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Do you guys agree? If you disagree I'm curious what type of building you live in. In many apartments in NYC I notice you can hear every footstep of your neighbor upstairs
I'm moving soon and trying to determine this.. How do you tell how soundproof a building is between the floor and ceiling? I guess if there is concrete between the floors it's going to be more soundproof than wood -- but is there a hard and fast rule to know if your building has concrete vs. wood between floors?
In your experience, if you've lived in multiple buildings throughout NYC, what types of buildings do have you found to be the most soundproof?
Yes, concrete is the best for soundproofing and also for fireproofing. My building is all concrete construction. I don't hear anything. No idea if anyone even lives in the next apt. or above & below me. I'm on the 9th floor next to the fire stairs so only 1 side neighbor. Its difficult to hang anything on the walls but so quiet.
Pre-war buildings tend to be built to stand the test of time. I was lucky enough to live in one once and your upstairs neighbor can hold brass band practice every night of the week and you won't even know they're home.
Pre-war buildings tend to be built to stand the test of time. I was lucky enough to live in one once and your upstairs neighbor can hold brass band practice every night of the week and you won't even know they're home.
What type of pre-war building was this? e.g. luxury high rise or 6-8 story low rise, walk up, brownstone, etc?
Yes, concrete is the best for soundproofing and also for fireproofing. My building is all concrete construction. I don't hear anything. No idea if anyone even lives in the next apt. or above & below me. I'm on the 9th floor next to the fire stairs so only 1 side neighbor. Its difficult to hang anything on the walls but so quiet.
Ah you are living the life. I'm curious what type of building you live in? How do I know if a building is all concrete?
I have been lucky as in like all of the apartments I have ever lived in NYC (5 of them) I've never heard my neighbors through the walls or ceilings. Some have heard me though lol. I think it's just a problem with new construction or if you live in a ****ty unit next to a loud family. I think most new construction is geared towards people with headphones on non stop so noise from neighbors is moot?
Pre-war buildings tend to be built to stand the test of time. I was lucky enough to live in one once and your upstairs neighbor can hold brass band practice every night of the week and you won't even know they're home.
How soundproof pre-war buildings are depends what renovations were done. If the plaster needs repair, some cheapo contractors will put new drywall right over the old plaster/lathe on the ceiling, and they may also layer the flooring instead of removing or repairing what was there. It lowers the ceiling height for one thing, but it will be quiet.
Other times, when renovating an old building, the contractor will take out the old plaster/lathe if it's shot, and install thin drywall without insulating between the joists, and leaving gaps where the heat pipe runs between floors -- you'll hear everything then! Floors can also be really squeaky in old buildings though I think that too can be addressed if the owner wants to put in the time and money.
So anyway, just because it's pre-war doesn't mean that it's soundproof. You can't really know by looking at it either in my opinion.
I have a friend who lives in a high-rise built during the 60s with popcorn ceilings and you hear nothing between floors! Not saying it's aesthetically-pleasing, but if peace and quiet is what's important for you than popcorn ceilings aren't so bad.
You never know until you live in a place how noisy it will be. I once lived on the 1st floor of an old brownstone. It was quiet most of the time but in the middle of the night the old man upstairs would get up & put on what sounded like iron boots and stomp around above my bed. I never got uninterrupted sleep living there.
Ah you are living the life. I'm curious what type of building you live in? How do I know if a building is all concrete?
I had to wait months for an apt to become available in this building. I had a friend who lived here already who kept checking for open units for me. Someone got transferred to California and I got his apt. When I signed the lease the lady said it was all concrete. I had no idea before I moved in that it was all concrete but I had noticed that it was quiet from visiting my friend there.
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