I used to live in a HDB flat. It was a very peaceful neighbourhood, with a great view of the city skyline. The neighbours were friendly and we all got along well.
That all changed when my new neighbour moved in. He was a DIY enthusiast who was determined to make all the improvements himself. He would often be heard hammering away and drilling holes into the walls.
At first, I thought this was a good thing. After all, I was happy to see someone taking pride in his home and doing it himself. However, the noise levels quickly got out of control. He would be drilling and hammering at all hours of the day and night, and it was incredibly disruptive.
I tried to be patient, but it soon became unbearable. I would have to close my windows and turn up the volume on the television just to drown out the noise. It was impossible to relax or concentrate on anything.
After months of this, I finally reached breaking point. I decided to approach my neighbour and politely ask him to stop the drilling and hammering. I was met with a hostile response.
He told me that he was an expert in DIY and that I had no right to interfere.
Drill for effing 6 months still cannot complete, what kind of expert is he?
At this point, I realised that he had no intention of stopping what he was doing. I decided to take matters into my own hands and call the HDB to report the noise pollution. They sent an inspector to investigate the situation and they agreed that it was excessive.
The inspector issued a warning to my neighbour and told him to stop the drilling and hammering. He complied and the noise levels returned to normal. However, I was still left with the feeling that it was wrong of him to have done this in the first place.
If you are thinking of buying an HDB flat, my advice would be to go in with your eyes open. If you can’t afford to renovate, then don’t buy an HDB flat.
It’s not worth the stress and disruption caused by noisy neighbours who think they are DIY experts.