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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that new neighbours....

23 replies

cocopops · 16/09/2008 13:23

should bloody well come round and apologise in advance for all the noise and muck they are going to create when doing up their newly purchased house?

I think its damn rude not to, given that we're having to put up with their not inconsiderable noisy bloody workmen and them parking their work vans on the white line outside my house thus blocking entry to the drive.

What's more, the wife turned up this morning after l'd given the workman a piece of my mind and didn't bother her arse to come and apologise.

what IS it with people.....

OP posts:

compo · 16/09/2008 13:24

well the blocking the drive would be annoying but what's the point of having ago at the workmen?

Lauriefairycake · 16/09/2008 13:25

have you been round to welcome them to the neighbourhood?

If not then yabu.

MamaG · 16/09/2008 13:26

YANBU

We had 9 months of hammering, drilling, sanding, clomping up and down stairs from our new neighbours - they both work full time so it was every night and farking weekend.

they never ONCE apologised - I even had to ask them once to not do any noisy work for 2 hours one Sunday as we were having guests for lunch and coudln't bear to sit there AGAIN with the noise.

I still fucking hate the fuckers (behind their backs, natch)

lulumama · 16/09/2008 13:26

why should they? most people will do work to a house they buy.. asking a workman politely to not park across your drive is going to get you a lot furtehr than giving him a piece of you rmind

odd to think they are rude, when you are being rude too

i would not have apologised either, if you had just been really rude to people i was paying to work on my house

MamaG · 16/09/2008 13:27

AND I'd been around with wine, home made cake and a new home card when they bought the fucking house

mayorquimby · 16/09/2008 13:27

blocking the drive way is not on. i'm with you on that.

apart from that if the noise is within the allowed for period and all the renovations are being doe in accordance with their planning permission/local council guide lines then they don't really have anything to apologise for.
yes it might be annoying but it's an expected part of living in a community that from time to time people will renovate/cause noise due to work on their home

southeastastra · 16/09/2008 13:29

i think they should have apologised in advance, it's just the neighbourly thing to do.

we had it for 6 months next door too, i used to put the stereo on full blast and put the speakers right up against the wall.

pigleto · 16/09/2008 13:29

my neighbours are building an extension. They came round with a bottle of wine before they started. It has gone a long way to make me feel better about all the mess that gets blown over the wall and the noise and the inconvenience. Building work is hell.

Original poster

cocopops · 16/09/2008 13:34

i have gone out of my way to say hello and introduce myself before they got the keys so I have welcomed them inso far as I can lauriefairycak.....

as for being rude to workmen, they are the neighbours agents and i think its really not on for anyone to park on someone elses' white line when they can easily park outside the house they are doing work on but clearly I am being unreasonable!

btw- they are not living in the house yet.

OP posts:

traceybath · 16/09/2008 13:36

I personally wouldn't apologise in advance but i'd have let you know there was going to be some building works.

As long as its done during sensible hours its part of life isn't it.

Blocking drive annoying though and i would ask for them not to do that.

I'd personally rather it was proper builders during normal hours than enthusiastic diy'ers at weekends/evenings.

Lauriefairycake · 16/09/2008 13:37

Glad to hear you've welcomed them.

Hopefully the woman will be round to say sorry with a bottle of wine soon.

ParCark · 16/09/2008 13:38

Message withdrawn

nametaken · 16/09/2008 13:41

Agree with the others the only people in the wrong here are the workmen parking accross your drive. However, as he is (presumably) a fully grown man, then he is at fault for doing this not your neighbour.

It never ceases to amaze me that workmen find it necessary to park so close to where they happen to be working because (SHOCK, HORROR) they might have to carry a screwdriver from the van to the job!!!!!!!!!

mamhaf · 16/09/2008 13:41

YABU - lots of people have renovation work done, and as long as it complies with their planning permission, it's part of life.

But the workmen shouldn't block your drive -a polite request not to do so is in order.

However the tone of your post suggests you may not have been all that polite.

Are you jealous perhaps?

lulumama · 16/09/2008 13:41

it is not on for them to block your drive BUT giving a piece of your mind is not going to help things.. you can ask nicely. people tend to respond more to niceness

Original poster

cocopops · 16/09/2008 13:42

no, its just what I would do were the situation reversed but clearly not everyone follows my moral code!

OP posts:

Original poster

cocopops · 16/09/2008 13:45

Mamhaf-why would i be jealous at someone getting their house rewired and a wall knocked down?

I was polite to workman but shall crawl back into my house now!

OP posts:

Brangelina · 16/09/2008 13:45

YANBU

when we did our place up, including knocking down lots of walls, having lorries in to pick up the debris etc., DP put up a notice in the lobby warning other residents and apologising beforehand for any inconvenience caused.

We also had hours where no noisy work was to be carried, ie. 1-3pm when people had lunch and small children napped.

It's only common courtesy and doesn't require much extra effort, I really don't understand why people don't bother.

I think society is becoming ruder as a whole, very much me-me and f#*k the rest of the world.

MamaG · 16/09/2008 13:45

When I moved into my house, if I was having some particualry noisy work done, i went to both neighbours in advance and warned them and said sorry for any inconvenience.

I'm surprised that not everybody does it TBH

bloomingfedup · 16/09/2008 13:52

I have and still do live next to people like this. YANBU. It takes a minute to come over and let you know whats going on and apologise for any inconvience.

Worse still if the works starts on a saturday morning - grrrrrr.

mamhaf · 16/09/2008 13:52

Cocopops - if they needed planning permission you should have had a letter from the council which would warn you of any work.

However, they may not have needed permission for a small amount of work. And if it's only a wall being knocked down and rewiring (how do you know that)? it's not going to be more than a few days' disruption, is it?

Original poster

cocopops · 16/09/2008 14:01

they don't need planning permission only building warrant.

my old neighbours who sold to them told me what they were getting done.

I have no idea how long it takes to rewire a house, knock down a wall and put in a supporting beam but I kindof think its irrelevant how long IMHO

OP posts:

more · 16/09/2008 16:35

Are you not even then though, because your husband will be revving his motorcycle engine and waking them up every morning .

I think yabu, they are doing nothing wrong unless the workmen are working after 19.00.

We did not apologise until after we had done all the work.

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