There’s been heavy construction going on next door for over a month now. A month of non stop drilling from 8 am to 5 pm. RIGHT NEXT TO MY WINDOW! Add to that the piles of dirt and rocks which end up clogging up the window screens and filling up the window sills. We can’t open up the windows because if we do we end up with piles of dirt inside the house.
The noise means we cannot take a day off or god forbid we are sick. I was sick this Monday and I ended up curled up with headphones on a comforter on the floor by the entrance to my apartment. And even then the noise level was uncomfortable. The noise during the day is intolerable and it never stops.
Is there anything we can do? My SO has off on Monday for the holiday and she doesn’t know what to do. TV watching is not possible, reading, sleeping, not possible. The noise is like Chinese water torture. What can we do?
That’s about within most permissable hours of operation as dictated by many local jurisdictions. MAYBE they can’t start unitl 9, but those hours seem right. Permits limit how long (calendar days) in can continue, but they be regular working hours.
For Monday, I’d suggest doing touristy stuff that you don’t usually do. You know, go to the zoo or local museums. Most places have excellent entertainment venues that the locals don’t bother to use. Or just go to the library, which is bound to be somewhat quieter. Just don’t snore if you doze off!
Or, if you are actually sick and need rest, shack up at a friends/relatives house until the work is finished. Sucks, but there is really nothing to be done except wait it out.
Good pair of noise cancelling headphones may be in order as well.
If the dust is a problem, perhaps they can put up a containing screen? That should also dampen the noise a bit. With regard to the noise, you might want to check local health & safety regulations, but probably the best thing to do is to have a quiet word with the foreman - perhaps they can work on the other side of the building or something for a morning or two?
I can attest to the value of these. My office is right next to a building that has very noisy machines on a lower roof; they are about 15 feet from my office windows. The windows don’t open but the noise can be maddening after several hours. The headphones work best when attached to my MP3 player with Metallica (or some other such good music) playing.