Noise from DIY fanatic

B

Budgie

Registered User
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Dear all

I have read the other threads on noise but am not sure what remedy I have on this one.

I have a DIY fanatic next door who has been building his own extension for the guts of the last 6 years. He seems to only build on weekends and during fine weather (precisely the time when we want to enjoy the garden). He usually gets a hand from some handyman who pitches up at 8am on Saturday/Sunday and gets to work straightaway until about 6-7pm. The noise is continuous during the weekend. The extension does not need PP so there were no conditions etc.

I can't argue that the noise is continuous (during the week) or late at night and have put up with it for a few years on the grounds that everyone has the right to extend blah blah but it looks as if it will be another 6 years before it is finished.

He has been quite hostile about any complaints but has objected to our planning perm (which was granted but he has now appealed it). He is in the residents committee and is a general whinge about any local development.

1. Do I head for the EPA?
2. Start the lawnmower at 9pm every night?
3. Ensure our own building work is as messy and disruptive as possible to him?

Any thoughts welcome!
 
Well, if he was appealing against MY planning permission and he was building away merrily himself then you better believe I would make his life hell.
I'd have a rock concert in my sitting room every night that he was "building" until 3am.
I'd hang pictures at 6am on his side of my house. With a big hammer.
I don't know what EPA is but I would say, yes. Head for it.
I would do everything I could to make his life a misery while at the same time being nice, polite and apologetic every time I met him. Then go inside and start hanging pictures again!!!
 
Whilst I understand your frustration don't forget that he is keeping within the law whilst your noise at unearthly hours would not be.

Don't get mad, get even
 
Budgie said:
The extension does not need PP so there were no conditions etc.
Click to expand...

Are you sure he didn't need PP?
The max size for an extension without PP is 100sqft.
How long can it take to build that?
Sounds like he's building something a lot bigger.
 
40m2 = 430 sqft (remember there are conditions attached to this figure)

If you're sure he doesn't need PP (previous extensions like garage
conversions and some attic conversions are subtracted from thie 40m2)
you could contact the Health & Safety people, the number is on
www.hsa.ie they now under new legisitation have VERY strong powers
to deal with rogue builders, although I'm sure you're neighbour isn't
exactly a rogue builder thay may be able to help you as far as work
times etc. Ask to speak to an inspector, explain your concerns to him
and see what he says, they won't fob you off.
 
Seems that since he is on the Residents Committee that's one approach you should make. If he's forced to justify his activities to his fellow committee members- and the rest of his neighbours- reality might start hitting home.
 
At it again....

Has decided to abandon the extension for a while and instead put some skylights in the roof. Furious hammering sawing going on last weekend!

Help!
 
I've been doing similar to this guy for over a year, and though I do try and limit the use of power tools in early mornings at the weekend, there's absolutely nothing illegal about it.

You do realise that if you get your PP your builder will likely be showing up at 7.45am on Saturdays and kicking straight off into it at 8am - would that not be a bit hypocritical?
 

There's conditions attached to most (all?) planning permissions these days making it conditional on works only being done within certain hours of week-days.

In fact, thinking about it, this might be an aproach to take in this case: just point this out.
 
ang1170 said:
There's conditions attached to most (all?) planning permissions these days making it conditional on works only being done within certain hours of week-days.
Click to expand...

Not that I'm aware of. The only ones I've heard of with such conditions are very large scale developments, or recent work by Jury's Inn on Parnell St., where a condition was granted to restrict work to the hours of 10am to 6pm due to the proximity to the hotel and potential impact to their business.
 
Leo said:
Not that I'm aware of.
Click to expand...

Perhaps not all councils impose them, but the Dublin City Council 2005 planning permission granted for a domestic extension for my house [previous owner's plans] specified hours within which work could happen. I think it was roughly 8am to 6pm weekdays, and 8am to 1 pm Saturdays.
 

Er, I'd hardly call a 40 sq. m. two storey extension a major development (well, it is to me, but hardly in the scheme of things).

You can check on the Web on the approvals granted by Dublin City Council (and I know at least Fingal are the same): any that I've seen have this as one of the standard two or three conditions attached.
 

No such conditions were included on my planning permission, so as long as I only work between 8am-10pm I am not breaking any laws.

Spoke to a builder friend about your claim and he says he hasn't been informed of any specific planning restrictions relating to days/time by any of his domestic clients. Imposing a restriction on Saturdays is just out of the question due to a half-day at least being standard for most builders. That just leaves Sunday, and if they banned work on a Sunday I'm sure it'd only be a matter of time before someone took issue with that on religious freedom grounds or something along those lines.
 
On large construction jobs it would be a standard condition to prohibit noise before 8am and after 6pm weekdays and 8-1pm saturday in residental areas
 
I would look in to the planning permission issue, whilst he may be within the limits regarding size, if it affects the front facade of the house he does need pp as far as I know ( if I'm wrong do correct me!) 6 years is an unreasonable amount of time to carry out the works and if you took legal action the judge would take this in to consideration. Every extension project will lead to noise etc. but to have it on going for six years is questionable at least. I would have kept an up to date log of the works also, times/noise/dust & debris.
 

Quote from "standard condition 4" from my own planning permission from Dublin City Council:

<QUOTE:

4. The site works and building works required to implement the development shall only be carried out between the hours of 07.00am and 18.00pm Mondays to Fridays and between 08.00am and 14.00pm Saturdays and not at all on Sundays, Bank Holidays or Public Holidays. Furthermore, heavy construction equipment / machinery including pneumatic drills shall only be operated on or adjacent to the construction site between the hours of 07.00am and 18.00pm Mondays to Fridays and between 08.00am and 14.00pm Saturdays and not anytime on Sundays, Bank Holidays or Public Holidays. REASON: To safeguard the amenities of adjoining residential properties.

END QUOTE>

The development is for an extension to a house.

As I said, I can't say for other councils (apart from Fingal), but any any recent applications I've seen (and I've looked up quote a few) have this condition attached.
 

Could you send on a link or two? Any I've seen recently don't include a time restriction.
Leo
 
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