To think it’s antisocial to power wash the patio today

[AirborneElephant]

Where I am today is a beautiful sunny day. It’s warm enough to sit out with a jumper. The first sunny day ALL YEAR, and tomorrow and for the rest of the week it’s going back to being wet and dreary. So I made my lunch, sat outside, and revelled in the sun and birdsong. Until about an hour later when my neighbour started pressure washing his patio, and he’s still at it now.

Yes, I know it’s the middle of the day. I know it needs doing, I will do mine at some point. I know I am privileged to have a nice garden to sit in. But TODAY? The only sun we’ve had for months? AIBU to think that’s fucking selfish?

It's lovely to be out power washing on a sunny day. I bet it was the sunshine that drew him out as much as it drew you out.

I've been power washing my drive today. I wouldn't have done it if it was rainy or cold.

I fear you might be my neighbour. Sorry! 🫣

today was the perfect jet washing day!

You'd hate us. Just been cutting the grass and using hedgecutters. Been waiting bloody months to get in the garden. YABU,

Are you ok? He hasn’t stolen the sun, he took the perfectly normal opportunity to get the power washing done. Yoh can’t control what your neighbours do if you live In close proximity to others. So as to live your life in silence when you please.

Of course it’s just life. It’s always been the case that as soon as the sun makes an appearance people start preparing their outdoor spaces ready to enjoy the spring and summer -and then complain like OP about other people doing the same re: barbecues and kids jumping too high on trampolines and birthday parties and paint spraying and music and DIY and chatting too loudly on their phones and lawn mowing and on and on and on-

No way makes it all the filthier, I always do it in the sun, albeit about April.

It might be the only time he has to do it, get off ur high horse fun neighbour

I wouldn’t care less. I probably wouldn’t even notice.

Oh lord, has the seasonal moaning started up again already? Normally we get more of a break between people griping about fireworks and Christmas before moving onto sunshine moaning!

Can you change your mindset and relish the fact that you are sitting enjoying the sunshine rather than feeling the need to do jobs?

🙄Google "main character syndrome".

I always find it surprising. People living in such close proximity to others but who feel their needs trump everyone else’s. It’s mind boggling.

Perhaps when noisy machinery replaced just sweeping up with a broom.

Did he somehow block the sun?

I think I will do mine now

I agree with you op but then I think all power tools should be banned :). They didn't exist a few decades ago and people coped.

Yes, YABU. Your choice for a sunny day is to sit in the garden, his is gardening. Both are acceptable garden activities.

Is the dirty water getting into your garden? Surely it’s just normal suburban noise? My neighbour mowed his lawn at 6:30pm yesterday which I think is a bit late but it’s probably the first chance he’s had all year and might be the last until Easter.
Sunny again today incidentally and we’ve had sawing, banging, strimming and flying lessons overhead. I quite like the “spring clean” hubub, makes me feel like we are all alive again (and I way prefer it to kids shouting in the summer hols)

The “stolen” comment is amusingly dramatic!

I get irritated by noisy power tools when I am enjoying the garden but I now put headphones on and listen to music and still bask in the sun without the annoyance.

Our next door but one neighbour built his own extension during the 2020 lockdown and was very fond of using his Angle grinder at all hours and any day of the week. Now that was selfish. It was a beautiful summer and we had nowhere else to go!

I'll go against the general consensus and say yes jet washing in general Is a fucking pain, noisy and annoying, but every Malcolm and his mate has got theirs out round me today, it's why I invested in a pair of noise cancelling headphones years ago and they work perfectly against that and bam bam bam of the twatting footballs once the weather picks up,

Surely you know you're being ridiculous 🙄

I live in rural France and the moment the sun comes out here we get the ride on mowers, the hedge trimmers, the strimmers, the chainsaws, the leaf blowers even though there are no bloody leaves.

We also get the holiday home owners, the walkers, and the legions of the tour de france middle aged men in lycra screaming past, the motorbikers blaring their horns and the vintage car rallies thundering right past the house. Add to that the air display practice going on above us and the low flying military jets that scare the bejezus out of the cats.

Come to France they said, peace and quiet they said...

So I feel your pain. I mostly put the noise reduction headphones on to drown it all out.

You said yours will need doing at some point. I imagine you’d be pissed off if your neighbour tried to dictate when this was allowed. What if when you choose to do yours makes someone else annoyed?
Your neighbour can do theirs when they want, as can you.
Your wish to sit in the garden for a bit doesn’t take precedence over their wish to use the pressure washer.

outdoor jobs are far more pleasant when it's dry and sunny. Why should your NDN have to do their jobs in the rain and wind just because you are sitting outside with a cuppa for 30 mins.