If your neighbours did a big house renovation...

[emeraldcity2000]

What little things did they do that made it easier on you?
We've just started and the dust and noise is making everyone a bit grouchy...
we've tried he be as considerate as possible in that we've delayed the work significantly so as not to do it when people we're working at home / homeschooling (not easy as it's a house in need of a lot of work and we have 2 small people ourselves plus it will cost us a lot more now). We've been through all the proper processes re party wall and shared all designs etc before submitting for planning to make sure no one was adversely impacted... and we specifically briefed the architect to make sure noones light was impacted by the side return design...
It was always going to be a large project for whoever took it on... but I still feel bad for the disturbance (today is drilling out concrete floors) .. is there anything your neighbours did so you didn't hate them forever?! We plan to live here long term and would love to get on!

I would say if they could delay the very noisy jobs in the morning at least some mornings that may be possible to do other bits and bobs before bringing in the heavy artillery

I would say give them as much notice as possible of when noisy work is likely to be and a possible end date of construction. I dont think theres much else you can do.

The house behind us is currently having renovations done. The neighbour isn’t currently living there and hasn’t since they bought it 2 years ago. Never introduced themselves or spoken to us about their extension (which originally included a balcony which would overlook us and several other houses - thankfully this was refused). The builders have been shouting to each other since 7.30 this morning interspersed with drilling and they also have a digger. Lots of petrol fumes drifting my way.

You sound very considerate compared to my neighbour.

A noisy/dusty day schedule is a fantastic idea. I'd be so grateful just to have some understanding of that.

Any time I’ve had work done I popped to neighbour with some chocolates or wine and said I’m sorry there’s going to be some noise. Hopefully it was last this long.
Just be considerate. It’s all you can do.

From March-September 2020 we lived with both sides of our terrace renovating. It was the first national lockdown and it was absolutely miserable. We ended up moving in September because there was no end in sight and it was unbearable.

For us the worst offenders were:
The constant blasting music
The swearing and smoking (they would even throw them over the fence to our garden when finished smoking)
Work beginning at 7am, even on Saturday and Sunday
One neighbour put a port-a-loo directly outside our living room / under our bedroom window which was truly delightful when temps reached 38°
The noisy weekend work meant we lived without a break for about 55 days in a row at one point

I think noise and dust and even some inconsiderate parking is all to be expected but it’s all the other little things that build up over months and months.

We probably had it particularly bad as the builders on the left were left unattended, the couple “couldn’t bare to live through the disruption” so they moved out during and it all got out of hand.

We talk to our neighbours when works are starting, and if there is space in the skip before it goes we let them know so space isn't wasted and they get a clear out too! We've also passed on details of good trades, and sent e.g. electricians over from ours once done to fit in small jobs for neighbours too.
In comparison, a new neighbour three doors down bought in sept 2019, put in ludicrous plans that got approved march at the start of pandemic when the committee weren't meeting properly, for entirely out of vernacular changes, in conservation area. Started ripping stuff out before grant including laying foundations for their extension. Had workers here all day every day including weekends and bank holidays throughout the lockdown, huge noise, vans everywhere and on roof which can see into our garden with loud effing and jeffing all day when kids were in garden. Because planning had been granted as homeowner works no restrictions we're placed on working hours ago we couldn't do anything about our garden being noisy and noise on our many WFH and homeschool calls.
They continue to live somewhere else, although external works including hideous Blackpool illuminations style external lighting seem complete. When a neighbor asked one of the workers when works likely to finish they laughed.
He still drives here almost daily to fettle, and leaves his car not on driveway as it's full of extension and skip. Sometimes a second car if his wife and kids visit their museum.
So. Not that. He's not on my Christmas card list.

Some horror stories!
Happily our builders seem really considerate, aren't working weekends or late evenings (that's when they do their other jobs apparently !) and don't have the radio on! So the skip doesn't take up parking places they are storing all the rubbish in bags and then the skip will only be here for a couple of hours when they load... and they are very tidy!
They are happy to give us a rough outline each week of the work too so hopefully that will help!
Thanks everyone!

Our neighbours came round with a bottle of prosecco to apologise which definitely buttered us up! It's just one of those things, you could explain time scales etc but there's not a great deal beyond that you could do.

@Ozanj, I did actually, when we had our side return done. Only at the very end, not all the way through, mind. One couple declined the offer of a cleaner, and just had their windows done. Not sure what's so 'batshit' about that.

Neighbours near us had the builders from hell. It was a big remodelling job and the neighbours actually moved out for 3 months, but were then inundated with complaints from the street:
-builders arriving 6.30/7 am and starting machinery e.g. cement mixers, but saying they hadn't 'started' when challenged by neighbours

• churning up and destruction of grass verges
• blocking driveways and slow to move vehicles
• peeing on adjoining fence
• constant music swearing
• theft of a number of wheely recycling bins - turns out they were using them to move rubble around the garden
• at the end of the day they used to light a bonfire at the bottom of the garden and leave!

@Ozanj I offered to get my window cleaner to do our closest neighbours windows at the end of the works.

Radios inside only.
NO PARKING across neighbours drives - we parked our cars at far end of road to free up space.
When last skip was finished with, we let neighbours know in case they wanted to dump something in it

My neighbours organised and paid for a window cleaner on both sides once the dusty work was finished. The bottle of wine was nice but the window cleaners were the best gift.

Our neighbours had work going on for FIVE YEARS

At one point, for several months, they had a lorry container in the front garden to keep all the tools and stuff. Thankfully they don't have a car, so when the skip arrived it sat outside their house rather than anyone else's.

I've blanked most of it out now, tbh, but it was an awful time. I'm glad we weren't trying to move, as it would really have depressed the price of our house.

When we had our extension build, a couple of years ago, we did forewarn the neighbours on both sides. We spent a fair bit of time with the neighbours in the other half of the semi going through the party wall agreement, and making sure that our new roofline worked with theirs. Our builders also did some remedial work on theirs to repair things and make it blend in better. We also got the architect to come round and talk them through the plans and what it would all mean.

And then when it was finally finished, we invited both sets round for dinner and plied them with lots of wine!

The bad - portaloo directly in my line of sight from my kitchen window. No thanks - put it outside your own house! Ditto the skip right outside my front door so I can’t park outside my house for three months.

The good- finding out what I like and regular deliveries of £50 bottles of wine and tat magazines for the kids

My neighbours had an 8 month project during lockdown. So annoying but had to be done. Don’t block their drive that’s all I’ll say. Hope it goes well

Don't whinge / give the latest saga over why you've fallen out with the latest builder. Your neighbour doesn't care about your personal drama making. They are just humouring you.

Don't do DIY on evenings and weekends when the builders have already been in ALL week. Its antisocial.

Try not to let it go on for months longer than it needs to. Make sure you can afford the building work so it doesn't get stalled because you have to stop work whilst you save the money to do more work.

Just because the architects plans say one thing, it doesn't mean that in practice this has to be stuck to the nth degree if an alternative makes more sense.

Do not litter. If you have a skip, make sure it does not have stuff that can be blown into neighbours gardens.

If the building work has been going on for two years, with no sign of end, because you are too busy fannying with unimportant stuff they are likely to start getting pissy.

Don't say that the building work will be complete by x date. It won't be. It will piss your neighbours off even more.

Don't take the piss. If you put scaffoling up which encroaches onto your neighbours property and you don't a) ask permission first b) apologise for it, don't expect them to be happy. Don't act surprised and go "I don't understand what I have done wrong" when they say they don't want to talk to you.

Don't be surprised if your neighbours throw the rubbish from your building work back over your fence after you've put up said scaffold on their property and they've had two years of it.

Don't drive like a dick and park outside your neighbours house like a prick. They've already been putting up with your builders. You are rubbing salt into the wounds.

Don't have a screaming match with your builder in the street over how you can't afford to pay him. It doesn't go down well with your neighbours who've been exceedingly patient.

If your neighbours complain about damage to their property, don't insist that you have to get a certain builder in to fix it, take another month to do so, and then complain about how your ridicilous extra demands for the job are not met. Your neighbours just want it fixed and aren't interested in your petty jobworthiness.

Don't bitch about your builders to your neighbours when you aren't there most of the time and the builders have been more considerate than you.

Don't ask your neighbours for mortgage advice, because your mortgage advisor decided to give you dodgy advice meaning the mortgage on your property is technically fraudalent.

Don't go on about how you are having a breakdown over it all. Your neighbours have been living next to your car crash and know all too well that you've bitten off more than chew and frankly wish you'd just jack it in and sell up.

I could go on...

The noise and parking have been the worst part of our neighbours work. Also the fact that they didn't warn us (permitted development so we didn't spot a planning application). The builders just turned up one day and launched into a 6 month build which took all summer, radios, them on the roof looking into our garden, glancing into our windows as they walked up the side of the house. I also came home one day to find a pallet load of bricks and a cement mixer on our drive. No amount of flowers or chocolates would have made this any better, but talking through it with us in advance would have been nice.

A few years later they did put in pp for a bigger extension, a party wall letter arrived too, yet they still didn't speak to us about any of it, we normally get on well. Fortunately they withdrew that one.

Anyway, we're all fine now.

I would suggest do not take 3 years over it.

(My best friend's neighbours. To be fair the workmen were only there for a year and a bit making noise, I personally blame the architect for being a bit OTT on the design of the extension, meaning they had a LOT of problems, and eventually they sacked the builders and are now DIYing it which takes forever and randomly is still noisy)

Yeah. Don't DIY it if you aren't a professional builder and you don't want to piss off your neighbours would be my ultimate wisdom.

@RedToothBrush

Yeah. Don't DIY it if you aren't a professional builder and you don't want to piss off your neighbours would be my ultimate wisdom.

We're under no illusions that we have any capability to do that 😂

Our ex-neighbour took 3 years to build a simple extension with his builder mate. It was awful and we were not given a word of warning. No communication about timescales (it would stop for 3 months then restarts in 6 month bursts). As the timescale slipped and the builder moved onto new jobs, the evening and weekend work would start. Whenever I hear building work now it takes me back to that horrible time.

I am not sure what would have made it better, but try working to the shortest timescale possible, use professional builders and communicate with neighbours about noisy works. It doesn't have to be flowers and wine, but just acknowledging that the work will impact others and trying to mitigate the pain would be nice.

Similar to a previous poster, we were met with hostility and subsequently ignored when we politely asked for a timescale. Not sure what that was about, but assume that some people don't like having it brought to their attention that other people don't really appreciate their "project" and want to know when it will end.

Builders shouting and loud radios. God, I wanted to kill them. The work was one thing, but the shouting and radio blaring were the worst, and completely unavoidable!

Definitely not late, no bank Holidays, and if weekends can be avoided (especially sunny hot ones), do. The latter can be difficult if you're doing a lot of the work yourself though.

If we're having work done we always warn the neighbours. At one point we had our bricks cleaned off (they had been painted). The contractors asked us to warn the neighbours about both noise and dust, which we did, well in advance. I think telling people, if you can, when things will happen, is a good idea, so they can avoid arranging garden parties or putting out their smalls. Also telling people about deliveries, if parking is a problem. When a neighbour told us they were having some work done, we for our part said if they wanted to take out fence panels and get to it from our side, that was fine. If everyone does a bit to make things pleasanter, things go more smoothly. My elderly parents' next-door neighbours had an large extension built, due to covid and all sorts of things it dragged on for over a year. But the workmen were always careful and considerate, even asking permission to cross the boundary to pick up stuff that had fallen there, even though they had been told they could whenever they liked. They asked to put up scaffolding just over the boundary, which again, my parents said fine. When my father fell and couldn't get up, Mum ran and asked the workmen for help- a strapping young chap came over and picked him up as if he weighed nothing at all! And the neighbours sent my parents flowers at the end of the job. Give and take. It works.

We have only had unreasonable neighbours during building work so I can't tell you what they did to make things easier. However, I would say that the advice to disassociate yourself with the work and give the builders number will likely be quickly seen through as avoidance of the problem. Unless you have very good builders who really want to please the neighbours on your behalf then the reality (with many builders anyway) as they won't care about the neighbours, they are contracted to you and it is you paying the bill. Therefore, they may see fobbing off the neighbours as a part of their job. We have had a lot of damage done to our property from builders and in in the midst of expensive legal proceedings. The neighbours tried to disassociate themselves with the work and told us to contact the builders. Nice try, but our solicitor says they are responsible. It is their problem to claim back from the builders although from what I know of those they hired I suspect that would be a fruitless exercise!