No, negative externalities aren’t ok when you do it, or when cities do it, or when businesses do it, or when anyone does it. You don’t get to harm other’s welfare. Take your construction project to a public park or outdoors somewhere

I don't think this whole conversation needs to be so dramatic.

I live in NYC and do projects like this chair all the time. I talk to my neighbors and ask them when they wont be home or when would be a good time to do X hours of work.

Most of the time they say don't worry about it as long as it's not past like 9pm or before 10am. I extend the same courtesy to my neighbors in turn. Just communicate and be reasonable.

So... Once an apartment or condo is built, that's it? No renovations, putting up shelves, etc?

Your position is completely unrealistic. Everyone causes a disturbance at times, but we generally try to minimize it and limit it to reasonable hours.

I hope you don't watch telly in your apartment; you should take that to a public park.

> or when anyone does it

See, this is where our opinion differs. I am perfectly ok with anyone doing it. I think this probably heavily depends on the culture you grew up in.

Or maybe some people are just intollerant, I really don’t know.

say that again after you've been awake until 2am working on a project, want to sleep in, and your neighbor brings a chop saw and drill into their apartment and starts slicing up 2x4 lumber in their living room the next morning.

I mean, that sucks, but I’d find it hard to blame my neighbor instead of myself.

Noise during the day isn't unreasonable

Except it's not your apartment, it's the landlord's apartment, and they probably have rules against being so loud that people in adjacent units want to move out.

Perhaps some Pig Destroyer