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
(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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