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neighbors and noise

How would you react

  • Ignore it

    Votes: 9 69.2%

  • call the cops for noise complaint

    Votes: 2 15.4%

  • done the same as him

    Votes: 1 7.7%

  • no one is allowed to make noise but me

    Votes: 1 7.7%
  • Total voters
    13
beerftw said:
Wow that is rude, during the day ok, but at night it needs to cut out after a certain time, or he can switch to hand tools. Depending on local laws, usually between 8 and 10 pm starts quiet hours. During noise hours usually no cops will care unless the noise is made with the intent to annoy.
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Yea we are in an unincorporated area so it goes by the county laws. its 10pm I think. Hes just a pain in the ass. Luckily I'm going to be moving soon.
 
beerftw said:
150 decibals is extreme, most contractor generators run at 69-80 db, 150 db is going to be louder than a jet engine, a shtogun blast etc.

A contractor generator is about as loud as a lawnmower engine, not the super expensive ones, bt a typical push one. past a certain range every few decibals is like doubling the volume,plus not aall noise is the same, which is why most areas that allow noise have an intent to annoy clause in it.
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Yeah, I know I was using an extreme example. (For some reason, I had recalled The Who bragging about having the loudest concert(s) and reading a figure like 145 db or something ear-shattering).

Basically, as long as noise is during the working day (or a couple hours after) and it's not much worse than an ordinary lawnmower, I wouldn't mind. Noise when I want to sleep would be a problem.
 
beerftw said:
I tried googling it, could find no such law in texas saying such, heck when I lved in cali it was not required to post it for neighbors where I lived, just that you have one present, which was usually code enforcement who looks for construction
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They can be hard to find, some of the regs aren't even online in some counties. Forget checking with the state - check with the county (where construction regs are). They may not be online.
 
Apparently the concept of being a good neighbor has disappeared. I can't imagine wiring a new garage that requires all power to the house being shut off but I'm not a handyman. If I were the neighbor I'd probably make a deal and let him run an extension cord from my house to his garage so he wouldn't need the generator. What he's paying for gasoline would probably cover the cost of electricity.

Whatever you do, don't try and work it out. The government will take care of it for you. Most of my calls the last year I was a police officer were calls the police would never have received the first year I was a police officer.
 
beerftw said:
Ok I have a friend who was doing some work on his house involving wiring in a garage he just added, it required him to shut off his power, so he fired up a generator to run his power tools and a fan. The neighbor called the cops on a noise complaint, they refused to do anything since it was not night time or quiet hours, the neighbor went over and complained to him, telling him he called the cops and they will not do anything.

He shut off his generator and went into town to get drywall screws, he came back and found his generator pretty well destroyed, the one neighbor swore he did nothing, his other neighbor said he saw him smash it with a sledge hammer. Cops got called out there and no arrests were made but now it is going to small claims court.

Thing is we used to use his generator camping, it is not that loud, and his neighbors lawnmower is way louder. The question is does anyone here get angry over stuff like this? like running a generator when there is no power, or mowing your lawn with a loud lawnmower, or running a power saw that is loud during construction.


Me myself I can not get it, if it is not at night when I am trying to sleep, it does nothing against me, heck I have a train right behind my house that goes by like 20 times a day and shakes it like an earthquake, I have kids who play around my house screaming and yelling, but I say meh they are kids they aren't hurting anything and turn up my tv.
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The neighbor that destroyed the generator sounds like a right douchebag. I wonder if he has any small animals that might go missing coincidentally.

It helps to know your neighbors. Ive remodeled some homes and talk to my neighbors in advance. Sometimes a 6er of their favorite cold beverage goes a long way. Still...if he wasnt violating curfew, the offending neighbor is just a douche and if the other neighbor is willing to testify, dood should get a new generator out of the deal.
 
beerftw said:
Ok I have a friend who was doing some work on his house involving wiring in a garage he just added, it required him to shut off his power, so he fired up a generator to run his power tools and a fan. The neighbor called the cops on a noise complaint, they refused to do anything since it was not night time or quiet hours, the neighbor went over and complained to him, telling him he called the cops and they will not do anything.

He shut off his generator and went into town to get drywall screws, he came back and found his generator pretty well destroyed, the one neighbor swore he did nothing, his other neighbor said he saw him smash it with a sledge hammer. Cops got called out there and no arrests were made but now it is going to small claims court.

Thing is we used to use his generator camping, it is not that loud, and his neighbors lawnmower is way louder. The question is does anyone here get angry over stuff like this? like running a generator when there is no power, or mowing your lawn with a loud lawnmower, or running a power saw that is loud during construction.


Me myself I can not get it, if it is not at night when I am trying to sleep, it does nothing against me, heck I have a train right behind my house that goes by like 20 times a day and shakes it like an earthquake, I have kids who play around my house screaming and yelling, but I say meh they are kids they aren't hurting anything and turn up my tv.
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Hopefully, his neighbor witness will go with him to court. And hopefully your neighbor made a police report on the generator damage, and the cops interviewed the neighbor witness. But I rather doubt it, since I think the perp neighbor would have been arrested criminal damage to property, vandalism or some such.

Without the neighbor witness and without a police report where the cop interviewed the neighbor witness, I'm betting your friend is out of luck.

Complaining neighbor is a JERK!
 
Wait, wait, we need a new government agency. The Department of Neighbor Relations. I can hear their ads now, "Does your neighbor sigh and shake his head as he passes your house? Does your neighbor have motion sensitive lights than make you yard less than dark at 2 a.m.? Is your neighbor planting shrubbery that blocks your view of...the neighbors? Call the Department of Neighbor Relations."
 
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Patrickt said:
Wait, wait, we need a new government agency. The Department of Neighbor Relations.
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Most counties out West here already have that, at least in developed areas. My county has a mediation team they use (before civil action) for these neighborhood problems.
 
clownboy said:
Most counties out West here already have that, at least in developed areas. My county has a mediation team they use (before civil action) for these neighborhood problems.
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You know it's getting bad when your jokes and reality pass each other.
 
MaggieD said:
Hopefully, his neighbor witness will go with him to court. And hopefully your neighbor made a police report on the generator damage, and the cops interviewed the neighbor witness. But I rather doubt it, since I think the perp neighbor would have been arrested criminal damage to property, vandalism or some such.

Without the neighbor witness and without a police report where the cop interviewed the neighbor witness, I'm betting your friend is out of luck.

Complaining neighbor is a JERK!
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Remember, we're going from the info provided. This incident may have been the straw that stroked the camel's sack so to speak. The industrious constructionist may be always at it, some project or another, that has produced a constant noise level in the neighborhood. Or some of the neighbors may be night workers/day sleepers.
 
Patrickt said:
You know it's getting bad when your jokes and reality pass each other.
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Just to be clear, the post wasn't joking at all. But I know what you mean. The older I get the more what was once thought to be joke and unlikely has become stark reality.
 
clownboy said:
Remember, we're going from the info provided. This incident may have been the straw that stroked the camel's sack so to speak. The industrious constructionist may be always at it, some project or another, that has produced a constant noise level in the neighborhood. Or some of the neighbors may be night workers/day sleepers.
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I love that description. Ha!

I wouldn't have sympathy for the day sleeper. I would think differently, though, if the guy was ALWAYS a noise nuisance.

My town would have probably shut the guy down. Our noise ordinance reads something like you can't disturb the neighbors.
 
Dragonfly said:
Your friend should invest in surveillance cameras. This neighbor issue isn't going to go away.

Making noise during the day is fine. I'd guess it'd be pretty awful if it was all day, everyday, for months on end, but if there's a valid reason and an end in sight I could live with just about anything.

On weekends I don't do anything noisy outside until after 10:00am on Saturdays and 11:00am on Sundays. Let people sleep in a little.

Nothing noisy outside after 9:00pm. Time for everybody to relax.

If the neighbor who smashed the generator worked third shift and was trying to sleep during the day it should have been a conversation that was had long before things went that far. Neighbor sounds like a d-bag. I'd get cameras.
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Excellent!

You're a good neighbor!

I've got very good neighbors on either side of me who are quiet for the most part, go to bed really early, never party, and take great care of their houses.

But ... they're early-birds, and being guys that take care of their houses they've always got some kind of maintenance or project going on.

So they're often working outdoors at 8 A.M. I'm not particularly happy about it, and thankfully it's not a daily occurrence, but they're otherwise good, quiet, respectful neighbors who take exquisite care of their properties - so I just deal with those occasions. Having lived in a neighborhood that became rundown, I'm happy they take pride in their property and I don't want to do anything to discourage it!
 
Chomsky said:
Excellent!

You're a good neighbor!

I've got very good neighbors on either side of me who are quiet for the most part, go to bed really early, never party, and take great care of their houses.

But ... they're early-birds, and being guys that take care of their houses they've always got some kind of maintenance or project going on.

So they're often working outdoors at 8 A.M. I'm not particularly happy about it, and thankfully it's not a daily occurrence, but they're otherwise good, quiet, respectful neighbors who take exquisite care of their properties - so I just deal with those occasions. Having lived in a neighborhood that became rundown, I'm happy they take pride in their property and I don't want to do anything to discourage it!
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Just FYI, most county noise ordinances I've seen allow outdoor work noise (except for permitted construction) between the hours of 9am and 9pm. Permitted construction can usually begin at 7am and go to 9pm. The noise cannot be sustained and constant.
 
clownboy said:
Just FYI, most county noise ordinances I've seen allow outdoor work noise (except for permitted construction) between the hours of 9am and 9pm. Permitted construction can usually begin at 7am and go to 9pm. The noise cannot be sustained and constant.
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Yeah, I have similar ordinance and they stay within it - so I really can't complain.

And it's not an everyday thing.

And they're otherwise extremely civil, quiet, and respectful.

I've had worse ...
 
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clownboy said:
They can be hard to find, some of the regs aren't even online in some counties. Forget checking with the state - check with the county (where construction regs are). They may not be online.
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Where I live no such laws, are you sure they are not just giant city laws and home owner regs, I can see hoa demanding that, but in texas too many hoa houses go unsold because people here do not buy to have someone tell them how they have to live there and what they can do with it.
 
Patrickt said:
Apparently the concept of being a good neighbor has disappeared. I can't imagine wiring a new garage that requires all power to the house being shut off but I'm not a handyman. If I were the neighbor I'd probably make a deal and let him run an extension cord from my house to his garage so he wouldn't need the generator. What he's paying for gasoline would probably cover the cost of electricity.

Whatever you do, don't try and work it out. The government will take care of it for you. Most of my calls the last year I was a police officer were calls the police would never have received the first year I was a police officer.
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It depends on what is being done. To wire your garage to the houses main breaker panel, the power would be shut off for safety reasons, but the wiring would be laid first and shtting it down would be one of the last steps and fairly quick. He is upgrading to a 400 amp transformer and replacing the wiring to his house as well, which is not a simple fix, since the main wiring needs to handle that amp load and his house was not built with it. The wiring throughout the house itself would remain the same, but he would need a 400 amp capable breaker, for both his house and garage, which is not a simple job.

His garage is planned to use more power than his house, and the entire electrical system needs to match it or else he risks it al going down in flames from overloading underrated wire.
 
VanceMack said:
The neighbor that destroyed the generator sounds like a right douchebag. I wonder if he has any small animals that might go missing coincidentally.

It helps to know your neighbors. Ive remodeled some homes and talk to my neighbors in advance. Sometimes a 6er of their favorite cold beverage goes a long way. Still...if he wasnt violating curfew, the offending neighbor is just a douche and if the other neighbor is willing to testify, dood should get a new generator out of the deal.
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I have the same model generator he does, plus I added a muffler to mine, it is a cheap powermate bought at walmart. The generator brand new is 300 bucks, he is certainly nt caring about a new generator, just the principle of it.

He has a police statement and a witness statement, the only reason his neighbor was not arrested was because he was not on the property when the owner or police shown up, and the destruction was small in value. Had his neighbors called the cops on him and caught him, he would have been sitting in jail instead of awaiting claims court.

Also the guy must not be too bright, in texas if he had caught him on his property unlawfully he could have legally shot him.
 
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