Do you tell your neighbours about DIY?

[Misty9]

New neighbours moved in about 6 weeks ago and were renovating before that since Christmas. It's banging and drilling every weekend until 9pm and often weekday evenings too. Do you tell your neighbours if you're going to be making lots of noise? We're attached and I'm getting really fed up now - and not once have they come over to apologise or say anything about it. I want to know how much longer this is going to go on?! Even ds said he didn't know what they could still be doing as the house isn't that big!

I have each and every time. A message beforehand giving an idea of the length of the job and an open call to get in touch if they have any issues. The builders were gone when they should have been I.e awkward times. After the work was done we took over a load of beers for each neighbour (flats in a converted house). Just seemed like the right thing to do!

I have in the past yes.
I’m sure there’s something that you can’t work before and after certain times on a weekend.
From google;
General construction work should be restricted to the following hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. Saturdays 8am to 1pm. Noisy work is prohibited on Sundays and bank holidays.

There’s nothing wrong with knocking and asking how long it’s going to be on for and ask for no heavy work on a nighttime etc for kids

Have you talked to them about it? Do you have each other's numbers to text to say when DIY is going to happen?

I do but my neighbours dont...I just keep continuing to do it hoping they will return the politeness

No but I would make sure it's between 9 and 7

@PinkCookie11
"General construction work should be restricted to the following hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. Saturdays 8am to 1pm. Noisy work is prohibited on Sundays and bank holidays."

I suspect that rule applies if you have professional construction companies doing work.
I doubt that it applies to DIY as evenings and weekends are the only time some people can do it.
Obviously it's annoying so may be worth asking very politely if they could finish earlier etc.

Yes, especially now when so many people are wfh. I apologise in advance, provide at least a week’s notice so working people can if desired find somewhere else to work or rearrange calls.

Once the work is happening I usually give an update like, “ the noisy work will be over by x o’clock.”

Also we confine work to weekdays 8am to 4pm, and weekends 11am to 5pm.

I would simply knock on their door and say you would prefer they don’t bang, saw, hammer , drill etc after 6pm.

Depends if I think they will be disturbed or not.

However as they are new I’d assume maybe they don’t realise you can hear it so loudly

I went round and knocked recently to ask when they were stopping drilling as it was past dc bedtime. I plan to drop it into conversation if I see them and ask how much longer... I just wondered if I was being unreasonable getting fed up. Luckily I don't work from home!

If I was doing a sustained amount yes I would - just putting up a few shelves then no.
I certainly would not be doing it past 6 or 7 in the evening or on Sundays.

I'm expecting there to be about 50 shelves in each room the noise there's been!

I would, but our neighbours never have.

We've had three sets of neighbours in six years. All of them have done serious DIY on the wall attaching to us. I don't understand what they're doing. House just sold in beautiful condition and builders have been in for four days banging and drilling on the wall. What could possibly need doing?! I'm working from home and v close to losing it now. There's been lots of DIY in six years, but in the last 2.5 it's been pretty much non-stop. This is why we're hopefully moving in a week to a detached house!

I had this with recent neighbour they didn't say how long either and it was 4 mo the and right through Xmas too.

Go on your council website there should be noisy diy hours listed somewhere and go give it to them and tell them to adhere to the time otherwise your left with no choice but to report them.

My neighbours builders would start up st 7am on a Sunday ffs!

There is a reason for these noisy hours, so that people can have dedicated 'quiet time'

I only tell my neighbours about noisy diy work if its going to be more than 1 day. Otherwise ifnirs just one day and within hours I personally wouldn't. And by noisy world I mean drilling out concrete, taking bathroom apart, not drilling hole in a wall to put up a picture.

We warn neighbour attached and neighbour next door unattached if it’s likely to be noisy. Like when we got the windows replaced.
Next door attached however didn’t tell us when they removed a wall and put an rsj in.
First I knew about it was waking up at 8am one morning as the house felt it was shaking and the noise of the wall getting drilled and hammered out. 😮

@Misty9

I went round and knocked recently to ask when they were stopping drilling as it was past dc bedtime. I plan to drop it into conversation if I see them and ask how much longer... I just wondered if I was being unreasonable getting fed up. Luckily I don't work from home!

No I think it’s fine, it means they know. The issue they will habe is they need to complete it. I’m always of the opinion it’s better to get it done rather than limit and drag it out, but everyone differs.

Minor work I don’t tell mine, but anything prolonged I do, we are detached so it’s fine, but up a private drive so delivery vehicles and workmen’s vehicles can block them so I let them know. So different as it’s not a noise issue, but more access and waste materials/skips. I think it’s common courtesy if you’re going to disturb someone you should let them know and for how long.

[quote BigBlueDog]@PinkCookie11
"General construction work should be restricted to the following hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. Saturdays 8am to 1pm. Noisy work is prohibited on Sundays and bank holidays."

I suspect that rule applies if you have professional construction companies doing work.
I doubt that it applies to DIY as evenings and weekends are the only time some people can do it.
Obviously it's annoying so may be worth asking very politely if they could finish earlier etc.[/quote]
Depends on council I suppose by I know ours adheres to everyone, company or the homeowners themselves.

@8misskitty8

We warn neighbour attached and neighbour next door unattached if it’s likely to be noisy. Like when we got the windows replaced. Next door attached however didn’t tell us when they removed a wall and put an rsj in. First I knew about it was waking up at 8am one morning as the house felt it was shaking and the noise of the wall getting drilled and hammered out. 😮

omg! I'll stop complaining 😂

And it's still going on...

So go round knock on their door tell them to stop and if they continue to work beyond the hours they are allowed to you'll be sending in recorded evidence to back up your complaint.

It's what I did and they stuck to the hours after that.

I would knock!! Ridiculous time on a Sunday.
Just be nice and say what time are you finishing kids bedtime coming etc

We do, if it's going to be noisy/dusty etc. (we wouldn't do stuff very early or late, because we're, y'know, considerate.
Not so our self-centred 'if we want to do something, we'll do it whenever and however we choose, without giving you a second thought' neighbours.

We do - but our neighbours don't. We think they are just rude.

I don't really want to start invoking regulations and the like, who knows how long we'll need to live next door to each other! It's difficult because it's a bit sporadic, so it happens and I think right, next time... Then it doesn't happen again for a half hour or so! If it starts now though I'll go round again...

we do if its something major gave our neighbours a heads up when we had the patio put in and when we did the kitchen, a few minutes drilling to put a big mirror up no we didnt say anything as it was short time but our builder was one of my sosns so i made sure he came after 9am and finished around 5pm, and the same with the kitchen people

I always do, yes.