Thread: Woodworking and your neighbours

I had the similar problem when I was living in a townhouse. First I got a note in my letterbox, and then I had 2 police officers came knocking on the garage door. After that I didn’t really enjoy my woodwork as much. I felt guilty all the time.

The only solution for me was to move to a house, which I did 12 months later.

Maybe have a chat to your neighbours and explain why the noise is happening. Better than a note after all, and they may be more sympathetic to the personal approach. Be aware that there are laws around noise from building sites: most tradies have finished by about 4:00pm. Something to consider, anyway.

It can be a bit annoying when things like this happen. I agree with what Karl has said in his post. When we moved in here I told both my neighbours that I do a bit of woodwork on weekends, and if I ever got to noisy please let me know. I have never had a complaint. Its ashame that in or modern world we can't or won't show the decency to talk to people one to one any more.

The hours that you are making a noise are certainly within the council regs but you mentioned Strata so the body corporate might have a different view.
Bugger
If all else fails you might have to join those members of the Forums who only use hand tools

DECC | Dealing with neighbourhood noise

Power tools and equipment - should not be heard between 8pm and 7am (8am if it's a Sunday).

So it sounds like that cheap Ozito router with the failing bearing needs an intermittent (ten minutes on, ten minutes off ) soak test for an hour or two starting at 7:05 am every Saturday!!!!

Originally Posted by Master Splinter

So it sounds like that cheap Ozito router with the failing bearing needs an intermittent (ten minutes on, ten minutes off ) soak test for an hour or two starting at 7:05 am every Saturday!!!!

Na, not good enough, you need to get an old dirt bike that you can start and thrash for 15 minutes at a time every few hours, but don't ride it, that takes the noise away.

A late night boozy party every month as well might just make them appreciate the neighbour with the quaint hobby.

This is one of my biggest fears, the block next door was subdivided and they put a unit about 3m from my garage!

I only use my tools between the hours of 10:30am and 5-6pm, I close the doors when thicknessing etc to minimise noise. If a neighbour is BBQing or outdoors I'll take a day off.

I had one complaint from a rear neighbour, I told him I dont mind stopping but sometimes I am going to make noise, he started yelling something about no noise, this is not a factory and wandered off.

I rang my local council first thing Monday and they said basically as long as I keep my noise within the guide line times and its not a business or source of income I am ok to make noise. She went on to tell me some people just want to complain and I should tell him to speak to the council.

I have a copy of the noise guidelines in my workshop if I ever hear from the neighbour I'll show it to him.... probably rectally....


joez

The problem is I live in a circuit that has about 20 houses. Its like a circle in a circle. Apparently the person who made the complaint also complained about other neighbours dogs etc...
I'll keep a log of when I use power tools also incase they turn around and acuse me of making noise that's not within the allowed hours.

I might do the rounds and knock on all the doors over the next few days. I want to get my enjoyment back from woodworking.

Originally Posted by groeneaj

Since the complaint I havn't really enjoyed my time in the garage.

Originally Posted by Wongo

After that I didn’t really enjoy my woodwork as much. I felt guilty all the time.

This is the real issue. Some great advice in this thread, but once the first complaint arrives its impossible to relax and enjoy what you love to do. I have just moved back into the same conditions as Andy and Scott (first townhouse) and for the first time ever im not enjoying it because im waiting for the dreaded letterbox drop or phone call. Frustrating.

Dont worry about the nosey neighbours

Do what you want when you want as long as you stay legal.

you can get as many visits from the council as they want but there is not much they can do to stop your hobby.

As long as you are sensible about it there is not a problem.

If it is a shift worker this can be a problem but I am sure you can still work around their sleeping times, just need some way of knowing when they are asleep.

We recently cut down trees {53} and the council came around because of a noise complaint, their reaction was that because there was a complaint they had to look into it. There was no problem and we told the guy that it was going to keep going for the rest of the week to finish the job. He was happy with that , no more complaints after that but the chainsaws lost some of their mufflers, gotta stir a bit. We were doing everything legal even starting at 9am and finishing at 4pm.
Some people just love to complain.

This is my favourite neighborhood complaint story.

SettIng: 3 pm saturday arvo and I'm milling up a 40"+ diam log using a big very loud chainsaw mill in a tree loppers yard on an Industrial estate.

A nearby (200 m away) angry and very homeowner staggers over to complain about the milling noise. The complainant didn't have a leg to stand on because the yard is on an industrial estate and we were operating well within acceptable times. We tried to reason with him but he was too far gone, and he was abusive and threatening so yard owner (Jeff) and the tree lopping lads lads (mostly rugby players) "assisted him from the property". Then he stood outside the fence yelling abuse and threatening to burn the yard down. When he finally left, a couple of the lads quietly followed him back to his place to find out where he lived and knocked on his door and introduced themselves just to let him know they knew where he lived. Jeff then reported the threat to the cops who were very happy to pay the complainant a visit. Meanwhile I kept milling. After the cops had paid their visit to the home owner they called Jeff and asked if I was still milling. Jef said I had just about finished milling for the day to which the policeman said, "so soon? too bad, couldn't we keep it up for a little longer". Apparently the homeowner gave the police a mouthful so they said they would be knocking on his door and asking a few questions every time a fire was found burning in the area.

As Ibanez said when I first posted this story, "Sounds like my type of Policing"

I've approached this issue several ways
1) make sure I only use power tools within the allowed hours
2) minimise the use of the noisey ones (table saw and thicknesser)
3) buying "quieter" hand held power tools
4) working more with hand tools
5) doing the odd WW job for the immediate neighbours
6) avoiding lots of noise when the neighbours are having a bar-b-que

BTW, closing the garage door probably makes little difference -- the metal in the door probably acts like the head of a drum.


be sensible with your noise generation, and continue having fun

here are a few of my stories from this year.

1. at our factory which has a 24hr DA meaning we can work 24hrs 7 days.
one morning we were in there at 5AM had drop saw going guy from street behind drives into our factory in his boxer shorts and goes off, he was going to call everyone. Turns out he actual worked for local council and was trying to pull the wool over our eyes, i told him to bugger off and get off my property, he left never to be seen again.

2. again at our factory, before signing the lease we ask both the letting agent and the strata manger if noise was an issue, they said no limits on use, few weeks after moving in, the noisy office girl from next door start to complain about having the thicknersser running for 8hrs stright, ended up having to build acoustic wall across half of the factory and across windows to try and stop noise.

3. my best my mate brought a 10 year old town house, we were doing full reno on the interior, kitchen, bath, floors etc.

one saturday night it was about 7.30 i was hanging doors my mate and his wife were painting in kitchen, guy from next door comes banging on door, i answer it to cope a spray, starting will "are you a tradie" turns out guy was plumber and had the $hits at us for making noise mind you this was middle of winter all doors and windows shut,

he then tried to tell me that you can not work after 1.30 on saturday to which i told him we had no DA so there was no work hours to follow,

i told him to go jump, my mate was hiding around corrner not wanting to get involved, the guy only need to ask when we were finshing,up we were actual only working to our pizza turned up which we had ordered.

My neighbour has a problem with me and all his other neighbours.. Both myself and his neighbours on the other side have been through community arbitration , a free service and a very fair body.
After the first noise complaint I drew up a spreadsheet and I log the date time I start and stop , weather the shed doors are open ( roller doors ) and a list of machinery , I mark in how many minutes the machine is running and a daily total .
The last visit from council I asked for ( after getting legal advice) a copy of the complaint , which the council officer refused stating that it wasn't their policy, so I informed him that under the laws of natural justice I was entitled to a copy of the complaint not his interpretation of it and gave him my solicitor's card and told him that any further correspondence to go through him.
The next day went in and saw his boss , demanded to know why my rights were being denied and unless this harassment stopped I was going to the ombudsman .
I also e-mailed each of the elected councillors including the Mayor and asked each for a face to face meeting, took my last 3 months log showing the times etc and wanted to know if they condoned this blatant harassment and denial of my rights, mentioned the usual ombudsman and have never heard from them again regarding noise
Haven't spoken to the neighbour either , but then again no one in the street does.