Warn the street before the building work starts
Scaffolding and skips are tolerable when you knew they were coming and infuriating when they simply appear.
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Why it lands
Almost every neighbor dispute about noise or parking is really a dispute about not having been told. The works themselves are usually accepted as a fact of life; what people resent is discovering on a Tuesday morning that their car is boxed in for six weeks by someone who could easily have mentioned it. A note beforehand converts an imposition into an inconvenience, and people forgive inconveniences.
How
A week ahead, put a note through every door the skip, scaffolding or noise will reach. Give the dates, the working hours, and your phone number. Saying “if it's a problem on a particular day, tell me and I'll see what I can move” is what turns it from an announcement into a conversation.
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