Is there a complex named the Soundproof Apartments or Quiet Condominiums? (Dallas: apartment complexes, renting)

[Downtown Dave]

I have lived in Dallas for almost 20 years and have experienced all sorts of shared-wall housing.

I have come to know one fact time and time again.

Dallas has to have some of the worst quality construction standards in the country.

Even the brand-spanking-new uptown apartment complexes with the shiny granite countertops are built like crap.

If you read the reviews on Yelp or apartmentratings.com you’ll hear the same complaints over and over.

Paper-thin walls
Neighbors are loud
Can’t get to sleep
I can hear my neighbors having a conversation

It is amazing how bad some of these places are in DFW. Quarter-inch drywall with no insulation in between. No insulation or very little in the attic so you bake in the summer and freeze in the winter. Sky-high electricity bills. Pipes bursting in the winter because there isn’t adequate protection. Creaky floorboards/stairs because god forbid screws are sooooo expensive compared to nails.

OK, rant over. My question is this:

Are there any apartments or condominiums that feature how quiet they are or how well they are built? If there was a place that guaranteed that you couldn’t hear your neighbors I would be there in a heartbeat.

There are some places that claim to have party walls. This is OK, but having two quarter-inch drywall panels really is just the same as having a half-inch drywall panel, which is nothing special. Plus, this doesn’t solve the other problem. Either you are bothering the people below you, or the people above you are bothering you.

Any suggestions or good apartment/condominium war stories would be appreciated.

[bluebiker78]

I have been looking at apartments there and what I've been reading for the reviews are exactly what you posted. I'd like to see some posters chime in and I'll def be keeping an eye on this thread.

[bencronin04]

There are a lot of apartments that boast about this. We lived in the Savoye apartments in Addison in the "tower" section. They sold us on 18" concrete between floors. We were in an end of the wall corner unit and NEVER heard anyone inside out apartment. Now, in the regular (non tower section) we would here our upstairs neighbors.

[GuitarArt1980]

I work for a large apartment management company and, by law, apartments cannot even use the word "quiet" when describing their property. It's a violation of fair housing laws. Other banned words are "safe" and "secure". So, you'll likely not get much valuable info coming from apartment communities themselves.

[RonnieinDallas]

I've had noise at everyplace I've ever lived. It's never affected my sleep.

[RedTexanTea]

Originally Posted by Downtown Dave

I have lived in Dallas for almost 20 years and have experienced all sorts of shared-wall housing.

I have come to know one fact time and time again.

Dallas has to have some of the worst quality construction standards in the country.

Even the brand-spanking-new uptown apartment complexes with the shiny granite countertops are built like crap.

If you read the reviews on Yelp or apartmentratings.com you’ll hear the same complaints over and over.

Paper-thin walls
Neighbors are loud
Can’t get to sleep
I can hear my neighbors having a conversation

It is amazing how bad some of these places are in DFW. \.

Have you lived in other cities throughout the US? I have and I can tell you this issue is not exclusive to Dallas, it is apartment and condo living in general. When I am renting an apartment I like to be a top floor, end unit, courtyard facing apartment. That configuration generally puts me in a situation (depending on the complex) where I only have one or two shared walls and hopefully it is on the guest bedroom side. There is a way around this, it is called single family home.

Quiet apartments I have lived in.

Top floor, facing park, end unit, 15777 Quorum, Addison.
Top floor, facing golf course, end unit, Fairways at Riverchase, Coppell.
Top floor, end unit, facing towards back of complex, VV&M Addison.

Noisy you can hear everything no matter what.
Allegro, Addison - while I was viewing this place you could hear people talking in the hallway at the end of the hall inside the apartment and walking overhead.
Vista Pointe, Valley Ranch

[MckinneyOwnr]

If you really don't want to be disturbed by people above/below you, and think noise through a shared wall is bad, then you should just find yourself a nice SFR home in a quiet neighborhood and call it a day.

Trying to find a quiet apartment is like playing the lottery. Even if you do find one, your quiet neighbors move out one day and someone noisy moves in, and you're back to square one.

[Dallasmale75225]

In my experience, most of the noise comes from above, then below, then from the sides. A good option might be to find a two story unit with no one above or below.
Check Realtor.com in the 75254 zip code for some good condo bargains.

You asked for war stories:
I bought a 545 square foot condo for $22,500 in 1993 in Casa Blanca at Spring Valley and Montfort in Dallas. After 6 years I ended up moving to another unit because the guy above me used to laugh constantly. He'd be on the phone screaming laughter for what seemed like hours on end. It was insane.
I moved to the next building on the top floor. After 18 months I moved again because it was near a car wash on Montfort and people would wash their car and blast their stereo at all hours. It was like living next to a nightclub. I wore earplugs to bed but it didn't matter because the bass was so deep and loud.
I then moved to Preston Tower at Northwest Hwy and Preston and things are very quiet here, for the most part. I think high rises tend to be quieter than wood buildings but I'm sure it varies. It's nice having 24 hour security on site to enforce the noise rules as well.

I will monitor this thread because I'm very interested to hear what others have to say. I'm obsessed with having a quiet home without spending a bunch of money.