Noise issue from Dry Cleaners in the next building (apartment, rent)

[imageWIS]

Background: I have been renting in the building for 3 years, its a co-op building and each apartment is owned by a different owner. I currently work freelance from home. Luckily, my owner is very down to earth, great on fixing any problem issues, and is happy that I rent the apartment. I'm on the 2nd floor, and one of my walls is next to the other building that houses a dry cleaners on the first floor; if you are staring at the buildings from the street, my apartment is diagonal from the dry cleaners.

In the three years I've been here, all the noise have been stereotypical apartment noises... I never heard anything from the building next door, as there is two layers of brick walls. All of the sudden, in January, for some unbeknownst reason, I start hearing a constant, low bass, thump, thump, thump. I hear it everyday when I wake up and it continues until around noon, starts back up at around 1 and continues until 4:30 or 5pm.

It happens every day, Mon - Sat. I checked with the neighbor below me who also shares a wall with the dry cleaners and he also started to hear the thump, thump, thump... all day. The dry cleaners are closed on Sunday, and on that day, there is no noise. It's clearly coming from the press machines from the dry cleaners as they have the exact same noise pattern and the employees who work on them go to lunch at around noon and leave at around 4 - 5 pm each day.

Normally, the guy who manages the dry cleaners (not an owner) is very nice, however the two times I have brought up the issue (in the most amenable and polite manner possible), and asked if perhaps they had moved things around, gotten new machines or perhaps cleaned something (they definitely recently cleaned, and it previously looked like a good 30 years of dust piling up in some corners), he was very defensive and said that nothing had changed and that I should deal with it as he is only the manager.

I have a small studio and cannot escape the noise. I hear it in the bathroom as well, even when taking a shower. The noise can also be heard in the first floor hallway when the machines are working. As I work from home and cannot work elsewhere, the noise is impeding with my ability to work.

Any advice as to how to best proceed?

[blktoptrvl]

Time to look into commercial grade noise padding for the wall you share with the cleaners.

[newyorker91]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

Time to look into commercial grade noise padding for the wall you share with the cleaners.

agreed

[imageWIS]

A) I rent the apt. B) So you are saying that even though they are causing the noise, I have to get padding?!?

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

A) I rent the apt. B) So you are saying that even though they are causing the noise, I have to get padding?!?

for your own sanity. yes. yes yes yes....the dry cleaners dont care, it is their business.....for your sanit, absolutely.

I wish I would have known then what i know now. 25 years agi when I bought my co-op, my next door neighbors back to back with me bedroom, were quiet, never heard them.

they moved 20 years ago, so I had to cement real half bricks ( indoor) to the wall, looks great but still hear noise. The LL finally installed quiet rock on the other tenants side when they move and re sheet rocked. I don't hear voices, but still footsteps, and closing of closet doors and drawers. I have had about 5 tenants living there in all these years, no we have a teenage boy that is hard of hearing, for real.....but they are a nice family so I let it go.....however, it drives my partner nuts....

Now if i would have know about this kind of noises................back then, I would have installed 8 layers of quiet rock, then sheet rock then cement REAL outside bricks to the wall............

[imageWIS]

Um, aren't they legally obligated to solve the issue re: 2007 NYC noise ordinances and NYS noise ordinances?

[blktoptrvl]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

Um, aren't they legally obligated to solve the issue re: 2007 NYC noise ordinances and NYS noise ordinances?

If so, sounds like you have a solution. Do you have a lawyer who can pursue it for you. Maybe you can handle the process yourself? Might be easier just to get padding.

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

If so, sounds like you have a solution. Do you have a lawyer who can pursue it for you. Maybe you can handle the process yourself? Might be easier just to get padding.

Well, I already spoke to my landlord, who will speak with the co-op board president + the building management company. And of course already know about 311. As well, I am unsure if the sound is traveling through the wall or through the floor, so let's say my landlord adds padding to the studio wall (I'll live with the bathroom noise), and the sound still comes through the floor, I'm still screwed.

But, I was asking the board if maybe they have other solutions.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

Um, aren't they legally obligated to solve the issue re: 2007 NYC noise ordinances and NYS noise ordinances?

UM...........do some research and find out if the noise they produce is above those required limits.

If so report it, if not buy headphones.
Was the business there when you rented the place? If so ,you voluntarily rented knowing there was a business next door and there was going to be noise daily because of the business.

[imageWIS]

I did buy some noise canceling headphones, they didn't do much. Also, there wasn't any noise coming from there before, as I aforementioned (this was confirmed by my downstairs neighbor), so if they changed something (which they must have, as again, this noise didn't occur before), it's their responsibility to fix it.