New neighbour has asked us to stop construction on new home until daughter has finished exams.

[Grammarninja]

This is such a tricky one for me. We bought a house that needed a complete overhaul a year ago. We've finally gotten through architects, planning permission and trying to find affordable builders etc. It has been stressful.
We broke ground this week and the neighbours have asked us to stop until dd has finished her exams in 3 weeks.
I really feel for the family and can't imagine how upsetting it must be for them at this crucial time (we had no idea they had a child sitting exams this summer). My husband has offered them an office at his work around the corner to facilitate study. I wouldn't mind postponing if it wouldn't cost us 30k to do so as builders are working to a set time frame. I wouldn't even mind the extra costs we'd incur through having to stay in our current accommodation for another month if it weren't for the builders' costs which we simply can't afford.
I'm worried now that we're going to start off on a terrible note with our new neighbours which would be such a shame considering my current neighbours are like family.
Are we being unreasonable to continue with the build in these circumstances?

Why ? The alternative was losing £30k.

If you read OPs posts you’ll see they have to do demolition

I really feel for you OP, but none of this is your fault, people moaning it shouldn’t take a year to start work for getting the keys haven’t dealt with the building trade recently, it’s all a very slow turning cog. I think you’ve done your best to placate the situation, but they do sound like the kinda people if you give an inch they take a mile. Maybe don’t turn up with headphones but offer them, to calm the situation along with another apology and a bottle of nice wine. This is your and has affected your life too and there’s no need for you to be out of pocket, any decent neighbours would understand.

So? Do they even think about the impact of their project on anyone around them?

hopefully child will not be impacted too much but if she is then it’s gonna put a sour taste on the relationship.

OP needs to compromise.

Limited comprehension skills ? Pot, kettle, black.

I have no idea how construction noise affects a child sitting exams??? You are definitely not doing anything wrong

If they're willing to pay you €30k to pause the build, sure.

But if not, all you can do is make sure that the builders start at nine am and end at five pm.

The neighbours already sound unreasonable with the requests that they've been fielding in your direction so far. So, they will have to deal with it, because you're not building to spite them, and you're out of pocket and are in discomfort too.

Have an open and honest conversation with them. Explain that it’s not possible to stop work without massive costs. You have offered some help and it’s not as if it will be going on late in the evening and may not be so very noisy anyway. But you want good relationships so try to talk to them.

Harsh 🤣

Think of the education you’ve got! Reread your posts! Grammar PP! Punctuation as well!

A year of doing nothing and then doing loud work when everyone has exam weeks. Oh well.

I can see why they would not like you. I had a similar situation when I was revising for exams and I hated these people.

Compromise how - given that the works are already booked and she will incur ridiculous costs by delaying. Her DH has already offered a quiet office space for revision. How is that not compromising ?

Oh well, I’m sure they’re over it!

Someone will be upset or doing something, it’s always the way.

@Grammarninja what exams is the DD doing? A levels and GCSEs started 4 weeks ago and are mostly finished by the end of next week.

I actually did building work that overran by two months into my daughter's GCSE exams and it was completely fine. When booking the builders I was really anxious about it finishing at least two weeks before her exams but in the end all worked out ok. It was a loft extension, so really dusty and noisy, and there were workmen in and out all the time, and she just plugged into her headphones, or went to the library, and got on with it and got excellent results. Workmen tend to finish early, around 4pm anyway, but at the latest 6pm, so it really doesn't need to affect your neighbours' daughter that much.

Are you being serious?

Not a year of doing nothing. A year of getting plans together. And those plans were sent to the neighbour who had a chance to peruse them. NDN child having exams is nothing to do with OP. It’s noise. She should be able to deal with it or take up the offer of quiet office space from DH.

Because they don't revise in between exam days or before? Do you have children? Have you ever sat exams? 😂

If you read post the lady says Ilthey have been waiting on planning permission and architects,etc and we all know that takes forever. There is nothing stopping the daughter from going to the public library to study or the office that the posters husband has kindly offered her.. they can’t be expected to lose £30,000 over someone else issues which can easily be remedied..

In what way- again that was rhetorical as you are just stating any old rubbish!

A year of no noise and no impact on the neighbours and then exactly when it counts: noise Armageddon.

Let's hope the neighbours won't ever have a chance of retaliation. This is not a good start, is it.😱

Becsuse OP has said
( if you recall her posts ) that the property was originally used for multiple occupancy
with multiple toilets and all the other stuff that clearly goes with it

Shes turning it back into a family home
There is demolition involved… How much…she hasn’t said

Whats access like as that adds to the cost….she hasn’t said

Whats the existing condition structurally….she hasn’t said

What's the ground makeup …again This determines cost and method of construction….she hasn’t said

What is the construction…she hasn’t said

Is she going eco house …another plus expense…she hasn’t said

How much new build is there in terms of m2 ….she hasn’t said

Is she converting/ raising etc the roof of the existing…she hasn’t said

Hence
Yes of course I’d need to see the drawings

Of note
You know why she hasn’t said…because it’s irrelevant yI this thread !

You also can’t say it’s a lot as you have absolutely no idea of any of the above unless you’ve seen the drawings.
Have you?
Are you the neighbour?

Leaving cert.

As a construction professional who has to work in building site offices, it sucks but she'll get used to it. Really nice of your hubby to offer office space!
I'm assuming the builders will only be working in daytime work hours not evenings or weekends? So she'll have those quiet.