Do you have a QUIET home/condo/apt?

[Sojourner]

I've lived in apartments/condos, a townhouse, and a few different SF homes in the suburbs. Out of all, my current home is the quietest... althought it's not as quiet as I'd like. It's a SF home on about 1/4 acre in a cul-de-sac, not near any major roads, and the only noise I routinely have to put up with is the loud drone of motorized lawn equipment during the spring and summer. I'd say if this kind of noise really bothers you (and it definitely bothers me, especially when it happens early in the morning) then your best bet might be a home on a larger tract of land in the exurbs. And as other posters have mentioned, a good set of noise-cancelling headphones would be a wise investment. You'll never fully escape all the irritating noises in this world.

 

[MOSAT]

Look for a place next door to a cemetery. You will probably have to remodel because they are in high demand.

Both our places have high ambient noise and we no longer heard it after about 6 months. We keep the doors open all the time because they are both on the Pacific.

My Great Uncle lived on part the old family farm next to a cemetery. Some of his contemporaries were a bit superstitious and asked him how he could live there. He used to reply that the dead were very good neighbors, no loud parties and they didn't drive around in loud cars.

 

[scrabbler1]

I grew up about 5 blocks from RR tracks. Nothing this bad tho....

This reminded me of some of my 2014 ride on the Amtrak Cardinal train as it ran through West Virginia. Stunned, I looked out my window and saw the back porches of houses only a few yards from the train like in your video.

 

[Ronstar]

We live on a rural wooded 5 acre parcel with an 800' long driveway. The only noises I hear are a passing distant pontoon boat, squawking geese, or workshop noise generated by myself. On rare occasion, my neighbors make noise loud enough for me to hear.

 

[W2R]

Love trains at night

I do too! My paternal grandparents lived near the train tracks. So, hearing the sounds of trains as I drift off to sleep reminds me of them. Hearing trains at night makes me feel happy, loved, and secure.

My apartment that I lived in from 2000-2002, was as close to the train tracks as was legal, or perhaps closer - - maybe 10-15 feet? Anyway, the trains went by frequently, both day and night. They didn't bother me but they sure spooked any friends I invited over. Made me giggle.

Even though trains have never bothered me, I am very intolerant of noise made by inconsiderate neighbors such as loud music, loud arguing, heavy steps in the apartment above me, and so on. Luckily neither of us have had to deal with anything like that in years.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Oz, my folks house is still standing. I went and checked last time I was there. They also had a union sign in their front yard. My dad would be so happy as he was a union steward. We live on a street that can be fairly busy but not noisy and our neighbors are very nice. We have 3 dogs and most here have 1 or 2. Occasionally our neighbor has a outside party that we can hear and we turn on the fan when we go to bed. Occasionally we have parties outside as well and no one cares. This is the friendliest neighborhood I have ever lived in. It is a middle class neighborhood right in town . 1950’s ranch homes with 1 car garage. You see your neighbors because no one parks in their garage. Interesting the neighborhood is getting very popular with young people as want to be in town. You can get a bigger nicer house cheaper in the burbs.

 

[Chuckanut]

My condo is pretty quiet except for Tuesday when our gardener and the neighboring condo complex gardener come at the same time. Law movers, leaf blowers and other tools raise a racket. But, it is over and done for the week in 2-4hours depending upon how much work they do that day.

My place was built as a townhome/condo from day one. So among other things each person has his/her own wall with its own set of studs, and insullation in between the walls. Sometimes, if my neighbor is hammering a nail into the wall I will hear a slight 'thud thud thud'.

Of course, if a local sports team is playing a big game on the weekend, I will hear some cheering in the distance if things go well.

 

[NW-Bound]

Some years ago, I drove through S.F. on an elevated road or freeway ramp that wrapped around some buildings and I was impressed that I could look into people's apartment windows from my car. Cannot remember what it was, but found something similar on the Web.

Imagine the road noise that people have to endure.

 

[bevette]

I'm enthralled by the building technique of passive houses. The goal is energy efficiency, and it's mandated in areas of Europe but not widely used stateside. The side-effect of building for energy efficiency is noise attenuation. Two attractive qualities for me.

I appreciate the many suggestions on dealing with the noise in my current environment. As a life-long sufferer of misophonia, I have developed many coping mechanisms. The most effective has been the use of Etomotic brand earbuds. They are designed as full noise-blocking earplugs (as opposed to noise cancellation), and allow you to plug into a phone/device to listen to music, podcasts, etc. I'm so grateful I've discovered them, but I can't sleep with them as they protrude from the ears which is uncomfortable for a side-sleeper like me.

I also employ heavy use of fans, white noise machines and blasting the TV or radio even when I don't feel like watching or listening to anything (which is most of the time).

My home has double-pane windows, but it's insufficient for the level of noise blocking I desire. It's not a well built house so the windows are probably lower-end. I'm sure I could gain some benefits with a higher-end model, and definitely with triple-pane.

I drooled a bit reading the response from jollystomper who purchased a home that was built for noise reduction. My dream home!

 

[haha]

In summer I use a room ac, which keeps me cool and also masks noise. In winter I use a tower fan, and maybe one other fan, which is the most effective white noise for me. Another thing that has helped is that buses on my route are usually trolleys, and these are almost silent,

Ha

 

[MOSAT]

I have heard this before many years ago, intelligence is inversely correlated to noise tolerance. Looks like a similar study linking creativity to low noise tolerance.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...itive-sound-key-intellectuals-creativity.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...itive-sound-key-intellectuals-creativity.html

 

[Amethyst]

The quietest house I ever lived in was my parents' 2-bedroom, one-story concrete-block house in Florida. There was a 4-lane highway less than a thousand feet away, and you could not hear it at all with the windows closed (which they usually were). The lots were only about 75x100, and many neighbors had pools with kids and grandkids going "Marco Polo" all day long, but unless you opened the windows or sat outside, you would never know.

 

[bevette]

The quietest house I ever lived in was my parents' 2-bedroom, one-story concrete-block house in Florida. There was a 4-lane highway less than a thousand feet away, and you could not hear it at all with the windows closed (which they usually were). The lots were only about 75x100, and many neighbors had pools with kids and grandkids going "Marco Polo" all day long, but unless you opened the windows or sat outside, you would never know.

There seems to be general consensus for concrete construction. Once on vacation I was walking around a new residential development outside of Munich with a German friend and we saw a home under construction. The walls were cinderblock. She said German construction standards require it. She went on to share that when she and her (also German) husband moved to the states some years ago, they were appalled at the shoddy construction and consequently noisy environs. I immediately wanted to relocate permanently to a new build German home.

 

[haha]

There seems to be general consensus for concrete construction. Once on vacation I was walking around a new residential development outside of Munich with a German friend and we saw a home under construction. The walls were cinderblock. She said German construction standards require it. She went on to share that when she and her (also German) husband moved to the states some years ago, they were appalled at the shoddy construction and consequently noisy environs. I immediately wanted to relocate permanently to a new build German home.

Are the walls reinforced with rebar and a concrete pour? In a US environment masonry (blocks) must be carefully reinforced or it will kill you in a quake. The city of Seattle has many old office buildings and some apartments downtown that need to be reinforced @ $billions right now. So far, not getting done. Few landlords could make the outlay of take the risk.

When I was looking to buy a condo, my rule was must be concrete and steel or reinforced masonry or wood construction with brick or stucco veneer. My girlfriend lives in a building with steel framework and tilt-up concrete panels. Very earthquake stable, and no need for extreme protection from street or neighborhood noise. But they did a piss-poor job of sound isolation within the building.

My own building has been excellent regarding sound, but partly it is the sort of people who live here. I would not expect a family to buy or rent here. None of the units are really made for families even though some are large enough.

Ha

 

[Walt34]

Grew up next to a railroad track that shook our house. Nothing bothers me now.

Yikes!

After my divorce when I was looking at houses the RE agent showed me a couple of cape cod style houses I would have loved to buy but...

One was half a block from a RR track and I knew I wouldn't be able to stand that noise.

The other was a block away from a six-lane divided highway that I also knew was a major route for a fire station about a half-mile away. No way could I live there.

 

[Sue J]

I consider our neighborhood to be nice and peaceful. But reading all the posts I realize the worst noise here is the gas powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers.

The RR tracks are about 1.5 miles away. We can hear them if the windows are open and the weather carries the sound. The high school is over a mile away and on Friday nights we can hear some sounds from a home game.

Our previous neighbor through the backyard used to babysit kids and early in the morning we would hear her gate opening and closing as kids were dropped off. She went "away" for 17 months (state prison, long story) and it was very quiet over there!

I don't mind normal people and dog activity, people coming and going and living their lives. The summer landscaping noise gets to me but it's in short spurts. I love the birds chirping when we have the windows open.

My absolute DREAM would be to live on the ocean, I love the sound of waves. Of course that would also include hurricane possibilities....

And the worst would be living below other people. Hearing other people walking, talking, tv sounds over my head would be awful!

Good luck to the OP. I hope you find a quiet place.

 

[Floridatennisplayer]

We live in a single family home on a golf course in a golf course community. Homes are well spaced out. Quite quiet. In the summer you hear typical sounds of lawn mowers and a/c units kicking on, kids playing in their yards.

Our Florida condo is a concrete building, top floor, end unit. We don’t hear anything except the mowers and leaf blowers once a week. Very lucky.

 

[Ginny]

We moved from a socal city neighborhood with airplane noise to a SC sfr on an acre with a river behind us. Leaf blowers and our 300 outboard boat engine are the nosiest things I hear. My tinnitus is better and some days I do not even notice it. I feel like I live in a private quiet park.

I see I am not alone in wanting, really craving the peace and quiet!

 

[iloveyoga]

To answer the question, yes, we are so lucky to live in a SFH in a quiet neighborhood in central Iowa. Great, quiet neighbors who stay in their houses a lot. We have been here 26 years. The only thing I can hear now is the pool cleaner and the birds. That is the best thing about our town, peaceful and quiet, but close to everything we need. Downside is our winters!!

 

[Music Lover]

Windows. Several posters have mentioned double or triple pane over single. Really no one has or should have single pane windows today. Double pane is standard. Triple pane would be on an ultra high end residence. The bigger factor to consider is whether they are “double hung” or “single hung”. Single hung windows have the top sash fixed in place so they automatically offer better noise control plus energy efficiency. We have a home in a city. The noise from outside is not an issue with single hung windows plus an energy star 2.0 insulation package. The only noise issue we have now is the machine noise from the Hvac unit in the attic. It’s a weird hum. The only way to avoid that is to not have the unit in the area over the bedroom. Your home plan layout will determine what can and cannot be done.

Triple pane windows are very common up here even on average houses due to our very cold winters. They don't even sell single pane windows other than for unheated garages or 3-season sunrooms. Sliding windows are also rare due to air leakage and instead most windows close with a handle that pulls them tight against weather stripping.

Reduced noise is a benefit of triple windows, but energy efficiency and comfort is the main reason they are used.

 

[SheitlQueen]

I live on acreage, with the house smack dab in the middle of it. I never hear anything except for an occasional car that goes by on the gravel road. I do get seasonal noise-crop dusters and helicopters for harvesting Christmas trees-but it's very short lived.
However, living in the country doesn't ensure peace and quiet either. People in the country like to shoot, you could get noise from farm equipment, and I've heard of neighbors who have issues with people from the city coming up here to drive their vehicles like morons. Also possible to having noisy neighbors or someone doing illegal work on their property (such as automotive repair business).
Anywhere you live you just have to check the noise level on different days and different times. No way to ensure it's going to stay quiet once you move it.
As far as condos or apartments go, you have to be willing so accept some level of noise. It comes with the territory.

 

[bevette]

I live on acreage, with the house smack dab in the middle of it. I never hear anything except for an occasional car that goes by on the gravel road. I do get seasonal noise-crop dusters and helicopters for harvesting Christmas trees-but it's very short lived.
However, living in the country doesn't ensure peace and quiet either. People in the country like to shoot, you could get noise from farm equipment, and I've heard of neighbors who have issues with people from the city coming up here to drive their vehicles like morons. Also possible to having noisy neighbors or someone doing illegal work on their property (such as automotive repair business).
Anywhere you live you just have to check the noise level on different days and different times. No way to ensure it's going to stay quiet once you move it.
As far as condos or apartments go, you have to be willing so accept some level of noise. It comes with the territory.

Wise advice. Thank you!

 

[Bpollen]

Yes. Very quiet. I live on a half acre in a semi-rural burb of a medium sized city. I have amenities nearby (several grocery stores, discount stores, hardware, a SuperWalMart, urgent care, vets, you name it), a small park 3 miles down the street for walking the dog. Dead end street. 20 - 30 minutes to the various areas of the mid-sized city, for theater, mall, Sam's Club, Home Depot & Lowe's, etc.

When I walk outside at night, I hear frogs, crickets, dogs barking in the distance. I see a possum, neighborhood cats. There's a hawk in the area that hunts at night.

It's very quiet. Occasionally the kids across the street play ball in their driveway. Neighbors all use riding mowers to mow their lawns. The neighbor's cars occasionally coming & going. The neighbor behind me has an occasional pool party, but not loud (older couple).

For me, it's too quiet. I prefer more activity. Consider: I didn't put Christmas decorations up because there's no one to see them, really. My dog looks out the window for a minute then walks away....there's nothing to see except an occasional neighbor taking a walk. Ho hum. If I sit out back...it's too hot and humid, and too boring.

I suppose I should be glad I don't live near party people. But I lived in a nice neighborhood before, with people all around. No wild parties or too much noise. Cars passing by on my through-street...plenty of people to see our Christmas decorations. Lots of people walking or jogging the neighborhood. Walking their dogs. Stopping to chat occasionally. Very nice. I hope to return to that kind of neighborhood.

I moved here for my retirement. It wasn't what I'd planned (boring story). I am hoping to move again, for the last time. It's physically and financially demanding to sell and move.

If you really want quiet, a semi-rural area outside of a mid-sized city, with a largish yard, might do it. I wouldn't advise it, though, if you are a city dweller. The people who live in semi-rural areas are not city folk. I've had a couple of people already comment on how "smart" I am. I'm not particularly smart, but here in Petticoat Junction, the women folk don't usually know what their walls are made of or the brand of their a/c. Their husbands take care of that complicated stuff.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Our house and neighborhood in general are pretty quiet.


BTW - One possible cause of noise sensitivity is magnesium deficiency, which some health experts believe may actually be pretty common.

 

[Bryan Barnfellow]

I too have a low tolerance for external noise, especially when I am listening to music. So, I completely feel your pain.

Most people here in Switzerland, myself included, live in apartment buildings. So, there are noise laws -- normal sleeping hours are considered to be from 10pm to 6am; therefore excessive noise during this period is not tolerated (loud parties, using a loud voice on your balcony, hanging a picture with a hammer...that kind of thing).

Sundays and public holidays, and workdays between noon and 1pm are also considered to be rest periods--so no noise. It's a cultural norm here that on Sundays there can be no noise from yard equipment (blowers, mowers, clippers), no vacuum cleaning, and no car washing. I'm in heaven with respect to this.

Everyone has the right to call the police when infractions occur and the police will respond. Landlords (most people rent here due to cost of buying) have been known to evict noisy tenants. This generally screws them for future rentals. So your reputation for being quiet is important! That said, normal noise, even sometimes a bit excessive, during non sleeping/non rest hours is tolerated quite well.

Most buildings are very solid -- concrete, brick, etc., and all windows here are double-paned at minimum, which helps a lot.

-BB