Major home improvements entail a certain amount of noise and mess, so you should tell your neighbors in advance what you are doing, when the work is starting, and how long you expect it to last.

Be mindful of the quiet hours set forth in your local noise ordinances. Make sure anyone who's working for you respects them, too. If your contractor likes to start work at dawn, ask that he save the power tools for later in the day.

Offer to share the services — and the costs — of workmen. You can pay the house-call fee and let neighbors who need the services of your plumbers and electricians pick up the labor fee.

Share the Dumpster. When a family in Portland, Oregon, needed to remodel, the neighbors who complained that the street Dumpster was an eyesore stopped grumbling when told they could use it, too.