Summer brings us out from inside to embark on a wide spectrum of projects, from those as simple as trimming the hedges to the more ambitious like replacing the roof. No matter what your plans are for home improvement over the next few months, be sure to take the neighbors into consideration and follow proper safety and etiquette practices, including the following:

1. Provide advance notice. Neighbors will be much more understanding about the disruption of a big construction project if you provide advance notice, advises Josh Bowman on his blog for The Good Men Project. He suggests simply knocking on the door and letting neighbors know what you’ll be doing and what hours you’ll be working; doing so will instantly put them at ease.
2. Don’t start too early or work too late. This is especially true on the weekends. While we’ve become accustomed to the drone of weed wackers and leaf blowers in the background of our Saturdays, no one wants to hear them at 7 a.m. or 8 p.m. Ditto for drills and skill saws. Make sure your projects take place during reasonable work hours.
3. Clean up after yourself. In addition to noise, mess is the other factor that can really rub neighbors the wrong way. Whether it’s dirt and leaves from your landscaping project or debris from the deck you’re building, be sure to clean as you go, leaving things as tidy as possible at the end of each day.
4. Don’t let things stall. Before you embark on a project, make sure you have the time and funding to see it through to completion in a reasonable timeframe. Nothing is worse than an unending display of Tyvek or caution tape in the neighborhood, so be sure to bring things to conclusion as quickly as possible.

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