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Shop noise and being a considerate neighbor

RV-Ogler

Active Member
My wife and I may be relocating to a newer house with a garage large enough to move my RV-14 project into. She brought up shop noise as a possible issue with the HOA. I don’t think noise would be a problem for our new place because the neighbor garage is the closest part of their home to our garage and there is lots of space and vegetation between too.

Anyone here have ever had a neighbor complain about your rivet gun disturbing them?
 
My wife and I may be relocating to a newer house with a garage large enough to move my RV-14 project into. She brought up shop noise as a possible issue with the HOA. I don’t think noise would be a problem for our new place because the neighbor garage is the closest part of their home to our garage and there is lots of space and vegetation between too.

Anyone here have ever had a neighbor complain about your rivet gun disturbing them?

Once, but was rivetting at 10:30 PM with the garage door open and the neighbor had his bedroom window open. Got far more complaints about the paint fumes. Don't get me started on HOA's
 
I built and painted my -6 in a neighborhood with 1/5 acre lots. I had a direct and honest discussion with each immediate neighbor explaining what I was doing and that I would try to minimize anything that might bother them. But, I told them if something did bother them, let me know immediately and I’d take care of it.

I never had the first complaint and the neighbors commented the only way they knew I was building an airplane was when they saw it through the open garage door.
 
If you are looking at a particular house, you might just go meet the next door neighbor and see what they think. My experience was very costly when we moved our machine shop (just me working) to a rural property. Despite assuring the neighbor we wouldn't bother him, he made a huge stink just because he was miserable ol dude, I believe.

I made a soundproof air compressor room and air conditioned the shop so the doors could be left closed in the summer. Nicer to work in cool shop anyhow. We had to do noise tests with a sound expert and no noise readings were possible because the birds wouldn't shut up!

Rivet gun sessions are sporadic and not usually a constant noise for long periods of time. Maybe the neighbor will be a good helper! Just depends on who it is...
 
Invitation

I invite mine neighbors over to help build.

That's what I did. For some reason they get pretty excited anout telling others they helped build an airplane. Completely eliminates the complaints. Except when the wives complain becuase their spouses are not home! :D
 
Ill take this one step further. What if the neighbor adopted a dog with incessant barking. Might limit your leverage if you tried to complain. Also goes for loud parties dirt bikes etc.
 
If the work area is not finished then spend some time soundproofing it - including the ceiling. Mineral wool (not fiberglass) insulation and a layer of 5/8” drywall will go a long way. If there are windows I would paint the glass black and insulate and drywall over those too.
Too many people are too timid to complain, but that does not mean they don’t have an issue. It is worth the time and effort to make sound a non-issue. That way when you get on a building spree that goes to 1:00am, you don’t have to stop or worry.
 
If the work area is not finished then spend some time soundproofing it - including the ceiling. Mineral wool (not fiberglass) insulation and a layer of 5/8” drywall will go a long way. If there are windows I would paint the glass black and insulate and drywall over those too.
Too many people are too timid to complain, but that does not mean they don’t have an issue. It is worth the time and effort to make sound a non-issue. That way when you get on a building spree that goes to 1:00am, you don’t have to stop or worry.

My experience is that with the garage door and windows closed, airplane building sounds are not an issue to anyone - even nearby neighbors. Might want to have someone run your compressor and rivet gun while you stand outside and determine if there is a noise issue before spending time and money fixing an issue that may not exist.
 
My insulated garage has two double pane windows facing the neighbors house about 20' away. I'm on good terms with them and with the windows closed they tell me they never hear anything.

I forgot to turn off my compressor a couple of times and it's come on to recharge overnight. I specifically asked if it bothered them and they said they didn't even notice.

I don't fire up the rivet gun after bed time and otherwise try to be generally considerate, ie not squirting primer in the back yard when the wind is blowing toward them etc. but it's really a non event.

I have a vertical Kobalt compressor from Lowes in the back corner of the garage along with a band saw and the other usual stuff. As long as the doors closed you can hardly hear them from the driveway
 
There are several neighbours in my area that are busy working in their garages. Across the back lane, there's a guy who does a lot of wood working. Those saws are loud! My direct neighbour does some wood working outside because he doesn't have a work shop, just a tool shed. Saws make even more noise outside. I suppose I'm quieter than my neighbours, and we all have fun working on our various projects. Nobody complains because we're probably jealous.
 
My shop was pretty close to one neighbor, so I asked several times if he could hear anything. He said he could only hear riveting if he was outside. My wife said she could only hear riveting from inside the house if the TV was off and the HVAC fan wasn't running.

With that said, I had a pretty solidly built shop...insulated walls with sheet rock on the inside, and the garage door was 2" thick and insulated as well. I also made it a rule to not do anything noisy before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.
 
doesnt get any closer

I live in a HOA in california, I think we maybe have less than barely a acre between 4-5 row houses, it doesnt get much closer than that to your neighbors, I can actually hear them talking sometimes. With that said, my neighbor was a pilot awed that I was building a plane, the neighbor next to him was a jerk. But in the 3 years I built my plane I never heard a person complain. First thing you must take care of- does the CCRs say anything about rebuilding in the garage- they probably wont specify a plane, but they may a old car or boat, etc.. If the CCrs dont have anything, you can build and hope for the best, but if it does; the best neighbor wont make a difference.
I bought a oil compressor that wasn't too loud, I assured all holes were covered in insulation and closed doors when I riveted, otherwise its pretty quiet to build a plane with a squeezer, and c frame-more work but not very noisy, and yes it does work.
Best of success!
 
A few times I forgot to turn my compressor in my hangar off overnight and the guy living illegally in the next hangar over would complain. :confused:
 
I built most of mine inside the house with a neighbors wall just 10 feet or so to the north. Never heard a complaint. Like someone said... rivet gun is just a couple seconds here and there. Houses are insulated which helps a lot. I don't know that I'd do dozens one after another. Why push it when you can likely do something else till normal hours.
 
Count me among those who had no complaints from close-by neighbors (and I did make it a point to reach out and ask.
Insulated garage, mostly closed while working.
 
My shop is fully finished with an insulated vehicle door and is about 150' to the neighbors bedroom window. In the summer they can hear the compressor and the air drill so I just try to wrap up at bed time. We're out in the country so it is pretty quiet (no road noise etc) and probably makes everything easier to hear.
The woodworking tools like the table saw and in particular the router table when it is working hard are far louder.
 
I just try not to rivet after bedtime. I have kids, neighbors have kids.... So loud banging stuff I either try to shut down my garage and do enclosed, but in the hot summers sometimes I just have to move on to other 'quiet' tasks past a certain time.
 
We had a corner lot in an HOA and no complaints. Only problem was the guy across the street was the County Sheriff; and he would come over some afternoons (after changing his uniform) and help himself to the beer in the fridge. And, of course, look at my progress.
 
I'm looking for a house and one of the criteria is a garage to build in. (Current crating date is 5/7-5-27!!) All I can really afford is a townhouse or similar (if I still want a plane), so some of these replies have given me some relief.

My biggest concern is the priming. I have an idea for a booth that uses about 6 fans/filters, but still will exhaust air outside. I'm hoping I don't have to travel off-site to prime.
 
Think long term

You might be ahead in the long run by taking the paint work elsewhere, and save your neighbor goodwill for accepting some noise. If I lived on close quarters with others, and my neighbor was producing noxious fumes, I'd be upset. A little extra hassle now, might pay dividends later.
 
You might be ahead in the long run by taking the paint work elsewhere, and save your neighbor goodwill for accepting some noise. If I lived on close quarters with others, and my neighbor was producing noxious fumes, I'd be upset. A little extra hassle now, might pay dividends later.

Thanks. This seems like good advice/thinking.
 
Late to the party, but anecdotally:

I had been riveting, sawing, grinding, and intermittently expletiving in my uninsulated metal building for 18 months, when my neighbor asked me, "when are you going to get started in the shop?"

We don't live on huge lots, and the building is a city-required-5-ft from the property line.
 
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