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Old 12-26-2018, 09:55 AM
 
376 posts, read 593,686 times
Reputation: 398

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I'm looking to buy a townhouse located in Southwestern CT. This townhouse complex is built in the late 1970's and has 5-6 units in a row per building. It's a suburban type townhouse with wood siding, shingle roof, etc, probably wood frame construction. Most residents seem to be older couples. The thing with these townhouses is you don't know how good/bad the sound situation is until you buy it and move in. I would hate to hear my neighbor's toilet flushing, or their TV, or casual conversation after dropping hundreds of thousands on a home. Is there any way to tell how good the sound proofing may be during a viewing? I'm going back to take a second look this weekend.

I can get annoyed by noise from neighbors. My wife and I actually both grew up in very old, pre-WW1 rowhouses. These old brick rowhouses were built like tanks with solid masonry walls between units and we have never heard anything from neighbors on both sides. We are currently renting a brick duplex built in the 1960s (NYC area), we share one big wall with 1 neighbor, and we have never heard anything from them either. On the other hand, we rented a condo in upstate NY a while ago, and that was horrible. We could hear footsteps, TV noise, toilets etc. I could hear the snoring at night too. This drove me nuts. The thought that I may buy a place like this and be stuck with it for a long, long time fills me with dread.

Last edited by yiplong; 12-26-2018 at 10:18 AM..
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Old 12-26-2018, 10:31 AM
 
7,291 posts, read 4,561,556 times
Reputation: 5437
It seems townhouse is not for you. Townhouse is for practical people. Neighbor noise is to be expected.
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Old 12-26-2018, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Retired in VT; previously MD & NJ
14,277 posts, read 6,869,276 times
Reputation: 17870
Ask. Visit the neighborhood on a nice sunny weekend or holiday day, and talk to people who are outside, coming or going.
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Old 12-26-2018, 10:48 AM
 
376 posts, read 593,686 times
Reputation: 398
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yippeekayay View Post
It seems townhouse is not for you. Townhouse is for practical people. Neighbor noise is to be expected.

It seems you are wrong. As clearly explained in my OP, both my wife and I grew up in townhouses and we experienced no neighbor noise in the 20+ years we lived in our respective town homes. I also pointed out that I experienced no neighbor noise in our current rental duplex (similar to an end-unit townhouse). We have also lived in various apartments, some were noisy and others were not.

The noise level depends on how the units were built. I am not sure why you think it is to be expected, maybe you think your response would make you sound "so smart". If you are clueless or do not wish to contribute to the collective knowledge of this forum, you may choose to not participate. I just don't understand why someone would choose to waste everyone's time with a useless comment like the one above.

Last edited by yiplong; 12-26-2018 at 11:12 AM..
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Old 12-26-2018, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Ohio
2,310 posts, read 6,789,502 times
Reputation: 1949
I bought a townhouse built in 2005. I had the same concern but luckily I hardly hear any noise thru the walls even when they have loud TV or parties. The wall that we share is insulated which makes a huge diff. I do however hear everything from the windows so if they have outdoor party, then I hear ppl talking all day. It helps to have considerate neighbor. Asians and the older generation tend not to blast music for others to hear. Latinos and ppl from the Caribbean tend to think everyone loves hearing their music... just for example. So take a look at which will be next door.
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Old 12-26-2018, 11:34 AM
 
Location: Southern California
12,713 posts, read 15,397,321 times
Reputation: 35511
The only thing you can do is ask. People in the bldg should be truthful when asked, they really have no reason not to be.
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Old 12-26-2018, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Central IL
20,726 posts, read 16,192,675 times
Reputation: 50367
Quote:
Originally Posted by yiplong View Post
It seems you are wrong. As clearly explained in my OP, both my wife and I grew up in townhouses and we experienced no neighbor noise in the 20+ years we lived in our respective town homes. I also pointed out that I experienced no neighbor noise in our current rental duplex (similar to an end-unit townhouse). We have also lived in various apartments, some were noisy and others were not.

The noise level depends on how the units were built. I am not sure why you think it is to be expected, maybe you think your response would make you sound "so smart". If you are clueless or do not wish to contribute to the collective knowledge of this forum, you may choose to not participate. I just don't understand why someone would choose to waste everyone's time with a useless comment like the one above.
Let's just say "you're taking your chances" and since you seem to have an extremely low bar for any sound at all that greatly increases your risk. If you really think you can do the level of research needed for you to feel 100% guaranteed of no level of noise then I'd say you are deluding yourself and likely setting yourself up for failure. I really hope you can do a survey of all residents in the building and they all answer honestly so that you can feel assured before making your decision. Lacking that, be prepared for misery to ensue.
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Old 12-26-2018, 12:17 PM
 
Location: Bel Air, California
23,771 posts, read 28,850,314 times
Reputation: 37326
Quote:
Originally Posted by mmyk72 View Post
I bought a townhouse built in 2005. I had the same concern but luckily I hardly hear any noise thru the walls even when they have loud TV or parties. The wall that we share is insulated which makes a huge diff. I do however hear everything from the windows so if they have outdoor party, then I hear ppl talking all day. It helps to have considerate neighbor. Asians and the older generation tend not to blast music for others to hear. Latinos and ppl from the Caribbean tend to think everyone loves hearing their music... just for example. So take a look at which will be next door.
learn something new everyday, thank you for this PSA
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Old 12-26-2018, 12:22 PM
 
Location: Denver CO
24,204 posts, read 19,020,768 times
Reputation: 38265
Quote:
Originally Posted by ansible90 View Post
Ask. Visit the neighborhood on a nice sunny weekend or holiday day, and talk to people who are outside, coming or going.
Yep, this. It's going to be completely location specific, there is no general answer. I own half of a side by side duplex with a very well sound proofed party wall. I literally did not know my neighbor had bought a drum set (for an adult, not a kid) until he happened to mention it.

Now whether those units were constructed in the 1970s with that kind of sound proofing? Hard to say, so ask the people living there.

There will be ambient noise coming in through the windows, but that's going to be the case in any location where the homes are close together whether they are attached or detached.
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Old 12-26-2018, 12:27 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,094 posts, read 85,880,338 times
Reputation: 130736
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_Geek View Post
The only thing you can do is ask. People in the bldg should be truthful when asked, they really have no reason not to be.

I think that's the only approach if you want to know the truth and not rely on speculations.
No one here can possibly know about the building insulation and neighbors behavior.

You should also do some research and find out how many units are rented. How HOA reacts to complaints. How is the outside noise travelling inside etc.
See if there are any online reviews about this condominium complex.
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