Is it common decency to inform neighbours who wfh about loud noises?

[Pouche]

Neighbours have literally removed their entire hedge and whilst that is being wood chipped down on their drive there is also a drill being used for the construction of a new fence. The noise is unbelievable. Detached houses with wide-ish plots.

Am I being unreasonable in thinking the nice thing to do would be to inform next door neighbours?

Especially when you know they wfh and have young kids.

OP you’re getting a hard time here! I think it’s good manners to inform your neighbours of any substantial work you’re having done, whether they wfh or not!

Have you read where I said all I want is a heads up. Not expecting them to not do the work. Just let me know so I can make alternative arrangements

All of a sudden mumsnetters are very easy going and flexible 😂

So it wouldn't have been possible even with a heads up?

Honestly I think you just need to accept that sometimes there's going to be lots of noise from your neighbours. If you want quiet you need to go to an office space.

Regardless of WFH or kids or anything else, if you are planning something that generates noise the decent thing to do is let your neighbours know about it in advance. That's just basic manners and decency. Your neighbours have been very inconsiderate.

I think you would have got a different response if you hadn’t mentioned the WFH bit.

It is always considerate to let neighbours know if you are having noisy work done. They don’t deserve special treatment if they are WFH, though.

Nail on the head.

it's just common courtesy.

It wouldn't even occurr to me to warn my neighbors.
Building work, long term renovations absolutely. But a few hours of gardening? No, sorry that's just part of living near other people.

I would tell my ndn in advance if I knew there was going to be that level of noise. DH works from home a few days a week and he would appreciate being told so he could plan to go in to the office on those days.

If your neighbour had posted on here AIBU to arrange for some incredibly loud and disruptive work to be carried out on my boundary and not mention it to my neighbours they'd be getting a kicking. On AIBU the OP is nearly always U. You're getting a particularly hard time because you WFH and there is a weird hard core of posters here who really hate that.

If they're people you'd normally give the benefit of the doubt to, they may not have realised it was going to cause such a racket. But no, you're not being unreasonable to expect it to have been mentioned. Do they not speak to you?

No, I wouldn't expect neighbours to tell me about any work they were getting done. Just as I wouldn't go round telling them. I would if I was doing long term work, eg a loft conversion or something but otherwise no. You working from home and having a toddler is neither here nor there. Other people shouldnt have to think about your toddlers nap during normal daytime works being done. As far as working from home goes thats not a consideration for them in a residential area really. It's a house not an office block and I say both of these as someone who works at home now and in the past and have had toddlers while having work done. I had my own toddlers when getting an extension done and they managed to nap.

I would have told you about the noisy works and tried to give you an idea of how long it would be going on. However most of my neighbours wouldn't.

To be fair to your neighbours they probably are not aware that you work from home or even think of nap time.

To be fair to the neighbours they possibly didn't even know it would be happening today. So they could have given the OP warning and and then she would have gone to the office unnecessarily if the work couldn't be done due to weather etc.

Obviously you think you're nbu but I don't think it's fair to assume that all those disagreeing with you are lacking common decency.

It's work noise. No one around here tells anyone anything unless it's a long-term project. Within regular work hours, it's to be expected. I work from home, too. Yes, it's annoying sometimes, but that's what headphones are for.

Children need to learn to sleep through noise! Mine naps in nursery with kids playing around them.

I would let my neighbours know but you can’t control all noise. I live near an air base, they don’t let us know when a massive fighter will be going overhead. My old work (before WFH) also had building work going on for about 2 years and they were doing piling for about 6 months. There could be noise wherever you work, you just have to live with it.

I think it's from 9am till 11pm I could be wrong people can make noise anything after or before is unreasonable. We know a couple that told all the families in the area they weren't allowed to make a noise outside after 6pm because their child was sleeping....... Perhaps the first few weeks after the birth I get it however children need to get used to noise.

I don’t think there’s question of have to or unreasonable not to. It’s down to individuals and I personally would. That said the post where you said screaming kids is different. From someone without kids, kids screeching goes right through me and fucks me off. That noise is just a disruptive as the noise you are experiencing so I’d say don’t pick and chose what noises are disruptive. We all have different tolerances and morals.

That's what I was thinking too OP!

We live in a 4 block terrace. DH works shifts so is often sleeping during the day. Our lovely neighbour at the other end of the block is having a new patio put down, the noise this morning has been immense. She let us know it was going to be happening but just not exactly when it would be noisy. If I was working from home I'd have just put headphones on. At least your childminder can take your wee one out and about. A wee note through the door would have been nice.

But she could have made alternative plans to not be there!

It always used to be the thing to give a heads-up and it would take moments

I don't understand why people are so thoughtless these days

Okay but we have a ground drill and wood chipper vibrating our house. Not a noise my child has ever heard before. This is not just ambient screeching of neighbourhood kids (which doesn’t bother us in the slightest).

So if she was a SAHM should they have warned her?

Yes! Whatever the reason, it's common courtesy

It would be nice, but what are you going to do if it doesn't happen? 🤷‍♀️

Ask them if it's continuing tomorrow and make your plans from there.

That said the post where you said screaming kids is different. From someone without kids, kids screeching goes right through me and fucks me off. That noise is just a disruptive as the noise you are experiencing so I’d say don’t pick and chose what noises are disruptive.

Absolutely agree with this. Ditto: relentlessly barking dogs. I hate it. Headphones are a lifesaver, or I'd lose my mind.

Jesus! It's not 'pre-booking' it's warning

Why are people so selfish??