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There are definitely things that can be done to reduce sound and vibration...
Had a property with only elderly tenants... gradually the community changed to young moms with kids...
The way I solved the noise issues was to cover the beautiful inlaid hardwood floors with commercial pad and carpet, add wall to ceiling drapes, double pane windows and put j-box gaskets under all the outlet and switch plates...
It made a big difference... especially the carpet and full length drapes...
Apartment living will never be on par with owning your own home... but there are well designed apartment buildings out there...
I think that both sides need to act like they live with people.
I have lived in a lot of rentals/types of buildings. When I was younger I didnt mind the noise as much because I would usually be out at work/school/social until 11pm or so and didnt notice daytime bussle. But anyway....
After a few nightmare buildings in a row I did a little research. I found this PDF to be very helpful in looking for the type of construction to seek out and/or avoid:
I cant stand too much noise. I dont mind hearing light footsteps or bits of conversation mummers. I am really quiet myself so I hear everything that goes on usually. But there are buildings that really transfer noise much more than they should. Drywall sucks. Its for houses not apartments.
There is a soundproofing thing called "green glue" that is suppose to help with that bad drywall. If you ever priced drywall sheets you will see why your LL went with the cheap version of the stuff that probably doesnt meet lowest STC standards.
Having rugs down in your place and thiers will help with the noise. Hanging soft things on the walls like drapes etc will help keep it from echoing around and amplifying in your unit.
A fan constantly running or a fishtank really helps. Plus the fishtank looks pretty and you dont even have to put fish in it if you dont want. You can make it a plant tank.
Other little tips I found:
Look for:
-Plaster and Lath Multi layer construction for walls
-Concrete floors
-Cork floors
Avoid:
- Drywall without airbreaks/sound insulation
- single woodframe floor constuction
- Hardwood floors
- Hollow sounding floor/wall/doors (sound should fall flat)
I have never understood people that blast music really loud. If I was looking to rip off someone in a break-in. I would be following the bass. That screams to me there is $$$ system and etcs laying about in there. I call the cops on people that do that if it keeps going on.
I am so in love with my new upstairs neighbor. She was a basser and after a week of it I went up and asked her to turn the bass part down a bit. She wasnt angry at all. Did it right away and said no problem. Hasnt been a problem since.
The plaster and lath walls here block out everything thats not yell level. And even that sounds so much softer than that dry wall crap.
And WOO HOO to double paned windows for blocking out the outside noise.
I am so glad I did research on this as it is a total pain in the tokas to deal with bad construction + noisy neighbors.
I hope you all find better places and better neighbors.
I still am going to be looking for a single family home as soon as I can though. Then I can run the dishwasher and blast my TV whenever I want. I can even clog dance at 3 am if I care to.
To the O.P. when I was looking at this sound stuff I saw there was some soundproofing guy that does work in NYC.
I lived in an apartment complex on the second floor and the nightmare tenants were below me. They had one of those home theater systems that they would crank up all day every day into the night. They would even leave it on when they were out! The only time it would go off was when they were fighting. Then the husband would go out to the balcony, get drunk and throw his beer cans across the driveway towards the metal dumpster. He generally missed with the beer cans clanking loudly on the ground and whooping and hollering when he did make it. I knew I was only going to be there for a year so I dealt with it.
After a year of that I bought a house thinking that was the way to go. Wrong. A few months after I moved in to my house, 3 mid-20's young men moved in next door. They liked to call it their "bachelor party pad" (yes, they seriously called it that). They had hoards of their friends coming and going all night (it's always after dark) each with their own car it seems, parking in the yards and wandering up and down the street. Then there was their suped up sound system (I hear you on the bass problem, scorp200!), that they loved to crank so loud that I couldn't hear the television I was sitting in the same room with. The dishes literally clanked together in my cabinets and my windows rattled. And their house was 5 feet away from mine. We tried talking to them about it and their response was "Gee I'm sorry you all have a stick up your butts and no lives". So yeah common courtesy and respect are non existant these days. After 3 years of me and the surrounding neighbors calling the police they finally moved out.
The upshot is that EVERYONE has a right to live as they choose but there have to be compromises when there are alot of people in the same place. I understand the OP's point about the lack of respect and consideration. I (and others of my generation) were taught that. It's seems today's younger people are taught that what THEY want is what's important.
Last edited by Raimy; 05-25-2008 at 10:01 AM..
Reason: spelling
We are truely glad that there are people out there that understand our situation and why we done this Thread.
Thank you so much for understanding!!!!!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raimy
I lived in an apartment complex on the second floor and the nightmare tenants were below me. They had one of those home theater systems that they would crank up all day every day into the night. They would even leave it on when they were out! The only time it would go off was when they were fighting. Then the husband would go out to the balcony, get drunk and throw his beer cans across the driveway towards the metal dumpster. He generally missed with the beer cans clanking loudly on the ground and whooping and hollering when he did make it. I knew I was only going to be there for a year so I dealt with it.
After a year of that I bought a house thinking that was the way to go. Wrong. A few months after I moved in to my house, 3 mid-20's young men moved in next door. They liked to call it their "bachelor party pad" (yes, they seriously called it that). They had hoards of their friends coming and going all night (it's always after dark) each with their own car it seems, parking in the yards and wandering up and down the street. Then there was their suped up sound system (I hear you on the bass problem, scorp200!), that they loved to crank so loud that I couldn't hear the television I was sitting in the same room with. The dishes literally clanked together in my cabinets and my windows rattled. And their house was 5 feet away from mine. We tried talking to them about it and their response was "Gee I'm sorry you all have a stick up your butts and no lives". So yeah common courtesy and respect are non existant these days. After 3 years of me and the surrounding neighbors calling the police they finally moved out.
The upshot is that EVERYONE has a right to live as they choose but there have to be compromises when there are alot of people in the same place. I understand the OP's point about the lack of respect and consideration. I (and others of my generation) were taught that. It's seems today's younger people are taught that what THEY want is what's important.
We are truely glad that there are people out there that understand our situation and why we done this Thread.
Thank you so much for understanding!!!!!!!!!!
I know what you mean, we been living in apts. for almost 5 years now. Hate it. It wasn't so bad at first, until the place dropped the rent and low budget renters moved in around us. Stereos, subwoofers, drunk guests, drug use, hearing them have sex (the walls weren't that thick)
This place we have now is pretty nice, but it's still an apartment and on occasion hear a few things.
We will be moving next month and did find a house to rent, be nice not to hear someone walking above us, or banging on the walls. Small houses to rent are out there, you just have to find them.
I lived next to a guy who came home and began partying at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday!!! I went out on my balcony to yell at him. His friend saw me, and asked me out! Uh, yeah, sure...
This was the same apartment in which I was regularly woken up by my neighbors on the other side who would wait until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. to start screaming at each other. Then she'd lock herself in the bedroom, and he'd plead with her for an hour or two to open the door. That got real old.
I like living on the second floor, though. If the neighbors below me ever get too loud, I just jump up and down a few times, which usually works.
I agree with everyone who said that bass is unbearable. It reverberates through everything! My only consolation is that these people will probably all be 100% deaf by the time they're 50!
Last edited by SandyCo; 05-28-2008 at 06:07 PM..
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