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Constant DIY (rant!)
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oryx


Posts: 205
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #21
31-03-2014 09:38 PM

I experienced DIY hell in my last place - to the extent of contacting my local council, having strong words with my neighbours etc. (who had said they were doing a 'little bit of work' when they moved in.....two years later I was still being disturbed.

I can understand work being done in the week, but why do people think it's acceptable to drill, hammer etc. early on weekday mornings?

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BT


Posts: 163
Joined: Jul 2003
Post: #22
01-04-2014 07:16 AM

Quote:
As there is no law that governs when DIY can take place a common bit of courtesy needs to apply.


Maybe not but there are regulations about commercial building work

Quote:
(Extract)

The Control of Pollution Act, 1974 gives the Council's environmental health department special powers to control noise on construction and demolition sites. Working hours can be restricted and conditions enforced on the machinery being used.
Legal responsibilities
Professional building firms must comply with the relevant codes of practice.
Restricted hours
General construction work should be restricted to the following hours:

Monday to Friday – 8am to 6pm
Saturdays – 8am to 1pm
Noisy work prohibited on Sundays/Bank Holidays
Noisy activities include:
• using hand tools - hammers and saws

• using power tools - hand-held tools including drills, saws and sanders

• using plant equipment - such as Kango hammers, pneumatic hammers, cement mixers, large power saws, planers, compressors and generators

• piledriving

• erecting and dismantling of scaffolding

• partition walls - can produce high levels of noise for neighbours.
Avoiding problems caused by building work
Ensure neighbours are given advance warning of any work due to be carried out and let them know how long it will last.




I had occasion to point this out to some builders who were working on my neighbours roof at 8 am on a Sunday using a petrol driven tile cutter and making an horrendous racket outside my bedroom window. They did stop when I gave them a print out of the above but said they weren't aware of the rules. Well being commercial builders I really think they should have been. My neighbour was out at the time and when he came back later that morning he came round full of apologies with a large bunch of flowers and a large tin of Quality Street.

I know it really doesn't apply to amateur DIY but it my be worth trying a bit of bluff if it gets a bit over the top.

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digime


Posts: 26
Joined: Sep 2011
Post: #23
01-04-2014 08:07 AM

I'm not "complaining on the internet". Just sharing. As for speaking to my neighbour it just isn't worth it. He loves to argue, is seriously paranoid and can be aggressive. Been there, tried that, and escalating things further would mean major dispute.

It's sad but I think people are increasingly behaving more and more selfishly in many areas of life.

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Baboonery


Posts: 581
Joined: Sep 2007
Post: #24
02-04-2014 02:34 PM

On a tangent, which will probably necessitate the sub-division into at least three new threads, has there been a change in regulations on loft conversions recently? So many of them being done in the area right now: I counted 14 within three streets either side of Cranston Road the other day.

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OakR


Posts: 216
Joined: Oct 2011
Post: #25
02-04-2014 04:15 PM

I don't know about recently, but I think in 2011 or so there was a change which means you don't need planning permission for a Loft Conversion as long as it fits within certain criteria. You still need building regs, party wall agreement etc.

at least that's my understanding based on us thinking of doing one ourselves.

I think one of the reasons though is prices are so expensive now if you need another room or so, it is cheaper \ feasible to do the loft, where it will be too expensive or out of reach to move up the property ladder as such.

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AMFM


Posts: 306
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #26
02-04-2014 04:48 PM

Don't know if/when change in regs happened but yes, it can be done under permitted development now so long as it doesn't exceeed a certain cubic metreage in volume (can't remember what it is but it's pretty substantial if ours is anything to go by).

we had loft conversion done last year and principal reason was that we had been looking to move within SE23 - we're off Perry Vale and were thinking of moving to the other side of the tracks. We quickly realised that none of the houses we were looking at in our budget offered anything like the existing internal space we already have (and were on the market for about £200k more than ours was being valued at). So, in order to move - we would have had to spend an extra £200k to trade "up" to a smaller house and then spend another £50k odd (minumum) to get the house to suit our requirements - just not worth it.

We had always thought our loft was too small for a conversion but we figured we might as well find out - and were delighted to find we could do it. We've now gone from a 3 bed house to a 5 bed (all of them decent sizes) and we have the space we need as a family (all for around what we would have paid in stamp duty if we'd moved to the other side of the tracks). Only real compromise in terms of not moving has been the garden size but there are so many great parks locally that we can get over that!

This post was last modified: 02-04-2014 04:50 PM by AMFM.

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Campervan Tim


Posts: 19
Joined: May 2013
Post: #27
02-04-2014 05:31 PM

On a related note, is it illegal to replace carpeted flooring with bare floorboards in conversion flats?

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manor mountie


Posts: 35
Joined: Jun 2010
Post: #28
02-04-2014 05:42 PM

Re replacing carpets with floorboards I doubt if it's against the law but it could easily be against the terms of your lease. It is for mine and if I did I know that my neighbour beneath me would be on the case as soon as she was aware of this. Having said that both the flats above me have had wooden flooring for years and no one complains about them.

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Erekose


Posts: 557
Joined: May 2010
Post: #29
02-04-2014 06:53 PM

Campervan Tim
It depends on several things aside from what is in the lease.
If the conversion was relatively recent then it may have had a planning condition related to noise separation measures which may or may not include the floor covering. Ditto with Building Regs. Some separating floor constructions between flats rely on the soft covering and/ or its underlay to deal with impact sound. Not sure what yourneighbours have in terms of wooden flooring but wood strip flooring can also contribute to the sound resistance of the floor if it has a suitable resilient layer under it.

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