Neighbours, noise and working from home
Discussion
TLDR - Can people that work from home complain about noise that happens in the day time
Seen as the general consensus is its fine to have a trampoline right up against a neighbours fence how do we feel about the following:-
I have been working on my own house for about 3 years now, its not constant work as I have a day job as well and I never do any noisy work at weekends or in the evenings, anything that I've done has been mostly when I've had the time to do it in the week, when my normal work has been slack or whatever.
As a semi detached house I've even gone out of my way to do a job that could be noisy quietly, like dig the footings out by hand instead of getting a machine in, use a normal drill for screws as opposed to my impact driver, things like that and mostly even though its a full extension, most things I've done aren't noisy anyway, bricklaying isn't noisy, apart from a few circular saw cuts, putting a roof on isn't noisy either, neither is plastering or electrics and plumbing. When I have had to make a noise like knock all the old dot and dab off the walls I've said to the neighbour let me know when you go out and I'll do it then for an hour or two. On the whole I think I've been really reasonable about the situation at great cost to time for myself, probably the main reason that its took forever.
The problem is though the neighbour works from home so she is mostly at home all day every day so she is going to hear everything that goes on. Today and for the last few days I've been laying a patio area which involves cutting a few slabs which is very noisy but what I do is look outside, see if her car is there an if it isn't I'll cut the slabs then. Today she pulled me up and said when will this all end, what I was doing was knocking the slabs down with a rubber mallet and apparently it was echoing through to her house and driving her mad, I wasn't actually aware of this as its just a rubber mallet and isn't that noisy when you are doing it.
I basically said to her look, its a normal working day where people might make a noise, I don't see it as my problem she works from home, she used to work in an office but since covid has elected to work from home to save on travel time and costs. She then said she had enough of living on a construction site (he other neighbours also had a big extension build a few years ago, but they did go to town on the noise. But "the construction site" is only on my land, if you drove past at any time you wouldn't even know I was having any work done, nothing was left on the front at any time apart from some soil for a couple of days until the grab picked it up. Even in the back garden she would have to peer over the fence to see what was going on. Yes I've had a few deliveries with big wagons but she gets her shopping home delivered every week which involves a big van right outside my house with the diesel engine ticking over, sometimes late at night.
Just to set the scenario as well, she is a bit of a piss-pot and has had beef with just about every other neighbour on the close at one stage or another. And I don't even know why she pulled me, its not as if I'm going to stop at this stage and have a half finished garden just to please her, the more she leaves me alone the quicker I will finish it. I cant wait for her reaction when I start block paving all the front next year.
Seen as the general consensus is its fine to have a trampoline right up against a neighbours fence how do we feel about the following:-
I have been working on my own house for about 3 years now, its not constant work as I have a day job as well and I never do any noisy work at weekends or in the evenings, anything that I've done has been mostly when I've had the time to do it in the week, when my normal work has been slack or whatever.
As a semi detached house I've even gone out of my way to do a job that could be noisy quietly, like dig the footings out by hand instead of getting a machine in, use a normal drill for screws as opposed to my impact driver, things like that and mostly even though its a full extension, most things I've done aren't noisy anyway, bricklaying isn't noisy, apart from a few circular saw cuts, putting a roof on isn't noisy either, neither is plastering or electrics and plumbing. When I have had to make a noise like knock all the old dot and dab off the walls I've said to the neighbour let me know when you go out and I'll do it then for an hour or two. On the whole I think I've been really reasonable about the situation at great cost to time for myself, probably the main reason that its took forever.
The problem is though the neighbour works from home so she is mostly at home all day every day so she is going to hear everything that goes on. Today and for the last few days I've been laying a patio area which involves cutting a few slabs which is very noisy but what I do is look outside, see if her car is there an if it isn't I'll cut the slabs then. Today she pulled me up and said when will this all end, what I was doing was knocking the slabs down with a rubber mallet and apparently it was echoing through to her house and driving her mad, I wasn't actually aware of this as its just a rubber mallet and isn't that noisy when you are doing it.
I basically said to her look, its a normal working day where people might make a noise, I don't see it as my problem she works from home, she used to work in an office but since covid has elected to work from home to save on travel time and costs. She then said she had enough of living on a construction site (he other neighbours also had a big extension build a few years ago, but they did go to town on the noise. But "the construction site" is only on my land, if you drove past at any time you wouldn't even know I was having any work done, nothing was left on the front at any time apart from some soil for a couple of days until the grab picked it up. Even in the back garden she would have to peer over the fence to see what was going on. Yes I've had a few deliveries with big wagons but she gets her shopping home delivered every week which involves a big van right outside my house with the diesel engine ticking over, sometimes late at night.
Just to set the scenario as well, she is a bit of a piss-pot and has had beef with just about every other neighbour on the close at one stage or another. And I don't even know why she pulled me, its not as if I'm going to stop at this stage and have a half finished garden just to please her, the more she leaves me alone the quicker I will finish it. I cant wait for her reaction when I start block paving all the front next year.
Lucas CAV said:
It's never worth falling out with neighbours especially if you want to ever sell your house.
I'm not falling out with anyone but I want to make my house as nice as possible and I'm going out of the way to do it quietly, I think the last noise I made was back in November last year when I was tiling all my floors which involved a bit of tile cutting, doing the actual tiling is pretty silent and I tried to do all the cuts when she was out. At one stage I even locked myself in the shed to make the cutting a bit quieter, getting covered in dust myself.If the noise is that horrific then why not go back to the office like normal people, last week I drove all the way to Scotland and back for a days work, it wasn't that much of an issue to me.
Edited by Frane Selak on Wednesday 27th August 17:31
I have a bit of an issue with my neighbour.... as do all the other houses nearby.
For some odd reason he has been out nearly every day making what sounds like one cut with an angle grinder.
The noise only lasts for 15 minutes, but it has been going on almost every day for five years. He seems to do it just as you sit down for an evening meal.
People get fed up with the relentlessness, and the apparent pointlessness.
Sometimes doing a little and offten (and trying to keep the noise down) might be worse than just cracking on and doing the job.
In our case - no one would be botherred if next door spent a week making noise and just finished the job.
For some odd reason he has been out nearly every day making what sounds like one cut with an angle grinder.
The noise only lasts for 15 minutes, but it has been going on almost every day for five years. He seems to do it just as you sit down for an evening meal.
People get fed up with the relentlessness, and the apparent pointlessness.
Sometimes doing a little and offten (and trying to keep the noise down) might be worse than just cracking on and doing the job.
In our case - no one would be botherred if next door spent a week making noise and just finished the job.
Maintenance and construction have to be done, they’re not really optional. Monday to Friday, 9-5, I’d say they’re absolutely fair game. Unless, of course, it’s relentless and goes on for months and years…..
What’s not acceptable is noise that’s optional, like playing music outdoors or listening to the radio.
I’ve actually quite missed the sound of lawnmowers this year as it’s been so dry that no one has needed to cut their lawns!
What’s not acceptable is noise that’s optional, like playing music outdoors or listening to the radio.
I’ve actually quite missed the sound of lawnmowers this year as it’s been so dry that no one has needed to cut their lawns!
Crumpet said:
Maintenance and construction have to be done, they’re not really optional. Monday to Friday, 9-5, I’d say they’re absolutely fair game. Unless, of course, it’s relentless and goes on for months and years…..
What’s not acceptable is noise that’s optional, like playing music outdoors or listening to the radio.
I’ve actually quite missed the sound of lawnmowers this year as it’s been so dry that no one has needed to cut their lawns!
You say months and years, but what sort of construction, if someone was digging a swimming pool in their back garden but using a spade (and had a way of getting rid of the soil without any inconvenience to anyone) and they had been doing it for the last 5 years, is a pretty quiet thing to do, what's that got to do with any neighbours? If they peer over the fence it will look like a bomb site but its easy, don't look if you don't like it.What’s not acceptable is noise that’s optional, like playing music outdoors or listening to the radio.
I’ve actually quite missed the sound of lawnmowers this year as it’s been so dry that no one has needed to cut their lawns!
toasty said:
I work from home and neighbours often make noises of all sorts. Not those noises, you perverts. 
If it bothers me I put noise cancelling headphones on.
To be fair I think what tipped her over the edge today was the thumping of the flags as opposed to the noise, which I wasn't aware of, it isn't especially noisy but it must have been the vibrations traveling through the ground. I wouldn't mind but the houses across the road have all got very young kids and currently, with the summer holidays and nice weather etc they all run round in circles chasing each other screaming like demented demons until about eight every night at the moment. Thats just how it goes though and I know its not for ever.If it bothers me I put noise cancelling headphones on.
Frane Selak said:
Crumpet said:
Maintenance and construction have to be done, they’re not really optional. Monday to Friday, 9-5, I’d say they’re absolutely fair game. Unless, of course, it’s relentless and goes on for months and years…..
What’s not acceptable is noise that’s optional, like playing music outdoors or listening to the radio.
I’ve actually quite missed the sound of lawnmowers this year as it’s been so dry that no one has needed to cut their lawns!
You say months and years, but what sort of construction, if someone was digging a swimming pool in their back garden but using a spade (and had a way of getting rid of the soil without any inconvenience to anyone) and they had been doing it for the last 5 years, is a pretty quiet thing to do, what's that got to do with any neighbours? If they peer over the fence it will look like a bomb site but its easy, don't look if you don't like it.What’s not acceptable is noise that’s optional, like playing music outdoors or listening to the radio.
I’ve actually quite missed the sound of lawnmowers this year as it’s been so dry that no one has needed to cut their lawns!
One thing I’m always conscious of is making noise on glorious summers days. The ones when everyone has the windows open or is out in the garden; those days I’ll be sure to not make noise, but that’s easy because I’ll probably be sat relaxing in the garden doing nothing! We have a neighbour a short distance away who likes burning garden waste on those days so you end up getting smoked out. So I’ll add garden fires as another dick-ish thing to do in summer.
I think the issue here is you’ve been at it 3 years and have ground her down.
We have a neighbour, nice enough chap, and he seems to be a perpetual DIYer. Can think of a week in the last 20 years he hasn’t been drilling or banging something into the walls.
I just joke about it now and tell him he can’t have any walls left to bang anything into.
We have a neighbour, nice enough chap, and he seems to be a perpetual DIYer. Can think of a week in the last 20 years he hasn’t been drilling or banging something into the walls.
I just joke about it now and tell him he can’t have any walls left to bang anything into.
Work from home, semi detached, my office is next to the neighbours. Quite regularly hear them having a barney at one and other followed by slammed doors and more screaming at each other. However its because there are 4 women living in the same house, poor farmer just keeps himself busy on the tractor, I regularly see him heading out when the screaming starts
If it wasn't you doing the work and you were paying a firm to do the extension, they'd likely be a lot less considerate and would potentially work Monday to Saturday if needs be. The work would get done and they'd just do what's needed.
It sounds like you are being as considerate as possible, I suppose it may take longer given you're doing it yourself but you're certainly more thoughtful than if builders did it.
It sounds like you are being as considerate as possible, I suppose it may take longer given you're doing it yourself but you're certainly more thoughtful than if builders did it.
There’s necessary noise , building ,repairs ,renovations, lawnmowers,and so on and there is unnecessary noise , late night music/ parties,dogs barking, cars/ mortorbike revving ……
Just tell her she is welcome to come and do it quieter at a suitable time thats good for her.
She chooses to work from home if she is that bothered about noise then suggest a soundproof room or moving to a house in the country.
You’ve been a lot more accommodating than i am.
Just tell her she is welcome to come and do it quieter at a suitable time thats good for her.
She chooses to work from home if she is that bothered about noise then suggest a soundproof room or moving to a house in the country.
You’ve been a lot more accommodating than i am.
Crumpet said:
One thing I’m always conscious of is making noise on glorious summers days. The ones when everyone has the windows open or is out in the garden; those days I’ll be sure to not make noise
Selfish 
next door spent most of Sunday sanding his decking that he’s been doing for weeks.It was 23c and a gorgeous day - exactly your scenario.
What’s even worse? He’s retired and can do it any time.
Ham_and_Jam said:
I think the issue here is you’ve been at it 3 years and have ground her down.
I agree. People get work done, it starts, it finishes. She probably doesn’t see any end in sight.
One of our neighbours has knocked a house down and built a new 6 bed house in 9 months. There’s been lots of disturbance but seeing it all come together so quickly has been great. Not upset any of the neighbours.
Meanwhile another neighbour is anal about his garden. In the summer he’s out there every day with power tools. Cuts the grass almost every day with a petrol lawnmower, then get the leaf blower out, then he’s trimming a few trees with a power saw, then he’s cleaning the drive with a jet wash. I’d say there’s at least 2 hours of power tools 5 days a week. It doesn’t really bother me and I can drown it out (grew up next to a train line) but it royally pisses off other neighbours. It’s the fact it’s never ending.
With the house being built, you knew it would come to an end so it was easier to deal with.
OP- how long left on the works? Have you told the neighbour a finish date?
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