A time to hammer and drill?

Raccon · 13-12-2008, 09:59 PM

What are the rules for doing some renovation works that include hammering and drilling? Are there any laws regarding this or is it up to the building / estate to set the rules?

cmlg · 13-12-2008, 10:15 PM

Many local renovation labourers got a day off on Sunday. There is a social norm that hammer and drill works shall not be carried out on Sunday.

If your neighbours make complaints to the property management, then someone will ask you to stop such noisy works. If your hammer only use for putting a nail on the wall, then no one will bother for this minor sound.

Skyhook · 13-12-2008, 10:21 PM

EPD - A Concise Guide to the Noise Control Ordinance

There you go.

PDLM · 13-12-2008, 10:23 PM

There are laws covering renovation which is "only" between 7am and 7pm Monday to Saturday, with a statement that noisy work should be avoided before 9am. EPD - Reference Materials

More general neighbourhood noise (hi-fi, mah jong, animals, etc) is prohibited outside 7am to 11pm Monday to Saturday (EPD - Reference Materials)

Complaints should go to your Building Management in the first instance (if you have one). Otherwise to the local Police Station. There is an online form you can use for making reports (and they do contact you by phone within a fairly short time - I have done this myself).

Raccon · 13-12-2008, 11:38 PM

Thanks all. Actually I am the one doing the hammering and drilling, that is I started on Friday evening around 8 pm and it didn't take long for a security guard to knock on my door and tell me that many neighbours were complaining. He asked me to stop, which I did.
I apologized and asked when it would be ok and he said in the morning. So I woke up early today, which means for me around 10:45am and continued the work around 11 - four holes to drill so I can hang my TV on the wall. Around 15 minutes later, I was just hammering the wall plugs into the holes, another guard showed up. He didn't speak English but I got the message that people complained because they wanted to sleep.
Since the other guard told me it would be ok in the morning (and I understand that this excludes Sundays and public holidays) I don't quite understand why they showed up today, because if 'someone wants to sleep' is the criteria then there would never be a time to do this kind of work here. And I didn't think that 11am would be a problem, as opposed to 5am or so.

Still need to hang some ceiling lights which requires drilling, too, I am afraid but I will check with the managment office before that and get it in written form so I can rub it under my neighbours' nose.

Bloody tough walls by the way, what are they made off - blast-proof concrete?

deleteduser · 14-12-2008, 02:09 AM

11am is technically OK, but I would be pissed to wake up to that noise.

You should be using a hammer drill to get through concrete, and a good one. And you need special drill bits. A normal drill won't get anywhere.

Raccon · 14-12-2008, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by lowlight:

11am is technically OK, but I would be pissed to wake up to that noise.

Me too, but it had to be done and I am sure some people would be complaining even it had been 3pm 'because they want to sleep'.

You should be using a hammer drill to get through concrete, and a good one. And you need special drill bits. A normal drill won't get anywhere.

Yeah, I ended up drilling 6 holes but only 4 are usuable; had to work with normal drill bits as I borrowed the tools from a friend and didn't know how tough it will be, I thought the walls are just bricks covered with plaster. Managed to do it by drilling 6mm first and then 10mm.

cmlg · 14-12-2008, 05:15 PM

Raccon,

I think the right time for you to carry out the noise works is Saturday afternoon. Most people wake up late in Saturday morning then go out in the afternoon.

A carpenter told me that he refused to answer the door bell when he knew the security guard want to ask him to stop if it was a normal working hours (Mon-Sat 9:00-6:00).

I'm not advise you to do the same. It just an example someone deal with right thing.

Raccon · 14-12-2008, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by cmlg:

Raccon,

I think the right time for you to carry out the noise works is Saturday afternoon. Most people wake up late in Saturday morning then go out in the afternoon.

A carpenter told me that he refused to answer the door bell when he knew the security guard want to ask him to stop if it was a normal working hours (Mon-Sat 9:00-6:00).

I'm not advise you to do the same. It just an example someone deal with right thing.

Thanks, as said I will check with the management office next time to have someone "official" approve the works, and I will inform the doorman downstairs so he can tell the security guard before coming up to my apartment.
I don't want to upset my neighbours and certainly I can be reasoned with, but if the work needs to be done and is within the allowed times I am afraid they have to accept that fact.

wtbhotia · 14-12-2008, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by Raccon:

I don't want to upset my neighbours and certainly I can be reasoned with, but if the work needs to be done and is within the allowed times I am afraid they have to accept that fact.

u tell them Raccon, also go to the website that PDLM posted and change language to chinese then print it out and stick it to your door so that the security can read it. Haahaaaa. Then he will have nothing to say.