It would be unreasonable to suggest that housing construction generate neither noise nor vibration, but it’d also be unreasonable to suggest I spend eight hours a day wearing ear defenders in my own home, especially during another pandemic lockdown when there’s nowhere else for me to go. The least I can ask for is advance notice of what days will bring the noise and vibration. I won’t take odds on even that least being denied me. What do other people do, exactly, when the only mitigation available to you—noise cancellation—itself creates other issues (e.g. the physical irritating of ear defenders when worn for long periods of time). It’s hard for me not to see this situation as a metaphor for what generally awaits me for the rest of my life.