robertst
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:41 PM |
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i knew this time would come
For those who don't know:
i'm building the car in my terrace (my house has two floors and the upper floor is on ground level), and i live in a four story building.
during the one-and a half year i've been building the car i've ALWAYS stuck to leaving what i'm doing at 2pm, re-start at 5pm, not
work during weekends and holidays due to basic respect for the neighbors.
so that leaves me with approx. 6 hours a day for 5 days a week to do my car.
guess what. today the upstairs neighbor compained saying she has a 2 month old baby and that i shouldnt do any noise at all during the entire day.
so i tell her "what do u want me to do? cut and file all bits with my teeth?" i explained to her my sensible attitude regarding peace at
lunch & tea times and weekends but she could only talk to me in a condescending tone: "i think is just forbidden". so what about
people who are constantly tearing down their flats and making them up again? and i was just waiting for her to tell me: "they're paid
professionals" but she didnt.
so i tell her: "when can i work? i completely respect your peace and i am very sorry for the noise i'm making but you must know i'm
within the hours of doing so"
again, she tells me i cant do any noise at all....
finally she tells me "tomorrow morning".
the ironic thing is that they too made noise when they made reforms in their house and moved in, and their little demons running and jumping around
the place ALL day give us headaches, but we dont complain.
i suddenly remembered something useful from my economics class: The COASE theorem, whereby IF there is no law prohibiting a certain act (i.e. me
making noise at legal hours of the day) then those who are bothered, must either pay me to shut up or reach an agreement for the benefit of both
parties.
i now know its impossible to implement as no one has the cheek to say that.
some people are just selfish aint they?
but i am right aren't i? it is legal/i have the right to do this at these times of day.
anyone with similar problems or what do you do w.r.t neighbors? i know many of you lugky gits have a garage.. but is anyone doing it in the back yard
or something?
[Edited on 14/5/07 by robertst]
Tom
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stevec
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:45 PM |
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Just wait until the baby starts screaming all night and go and complain to her.
Steve.
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westf27
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:50 PM |
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PITA neighbours
Had the same when i was spraying the car.Claims to have a headache all week because of smell,i offered her a mask...................oh dear,candidate
for humour transplant
555
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NS Dev
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:51 PM |
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I had a complaint from a neighbour, directly to the council, who came round for a chat.
I explained what i was doing, and that I didn't work after 10 at night and before 7 am, and that it was not a business.
I then went round to see the neighbour concerned (who I knew full well made the complaint) and asked why she had complained, and what she wanted me to
do............
It did not take me long to put my side of the argument very succinctly, which unfortunately resulted in her crying quite a lot, particularly when I
mentioned her dog's continued barking and what might be involved if I were to complain about that..........................
I then suggested that maybe a live and let live attitude was best, and that I really didn't mind the dog noise, and my brother wasn't
bothered when she sits revving her car to charge the battery at 7am on a sunday morning when he has got in from work at 5, adn by the same token she
shouldn't mind me starting cars, running up engines, and some grinding etc etc.
Live and let live
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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StevieB
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:56 PM |
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I'll never have this issue with my neighbours fortunately - my neighbours bought their kids a drum kit for christmas!
That buys a lot of 'noise vouchers'!!!!!
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JoelP
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:56 PM |
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people who complain about noise during the day have probably never suffered from neighbours who are noisy at night - its a completely different kettle
of fish. I once had neighbours who partied all night (literally), i complained to them but so long as i can sleep in peace i would not even be
bothered about other times. 
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joneh
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 05:59 PM |
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I got the same from my neighbour during my conservatory build. I just set the missus on him 
We don't talk now.
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robertst
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:05 PM |
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totally right. i mean i'm no monster and i sympathise (or is it empathize) for them having a 2 month old baby and bla bla bla...
it just pisses me of that i may need to end up looking for an industrial estate to have some peace for my build!
should i continue tomorrow as if nothing ever happened? and if she complains during my work hours....?
it is true that today i went over time a bit (she complained at 7:15 which is, well, not that late but okay i can deal with that)
Tom
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robertst
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
people who complain about noise during the day have probably never suffered from neighbours who are noisy at night - its a completely different kettle
of fish. I once had neighbours who partied all night (literally), i complained to them but so long as i can sleep in peace i would not even be
bothered about other times.
i'd like to have a neighbor like you... that way i could get on with my build knowing i have a neighbor with a common sense and who is not
selfish.
when i told my mom about it the first words she said were "Selfish Bi*ch" 
[Edited on 14/5/07 by robertst]
Tom
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oadamo
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:10 PM |
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its your house your land that you are building on. if your making noise in the day
and she moans tell her to **** off.
adam
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whitestu
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:16 PM |
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Looking at things from your neigbours side, which might help you to settle things amicably, perhaps with the baby she isn't getting much sleep
at night and tries to catch up during the day when the baby is asleep. Having been through this it can be a real pain when you get half an hour for a
sleep and then get noise which stops you. The noise won't bother the baby.
Try to understand what her real issue is and you might be able to work around it.
Then again maybe she is just unreasonable!!
Stu
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steve m
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:19 PM |
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she should have kept her legs shut, and none of this would ever of happend
Oh, and her gob
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flak monkey
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:29 PM |
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My grandparents neighbours complained about me running my car over easter. Infact I had just got home (so the car hadnt been running for 3 months or
so!), went down to give it a run it stalled after about 20secs and they came out and had a go. Considering it was about 11am on a saturday I cant see
what their problem was. I know its fairly noisy, but they will have something to complain about when I start taking it to work in the summer at
7:30am. I am pretty considerate really, I dont start working until 9am and always pack up by 7pm, and most of the work I am doing at the mo, they
wouldnt even notice I am there.
You arent doing anything wrong no matter what people say. If you were perhaps making a LOT of noise during the day constantly it could be classed as
antisocial behaviour, but a little noise occasionally is no offence.
Saying that, people are entitled to peace and quiet. Pehaps drop a pair of earplugs through her letter box  . But seriously, it sounds like you are
being pretty reasonable to me.
Perhaps she should come and live in student accomodation, next to the union for a week. Then she will know what anit-social noise is.
David
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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stevebubs
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 06:40 PM |
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If she's really a pain in the butt and won't compromise, then why don't you just play loud music for a while whether you're
working on the car or not?
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TangoMan
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 07:08 PM |
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Negotiation skills time.
Tell her you WILL be building your car whether she likes it or not, but are prepared to minimize the times as you recognize that her young baby may be
keeping her awake and you know how grouchy that can make people.
Give her the option to let you know which hours she would prefer for you to work. DO NOT accept her whining and don't get drawn into an
argument. Just stick to your guns and keep returning to the question of which hours would she prefer you to work, as you will be working..
I wouldn't get into the tit4tat of your baby keeps me awake etc, as it's not a good argument.
If she won't compromise you will have the moral high ground as you tried to find out what suited her best. If she doesn't give you an
answer you have every right to work within the hours that you deem reasonable and no-one can take issue if she hasn't tried to compromise or
give you sensible direction.
OR, you could just tell her to F*(K OFF
Summer's here!!!!
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robertst
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 07:19 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by TangoMan
Negotiation skills time.
Tell her you WILL be building your car whether she likes it or not, but are prepared to minimize the times as you recognize that her young baby may be
keeping her awake and you know how grouchy that can make people.
Give her the option to let you know which hours she would prefer for you to work. DO NOT accept her whining and don't get drawn into an
argument. Just stick to your guns and keep returning to the question of which hours would she prefer you to work, as you will be working..
I wouldn't get into the tit4tat of your baby keeps me awake etc, as it's not a good argument.
If she won't compromise you will have the moral high ground as you tried to find out what suited her best. If she doesn't give you an
answer you have every right to work within the hours that you deem reasonable and no-one can take issue if she hasn't tried to compromise or
give you sensible direction.
thats exactly what i'll do...
i dont use the angle grinde that much, however i am in the middle of cutting, filing, cutting again, and filing again, so essentially the noise is
almost constant..
the music-to-cover-noise route is worse as i might find myself with other neighbors that dont like the music!
Tom
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ed_crouch
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 07:19 PM |
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Tango is spot on here.
Doing something demonstrative or escalatory will make you feel better for all of 3 microseconds, by which time she'll have got her baby to sh*t
in your face or some other further escalation.
I'd carry on, but Id just be reiterating Tangos words.
Ed.
I-iii-iii-iii-ts ME!
Hurrah.
www.wings-and-wheels.net
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DIY Si
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 08:26 PM |
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I had the same problem with one of my neighbours. She has nowt to do but whinge at me, lastly about grinding during the day. I always do the same as
you, start late, 10 am or later, and finish as other peoples cars come home around 5. She had a go for the noise, soon got her to shut up as I told
her I'd do it night when no one's awake to her me doing it! She's not had a go since, as she's fuly aware she can't
do a damn thing about it, especially as a petrol mower is louder than my grinding in the garage.
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
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StevieB
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 08:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by robertst
quote:
Originally posted by TangoMan
Negotiation skills time.
Tell her you WILL be building your car whether she likes it or not, but are prepared to minimize the times as you recognize that her young baby may be
keeping her awake and you know how grouchy that can make people.
Give her the option to let you know which hours she would prefer for you to work. DO NOT accept her whining and don't get drawn into an
argument. Just stick to your guns and keep returning to the question of which hours would she prefer you to work, as you will be working..
I wouldn't get into the tit4tat of your baby keeps me awake etc, as it's not a good argument.
If she won't compromise you will have the moral high ground as you tried to find out what suited her best. If she doesn't give you an
answer you have every right to work within the hours that you deem reasonable and no-one can take issue if she hasn't tried to compromise or
give you sensible direction.
thats exactly what i'll do...
i dont use the angle grinde that much, however i am in the middle of cutting, filing, cutting again, and filing again, so essentially the noise is
almost constant..
the music-to-cover-noise route is worse as i might find myself with other neighbors that dont like the music!
This is the way to go, and if she won't talk about it but only try to get back to the argument, walk away with grace and send her a letter
backing up your offer to negotiate better work times.
At least then if she formalises things with a complain to the council, you can prove that you have taken all reasonable steps to agree to a
compromise.
And, if it becomes a battle of the letters, make sure you have always sent the last letter and keep it impersonal and factual.
[Edited on 14/5/07 by StevieB]
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tom_loughlin
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 09:05 PM |
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My nerest neighbour is a quarter of a mile away....he laughed at me in te pub the other night because my exhaust rattled his windows. He is a decent
chap, and saw the funny side of it. A lot of people around complain if there is nothing to complain about.
Like you say, you are keeping your noise to very reasonable times - i would imagine you would be well within your rights to work through from 7am to
10pm, but each to their own.
My neighbour sometimes wakes me up on a sunday while hunting, so i go out and rumble his windows with my exhaust haha.
Tom
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Peteff
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 09:09 PM |
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When my mother was alive she had some neighbours who brought friends home every Saturday night and partied till the early hours of Sunday. 10.00am
when they were still in bed she put her stereo on full blast and went out for the day. When they complained she just said I put up with yours so you
can put up with mine. They only stayed 6 weeks.
If she can't live with your reasonable attitude let her sort something out, if a baby is tired he/she will sleep through anything.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Pezza
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| posted on 14/5/07 at 10:18 PM |
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My neighbour pops over anytime I am doing something noisy.
Though always to offer services from the company he works for or to lend a hand
You couldn't pwn your way out of a wet paper bag, with "PWN ME!!" written on it, from the "pwned take-away" which originally contained one
portion of chicken tikka pwnsala and the obligatory free pwnpadom.
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ditchlewis
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| posted on 15/5/07 at 07:41 AM |
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Once had some trouble with noisy nebours, the ex wife was a manic depressive and she climed over the wall at him.... and from that
time on no more sound, he was a church mouse
when i built my car i did not drill of grind after 9pm and i had no complaints.
as has been said before, live and let live, but remember is she has a baby then she wont be getting much sleep, and she may be a bit edgy. remember my
ex wife very scarey
ditch
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ChrisJLW
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| posted on 15/5/07 at 12:04 PM |
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My friends and I were working on one of their cars over the weekend (Mk2 MR2 Turbo) and had the engine running to bleed the coolant, which is a
bastard of a job at the best of times. We had some grumpy old git telling to turn off the engine and clear off as it was disturbing him. Thing is we
were at a very active AIRFIELD on a Saturday!
I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway.
But more, much more than this,
I did it side-ah-ways.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 15/5/07 at 12:12 PM |
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I must be very lucky - the only time my neighbours come round when I'm working on the car is to have a chat and see what I'm up to!
I do try to do noisy stuff not too early, not too late, and when I was angry-grinding I would often close the garage door to minimise the racket.
Angry-grinding a bare chassis IS very noisy - all the tubes resonate and increase the noise - can't be denied, so you do have to take care and
be considerate.
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