To Those Who Value Peace & Quiet

[sergio]

On the other hand, we’ve had neighbors in detached homes with barking dogs and screaming children, and it makes DW unreasonably angry when people park their cars blocking the walk to our street. I’m usually oblivious and at peace with all of this annoyance until she comments on it.

Our townhouse is way quieter than my parents single family detached home. One of their neighbors lets his huge dog outside all day in the yard and is constantly barking. The windows on the side of their house let in a ton of noise. Their neighbors on the other side have 3 kids ages 5-9 who run around screaming from dawn till dusk all summer. A few doors down a guy has a Harley which you can hear for blocks. None of this is against city rules and there's no HOA so they just deal with it.

Our party walls are thick double stud walls with 4 layers of drywall that let in no sound from our neighbors. The kids all go play in the park a block away. There's nowhere to let your dog roam around unleashed and hence most people don't have dogs, or if they do, the dogs are smaller. Any obnoxious noises like revving a Harley would be immediately addresses by the HOA.

 

[walkinwood]

Can you get better sound insulated windows?
Put up a barrier on your terrace to reduce the sound?
Get a noisier a/c?
Get to know your neighbors and ask?

 

[travelover]

No suggestions but lots of sympathy. I rented a house for a year in a cheek by jowl neighborhood and the noise drove me bonkers. Barking dogs, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, pressure washers, neighbors occasionally bickering - they all took their toll. Not advice for you, but I finally moved onto a big lot and it helped a lot , but it still not perfect.

 

[Walt34]

No suggestions but lots of sympathy.

+1

In my 20's circumstances forced me to live in three different apartments. Two of them were terrible regarding noise, and I swore "never again!"

I'll live in a cave before I went back to an apartment. Might be hard to drag DW along with me though...

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Here's one of the main reasons why we don't want to move from here.

 

[JustCurious]

To each his own, but there is no view in the world that would make me want to live in a high rise building with neighbors on all sides.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

To each his own, but there is no view in the world that would make me want to live in a high rise building with neighbors on all sides.

I could completely understand that. We've really not had any big problems for the past 20 years. Actually, it's been really good. But, I understand. It's a crap shoot. And "past performance doesn't guarantee future results".

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Hm...something to consider for sleeping in those rare cases when noise keeps me awake.

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Headphones-Lavince-Ultra-Thin-Meditation/dp/B07Q34ZKLF/ref=sr_1_51?dchild=1&keywords=bluetooth+headband&qid=1597180688&s=electronics&sr=1-51

 

[24601NoMore]

We have a magnificent view and have a wall of windows through which the noise enters.

We had a similar problem, but in a single family house with neighbors ~20 feet from us. Sound from teenage boys at the height of puberty screaming like they were lit on blazing fire while playing basketball. Most times without music, but sometimes with - LOUD music. Often with every form of vile vulgarity screamed at the top of their lungs that you can imagine..so over the top with it that it would make the most hard core Mobster uncomfortable.

For some reason, the sound of a bouncing basketball (or several basketballs, which happened often) is damned near impossible to block. It's a low frequency thing. And, of course, they loved playing at dinner time and well into the evening - ie: long after we went to bed.

We almost had to move. Wife loves to sleep with the windows open as she grew up in a house without A/C and they always had fresh air. Couldn't do that due to the noise. So closed the windows and ran the A/C always. STILL could hear the little varmints, clear as day IN OUR Greatroom, BEDROOM and other rooms of the house. Not good.

I learned windows are the biggest "leaker" of sound around. And even though we have Andersen 400 windows, we somehow have "glazing" (glass) that lets through a simply incredible amount of sound, even when fully closed.

I researched the heck out of what to do, and wound up putting QuietRock sheetrock OVER our existing drywall, AND buying a secondary layer of sound deadening windows from a company called SoundProofWindows. I don't know and haven't looked if either company is still around (ETA - see https://www.soundproofwindows.com/ and https://www.quietrock.com/products), and that gave us 'some' relief - although if they're loud enough, nothing truly "fully" blocks the noise.

Good luck..noisy neighbors can be a REAL PITA and stress you totally out of your mind if you let it, which I did because like you, I really value peace and quiet and having my "own space". If I have my doors and windows shut, and can still hear someone - that person is "invading" my space, which is a real issue for me and makes me totally and completely nuts.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

We had a similar problem, but in a single family house with neighbors ~20 feet from us. Sound from teenage boys at the height of puberty screaming like they were lit on blazing fire while playing basketball. Most times without music, but sometimes with - LOUD music. Often with every form of vile vulgarity screamed at the top of their lungs that you can imagine..so over the top with it that it would make the most hard core Mobster uncomfortable.

For some reason, the sound of a bouncing basketball (or several basketballs, which happened often) is damned near impossible to block. It's a low frequency thing. And, of course, they loved playing at dinner time and well into the evening - ie: long after we went to bed.

We almost had to move. Wife loves to sleep with the windows open as she grew up in a house without A/C and they always had fresh air. Couldn't do that due to the noise. So closed the windows and ran the A/C always. STILL could hear the little varmints, clear as day IN OUR Greatroom, BEDROOM and other rooms of the house. Not good.

I learned windows are the biggest "leaker" of sound around. And even though we have Andersen 400 windows, we somehow have "glazing" (glass) that lets through a simply incredible amount of sound, even when fully closed.

I researched the heck out of what to do, and wound up putting QuietRock sheetrock OVER our existing drywall, AND buying a secondary layer of sound deadening windows from a company called SoundProofWindows. I don't know and haven't looked if either company is still around (ETA - see https://www.soundproofwindows.com/ and https://www.quietrock.com/products), and that gave us 'some' relief - although if they're loud enough, nothing truly "fully" blocks the noise.

Good luck..noisy neighbors can be a REAL PITA and stress you totally out of your mind if you let it, which I did because like you, I really value peace and quiet and having my "own space". If I have my doors and windows shut, and can still hear someone - that person is "invading" my space, which is a real issue for me and makes me totally and completely nuts.

Good grief - that sounds awful. Glad I don't have it that bad. Thanks for the tips though.

 

[rodi]

OP - agreeing with the others about the white noise solutions.

I love your view. Thanks for posting the picture. I'm all about the view and see why you love living where you do.

We're looking at moving to a highrise condo in the next 2-3 years... Our current house is your typical suburban 60's era tract home - neighbors on either side about 15-20 feet away. We've had quiet neighbors and noisy neighbors... Currently our next door neighbor on the bedroom side has small children... the younger daughter is a screamer/cryer. Hey - when *our* kids were younger they were rambunctious boys who cried, shreaked, yelled, squealed... it's all part of being in a family neighborhood. Neighbor 2 doors up throws a few big backyard parties a year - usually with live music. It's not every night. We don't have AC - so have to open the windows in the summer. We have a whole house fan which helps as white noise.

Random car alarms are a bigger annoyance.

 

[socca]

It's a low frequency thing.

Sometimes I'll be sitting on my screened porch enjoying the view and I'll hear the liminal throbbing of (most likely) some teenager's subwoofer. The high frequencies are completely absent; it's just a gentle boom-boom-boom. Very odd. I could be pissed off, but at my advanced age (mid- to late-50's) perhaps I should just be grateful that I still have excellent hearing. Every day I know when the mail has arrived because I hear the USPS mail delivery truck drive by outside my house.

I don't sweat intermittent noise pollution, whether it's a barking dog, screaming kids, unmufflered motorcycle, landscaping equipment, etc. However, chronic noise pollution - which fortunately I currently don't experience - would require corrective action of some sort. This is one advantage of a HOA - there are restrictions dealing with this.

Sorry about your predicament - good luck getting this resolved!

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

It didn't occur to me until now to mention it but - I have tinnitus. I wonder if that's what's making me hyper-sensitive to noise that's not in my control. Maybe I should look into something that would mask the tinnitus noise and see if that makes things better.

Although, the lack of consideration of others is what really grates on my nerves. Especially since my wife and I were raised to be considerate people. <shrug>

Just thinking "out loud".

 

[38Chevy454]

Your problem is one of many reasons that I can never live in any multi-family high density housing situation. I also live out on country where the worst noise is a neighbor firing off a few rounds on their gun range. But that doesn't help your question.
I think if the offending neighbors are within the limits, you are out of luck except for measures you can take yourself, such as white noise generating equipment in your control. If they are outside defined limits, utilize the authorities available to help cut the noise down. It sucks you are in the position of your nice past history being changed with new neighbors. But such is the nature of all living situations.

 

[Sunset]

....
Although, the lack of consideration of others is what really grates on my nerves. Especially since my wife and I were raised to be considerate people. <shrug>
..

I notice there seems to be an assignment of reason as to why the noise, and it's not helpful, more likely it's upsetting.

Here we live in a house, and 2 backyards over, a large family has gatherings about every week or two.
I can easily hear them talking, these days folks have to sit 6-10 ft apart so they have to talk loud.
They also play music and it's not my type of music, and turn on floodlights when it gets dark.
They don't break any laws, and are minding their own business, so why should I complain, even if it bugged me the first time.

I notice when inside my home, with the radio or tv on, I cannot hear them.

For about 5 years we had the neighbor son playing basketball every day. Those bouncing balls really do carry the sound across the street and through a house. The kid grew up and moved away.

 

[FIREd]

I live in a condo with neighbors on all sides. Each condo is basically a sealed concrete box so I rarely hear my neighbors unless they drill through a wall.

But I live in a high density neighborhood and there is always some noise outside during daytime, on weekdays particularly (traffic, landscaping equipment, kids playing, etc...). If noise starts to grate on my nerves, I either play some music to drown out the noise, use a fan to create some white noise, or wear noise-canceling headphones.

 

[Dtail]

Another vote for a white noise machine. Used to live in an apartment where food smells came through, but no noise.
Blessed to have quiet neighbors currently in a SFH on a dead end street.

 

[DrRoy]

DW snores, and I use soft foam earplugs.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

I notice there seems to be an assignment of reason as to why the noise, and it's not helpful, more likely it's upsetting.

Here we live in a house, and 2 backyards over, a large family has gatherings about every week or two.
I can easily hear them talking, these days folks have to sit 6-10 ft apart so they have to talk loud.
They also play music and it's not my type of music, and turn on floodlights when it gets dark.
They don't break any laws, and are minding their own business, so why should I complain, even if it bugged me the first time.

I notice when inside my home, with the radio or tv on, I cannot hear them.

For about 5 years we had the neighbor son playing basketball every day. Those bouncing balls really do carry the sound across the street and through a house. The kid grew up and moved away.

Just wanted to highlight some of the other things I mentioned that may have some relevance to your reply:

...[The carrying-on] started early - which I have no problem with - but it went on until around midnight - again, on a weeknight, not a weekend.

I was upset last night. I asked my wife if I was being unreasonable. In her gentle, diplomatic way she told me I was.

Anyway - just assume that I'm being a crotchety old man.

 

[ivinsfan]

I can't tell from your first post, but have your already called management about the more troublesome noise. Or are you saying if it gets to that level you will call management?

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

I can't tell from your first post, but have your already called management about the more troublesome noise. Or are you saying if it gets to that level you will call management?

They've had a few parties in the past, say, six months - some real doozeys going until 2am, one or two only getting started at 2am. In those cases, I do call the building security and they're always successful in putting an end to it. I've been told, though, that building management and/or security really have very little power in cases of excessive noise. If the unit owner refuses to comply to their requests to keep the noise down, they'd have no recourse. I'd end up having to call the police, which I will not do. The police have more important things to worry about.

In cases as described in my OP - the cases where my wife thinks that calling the building's security would be unreasonable - I just sit and stew. I'll turn up the television (even if I don't want to watch TV), turn on the A/C (even if it's not all that hot outside), I'll stay up (even if I want to go to sleep), I'll put on my noise-cancelling earphones (even if I don't want to listen to anything or if I'd prefer talking to my wife). Sometimes, though, I can still hear them despite those things - albeit in muffled tones - except for the noise cancelling earphones. Those always work.

 

[pacergal]

OP--You do have a beautiful view!

I have a white noise machine that has several different options--white nose, fan,, thunderstorm, ocean, etc.
I also found some soft silicon ear plugs from softec. I use both at night as DH c pap bothers me. I am noise sensitive also, with occasional tinnitus.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

It looks like this thread has run its course. Thanks very much for all your suggestions and feedback.

 

[samm]

I recommend these wax ear plugs. I have used for 20 years for travel and noise.

https://www.amazon.com/Flents-Stopples-Pairs-Soft-Plugs/dp/B0009VQ8GA

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I live in a condo with neighbors on all sides. Each condo is basically a sealed concrete box so I rarely hear my neighbors unless they drill through a wall.

But I live in a high density neighborhood and there is always some noise outside during daytime, on weekdays particularly (traffic, landscaping equipment, kids playing, etc...). If noise starts to grate on my nerves, I either play some music to drown out the noise, use a fan to create some white noise, or wear noise-canceling headphones.

When DW had surgery a few months ago, we rented a high rise apartment in downtown Atlanta. Thankfully, the concrete walls/floors made the neighbors non-existent but MAN...the noise outside was ridiculous. Although we were on the 32nd floor, you would have thought our bed was ON the street. And never mind the new building being put up next door....no...no....no!!! Needless to say, we were quite thrilled to blast out of there and have been thoroughly enjoying our quiet country living.