What time are builders allowed to start work legally – and what can you do about it if the noise is making your life a misery?

If you are being woken up at the crack of dawn not by birdsong but by a cacophony of power tools and hammering, you may have been left asking, 'What time are builders allowed to start work?'

One of the most common home renovation mistakes people make is to upset their neighbours during building work – so it pays to be considerate.

Whether you are regularly being disturbed yourself by early morning or late night building work, or are in the midst of a project and are keen not to upset your neighbours, the experts we spoke to had some brilliant advice on how to navigate the situation.

What time are builders allowed to start work on site?

It might be that you are being woken day after day prematurely from your slumber or, conversely, are having building work carried out on your home and are worried about upsetting your neighbours – the advice surrounding the hours builders are allowed to start work is surprisingly clear-cut.

"Early morning building noise is a common source of neighbourly disputes, but the rules are clearer than many people realise," says the chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, Paula Higgins. "Most councils set standard construction hours, Monday to Friday; these are 08:00 am – 18:00."

"Noisy activity, such as drilling, sawing, machinery or major deliveries shouldn’t happen before 08:00 am," continues Paula. "Workers can arrive earlier, but they must keep things quiet."

"More often than not, that offers a sensible working time relative to keeping good neighbourly relations," adds architect Tina Patel from Architect Your Home. "However, you may find builders arrive on site for around 07:30 am so that they are ready to work for 08:00 am."

Paula Higgins

After spending 15 years reforming housing policy in government, enough was enough. Homeowners needed a voice and HomeOwners Alliance was born.

Tina Patel

Tina Patel is a RIBA-chartered architect and director at Architect Your Home, with over 15 years' experience helping families transform their homes through thoughtful, stress-free design. She specialises in homeowner-led renovations, making the process of extending, refurbishing, or reconfiguring a home simpler and more empowering. Having worked on over 200 projects, she's an expert voice on planning system challenges, permitted development, and the realities of renovating in the UK today.

What time should builders finish on site?

Once the working day ends, you may well be ready for a little relaxation, but this could well be ruined by deafening building work if your neighbours have undertaken a home improvement project – so just what are the rules surrounding the time builders should finish up on site?

"Although councils allow work until 6 pm, in practice most builders wrap up around 4 pm," advises Paula Higgins. "This is partly to avoid rush-hour traffic and partly because tools and machinery need to be packed away safely before dark."

It is important to note that it isn't just major building work, such as extensions, that can disturb neighbours; even if you are taking on a remodelling project of your kitchen, there will be significant noise involved.

Why might builders start earlier or later on site?

While these working hours should be observed by responsible building firms, there may well be instances where work starts a little earlier or finishes later. It helps to be aware of this.

"On occasion, some sites may need to seek permission for working outside of these hours," explains Tina Patel. "For example, if special road closures are needed for craned glass or similar, then this may be limited to the weekends. This restriction would need to be carefully considered and permission sought from the council.

"Even where planning permission is not needed, the above hours are considered standard throughout most regions," continues Tina. "The local council can enforce this through their environmental health department if work is considered to be a nuisance and is being undertaken outside of these hours."

Can builders work at weekends and bank holidays?

While it might be acceptable to be subjected to building noise on a workday when you are either out at the office or up and about anyway, working from a home office, the weekends and bank holidays are quite another matter. So what are the regulations here?

"Saturday standard working times for building work are 08:00 am – 1 pm," says Paula Higgins. "On Sundays and bank holidays, there should be no noisy work at all."

"That said, often 'quiet works' are undertaken by many contractors, particularly at the end of the project in order to meet a deadline," points out Tina Patel. "Quiet works may be things such as painting. It is important to note that if this kind of work is being carried out, there should be no loud music to irritate neighbours."

What should you do if building noise is disturbing you?

If you are on the receiving end of noisy building work that is being carried out at unreasonable hours, the good news is that there are steps you can take to make life a little more peaceful.

"Just as when looking at how to resolve a neighbourly tree dispute, the first thing to do should be to speak to the homeowner having the work done," advises Paula Higgins. "They can instruct contractors to stick to permitted hours, and most are keen to keep relations friendly.

"One in three people have found that this has solved any noise problems immediately," continues Paula. "Surprisingly often, people do not even realise they are being annoying and few people are totally uncaring about those around them; most are just unaware. You could also talk to the site manager – a quick word often fixes things."

What happens when neighbours are not being overly helpful though?

"Check the planning permission," suggests Paula Higgins. "For bigger developments, working hours are often written into the planning permission. You can look these up on your council’s website – and developers must follow them.

"If it seems that agreed hours are being ignored, contact the council," continues Paula. "Environmental Health or planning enforcement can intervene if work is happening outside approved times.

"I would also advise keeping a noise diary with dates and times," adds Paula. "This can really help if the issue continues.

FAQs

How can you keep neighbours on-side when having building work done?

Time to reverse the situation now, what happens if it is you having the building work done, whether that is to introduce some of the latest kitchen trends or add a whole new storey? Obviously, you don't want to upset your neighbours, but you will no doubt be keen to get your project from start to finish as quickly as possible.

"If your project involves undertaking disruptive work, then it is always important to consider how you may feel if the tables were turned and you were being disturbed on a summer’s afternoon in your garden," points out Tina Patel.

"Remember, long after any building works are completed, you will be left with your neighbours and, taking this into consideration at the outset, should ensure that good neighbourly relations withstand the frustrations that come with having the builders in on the house next door."

Even if your relationship with your neighbours manages to survive the noisy nature of a building project, you still might not want them peering into your garden. Take a look at our round-up of ways to block your neighbour's view to help your garden feel like a secluded haven.