Neighbor Noise

[JoeWras]

Because of our infamous summer heat and humidity, mowing here begins earlier in the day than it might in some parts of the country. AFAIK almost nobody sleeps with the windows open here in the summertime because we have the AC going full blast.

My lawn guy, who mows several houses on our block, normally begins at 8 AM every Wednesday morning. He has an assistant to do the edging, and they finish in about 2 hours. This week, due to the rains, he began at 7 AM while it was still relatively dry.

In other parts of the country where I have lived, 9 AM was a more acceptable time to begin mowing.

It is an interesting problem. FUEGO pointed out up in our neck of the woods, this isn't so good because the grass is dewy at that time. The Peidmont has issues with grass. We are in "grass variety no-man's land", and it seems like every grass is fragile. Running the mower with dew on it is a great way to spread various fungal diseases.

Down in N.O., you must have, what, St. Augustine? This must be able to handle the assault of the blade while wet better.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I *have* to start mowing no later than 5 AM...otherwise, I have to do AT LEAST 15-20 MPH over the speed limit to get to the neighborhood pool so I can save a recliner and go grab lunch. It's just the right thing to do.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I'm with W2R---there's no way anyone is outside during the day here if they can help it. AC is on, windows shut tight. Mowing here is done at all hours, whenever you get the urge for some heatstroke. I'd not hold it against a neighbor for cutting grass at 7am--especially the older guy on one side of us. Now that dull stump grinder he rented last weekend and used all day Saturday was a bit annoying, however!

 

[JoeWras]

I'm with W2R---there's no way anyone is outside during the day here if they can help it. AC is on, windows shut tight. Mowing here is done at all hours, whenever you get the urge for some heatstroke. I'd not hold it against a neighbor for cutting grass at 7am--especially the older guy on one side of us. Now that dull stump grinder he rented last weekend and used all day Saturday was a bit annoying, however!

Since this is turning into the pet peeve of noise, let me chime in.

Gas powered pressure washers. Oh the futility! Many neighbors spend whole Saturdays with these noisy beasts washing their driveways and sidewalks, only to watch them stain up quickly within a few months.

These things are really, really noisy. Similar to generators, but their sound varies as the operator toggles the switch. It makes for a very irritating sound, even from 8 or 9 houses away.

 

[travelover]

Since this is turning into the pet peeve of noise, let me chime in.

Gas powered pressure washers. Oh the futility! Many neighbors spend whole Saturdays with these noisy beasts washing their driveways and sidewalks, only to watch them stain up quickly within a few months.

These things are really, really noisy. Similar to generators, but their sound varies as the operator toggles the switch. It makes for a very irritating sound, even from 8 or 9 houses away.

Don't forget the joy of leaf blowers. My neighbor hires a crew for a whole week every spring to manicure his 2 1/2 acre lot. The leaf blowers run 7 AM to 8 PM for a week.

 

[braumeister]

Don't forget the joy of leaf blowers. My neighbor hires a crew for a whole week every spring to manicure his 2 1/2 acre lot. The leaf blowers run 7 AM to 8 PM for a week.

My former neighbor had a crew of six working on his five acres every Thursday from 8:30 to 6:00, every week all year long. At least three machines going at once, all day long. He was a very high powered exec at a large company, and of course he was never home to listen to the racket.

 

[Music Lover]

My neighbor and I have fallen into a pattern of trying to cut the lawn at the same time to minimize the noise for each other. Normally one of us starts cutting the grass and if the other one isn't busy they will make the effort to cut it at the same time. It's not a big deal and no one is under any obligation to comply, but it does increase the overall "quiet time".

 

[Ronstar]

Even if I try, I can't make as much noise with my woodworking tools, leaf blower, chain saws, air compressors and power washer as my next door neighbor does . He has more tools than I - including generators, welders, etc. I'm glad that we both do all of our loud work during the middle of the day.

 

[Koolau]

You can set your watch by the landscaping guys at the condo. 8:00AM on the dot. Now, however, I may or may not wake up. If I do, I can roll over and go back to sleep if I choose. Once I get used to a certain set of noises, I can usually sleep through them. We have a fair amount of traffic and more than our share of sirens at all hours. I can usually sleep through or go back to sleep. In the old days in the midwest, the first clap or two of a thunderstorm would wake me. After that, I generally slept through anything but a tornado.

Years ago, we moved from an urban setting to a farm setting. The quiet kept me awake for several days until I adapted. Go figure. YMMV

 

[haha]

I really like this thread. People recoil in horror at the prospect of city living and all it's noise. But I never hear any, and I have lived many years in multi-family housing in big cities. Maybe an occasional woman who really loves love. But this rarely troubles me. OTOH some guy mowing at 7 am because he doesn't want to shower-up after? That is what yard men are for.

Ha

 

[mpeirce]

My Mom emailed me this morning complaining about one of her neighbors using a chain saw at 7:15am on a Sunday. That got me wondering what other people think is reasonable for a time to do outside yard chores that are loud like a chainsaw, or lawn mower. If I owned a house I would want to get the lawn mowed by 9am to avoid the hotter times of the day so that means probably starting by 8am. What do you think is a reasonable time to start outside noise or end it at night?

I see two types of noise causing activities: those that need doing ASAP and those you can pick a time to do.

E.g. for most folks, lawn mowing is somewhat flexible. I know it is for me (FIREd!) so I always wait until after 9 AM.

Other chores need attending to more quickly at times. Snow blowing gets a pass from me as there are many people on our street that need to dig their cars out before going to work.

Some chores can be either. Chain saws are like this. If a tree fell over in a storm, anytime is fine with me. If you are just trimming trees, it nicer to wait until later.

Some people are hyper sensitive to noise - my sister is like that. She's always complaining about those noisy owls. Seriously. Now she sleep with earplugs and a white noise generator. Me? I love the owls.