Does new housing estate construction noise get less after earthworks ?

[ZammoUK]

So 60 new houses are being built right next to me in a field, it has been a month so far and I am being driven mad by it as due to health issues I live at home during the day. I have reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis and so the rumbling and vibrations from the construction work penetrate my ears even through double glazing and headphones. On the developers plans they mention they will start working on the plots in September, in the meantime it is roads, sewers, compound, attenuation pond, etc. Does construction noise greatly lessen when the earthworks are done ? Right now the field is just absolutely full of soil in massive piles as high as my bungalow.

It is listed as a 4 year project, but I hope and pray this doesn't mean large diggers and dumper trucks for the entire time. Today there were about 3 huge diggers/excavators, a large dumper truck, a sit on vibratory roller, and a couple of other smaller vehicles. All going at once. I am also autistic and so noise and autism don't mix well.

In my desperation I guess I am just holding out hope that maybe noise will much lessen when they have dug everything and start on the plots ? Anyone lived near a construction site know ? Thankfully there wasn't any demolition, so they started work in an empty field. I am shocked how much soil they have dug up. Sorry to bother everyone, just really depressed with how my tinnitus and ears are reacting to this daily noise, I am a stones throw from it. I tried noise cancelling headphones but the deep rumbling just cuts through it due to my hypersensitive ears.

Thanks for any info.

I currently have construction on 3 sides of me. What drives me potty are angle-grinders and those high-powered electric screwdrivers. ZEEEEEDONK, ZEEEEEEEDONK. The most annoying thing though is the amount of construction dust that lands on my car & makes it really filthy. 4yrs is a long time to have to put up with that lot.

In my experience it’s longer. We have a new estate in the next field over and it’s constant noise, been around 2 years now! Sorry!

I wish I could say yes it gets better but in my experience (2 four story blocks of flat built across our very narrow side street), it just gets differerent.

The most annoying feature of it for me was the incessant reverse beep of vehicles both giant and small, which started around 7 am and went on until the days work ended. All I can say is it’s heaven when it’s over. Now they’re knocking down the flats I used to live in and building 40 new houses, so will have the same thing again, as I live in one of the new flats ours were demolished to make way for . I feel your pain. The work last time started the April after the first lockdown in March,so there was virtually no escape. Good quality noise cancelling Headphones were a good investment .

It doesn’t get better. Whenever I go round a friends who has a housing development next to her it’s so loud, and it’s been like this for 3 years now. The noises change and sometimes a bit quieter depending on what part of the plot they’re working on at the time. You may find that when the houses nearest you are built and they move in to a further away area then it’s a bit quieter.

I'm also incredibly sensitive to noise so I do sympathise - it sends me into extreme panic mode.

One tip regarding the noise cancelling headphones... Sometimes the noise is just too much for them, but you can boost the effectiveness by downloading a sound app that has the sound of waves and other nature sounds, brown noise and binaural beats / isochronic tones. There is an app called Atmosphere which I used while neighbours were carrying out major excavations and knocking down walls etc., and I found that the app really helped block everything out. You can play music over the top of the app sounds as well. I'd keep the headphones on all day (was working at home during lockdown), and the relief when the workmen had gone home and I could sit in total peace was lovely.

You may also want to speak to your GP. I was prescribed anti-anxiety medication due to the noise issue.

We bought a new house off plan about 20 years ago. It was one of the earlier houses so we had a lot of construction to put up with around us. The building noise wasnt that intrusive, however we were at work all through the day so i would say it was only and hour at most on an evening. The noise ramped up when they moved to a new phase as thats when, like you they had to put in the heavy work for drains etc. It definitely became much noisier then. It calmed down eventually.

What i would say is part of the contracts is agreements for times they can and cant work. This includes times for delivery wagons etc. There is definitely value in finding out the details and explaining to the site manager the issues you have and making sure they at least stick to the rules.

Thanks everyone. Sorry to hear some of you have suffered the same. Doesn't sound good but I would prefer the truth. Thanks for all the tips and hints on headphones and apps. The anxiety is already bad, my face drops every time I hear the vehicles start up at 7.30am, here we go again for 9 hours.

Regarding the beeps, the developers said in their planning books that any vehicle left on site for longer than 3 days would have a white noise reversing alarm, but given I can still hear beeps after a month I have no idea if that is being adhered to as so many different vehicles are moving at once.

Thanks again everyone.

I have hyperacusis too. I found the rumbling vibrating sounds were what did me in, and they did pass quickly as they were in the beginning when they were digging the foundations. I didn't mind the other sounds as much.
Good luck.

If the developer isn't doing the mitigations they agreed to as part of getting planning permission you can report them to your council's planning enforcement team.

The huge diggers and vibration should reduce when groundworks are done - however if they're doing it in phases it could be a while until it's all finished with. If the builder is part of the Considerate Construction Scheme, which many are, there will be contact details for the site manager at the site entrance and if you ask what their plans are you should get a factual answer, unless they are unusually difficult people.

On the construction site near us the groundworks were definitely the worst part.

They built a new estate across from us, just as I became SAHM to my DC.

The noise changed, but earthworks were the worst part. Power tools all day, beeping of trucks reversing and my favourite - tradies with music blaring all day. It was so bad at one point I had to go & tell them to turn it down because, you know, some people live in these existing houses.