To apologise for renovation noise, S'pore couple gives neighbours gifts & notes

The care packs included tea, cookies, and a note.

Karen Lui | March 10, 2022, 02:27 PM

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Renovation noise is the bane of our existence, especially for those who still work remotely from home.

To express their apology for the noise caused by their home renovations, a Singaporean couple in their late twenties prepared gifts and notes for their neighbours.

Teas, cookies & notes

On Mar. 4, TikTok user under the handle @spongliee, shared a TikTok video to document their efforts to be more neighbourly.

@spongliee We’re sorry 🥺🥲 #marriedlife #renovation #sgtiktok #sgrenovation #resalehdb ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) - 山口夕依

The couple had bundled boxes of Lipton tea and cookies together with a string and attached a note to briefly introduce themselves, as well as to explain the purpose of their literal peace offering.

Image via @spongliee on TikTok.

Here's what the note said:

"Dear neighbour,

We are the new owners of #XX-XXX.

Since we will be doing some renovations for the next 2 months, here are some cookies and tea for your tea time =)

Please accept these as a form of apology for any inconvenience caused.

Yours truly,

K and D"

Distributed care packs to immediate neighbours

Speaking to Mothership, @spongliee said she and her husband were inspired by a friend who had experienced a similar gesture a few years back.

The couple made a mental note to do the same when their turn to do home renovation comes as they understand the "pains and inconvenience" as a neighbour who has to tolerate the noise due to another flat's renovation.

In addition, they also felt that it was a good chance to introduce themselves to their neighbours.

According to @spongliee, she distributed around five care packs in total to the neighbours on their floor and those living directly below and above them.

The care packs were delivered on a weekday noon when most people were not home so she only managed to meet one neighbour.

Upon introducing herself to this neighbour and apologising for the future inconvenience, the neighbour smiled and thanked her for the gesture, she said.

Besides feeling "nice to kickstart [their] milestone with a gesture", distributing the care packs made her feel "less worried" about neighbours having ill feelings about the noise.

"Although it's not enough to make up for everything, a little may go a long way!"

She also shared more details about her care packs in response to comments from netizens.

According to Kylie, their contractor had notified the neighbours about the renovations but the couple decided to go the extra mile with "a small gift".

Kylie also revealed that they managed to finish the hacking in a few days.

Netizens share similar experiences

Many netizens replied to the video with comments that applauded the couple for their thoughtful gesture.

One suggested that the gift might not be very helpful to alleviate the potential disturbance caused.

A number of people also shared their experiences of their own renovations creating noise, as well as being on the receiving end of the din caused.

Here are some similar positive experiences of residents/ neighbours who try to soften the blow of dealing with the inevitable ruckus:

Someone even felt inspired to give their neighbours earplugs before their next home renovation.

Some netizens also took the chance to share their own unpleasant experiences.

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Top images via @spongliee on TikTok.