Andy Lee and Rebecca Harding slammed by neighbours for ‘horrendous’ renovations of their Melbourne mansion as the couple swan off to New York: ‘He has lost a lot of community goodwill’

Andy Lee and Rebecca Harding have been heavily criticized for their ambitious $5 million renovation of their mansion.

The funnyman, 42, and his fiancée, 34, are currently restoring a 150-year-old abandoned riverside mansion in Melbourne’s Hawthorn.

As the couple enjoys the winter in New York, everyone within earshot of the construction is confronted with “terrible” noise.

A neighbor told the Sydney Morning Herald’s CBD column that the construction cacophony had caused the couple to lose “a lot of goodwill from the community.”

“The noise is just horrible,” the disgruntled neighbor told the publication.

“Some residents just leave, they go away for a week and come back at the weekend.”

The publication also reported that residents are angry about construction noise that has persisted for 26 weeks.

The noise is due to the piling up of reinforced steel pillars and it was also reported that dust from the ‘constant’ crushing of rocks had covered the solar panels on nearby houses.

However, a builder on site told the newspaper that residents will be able to get some respite from the noise in the very near future.

“We’re just about done with the noise,” the builder said.

“That’s everyone’s Christmas present.”

Andy and Rebecca have ambitious plans for their Italianate country house, Ravenswood.

The renovation, which began last year, is estimated to cost $5 million.

The comedian has been working hard on the dilapidated mansion in Melbourne that he bought in 2021 and rebuilt in Block style.

Andy and Rebecca received council approval for their development application in June last year.

Plans for the site include the addition of a second building that will be connected by a tunnel to the original Italianate mansion, which was built around 1876.

Other highlights planned for the 1,950 square meter site include a home cinema, gym, swimming pool and a ‘mega bedroom’.

In a statement to the Herald Sun, Boroondara Council confirmed it had issued a decision to grant planning permission for the Yarra Grove address.

Ny Breaking Australia has contacted Andy Lee for comment.

While construction continues, Andy and Rebecca are currently enjoying a winter in New York.

It’s a bit of a working holiday for the couple, with Andy opening an Australian-themed pub in the heart of the Big Apple.

The pub, called Old Mates, is a joint project between Andy, former AFL star Nick Stone, and Eddy Buckhigham, an ex-pat Aussie who runs Chinese Tuxedo restaurant in Manhattan.

Andy announced the project via Instagram this week, sharing a series of photos of the soon-to-open location.

“Super EXCITED for this,” he captioned the photos.

“After the last Aussie bar in Manhattan closed during COVID, some friends and I felt it was important to build a new location.”

He continued: “Aussies in New York need a place where they can have a crisp, cold Australian beer, watch the AFL and NRL finals, cheer on the Matildas and watch The Ashes.

Andy also joked that bringing the bar to life had been a one-man job.

“It took me three years to personally build this pub with my bare hands, like Noah from The Notebook,” he said.

“If you don’t believe me, see the last photo where I’m clearly holding a power drill.”

He concluded the post by revealing that Old Mates would be open just in time for Australia Day on January 24.

Andy also shared a photo of himself looking so happy as he sat next to an equally delighted Rebecca as they rode through the subway.

The couple was dressed for the wintry weather and the prankster captioned the photo with a simple caption: “Back in NYC.”

Andy and Rebecca announced their engagement in August after ten years together