THIS is the view outside the bedroom patio door.
I stood facing the northeast, with a bit of a zoom setting, in order to take this photo.
Nice, huh?
This used to be a field filled with a farmer’s crop and the daily gathering of geese and sandhill cranes.
Not any more.
It’s the new Costco, in the building stage, almost in my front yard.
This mess started in June with a monumental landscaping, earth-moving project.
From there, they moved on to the concrete slab that I suspect is much longer and wider than a football field.
They worked on these projects all day long. From 6:30 am until 7:00 pm.
The concrete guys took a short break and returned at 1:00 am (yes, I said 1:00 am) to work into the light of day.
Actually, it was pretty light at 1:00 am…with all of the lights. Good thing there are blinds on the windows.
The Costco people gave the bothered apartment dwellers a gift card. I said, “Yay!” at the time.
Today, I am wondering if the gift card is worth all of this.
You see, since June, there has been the constant noise of a construction site. Trucks, machinery.
And the constant drone of that dang beeping.
Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP.
Take a listen.
Tuesday evening there was a new twist. The beeping didn’t stop at 7 pm. It didn’t stop at 9 or 10:00 pm. The beeping kept going until midnight.
That’s what Natasha told me. She stayed up watching TV because she couldn’t sleep.
Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP, Beep, BEEP.
Until midnight.
I had gone to bed at 9:00 pm, but woke up an hour later. Along with the beeping, there was some sort of equipment slamming.
Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM, Slam, SLAM.
It doesn’t matter that the windows are closed. I can still hear you!
I needed the ear plugs from my swim bag. And a fan running on low. And a second pillow on top of my head.
That’s what it took to fall back asleep
Costco, you need to add another zero to your gift card.
Or provide a supply of aspirin.
Or silence the beeping.
THIS is the build of the summer.
Beep, SLAM, ugh!, BEEP, slam, UGH!, Beep, SLAM, ugh!, BEEP, slam, UGH!, Beep, SLAM, ugh!, BEEP, slam, UGH!,
Mary J Melange 
Oh my! I am soooo sorry Mary. That is awful. The beeping would drive me crazy. I hope it ends soon.
We have another five weeks or more of the build. Costco is set to open some time in October…unless they decide to beep their way around the clock.
I’ve been trying hard not to give in to beeping madness. Thankfully, I am at work most of the day. The worst has been the midnight madness and 1:00 am business. That I could do without.
I would thing there would be a law
See my response to Joanne. I believe we are under the SOL law.
Sigh 😦
No … I can’t like this at all. Aren’t there noise by-laws that prevent construction during the night? Surely this is the time to consolidate the neighbours and file a complaint.
I’m so sorry that you’ll then have this massive big box store literally in your backyard.
If there are noise laws, I imagine that Costco got a variance or special permit from the town. Otherwise, the cops would be here quite often. I’ve been told that Costco is going to build a wall between us and them, but I don’t think they can make it high enough.
Come to think of it, there are thick walls between the Costcos I’m familiar with and the neighbourhood behind it.
I think I would still file a complaint. If you and your neighbours buried them in complaints, perhaps additional concessions will be made.
Good luck!
And I complain when someone renovates in my building– I can only hear vague whirring. Invest in a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and some earplugs for the night, Mary. So sorry about this– hope they get it done soon.
I would take the vague whirring in a heartbeat! Thankfully, the beeping stopped by 7:30 tonight. I’m keeping my fingers crossed we have a quiet night.
The beeping is THE WORST. I’m so sorry you and Natasha are dealing with this peskiness.
Thanks Andra. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass. We’re simply not sure what kind of noise will occur after the store opens and the shoppers arrive.
Horrible, we had that same thing last year and it is an absolute nightmare. Hope the noise eases for you.
Thanks. It helps to know you survived without going crazy…right?
We had a year of it – trucks, noise, dust – we couldn’t peg washing out for months…it was difficult but we made it lol. A bit frazzled but not crazy 🙂
A whole year? Ohmigosh, you need a survival award! We’re waiting to see what happens when they are done…what will be the noise level with the customers and delivery trucks and how much light from their parking lot will be streaming through our windows. That is the next chapter of this saga.
Well, I hope it’s not too bad for you! The wall might help shield you from the worst of it, keep us posted 😉
I get what you’re saying here. The house next door to us was built after we moved in. The noise was beyond irritating and the dirt drove me bonkers. We didn’t get any sort of gift card, though. Hang in there, they must be near completion, right?
They hope to be open some time in October. No definite date.
I am totally smug about the lonesome sound of the trains that run nearby at all hours of the night. I can drowse peacefully imagining myself on a epic journey with a hobo and a scruffy dog. No gift card required.
I could get used to trains. This? No.
Tell me about it. In Pyrmont, that’s all you hear – construction noise and concomitant beeping of reversing vehicles. I don’t give a rat’s arse about the safety of the workmen, any more: I want NO MORE BRAIN-NUMBING BEEPING.
Poor you. But it will be over, M-J; and the beeping won’t go on once the base-level stuff has been finished.
The beeping becomes like a rubber band around the head, being wound tighter and tighter. Drives ya mad. I hope Pyrmont finds reason to take a break from it, for your sake.
No: it’s a goldmine that the various govts have fairly recently discovered, M-J; and they’re developing it for all they’re worth. But at least not every hideous devlpmt is right next to me – only one of the bloody casinos. 😐
I love Costco, but man, what a racket! Thanks for finding my blog and following. I like your style, too!
Thanks Terri. I found out today they are opening the store November 1st. I wonder what that will equate to in total beeping hours…
I feel your pain. The neighbors have been building a new deck outside my bedroom window. I’m really pleased for them and everything but I’m a creature of the night. So their perfectly reasonable 8am banging start time has been my unwelcome alarm.
Admittedly, a deck is much, much smaller than a Costco…Godspeed.
I would gladly accept an 8:00 am start, coupled with a 5:00 pm quit and no Saturdays, but then I’d be wishfully thinking in my dreams 😉
If you had to put up with all that, the least they could do build something useful. Like a chocolate factory.
I’ve only been in a Costco once. I didn’t want to buy a 10kg jar of olives or a dining table that would likely collapse within a month so I left empty-handed.
I’ve found a few things at the Green Bay Costco that I like, so I’ll be going to the one in our backyard on occasion. But I like the idea of a chocolate factory…with an adjoining outlet store of course.
What would be the point of one without an outlet?
Exactly! 😀