New neighbours DIY/power tool use all bank holiday weekend?

[Hellskitchen24]

The sweet old lady who I lived next door to went into a nursing home a few months ago, so naturally her house went up for sale. We’ve had almost 10 years of mostly quiet bliss. Mid terrace houses. New couple moved in a couple of weeks ago. Since then it’s been non stop banging, drilling, sanding, scraping, all day. I understand they need to do work on the house but what has irritated me the most is it’s been all over the bank holiday. Had guests over yesterday for lunch, we could not hear each other speak over the noise and they ended up going home earlier as it was pointless.

Today, another bank holiday, sanding the walls since this morning. It’s deafening. Can’t even hear the TV on full blast. I’m almost 38 weeks pregnant and getting a bit stressed this is going to be going on when the baby arrives. I’m also not quite having the relaxing couple of weeks before the baby is here and it’s just constant noise all day long. AIBU?

Didn't you do any DIY/work on your house when you moved in it?

Unless they do it at unsociable hours then they're doing nothing wrong. Don't be that neighbour who thinks they've lived there long enough so now they get a say in everything.

Also just an FYI - we used to let our immediate neighbours know of any upcoming work we had. I've stopped doing that now, as it became very apparent that this reinforced their delusional idea that they get an equal say in those works, complete with unsolicited feedback and opinions during the course of the works on how it's all coming along. All negative feedback of course, always. So for everyone that says it's neighbourly of them to prewarn you - maybe they've been burnt in the past.

Anyway one weekend of day time disturbance vs months to years of a baby/toddler screaming stupid o’clock. I wouldn’t be burning bridges turning them into the type to blast some music at 2pm when your babies finally stopped crying and is now napping.

Didn’t realise there were child haters on Mumsnet?!?

They probably work during the week, so a Bank Holiday weekend is an ideal time to crack on with a no doubt huge jobs list on a property that probably has dated decor and not had much done to it for many years.
My DS has bought a house that the previous owner hadn't done much to in the 10 years they lived there and it needed some updating. He works 9-5 Mon - Fri so doing jobs at weekends and evenings is his only option. Fortunately for him, the next door property is currently up for sale and empty but it would have made no difference if someone had been living there. It won't go on forever.
If I'd had friends over for lunch and the noise was as bad as you said, I'd have gone round and spoken to them and asked them if they could do a different quieter job just for a few hours.

But the quicker they crack on the better as far as you are concerned. Let's hope your baby doesn't disturb them in the middle of the night though!

I live next door to a couple who have had three babies in eight years. I’d rather hear power tools for a few days over a bank holiday than have to listen to their newborns and toddlers screaming and yelling every bloody day and night, so bear that in mind when your baby arrives, because you’re going to be generating plenty of noise from your own household soon.

Thanks all. I did think I was being unreasonable hence the question! I think yesterday just tipped me over the edge a bit. Just wanted a nice day with the family and it was ruined with the noise.

It’s not about hating children. It’s about understanding that sometimes, all neighbours make a noise doing ordinary daily necessary stuff like doing up a house that needs work (like your neighbours) or having a baby/child that screams.

I’m literally listening to my neighbour’s youngest child having an astonishingly furious tantrum as we speak. I don’t hate children and I fully appreciate that toddlers have horrific tantrums and there’s nothing that can be done about it, but that doesn’t make it any more pleasant to listen to than someone doing hardcore DIY. I wouldn’t dream of complaining about my neighbour’s kids, and similarly they didn’t complain when we had three rooms ripped out and renovated.

What do you expect them to do? Not use the tools? Wait until….when? I’d just chalk this up to being 38 weeks and irritable. If you wanted a life without annoying neighbours you really couldn’t have done worse than buying a mid-terrace!

I hear your pain but at the same time it’s par for the course when people move in and they are off work.

better now than a few weeks time

Blimey, does it feel better that you’ve got that off your chest?

Noise and mid terrace houses, go together like fish and chips, unfortunately! When I was living in a mid terrace, the noise from garden parties, drilling, house parties and god knows what else, was intense.

Comes with the territory unfortunately.

Perfectly normal to do DIY on a bank holiday weekend.

Where I live there are no limitations on DIY - actual building work yes but not DIY.

As I said, been here for 10 years, and none of the neighbours have changed in that time. Of course I’d love to live in a detached countryside abode, but finances don’t allow for that.

They're going to have to listen to your baby crying in a few weeks.

This is the deal with terrace houses, you hear eachother. They won't be sanding walls every weekend forever, they're obviously getting as much out the way now.

YABU to complain; but YANBU to feel annoyed - you can feel as annoyed as you like.

They'll have a lot of work to do I'd suspect and they'll have been off work. You might need to try and cut them some slack. I'm sure they're not trying to be annoying op but I do feel for you but I'd try not fall out with new neighbours over diy noise that won't last forever

I anticipate new neighbours in the next year tho not quite attached link attached one side only and I expect it’s going to be noisy and that most of the garden sadly will be ripped out. It’s the down side living next to elderly people who are lovely neighbours but inevitably will die and often the houses and very outdated by that point.

It's not ideal, but if you complain and delay it, the noise will be ongoing for much longer. We live next to a unit that was fully refurbushed in the span of two months (gut interior renovation). Yes it was annoying, but at least it was quick and then we could go back to enjoying our space. A flipper did it to our unit before we bought it, so likely drove the 80 year olds next door mad. I think it's just the cycle of home owning tbh.

So because you have been there 10 years and no neighbours have changed….no neighbours can ever change? Even if they live into a nursing home and eventually pass on? Or they can change but aren’t allowed to use noisy tools? What are you saying? Your finances aren’t anyone’s business but your own. Certainly not your ndn who you seem to be suggesting should take note of the fact that you’ve had quiet neighbours for 10 years, can’t afford to live in a detached home and therefore shouldn’t use power tools when you have guests over because they disturb your peace.

Literally makes no sense

Calm down! Not sure why you are being so argumentative. Perhaps you wouldn’t be annoyed if you were making a Sunday lunch for family on Easter Sunday, and the neighbours were sanding the walls incredibly loudly behind you, but I was. Baring in mind that many people would be hosting family on a Sunday bank holiday. The day was ruined by the noise.

"That day was ruined by the noise"

Sorry, but you sound like a nightmare neighbour.

And another typical "AIBU??" thread going like -

-AIBU?
-Well, since you're asking, yes.
-NO I'M NOT.

We would have just turned up some music and cracked on. Being thankful it was us having to sand down a house.

Though most families know who got together either did it out or where the detached types.

We have a lamb braii nobody was invited

I think you know you’re being unreasonable but that doesn’t mean I don’t sympathise! I think it’s especially hard if you’ve gone from having had a very quiet neighbour to a sudden influx of noise.

Hopefully it won’t go on for too much longer.

@HiRen yep you summed it up great, literally makes no sense, and just so so so incredibly entitled. People seem to want "detached in the countryside" level peaceful with "terrace in residential town" prices and amenities. And it becomes worse the longer someone's lived in the same house, they seem to think they almost own at least the ndn's too.

Agree and if you work full time it’s pretty much the only time to get a decent amount done without working very early mornings or into the evening