apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If someone starts construction - or anything noisy - at an unreasonable hour, I've been known to lean out my window and either yell at them or politely ask them to stop, depending on my mood. If they don't, I call the cops. I need my beauty sleep, and unless it's the city or an emergency, there's generally no reason things can't wait for a couple hours. That said, I don't think 7am is entirely unreasonable, unless it's a weekend. Still, it's most polite to wait until nine-ish so people can have a shower and breakfast in peace.

I've gone completely bat-shit crazy, yelled "LA MUSICA - NO" (that is what I am left with from my knowledge of Spanish in a former life) when awakened by the greatest hits of the Tijuana Brass, called the city inspector, called the cops during one of the 25 times they completely blocked my driveway, made fun of them in a blog post, held my breath near the portapotty, moved into the guest room, thrown all my car trash over the fence (my yard has been full of QT wrappers from them all year), I mourned the two 100 year old Tulip Poplars they took down, threatened to sue, etc. etc. They are allowed to make noise from 7 a.m. til 10 p.m. I'm a writer. I'm home all day. I've lost my mind!

I think I'm going to paint "666 I Love Satan" in dayglo orange on the side of my garage that faces the property. as it's currently for sale. $1.3 million during a recession. I don't know if I need to bother...

Oh, I've also joined a committee to try to pass a Historic District Overlay for the Virginia-Highlands neighborhood to stop these tacky tear down McMansion projects. So that's one positive thing I've done.

Ashton Kutcher = Twit....er.

I had to get up for work at 4 am the next morning when neighbors across the street decided to have a pool party for their visiting family members, which is all well and fine, until about midnight when they started spilling out into the front driveway, in various states of drunk, cussing and whooping it up. I walked out halfway across the street and asked the nearest person to please keep it down, there are others that have work the next morning. She said yes and sorry, I said thank you, and about an hour later, it got louder and raunchier, and I went back out and this time made my point a little more ...er, pointedly.... with the promise that I would call police this time. The noise continued, but the message must have been well taken, because everyone started filling up cars, no doubt to find a bar or club.

On a weeknight in the summer.

A voice from the other side:

We're renovating our 1920s home now. No, we are not creating a McMansion. We are removing awful 1970s "improvements" and adding 400 square feet. When done, our house will be about 1,800 square feet. It is architect-designed and in keeping with the period, style and scale of the home and neighborhood.

I know the project creates inconvenience for our neighbors. We're doing everything we can to minimize that, but it is impossible not to impact neighbors (it is a hillside neighborhood, with narrow streets and dense building).

Most neighbors have been positive and supportive. But there are a few who simply cannot be pleased. Here's what I'd like to tell them:

---City law allows work to start at 7am on weekdays, and 8am on Saturdays. That is reasonable. And even if you think it is unreasonable, it is the law. Please don't yell at the crew to go home because it is 9am on Saturday.

---I know you resent work on Saturdays (me too, frankly, and we try to minimize it). But it is going to rain next week, and we need to have a roof before then!

---I know you work nights and want to sleep during the day. But you must recognize that your schedule differs from most of the working world.

---I'm sorry the delivery truck hit some low lying branches on your tree. But... those branches are only 9 feet off the ground. The garbage truck (motor home, City maintenance, gas co, etc.) hits them every week, too.

---The work being done on my house will increase YOUR property values, too. It improves our entire neighborhood.

---I am trying to be considerate of your needs. But it's not all about you.

NONE of this is intended to be sarcastic, by the way.

The multi million dollar neighborhoods populated by celeberities and the extremely wealthy happen to be the loudest in LA. My little neighborhood of track houses built in the 40's has a noise level on par with a mosoleum compared to Bel Air which is louder than the 405 freeway at rush hour. 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, this ritzy enclave is a construction zone on steroids. Funny how Ashton is unware of this well known fact. Even little peops like me know better.

Like Becky, I'm a writer working at home. Bought my current place in part because the grad school rental included upstairs neighbors who operated an unlicensed day care for toddlers (& refused to carpet the floors). Love kids, but shoe-wearing toddlers tap dancing on hardwood overhead while you're studying for exams does not a happy tenant make. Recently, our current neighbors began renovations. I brought over brownies and shared my concerns. Since, they've been pretty good--the workers don't play overly loud music, at least not when the windows are open. I stocked up on earplugs and am praying for the best. At least we don't have a driveway to block.

I was thinking stuff like... Guess he should get his butt out of bed and go do something with his day besides ranting to the world. Or use this time to get his own renos done since it's the perfect opportunity. Or, go on a mini-vacation as the framing should only take a few days and they're neighbors after all... But that's all a bit harsh isn't it?

I'm dying over Becky's "LA MUSICA--NO!"

So this prompted me to draw the inevitable parallel between Ashton Kutcher's life and mine.

I woke up unwillingly at 7am, packed lunch, rejoiced over the invention of casual Fridays while getting dressed for the twenty inches of show out there, and got my behind to work.

Ashton Kutcher woke up unwillingly at 7am and...put on a hipster hat?

I find his outrage to be a little self-entitled. Living in NYC, there is always noise and as long as it's not super loud between midnight and 7am, it's hard to feel like you get to complain about it even if it's keeping you awake or waking you up too early. We are all on the other side at some point in our lives too. I'm sure Ashton's house made some inconvenient noise when it was being built, but then, he probably was at one of his other houses when it was getting built.

I hear you arroyo. I've been on both sides of that fence too.

"LA MUSICA... NO" is genius. Absolute freaking genius. I can picture the poor bathrobed neighbor summoning up her high school spanish to muster this up.... oh god, the best things in life *are* free.

And yes, improvements increase everyone's property values and make us all wealthier.... I am not throwing stones, I just built a house myself; but there's a limit... tell the guys to get headphones.... no music. NO MUSIC!!!!

What has the world come to that we're reading Ashton Kutcher's Twitter?

In my first NYC apartment, there was an interlude when the city was jackhammering the sidewalk under my bedroom window all night long. Ashton got off easy.

It's 7 a.m.

Get your lazy ass out of bed already and go to work.

I see that someone has already broken the "I pledge..." promise.

That man is even adorable 7 am in the morning! Demi is sooo Lucky!

I endured two straight years of construction across the street from me which started bright and early at 6:30am six days a week. (Unfortunately these were also the years I was freelancing at home!) Earplugs do nothing for jackhammers I find and especially don't help during the month of excavation when you're awakened by the steady BAM! BAM! BAM! of a CAT pounding down the fill. I felt like I lived next door to the retired admiral in Mary Poppins.

I think a lot of resentment could be avoided if people doing renovations talked to their neighbors about it before they started work. tell them when it's going to start, what kind of noise to expect, and how long it's expected to last. even just leave a note in their mailbox! it's just letting your neighbors know that you realize you are inconveniencing them and sympathize and are making an effort to minimize their suffering. will the hammering still be annoying? yes. but they can be prepared for it and will identify a friendly face with the work rather than thinking you're assh*les that are ruining the neighborhood.

foodefafa: I think that is an excellent point when it comes to any possibility of intrusive loud noise, whether it be construction, parties or any situation where your life/decisions could have a detrimental effect on another person's world. Just saying "hi and I apologize" in advance would make a world of difference and give any offense a lot more leeway in my book.