What is considered normal garden noise from your neighbours?

[Mistywalnut]

My neighbours constantly have friends around and they entertain outside on their patio which is right next to our patio. Sometimes there is lots of loud music from around lunchtime to 9-10pm at the weekend. There has been mid-week loud music when their kids entertain. I can hear it everywhere in the garden (not small) and in the house with the windows open - unavoidable as it's hot. I am the kind of person who has no issue with normal noise - i.e. friends round, having a nice time etc, the occasional (like once a month) party with loud music. As it is hot, their kitchen doors are all open - I get to "enjoy" their TV mid-afternoon, radio all morning etc. These aren't super loud but it all adds up. We have also had music blasted really loudly while they mow the lawn. I am feeling very overwhelmed with the constant noise from nextdoor. They are not friendly people and I doubt approaching them would do anything. I am also aware it could be much worse! What is "normal" for garden noise from neighbours?

Love King Gary but wouldn't want to live next door to him 😁

I agree. We have loud music neighbours, I think some people just don’t care.

Some of these neighbours sound horrific! I couldn't cope with that.

I live in a London suburb with houses close together and we've been incredible lucky during the 20+ years we have been here. The house joined to us has teenaged sons and we never hear them ... they rarely use their garden.

Elderly couple the other side and a family next to them with young kids. Occasionally hear them in the garden but they aren't allowed to scream and shout.

I dread anyone moving out as our situation could change drastically ... I was thinking that the other night when I was sitting out there with a glass of wine and all I could hear was the birds and I could see the woodpecker in the tree behind us feeding her babies ... bliss.

I could have written this OP. My neighbour's only have one volume and it's loud. They stand at the front of the house saying goodbye to relatives for ages, they shout constantly but since they had a kitchen extension with bi fold doors, it's the constant Alexa blaring out that fries my nerves. I had 2 friends over yesterday afternoon and I could not relax. It's 4am and here I am stressing still. It is so loud. I once asked if they'd turn it down a bit and the mum just replied it's her boundary and i shouldn't moan. I dread the weekends. I'm triggered by this every summer. I have to find a way to either live with it or complain to environmental health but do t really want to as then if ever want to sell up could be problematic. So, I completely understand the OPs stress and you are definitely not unreasonable wanting to have some peace. Your neighbour's are just arseholes.

I used to have a 20m garden that backed on to a park that held events in summer but the noise wasn’t anywhere near as intrusive as my neighbours who have just bought a large paddling pool for their grandchildren. I hope it springs a leak.

At my previous house the neighbours there were always so noisy. I used to work shifts and they’d make a hell of a racket. I got do fed up of it, I left for my shift and left the music on in my house blaring, shaking the walls. They piped down a lot after that.
i say, make your own noise to either drown them out, or when it’s quiet and they’re having a peaceful time, ruin it for them. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

People are most certainly self absorbed, entitled and living in a little bubble that revolves arou d their little dominion of the garden. We have a family next door, the epitome of entitled, i fact has even quoted regularly "its our garden we're ENTITLED to do what we LIKE". No, not really - within limits.

Since Covid, constant visitors and garden parties during lockdowns, a delivery of family members every day to avail of the newly installed trampoline that was installed during lockdown. Parents having drinks down the back. Screeching, hollering. Constant. Then the "garden haircuts" began whilst being on PiP payments for Covid.

• this prospered so much a garden salon was built.

Without proper planning, without business registration meaning cash in hand and no income tax anything for 4 years + with average 6-10 clients per day in a & out. Doors of "salon wide open" and facing directing into our garden and billows all through our house evem with wondows closed. Her voice travels like a whales sonar through water.

When its not this rucous, its music blari g or garden parties. Talking works for decent people. Other people feel like you are trying to get one up on them or you are taking something from them and "they are the victims"

It is sickening.

Personally I'd never play music outside as I've always lived in houses where I have neighbours in close proximity. Same goes for playing music through a phone on public transport; it's rude to assume other people will enjoy the same music you do.

My next door neighbours do occasionally play music in the garden, but it's only for short periods and always during the day, which seems fair enough. There was a cringe period where their teen son got really into punk music and would randomly give loud angsty renditions of Sex Pistols songs. They never let him hold parties at their house, which seems to be a common thing now, so I realise things could have been much worse!

Right now I can hear a woman yelling for “Simba” in her garden. A child or a pet? Either way, Simba is ignoring her and I wish I could too.

Haha, this could be me, except our Simba is currently fast asleep on the cat bed on the dining table

Oh god, now we have next door - a young woman who recently seems to be unable to step into her garden without the accompaniment of American podcasts.

My neighbours a few doors down regularly entertain in their garden until 5am most weekends in the summer. I despise them.

Do you report them every single time?

Normal noise: lawnmowers etc, kids playing, sometimes music or TV, people chatting.

Irritating noise: one neighbour who revs his motorcycle for ages before going out, and one who has a son who bangs his football all the live long day.

But nothing I would complain about. We sit outside in summer and sometimes play music but not loud and not late.

Opera using is good if you want to piss someone off

Normal or acceptable?

Two different things.

My neighbors had a party last Friday and then another one on the Saturday with around 20 and children . Today they are having another gathering since 12.30 midday I had my washing out and they lit a barbecue. It's been 7 hours with music shouting and screaming children . This happens every weekend when it's good weather . I would like to sit in my garden with one peaceful weekend . I'm not a kill joy but this isn't very respectful to any of the neighbors. I wish they would move away

I think that if you live in built-up areas, you expect to hear neighbours in their gardens in summer.
It’s normal to have people round, to talk, laugh loudly and play music at normal hours. If the music has stopped by 10/11 I’d say there isn’t anything really to complain about. It’s just the reality of co-existing in close-proximity.
I don’t think there should be noisy kids playing in gardens before 8am or loud music after 10 (except an occasional party) but apart from that, you have to put up with the reality that some families are louder than others. You’d have to live remotely to avoid it and most people don’t want to do that or can’t afford it.
I think that once we’re past small children ourselves, we forget that they just do play noisily.
Lots of people suffer genuine problems such as loud music until the middle of the night, or drug use or illegal activity or genuinely anti/social behaviour which can be severe. Families enjoying their dimmers is just to be out up with.

I think that if you live in a built-up area you should be aware that lots of other people living in close proximity can hear your noise and so you moderate your volume accordingly. If you’re not capable of doing that go and live in the back of beyond.

I think that if you live in a built-up area you should be aware that lots of other people living in close proximity can hear your noise and so you moderate your volume accordingly. If you’re not capable of doing that go and live in the back of beyond.

Recently the house a few houses down has become an assisted living house for people with disabilities.

One of the residents is a young man who screams, and I mean screams as though he is being tortured, on and off for several hours a day. Most days.

It’s not his fault and I want him to be cared for but it’s seriously rough on the nerves.

Otherwise I like people having fun - our neighbourhood generally is noisy and I like it that way!