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But even loud garden music during the day is selfish behaviour if living close to people.
How about having Radio 2 on while you prune your roses? Acceptable? Dealable with by clearly audible tutting? Or reason enough to get the police involved?
I have some noise issues with a neighbour, he's a DIY nobhead though, the occaional party wouldnr bother me. There is guidence on council websites about noise but ni one to actaully enforce anything so all a bit pointless really.
Other countries have much better regulations.
dp
In our last house (Prefab 60s terrace) our neighbours on one side used to fairly regualry make noise, mostly during the day but more then once late at night. Once they had a party that kept me awake until the early hours.
The next day we had an early start... Off to the TT on the motorbikes. We parked the bikes in the back garden and I had a twin cyclinder Honda with a loud can on it.
I only let it tick over for a minute or so before edging out of the back gate and I could see the wife mouthing at me from an upstairs windo through my mirrored visor... Oh how I laughed, she looked a right state!!
I'll let our 6 and 9 years know that when they're in tears like last time.
No, explain to them that it's just a bit of noise that will be finished soon and that it's nothing to be worried or stressed about. Than put a bit of light music or such like on in the background, close the windows if the party is outside and go and pour yourself a beer.
I say this as someone who has panic attacks when it is noisy and I'm trying to sleep. I (and the psychologist I went to see to help with this thinks the same) am adamant that it stems from my parents being so conscious of noise when I was young, they would make sure the house was silent when I went to bed. They would also make a big deal of it if it wasn't. My wife on the other hand grew up in a noisy house, with people round every weekend making noise, she will sleep through a nuclear explosion and has no stress whatsoever if there is noise.
So yes, chill, relax and please make sure your kids don't think it's anything to worry about either.
Partied hard at a mega wedding this weekend. Disappointed when the music stopped at 02:30 - but still suffering effects now. The perils of getting older!!
Not an issue, foam ear plugs are your friend.
I'll let our 6 and 9 years know that when they're in tears like last time.
No, explain to them that it's just a bit of noise that will be finished soon and that it's nothing to be worried or stressed about.
+1
If you do want to go 'full legal', then inform the local EHO (Environmental Health Officer) that this party is planned and cite what happened last time. You should be able to get the name of the local EHO from Google fairly easily as they're often quoted in public documents for planning etc. They might even have a specific noise team if your local authority is large enough.
If you're lucky* the EHO might follow up on it and have a word with your neighbours to curb night time noise past 11pm. The EHO will define night time as 11pm to 7am.
*It's Tuesday now and the being the civil service they may have finished for the week already
Than put a bit of light music or such like on in the background, close the windows if the party is outside and go and pour yourself a beer.
Not an issue, foam ear plugs are your friend
Fine if your neighbours are reasonable and have the music at a reasonable volume. Not much good if the volume is so loud its making your walls shake. It can make you physically sick.
I sympathise with the OP.
Fine if your neighbours are reasonable and have the music at a reasonable volume. Not much good if the volume is so loud its making your walls shake. It can make you physically sick.
I know this, like I said, I get horrible panic attacks in situations like this. But I've also learned over the years that 1 or 2 parties a year does not make a bad neighbour, if anything it makes a bloody good one.
But, kids are adaptable and will learn from their parents. If Dad is stressed out, the kids will be. So try and stay calm, certainly stay calm in front of the kids, reassure them it's going to finish soon and that's it normal and nothing to worry about. Don't make them like me where, unless it's silent and very dark they can't sleep. Don't make them have to go on holiday with an armoury of ear plugs, eye masks and noise cancelling headphones just in case the people in the room next door talk/walk/have sex, it's not fun and means you get very stressed about something that is actually no big deal.
Got to agree with some of the stuff about not passing on stressed out vibes to the kids. Let them off the leash; grab a pizza / takeaway and let them stay up late watching a film or something. They'll be too knackered / distracted to worry so much about the noise ...
As you know it's happening in advance, why not just go away for the weekend somewhere nice ? Treat the wife and kids to an evening away in the country, bit of food, bit of playing in a pub garden and a nice nights sleep.
Get over it. Two nights out of the 366 this year is not important.
My views on this are:
1. Yes, imposed noise can be very stressful. However, having had the warning, it's now something you can control. I had 6 years of the opposite in my previous (terraced) house - I was working 80 hours a week and losing sleep to their noise pushed me to the brink more than once.
2. Inconsiderate people. Unfortunately, you live on a housing estate. It will be full of other people and different people coming to and from the party.
I live in a small village (25 houses) where we have an annual beer festival at the pub across the road. It's not unusual for the Saturday night (of the four days it's on) for there to be 750+ people there. And then they all want to go home at the same time. It's once a year, so I can either avoid it (go away), join in (usually, to a point) or manage any concern by ensuring my driveway isn't blocked and no-one's chucking glasses in my garden.
3. Your kids. This is very much down to you. I have a 6 year old daughter who would happily (and has done plenty of times) stayed up to enjoy a party/wedding well after midnight. We let her sleep in the following morning. Get your kids used to a variety of experiences and don't give them your neuroses.
4. Revenge. This won't make you feel any better and will sour any relations in the future. Also, not everyone is a [s]bedwetter[/s] morning person, so don't want to hear your early bird DIY.
I agree with what most others are saying
you are being a bit neurotic
I suppose its what you're used to. If its total silence every night, like where I live, its hugely disruptive and annoying if unexpected loud noises disturb you and especially the kids.
I think though that if someone takes the trouble to warn you and its a very rare event, you should prepare accordingly and live and let live.