Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

Original poster

Drilling noise

16 replies

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 11:31

We’re having the front of our house redone and it involves breaking up a load of concrete with a drill. It will be noisy.

What is the etiquette these days with so many people working from home? Builder says he can come at the weekend, is that better or worse? I feel like we can’t win, we’ll either disturb somebody’s work or their leisure time? It has to be done though. I do WFH myself, a couple of days a week. There has been noisy work on occasion (road works as well as in people’s homes) when I’ve had calls and I just try to go to the back of the house and chalk it up to one of those things.

OP posts:

SlipSlidinAway · 08/10/2023 11:32

Why don't you ask your nearest neighbours what they would prefer?

Original poster

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 11:34

It’s a terraced street with some flats, there are probably 10 households at least that would be able to hear. Directly next door WFH every day, I know he’d prefer weekend. Other side is currently empty.

OP posts:

Original poster

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 11:42

I suppose it’s not the majority who work at home, and all the kids will have to go to school. But the retirees/shift workers/unemployed might be at home…

Whereas everyone’s around at the weekend, even if not doing something that needs full quiet, so better during the week?

Who knows…

OP posts:

AWIAANGAF · 08/10/2023 12:49

You sound like a good neighbour. Both my neighbours are obsessed with DIY and drill and hammer stuff all day long 7 days a week without a seconds thought for anyone else.
If there’s a choice I would say weekend if you know your neighbours WFH.

Rollercoaster1920 · 08/10/2023 13:07

Check your council website. Ours has considerate construction only allowed until 1 on Saturday at the weekend.
However DIY noise they won't do anything about.

SlipSlidinAway · 08/10/2023 13:28

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 11:34

Surely you could do a brief note to explain why the work has to be done and ask people whether their preference is for during the week or on a weekend. You could make copies and push it through 10 doors. Hopefully you'll get a consensus and everyone will know that you are a considerate neighbour anxious to minimise any impact on them.

SlipSlidinAway · 08/10/2023 13:29

You could add that, if they don't respond you'll assume they have no preference.

Scaredycats · 08/10/2023 13:32

I wfh and would prefer weekday noise over weekend noise. Even in the office there are sometimes roadworks, other people making noise etc. I think of people need silence they should have noise cancelling headphones!

BlueMongoose · 08/10/2023 20:18

Once you ask a lot of people, someone is not going to get what they want and will be annoyed, so I'd just ask immediate neighbours. Unless people are on shift work (You could tactfully ask around about that) they normally prefer weekdays.

ClematisBlue49 · 08/10/2023 20:26

I think most people would prefer to suffer during the week. Most of those WFH will have an option to go into an office, I would think.

The most important thing is to engage with the neighbours and keep them informed on timescales etc. I had months of excavation next door during lockdown. It was 6 days a week including all day Saturday. I ended up on medication. Meanwhile the neighbours moved out so didn't suffer any of it. If they had just showed some sympathy and flexibility, as you are doing, it might have made things a little more bearable.

Original poster

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 22:12

Oh it’s only about 2 hours of concrete breaking, and then there will be some noise from stone cutting as the new paving and steps are laid. It’s a tiny garden!

OP posts:

Original poster

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 22:13

BlueMongoose · 08/10/2023 20:18

Yea I agree with this.

OP posts:

Scaredycats · 08/10/2023 22:15

Based on your update I think you’re overthinking it! I would get work like this done without a second thought. Maybe that makes me a bad neighbour. Obviously if I happened to see my neighbour in passing before or during the work I would reassure them it won’t be going on for long but I wouldn’t be arranging it around their preferences. You will never please everyone.

SlipSlidinAway · 08/10/2023 23:56

WhatapityWapiti · 08/10/2023 22:12

Oh it’s only about 2 hours of concrete breaking, and then there will be some noise from stone cutting as the new paving and steps are laid. It’s a tiny garden!

Oh goodness - only 2 hours! Definitely overthinking it!

Cotswoldbee · 09/10/2023 09:17

You are seriously overthinking this!

How did you determine that you have more neighbours WFH than are going out to work?
Even before the update about how long it will take, anything like this is just carried out during the normal working day. It is when the average person would expect this type of work to be done (unless being done DIY) so just crack on.

We would probably have informed adjacent neighbours but in your case you have more than usual and if you open up the discussion you are leaving yourself open to upsetting someone whatever you do (imagine it, someone objects to your letter but you go ahead anyway so you are then the villain of the piece 😖 ).

Original poster

WhatapityWapiti · 09/10/2023 13:33

Yeah you’re right. As to how I know about people WFH it’s because a large proportion of my neighbours are professionals who work in the City (we are in Zone 3 commuter land) and everyone I know in the City now works a couple of days a week from home. I know because I don’t see them all troop out to the station every day any more!

OP posts:

Flip