A woman has taken to Reddit to ask if she was in the wrong for telling her neighbour that fellow residents are unhappy with the construction work being carried out on her property. The user, @Sad-Clerk-3161, explained that her neighbour has had building work ongoing for seven months, often starting as early as 8am.
Posting on the subreddit 'Am I The A******', the original poster (OP) said: "I (23f) have a neighbour who's been at their house for just over a year. For seven months out of that year, they've had basically non-stop construction and work being done to their house. I have no idea what they could possibly be doing."
The OP claims the construction takes place Monday to Saturday, usually starting at 8am, but sometimes "even earlier". She added: "Not only is the construction itself loud, but the workers are loud. They're always yelling, singing, playing music. If you ask them to be quieter because it's 8am on a Saturday, they retaliate and get louder."
She further explained: "They throw stuff into people's gardens and physically enter those gardens to retrieve whatever they threw down. Their vans block the roads when people are trying to get to work/school and they get really p**** when asked to move them. Additionally, because our houses are attached, I'm having physical symptoms to the work being done (vibrations from tools giving me horrific migraines, etc)."
The OP said she "genuinely" does not know what could require seven months of continuous work. "It's not an extension and all the work seems to be exterior," she noted.
"A few days ago, the neighbour asked me why there is so much tension between her and the surrounding houses. Maybe I'm cruel, but I looked at her and said, '[Neighbour], you've had loud construction work at your house every day for the past seven months. People are tired.'"
The OP claims the neighbour looked "genuinely upset" but simply said: "Okay". Subsequently, the neighbour's husband confronted her, accusing her of being "rude" for "getting mad at construction work". The OP added: "He accused me of blaming his wife for the worker's behaviour (which I wasn't) and said the house needs this work to be liveable. He ended the conversation by saying he prays my house never needs construction work, which I honestly found kind of funny."
At the end of the post, the OP asked: "AITA for telling my neighbour why there's tension between her and her husband and the surrounding families? EDIT: people have made complaints and gone to the local council. We were basically told that as long as the noise is between 8am and 6pm (and 8am-1pm), we can't make a complaint. Neighbours do have permits as well."
Many Reddit users shared their thoughts. One person said: "NTA. She asked and you answered her honestly. 7 months is a really long time for daily construction to be going on." Another commented: "NTA bc construction isn’t the issue anymore, it’s the complete lack of consideration for everybody living around it. She asked why people were tense and you answered way more politely than most people would after seven months of chaos."
Someone else added: "They're allowed to have construction, you're all allowed to be upset abt it. NAH but she shouldn't be asking questions she's not ready for the answer to." Another user claimed: "Most places allow noisy work to start at 7am. I've seen a lot of lawn care companies start as early as 6am making all the noise in the world. You can't get mad over that."
What time can builders legally start work in the UK?
Construction noise can be particularly disruptive, especially in early mornings when workers take advantage of longer daylight. This often affects nightshift workers and families trying to sleep. However, residents do not have to tolerate excessive noise, as local authorities have regulations under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
Building firm Country Construction notes: "In general, there isn't one single nationwide rule that dictates when building work can begin each day." Most UK councils permit construction noise from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. Sundays and Bank Holidays are generally off-limits for noisy work, though quiet activities may be tolerated outside these hours.
Local rules vary significantly. Westminster allows work 8am-6pm weekdays and 8am-1pm Saturdays, while Hartlepool permits earlier starts at 7.30am on weekdays. Noisy work includes hammering, drilling, sawing and operating loud machinery like cement mixers. Even construction deliveries with reversing beepers can be deemed disruptive by councils. Residents affected by construction noise can complain to their local council, which can investigate and issue stop notices if necessary.
