Noise Pollution

[JT65]

We live in an upmarket Moo Baan here in Chiang Mai and our neighbours have decided to move out for a while and completely renovate the house with a swimming pool, pergolas, etc etc. The builders are currently living there and the noise is unbearable. I have confronted them more than 3 times now. I understand nothing can be done during the day but they start their saws at 6.15am every morning. Today is Sunday morning and they started work at 6.30am. I went off at them and they stopped until 7.30am.

I know its a feable question but are there any laws on noise pollution from building. I know in Oz you cannot work on a Sunday and during the week cannot start work before 8am. Anything similar here or am I kidding myself again that logic and respect for other people is a consideration here?

[jdinasia]

well ... Thailand certainly isn't Oz ...

unless you have neighbors that are police/bosses/etc ... the answer is probably "no" nothing can be done ... if you did have neighbors like that they'd have dealt with it already.

[Geonoise]

We live in an upmarket Moo Baan here in Chiang Mai and our neighbours have decided to move out for a while and completely renovate the house with a swimming pool, pergolas, etc etc. The builders are currently living there and the noise is unbearable. I have confronted them more than 3 times now. I understand nothing can be done during the day but they start their saws at 6.15am every morning. Today is Sunday morning and they started work at 6.30am. I went off at them and they stopped until 7.30am.

I know its a feable question but are there any laws on noise pollution from building. I know in Oz you cannot work on a Sunday and during the week cannot start work before 8am. Anything similar here or am I kidding myself again that logic and respect for other people is a consideration here?

Hi, yes, there are laws about (building) noise.

The rule in Thailand is that the new noise source may not exceed the background level by 10dB(A).

This still leaves enough margin to experience noise nuisance, but nevertheless, if this law is imposed to the builder, they will have to be a lot more careful.

You would have to go to the police, and they will have to call in assistance from the environmental department to perform sound measurements. And here is Thailand, of course it depends of the people you know how fast they will respond with the sound measurements. But I have seen factories, shops and building sites closed/stopped in Thailand due to exceeding noise levels.

Rules are set for day and night periods; daytime 07.00 - 19.00 hours, nighttime 19.00 - 07.00 hours. So normally they cannot start before 7 am with making too much noise.

Good luck, and keep us posted about the proceedings.

Michel

[Thaiboxer]

We had the same problem at my in-laws' house when we lived there. The degenerate neighbors next door had their new house built and it took over a year. This was during the time my wife was pregnant with our son and it continued after he was born. On top of the noise, dust and other debris often hit the house. When my in-laws confronted the homeowner, this scumbag acted like he was suffering too and had no control over the situation. He also kept switching building crews which prolonged the construction/noise. The workers started very early and often continued into the night hours...they also worked on Sundays AND holidays

I'm not sure what laws exist to get after people like our old neighbors but with the legal system being so messed up, I'm not sure how much of a hassle it would be to take action. Perhaps a rock through one of their expensive, fixed glass windows would suffice Then again my in-laws still have to live next door to them.

[Thaising]

Since you are living in an up market estate, you can make your complain with the estate management, there are rules set on the working hours for contractor.

Edited May 21, 2006 by Thaising

[Donz]

If they do it again then get the hose out and spray them

[Diablo Bob]

I live relatively close to a Mosque here in Chiangmai.

Just like clock work, 365 days per year at 4:30-4:45am they call the devout to prayer........

This is the only prayer they are called too, not the noon time prayer not the dusk prayer, but the one prayer when I have finally reached REM sleep. Consequently, I am up and about at 5:00am to start my day.......

Chances of getting the local Imam to stop........ Nah, won't even try. Best to finish out my lease and search for a place in a non-Islamic part of town.

It probably wouldn't irritate me so much except for the fact that I work in the Middle-East and live with these calls to prayer on a daily basis. When I come home to Thailand, it is supposed to be away from the day-to-day crap I do while at work.

[KhunMarco]

My best friends in Thailand....zzzzzzzzzz ronf ronf..zzzzzz....

Edited May 21, 2006 by KhunMarco

[Nawtilus]

We had the same problem at my in-laws' house when we lived there. The degenerate neighbors next door had their new house built and it took over a year. This was during the time my wife was pregnant with our son and it continued after he was born. On top of the noise, dust and other debris often hit the house. When my in-laws confronted the homeowner, this scumbag acted like he was suffering too and had no control over the situation. He also kept switching building crews which prolonged the construction/noise. The workers started very early and often continued into the night hours...they also worked on Sundays AND holidays

I'm not sure what laws exist to get after people like our old neighbors but with the legal system being so messed up, I'm not sure how much of a hassle it would be to take action. Perhaps a rock through one of their expensive, fixed glass windows would suffice Then again my in-laws still have to live next door to them.

This amazes me, do you realise that to live in the house you are in, it had to be built at some stage and it probably made some noise for the neighbours at that time ??

Do you realise building is progress and nothing you can do will stop it in general ??

Building is fine isn't it, great new homes for you to buy and live in. Great new buildings for you to shop in, eat in, screw in, play in....just don't do it next to me hey.

Selfish narrow minded people.

[KhunMarco]

We had the same problem at my in-laws' house when we lived there. The degenerate neighbors next door had their new house built and it took over a year. This was during the time my wife was pregnant with our son and it continued after he was born. On top of the noise, dust and other debris often hit the house. When my in-laws confronted the homeowner, this scumbag acted like he was suffering too and had no control over the situation. He also kept switching building crews which prolonged the construction/noise. The workers started very early and often continued into the night hours...they also worked on Sundays AND holidays

I'm not sure what laws exist to get after people like our old neighbors but with the legal system being so messed up, I'm not sure how much of a hassle it would be to take action. Perhaps a rock through one of their expensive, fixed glass windows would suffice Then again my in-laws still have to live next door to them.

This amazes me, do you realise that to live in the house you are in, it had to be built at some stage and it probably made some noise for the neighbours at that time ??

Do you realise building is progress and nothing you can do will stop it in general ??

Building is fine isn't it, great new homes for you to buy and live in. Great new buildings for you to shop in, eat in, screw in, play in....just don't do it next to me hey.

Selfish narrow minded people.

Totally out of line Nautilus, the problem as said by the OP is the lack of decent working hours, not the building itself.

[Nawtilus]

I did not reply to the OP did I MrMarco, I replied to someone else who stated some rather strange and narrow views...like 'The degenerate neighbors'...why are they degenerates, because they wanted to build a new home, yes I guess that can be viewed as denegerative behaviour...and ' new house built and it took over a year.'...how dare they take over a year to build it, the hide of them...and 'this scumbag' again, just because he wanted a new house and perhaps the OP could not afford a new house cos he was hunkered down with the inlaws sharing the attick with the half brothers...and 'switching building crews'...how dare he switch to a better building crew, the hide of him, he should just continue with the same incompetants and let the house fall down around his neighbours and then he would have to rebuild again, that is after all the demolition work...and 'Perhaps a rock through one of their expensive, fixed glass windows'...yes this would fix things up for sure...classic jealous rage symptoms arising.

So MrMarcus no need to outa line me.

[KhunMarco]

I did not reply to the OP did I MrMarco, I replied to someone else who stated some rather strange and narrow views...like 'The degenerate neighbors'...why are they degenerates, because they wanted to build a new home, yes I guess that can be viewed as denegerative behaviour...and ' new house built and it took over a year.'...how dare they take over a year to build it, the hide of them...and 'this scumbag' again, just because he wanted a new house and perhaps the OP could not afford a new house cos he was hunkered down with the inlaws sharing the attick with the half brothers...and 'switching building crews'...how dare he switch to a better building crew, the hide of him, he should just continue with the same incompetants and let the house fall down around his neighbours and then he would have to rebuild again, that is after all the demolition work...and 'Perhaps a rock through one of their expensive, fixed glass windows'...yes this would fix things up for sure...classic jealous rage symptoms arising.

So MrMarcus no need to outa line me.

Wow

[KhunMarco]

I did not reply to the OP did I MrMarco, I replied to someone else who stated some rather strange and narrow views...like 'The degenerate neighbors'...why are they degenerates, because they wanted to build a new home, yes I guess that can be viewed as denegerative behaviour...and ' new house built and it took over a year.'...how dare they take over a year to build it, the hide of them...and 'this scumbag' again, just because he wanted a new house and perhaps the OP could not afford a new house cos he was hunkered down with the inlaws sharing the attick with the half brothers...and 'switching building crews'...how dare he switch to a better building crew, the hide of him, he should just continue with the same incompetants and let the house fall down around his neighbours and then he would have to rebuild again, that is after all the demolition work...and 'Perhaps a rock through one of their expensive, fixed glass windows'...yes this would fix things up for sure...classic jealous rage symptoms arising.

So MrMarcus no need to outa line me.

[Chang_paarp]

Another way to get the building workers to co-operate is to offer them something to start later. A carton of beer every couple of weeks of a bottle of whiskey.

If you are feeling a lot of ill will to your neighbours deliver it to the site just after the start of work and think about the quality of the work that will happen that day. You will of course ask the workers to not open the bottle(s) untill they finnish work.

[aaaaaa]

Hi, yes, there are laws about (building) noise.

Good luck, and keep us posted about the proceedings.

Michel

Hi, Michel

thanks for your info. perhaps you could refer to some particular sources of those laws ?

[thohts]

My best friends in Thailand....zzzzzzzzzz ronf ronf..zzzzzz....

You use 5 plugs? What are the other 3 for? No, wait. Don't tell me!

[Thaiboxer]

Nawtilus, before you go making comments that show your ignorance of the situation, take a moment to put yourself in our shoes. I'm not complaining about a building going up next door...it's the fact that they worked odd hours, let dust hit our house and kept switching building crews which prolonged the work. If they had worked normal hours, made up their minds about what they wanted built in the beginning, kept their debris off our property and tried to help the situation I wouldn't have complained. Is it that hard to understand?