neighbours kicking off because we are decorating??

[fashu]

So a Nightmare move (seller delaying sale costing us a fortune in removals), broken boiler, broken dishwasher, smashed kitchen tiles and old furniture left behind later, we are finally in our new house, but that's a new thread for another day

Well, the house is old, and we had a plasterer and painter ready to go before we even moved in. We knew the house would have cracks and chips and the whole house was painted white a while ago so was understandably a bit grubby. Also got kids so wanted to do their rooms nice for them.
Its one man, we aren't getting him to do the kitchen so we all sat in there and he got on with his work so no concerns re: socially distancing.
Our neighbours one way are the loveliest people, but already feeling tension the other way.
The other day we had an amazon parcel delivered. Husband came out, let onto new neighbours no reply. He thought they didn't see him but then they started shouting that the amazon man had hit their car because it skidded on some ice. I have no idea if that was the case, but I can't control the amazon driver. Husband said it didn't touch the car and they only seemed to come out to be nosey. They seemed to have let it go now anyway.
So the yesterday they started kicking off at my painter when he arrived. Saying that the previous owner had painted all the house and made it nice for us so why was he coming to paint? He said he just told them it wasn't our style.

When I moved into my old house a few years ago my neighbour came out as I was carrying boxes in and had a go at me over the planning that had been granted for the an extension for the house 2 years previously! They were obviously totally against it but it was a really bad first impression of the neighbour. I kept my distance for a good few months but it turned out they were actually lovely and we got on really well.

With people like this you need to make it plain right away you will not tolerate their crap. They will see any kind of attempt at being nice as a weakness.
I've had neighbours like this before and the best thing to do is to say, this is my house, I will do what I like with it when I like and whatever I do is none of your business. Do you understand?
Then shut the door.
If you don't they will make your life a living misery.

Have nothing to do with them. If they say anything again I would tell them flatly that it is your house.

Just ignore them and continue to do so. What business is it of theirs if you are decorating?

I'd be tempted to start drilling holes and filling them in just to piss them off.

"With people like this you need to make it plain right away you will not tolerate their crap. They will see any kind of attempt at being nice as a weakness.
I've had neighbours like this before and the best thing to do is to say, this is my house, I will do what I like with it when I like and whatever I do is none of your business. Do you understand?
Then shut the door."

Jesus Christ. You sound awful. This and other posts on here are so sad. No wonder the new neighbour is keen to know what "type" have moved in next door. The OP hasn't even bothered to introduce herself. So rude.

"I'd be tempted to start drilling holes and filling them in just to piss them off."

Because they made idle chit chat with a decorator?

One of our neighbours was bewildered & cross about us wanting to put in a new bathroom because it had only just been replaced. Judging by the state of the taps & the toilet, it was replaced in the 80s/90s! I think that older people can't always judge how long ago things happened, I'm frequently surprised that the year 2000 wasn't a couple of years ago.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The Amazon delivery / car thing seems to be an non-issue and the thing with the decorator is just idle chitchat or nosiness.

I'd just get on with my own thing and try to keep things civil and polite and at a distance.

So, I don't think it's the best time to be going to 'introduce myself' during a lockdown. Yes, we had a man come into our house for 5 days but we kept a distance and only opened the door for him to come in. Having kids I want to minimise contact wherever possible and personally I would not appreciate if someone knocked on my door to say they were the new neighbours.
Given that, this is why I was thinking to leave a card to say who we are and what we do and some flowers as just a little gift.
My husband has seen them, has tried to be polite with them but they completely ignored him until they shouted at him for the amazon driver, so do you think knocking on their door is the best point of call?
We have spoken to our other neighbours several times over the garden wall, they are lovely, always let on, they know our names and now I know all their names, children and grandchildren's names and what they do for a living. I'm not a rude person at all, if I had personally seen them I would have said Hello, I'm Jane* so nothing to do with me going to introduce myself. It was mentioned once and I ignored it. Let it go.

I'm so pleased to see so many of you had questionable experiences with your neighbours and they turned out to be lovely. Hoping after the lockdown ends and we will be getting out the house more we might be able to see them properly and start a conversation.

Whilst I would love to annoy them if they are genuinely bad neighbours, they might actually be lovely as others have had similar situations so I don't want to go out of my way to do that. Also not really in my nature

Further update -
They were out and got a delivery of fresh flowers. We have taken from delivery driver for them.
My DS was having a nap and neighbours have just banged on our door really loud and woke him up. Not a problem that they woke him up, he needed to get up anyway but meant I took more than 30 seconds to get the keys whilst I picked him up etc. Anyway not there when I answered.
Husband came running down the stairs thinking something serious had happened.
Tried to knock at their house, no response but I can hear them fighting in their kitchen now......wish me luck going back later.

I would say they are just attention-seeking. You can't socialise because of lockdown so they thought they would get your attention in another way. I'd ignore them as far as possible and if they say anything to you about the decorator, tell them it's your house and your business what you do with it!

Post them through their letterbox, one by one

It sounds to me like they’re just worried and fulminating- fretting that the painting might just be the start and that you’re about to build a band stand next. If it’s an street of oldies they’re probably worried about Covid and that you might be a rule breaker. I would be pleasant and friendly and put their minds at ease.