AIBU to go out to neighbour and ask them to stop?

[HappyHolidays22]

So it’s 9.20am bank holiday Monday and a beautiful morning. DD playing on the patio and I’m just putting our baby down for nap 1.

For the last 30 minutes out neighbour has been cutting flags on and off. It’s the loudest most annoying noise I can imagine at this time on a Monday morning. We do have the windows open as it’s a lovely morning, but even closed we can hear it.

DH is cross too but thinks we shouldn’t say anything… he’s worried we will start an ongoing argument as a few weeks back, he was doing some more flag cutting at 8pm and woke both my kids up! I absolutely went out and told him to stop that time.

Would I be unreasonable to ask neighbour to stop now? I know we are up anyway with the kids, but it’s early right?

for reference, neighbours have been extensively renovating for 12 months and I think they’re desperate to finish their drive and be done with it all!

I know how frustrating it is, a neighbour was cutting things down 9.02am yesterday, but so what!

They're trying to finish, utilising an extra day off work, so then normal noise will resume.

You would be very unreasonable to go and ask them to stop.

I didn't know either, just googled. Apparently flag is another name for a paving slab.

YABVVU. To be fair 8pm wasn’t unreasonable either but it sounds like they were considerate enough to stop them. An 8am start wouldn’t have been too unreasonable and they were probably thinking let’s leave it to after 9am to help the neighbours. Let them crack on with it - and hopefully they’ll get it finished soon and invite you over for drinks on their nice new patio!!

My neighbour is chain sawing wood, he’s building a pergola. I wouldn’t dream of telling him to stop. It’s one of the hazards of living with neighbours. Be nice. Shut the windows and let him create his patio ready for summer.

It's not reasonable to expect your neighbour to work around your baby's naptime.

Ideally noise on a bank holiday that could disturb your neighbour shouldn't start until after 10. But that would include noisy children in the garden so you are both as inconsiderate as each other. Bit hypocritical of you to complain and you could probably expect a comment back about your own family noise.

Even if it was “technically prohibited” on your council’s website, you would come across as very precious telling them to stop

You said these renovations have been going on for 12 months, surely you want them finished ASAP? Putting in times when they can’t work is extending the finish time

DD playing with Lego - not making any noise to be fair.

but point taken! I would just never dream of doing something so loud so early on a bank holiday…. But hey that’s me.

I'm glad people have clarified that flags is flagstones, I couldn't work out how on earth cutting up flags, presumably with a large pair of scissors could possibly make enough noise to wake children up. That's without wondering why someone would want to cut up lots of flags, if they weren't on something like a protest.

@RichardMarxisinnocent haha that’s made me laugh - I hadn’t even considered it that way! Yes, flagstones indeed.

Personally on a weekend/BH, I would think it reasonable to conduct noisy groundworks such as these AFTER 10am, but after 9am is not wholly unreasonable. I assume you were all awake?

It's a shame that you won't be able to enjoy peace and quiet in the garden but I guess they have to get it completed!

I had a lovely mental image of your neighbour peacefully cutting the fabric to construct national flags. Admittedly I skipped your last line.

I'm grumpy having been woken by very loudly talking dog walkers at 7.30. And yes, I know this is unreasonable and people are allowed to hold conversations on public roads. I just wish they wouldn't do it at yelling volume that early in the morning.

When we were redoing our garden, we saved noisy jobs until after 10am. It might be that they saw you were up already with the children in the garden so thought it would be ok.

Perhaps a day trip down to the lake is in order, baby can sleep in pram. Fortunately we are in the Lake District so not just relying on our garden today!

have a nice day all.

Yes I agree with everyone else. It's an annoying noise but it has to be done at some point.

I will swap you! My neighbour has taken up chainsaw art.

YABU but I would be fuming too.

@SoShallINever - oh my! I feel for you! That’s a niche and incredibly unfortunate hobby indeed.

Reading with intrigue

The evening objections I agree with by the way.

Whilst on this occasion to object would I think be unreasonable, I disagree with your DHs view which seems to me to be one that you put up with things just because someone is a neighbour.

It's not early in the slightest. Better to do it now when neighbours are doing chores than later when they want to relax.

Just think of it this way, the more time they spend getting it done now, the sooner it is done.

We had a neighbour who wanted to use a hammer drill to get up a concrete garden and lay a lawn. They kindly offered us 6 days of working between 10 and 4 or two solid days of noise. We picked the two. Short and sharp is better.

Massively unreasonable, why can't they do it on a weekday when not so many people are out trying to enjoy their gardens

Cutting flag stones for a path or driveway

Same!!! I thought how can he making that much noise cutting down his Coronation bunting!!! 😂

Presumably the neighbour is at work then.