am just gobsmacked that they took so long to complain. 18 fucking months my arse. Hmm WTF?!

TheSpruce · 07/12/2023 22:30

They complained to the council, so what? We lived next door to a neighbour from hell, reported numerous times for noise complaints at night and nothing was done about it so I wouldn't worry OP.

Gnomegnomegnome · 07/12/2023 22:31

Was the neighbour aware that it was the last day?
I think that when you are having work done it’s important to communicate with those around you.

Duckeggbluebutton · 07/12/2023 22:32

She should worry. Councils take building noise very seriously. It will have breached their Party Wall Agreement if they have one too. Selfish people don't usually bother with Party Wall agreements as that is for the little people but not them.

TheUsualChaos · 07/12/2023 22:32

YABU. 12 hours of noise on a weekend day is rather selfish. Plus following 18months of disturbance I'm not surprised they've had enough! They must have been at their wits end. In future be more considerate.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 07/12/2023 22:33

When I had neighbours doing work on an extension for 8-9 months sometimes with early weekend starts (yes I complained for that) and once on a Sunday early (wtaf?!) it almost drove me to drink. They overran too so it was actually more like 10-11 months and then turned out they’d had issues with the project manager (he was a bit of an arsehole and would often claim he and his team couldn’t speak good enough English if he spoke to me (to gain access etc) yet he understood perfectly when speaking to my neighbours (his employers). My NDN also moved into a rented house halfway down the street for the duration of this work so they never heard the noise. Luckily I had a good relationship with them generally!

8pm one night and 18 months of renovations is enough to test most people’s patience so not surprised she finally flipped.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 07/12/2023 22:35

FreshWinterMorning · 07/12/2023 22:28

Exactly. Must have been horrific. I am just gobsmacked that they took so long to complain. 18 fucking months my arse. Hmm WTF?!

Show quote history

Probably overran. Or (not sure if the case now) a lack of building materials (covid was a great time for this) is one reason for “delaying” a project.

Duckeggbluebutton · 07/12/2023 22:36

Also councils can shut down building sites for breaching rules.

Meowandthen · 07/12/2023 22:38

Rosecutting · 07/12/2023 22:07

@FreshWinterMorning

You have been doing renovations for 18 months?

Thats normal if you’re doing it bit by bit and living there too.

It’s a long time for just a semi-detached house. It’s hardly a mansion.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 07/12/2023 22:38

Hiddenvoice · 07/12/2023 22:20

Sorry but if my neighbour did that without giving me a heads up about it then I’d be annoyed too. That’s a long day for you getting the finishing bits but a long day of them hearing banging etc.

If it was me, I’d take round flowers or a bottle of wine and apologise for the late noise and long renovations.

That’s the very least OP should do to make amends. Sadly lots of people (if a local FB group are anything to go by) are similar to OP and very entitled in this way. Surprised there’s not more complaints to councils re this.