noisy builders.. please help! Post Reply

[Lubblymummy]

We are having some problems with builders and would really appreciate any advice people have on this. We live in a terraced house and our next door neighbours are currently undertaking a major building project. We have a toddler who still naps for around 2 hours during the day. Our party wall surveyor therefore suggested that we included a line in the agreement about not doing noisy work during nap time. However, the building company clearly aren't very happy about this and seem to be deliberately doing their noisiest work at that time. Mostly, this has been unrelated to the actual party wall, so there has been little we can do about it legally, although they have started to breach the agreement recently.

I am finding myself getting increasingly upset about this because it really feels very deliberate. I thought I could be imagining it but other neighbours have said the same. I feel as though we are being persecuted in our own home and as a result I am feeling very upset and anxious during the lead up to nap time, when the noise invariably begins.

We have tried talking to our neighbours about it but they have been quite dismissive (does your daughter really still need a nap? etc). The project manager from the building company has been very hostile towards me when I have tried speaking with him about it. As a result, we have run out of ideas as to what to do.

I imagine this sort of scenario is not uncommon and so I wondered if anyone else had come up against such a situation (and if so, what they did about it). I'd be very grateful for any thoughts/advice.

[Stripyshirt]

Hi there just wanted to offer you my sympathies as I went through exactly the same thing TWICE. When my daughter was about 2 months old the neighbours on one side started their kitchen extension and then a couple of years later when my son was born my neighbours on the other side did their whole side return/extension/loft etc. It definitely messed with my kids' naps and it was incredibly stressful. With the second build I also felt that as soon as I mentioned to the builders 'please try not to make too much noise during x and y time' which should have coincided with their lunch break anyway they went out of their way to make more noise during those times. I thought the second lot of builders were particularly horrible and I've since found out that my neighbours ended up falling out with the builders in the end so I don't think it was me being over sensitive. Anyway I'm afraid I can't really offer any solutions except to say hang in there and it will eventually end. I do feel for you though as it is so unfair on the little ones who are desperate for sleep. It's just part and parcel of living in terraced houses in London though unfortunately. Oh my one tip is I used to put white noise on quite loudly during the naps and I think this did help to drown out some of the worst of it, might be worth giving it a go.

[daisydaisy]

When our neighbours had major (and noisy)building work done, we spoke directly to the builders, asking nicely if they could cease noisy work during our toddler's nap time- and plied them with tea and biscuits.

[Jen66]

Gosh, I think you're being very unrealistic here.

You honestly can't expect people to conduct their lives around your children and their daytime naps. I consider myself to be a very reasonable person and I wouldn't agree to this either.

In my opinion a considerate builder shouldn't: start too early, finish too late or work weekends. Other than that, I'm afraid you are just going to have to suck it up. It won't last forever and the faster they get on with it the faster it will be over.

[Seb]

Hi
It's a tough one. I can understand how stressful this might be but at the same time I think it's a tough situation as they do need to do the work.

I think I'd be very honest about what you're trying to achieve and if it's realistic. If it is I'd email the family and cc in your party wall person and explain that the agreement is being breached and you'd like a meeting. Ask the party wall person to email them at the same time explaining they'll be billed for his time for the meeting and that should make them focus on the issues a bit more.

But it is a tough one...

[Lubblymummy]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions/comments/sympathies. I agree it's a tough one and I honestly don't expect anyone to go out of their way to fit in around our kids or to delay the project. However, there have been many days when there has been little or no noise all day and then the banging starts at exactly the time they know our daughter sleeps. In fact, the only work they have ever done on the party wall has been during nap time. I thought I was being paranoid but others have said the same. So I suppose what I'd like is for them to not deliberately do their noisiest work at precisely the time they know my child sleeps. Will have a think About how best to achieve this. Thanks again.