Quiet neighbours now making noise.

[OpalBird]

My neighbours talked to us about the noise coming from our property. OK, my son has a hobby that does make an annoying noise. Since then we have made sure he's doing it less but we obviously aren't going to stop him completely. They haven't said anything since and I think we've been considerate in reducing the number of hours our son does his thing.

It seems like they've now decided that they are allowed to make more noise. We've been neighbours for years and they've always been quiet. Now we get occasional music or radio in their backyard. When I asked them about it they said they have always worn headphones to be considerate but they don't really like listening that way, so they thought it was fair they got to have their hobbies the way they enjoy them best as well.

Would I be unreasonable to complain to them again? There is a difference between children playing and music when they have the option of headphones.

Let him play! It’s good for him. Can you move the hoop to the front of the house to spare the neighbours?
Sport is normal suburban noise in the summer.
But you cannot complain about the music!

Before school?

He plays on and off through the day. Yesterday it was three times. When he's at school often once before school and up to three times after.

Up to three times from 4pm (at the earliest) onwards?! So up to an hour and a half in the evenings?

You're having a laugh if you think that's not incredibly annoying to neighbours, and selfish to boot.

I suspect now they've discovered the joys of listening to music outside without headphones and you've been subjecting them to 2 hours of basketball at unsocial hours throughout the day you've pissed in your chips if you're thinking they'll return to silence.

And BEFORE school?! OP you can't seriously be so selfish that you think that's OK?

Let alone think they're in the wrong for also making noise?

Before school Ffs 😂

Isn’t there a basketball club or a basketball net in a park somewhere that he could go to?

You really are being a very inconsiderate neighbour and, if you live in a detached house, I’d bet there’s somewhere else that net could go. Repetitive noise is what can be used to break people, like water torture. I’m surprised it’s not annoying you- or is that because it’s much nearer their house than your work room?

You can wear headphones when you’re working, so you can block the music. They can’t block that noise.

Holy hell!!!! You are the neighbours from hell. I can’t even cope with the noise of my own kids playing with the basketball in the drive 😂 It’s not just the bouncing it’s that noise every time the ball hits the backboard and rattles in.

Is your son training for some county level team? Why on earth is he in the garden doing this everyday?? He needs to go an play with people away from the house.

You need to go a concrete somewhere else in your garden far away from any neighbours.

Unbelievably selfish.

That sounds like 2 hours to me. I think repeated half hour sessions would drive me nuts. Every time it stopped I'd be on edge waiting for it to start again

#team neighbours.

The incessant bounce, bounce, bounce of a ball is one of the most annoying noises in the world. Can you not see that?

I hope they play their music loud and long every time it happens.

So, your child bounces a basketball for a few HOURS a day. And you think them playing music for an hour or two is unreasonable? 😳😳😳🫤

So they get woken up on school days by your son playing basketball and you think that's reasonable 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

And this week's award for an impressive lack of insight goes to...

I am thinking about how to address it with the neighbours. I have a feeling they've not said anything for months, so we thought all was well, so I'm hoping the tension over this hasn't sunk too deep over time. We've always had an easy relationship. No-one wants to live with neighbour tensions. Promising not before school seems like the easiest place to start.

In fairness, they are awake at 6.30. That's when their lights are on.

I can only hope OP is having a laugh with us.

That would be mental torture for me. I’d end up insane 😂

I'm usually pretty easy going but that noise makes me want to take a big kitchen knife and rip through that ball until there's only dust left.

What the actual fuck. Your son is playing basketball for at least 2 hours a day and you're whinging at your neighbours enjoying their own music.

Wowwww if this isn't a reverse, you are SO unreasonable! You don't realise how lucky you are to have such lovely considerate neighbours and you have taken advantage. They're not putting up with it any longer - quite rightly!

I'm so grateful our neighbours were into football after reading this. I'd rather have a hundred balls over than fecking basketball on concrete. If they've altered their behaviour this isn't going to be easily resolved if you're expecting them to return to silence. I certainly wouldn't

About the same length of time as you are prepared to tolerate their music would be fair

It's time for you to invest in paving an area away from the house and finding some local hoops.

I'm up at 530. I still don't want to hear incessant thudding at that time in the morning.

The sounds of a basketball bouncing is dreadful. Very irritating.

radio in a garden is a bit annoying - depending on how loud.

I pity any other neighbours caught up in this war! The incessant bouncing stops, then the radio started. So some poor sod has four hours of irritating noise.

Oh give over. Repeatedly bouncing a ball is completely obnoxious. YATA

Because they have to get up at this time to enjoy a cup of coffee in peace and quiet thanks to your son.