How common are very thin walls in apartments, and if you've experienced them how do you deal with them? (El Segundo: high school, tile)

[UniqueSoCal]

I've been living at this apartment for about 2 months, and thus far it seems like a great place. The neighbors and apartment managers are very friendly, and it's very reasonably priced. However, there is one thing that I'm having a tough time getting used to: Very thin walls. I actually heard somebody in another apartment snoring a few times. When somebody nearby is watching a movie, my apartment gets blasted pretty heavily. I can hear people talking on the phone, so I assume they probably hear my phone conversations too. I already use headphones to listen to the radio and/or to music, and also to block out other music/TV sounds that I don't want to hear.

My question: This is the first apartment I have rented. How common is this level of wall thinness? If and when I move next time, I want to take wall thickness into consideration when I choose an apartment. And for those who have experienced paper thin walls, do you have any advice for a thin wall newbie? Thanks!

Edit: In the title, it should be "experienced" not "experience"

[Miss Pip]

Get one of those white noise machines. I just ordered one off Amazon.

The "Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner" is the one I got. It arrives tomorrow.

[UniqueSoCal]

Originally Posted by Miss Pip

Get one of those white noise machines. I just ordered one off Amazon.

The "Marpac SleepMate 980A Electro-Mechanical Sound Conditioner" is the one I got. It arrives tomorrow.

Thanks! I'll check that out. Would a white noise machine disturb my neighbors at all?

[Miss Pip]

Originally Posted by UniqueSoCal

Thanks! I'll check that out. Would a white noise machine disturb my neighbors at all?

I don't know. I did think about that too but I didn't see anyone complain about it in the reviews. I can hear my neighbour hacking up in the mornings and it really pisses me off so I had to get this. I don't think it will be noisy though. The whole point of it is to block out noise.

[CA Dreamer]

The best fool-proof thing to do if yer living in an apt with thin walls is to get you one of those portable fans. Then, turn it on before going to sleep. It blocks out all the noise around you with a nice, steady hum.

No neighbors disturbed & no sleep disturbed.

[Ceece]

The bane of high density living....through the wall noise! A fan or white noise machine will help you and will not disturbe your neighbors. I'd like to say the the newer complexes are built better but I know people who complain about them as well. Sometimes old, I mean really old, places are built like rocks. I don't know how you can know this before moving in however. Best bet...be on the top floor, corner unit. The fewer walls you share the better.

[DelaneyRudd]

I sleep near the front to my complex. Every day someone with high heels clops along the tile in the hallway at 7:30 am. Its a nice alarm actually but every morning I let out a loud fart when I hear it. I imagine they can hear it too so I hope they remember me as the farter.

[SandyCo]

Thin walls in apartment buildings go with the territory, I'm afraid. At my last complex, we could hear the guy below us cough or sneeze! Even now I can hear the neighbor above if he has his radio on. I have a fan to drown out the noise; you just have to make sure the fan itself is noisy enough!

Be grateful you have considerate neighbors! I'm fortunate to have one now, living above me, but that wasn't the case at my last apartment. At least you're only trying to drown out the sounds of normal living, not people who are obviously using their apartment as a bowling alley or kick-boxing practice space right over your head!

Sometimes my neighbor will blast his stereo while he's vacuuming, so I can't nap. It's during the mid-afternoon, though, so I can't exactly complain! Besides, after what I lived with before (the manager on the other side of our living room wall screaming at his family constantly), this is nothing! I just hope my neighbor never moves!

[Visit a Library]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Best bet...be on the top floor, corner unit.

But be sure the roof is in good condition if you want to stay dry.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Best bet...be on the top floor, corner unit. The fewer walls you share the better.

True, but then you'll hear the guy next door when he throws his trash in the dumpster.

I think the solution is to make a decision to be ok with it and know that in time you won't notice it anymore. I lived in several places in LA and heard all kinds of noise. The only one I couldn't get used to was a couple who argued all the time. Oh, and being near a high school--that's one thing I've learned to avoid. I finally had to move away from that place because it was always so noisy. But you get used to other noises like snoring, traffic, a washing machine that was in a spot where it echoed very noisily, planes (that was when I lived in El Segundo), etc.