Bought new Townhouse- now hate it because of constant pounding noise from next door neighbors! (feedback, housing)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It cost us lots of money to buy our new townhouse. Months of looking and lots of cost and time to move in. It seemed great the first few weeks but now we find that our neighbors on both sides have kids who are constantly running and jumping and we can hear constant pounding noises.
It's too early to sell we would lose thousands and have to move all our stuff again. We talked to both neighbors and they basically said kids will be kids.
Anyone have serious soundproofing done in their home? Update the wall on both sides with modern soundproofing materials and the latest technology to limit the pounding sounds from the next door neighbors from both sides. If so how much did it cost? And did it work?
If all three of you own (versus rent), the noise situation is unlikely to change anytime soon, unless the children are school-age, in which case, the daytime noise will likely be abated. Of course, if you are not home during the days, that may be of scant consolation.
Noise is invariably an issue that must be considered when buying housing with shared walls. What were your expectations? -- and is the noise level really that bad or are you simply exaggerating it in your mind? If you are expecting to never hear your neighbors, you probably should have bought a single-family, stand-alone hope. Also, is a loud, intolerable noise persistent from early morning until late at night -- or are you over-reacting?
If you cannot live with it, you need to contact a sound insulation company and ask them your questions. You may find that your concerns about losing 'thousands on a resale' are pretty close to what it will cost to have walls torn-out and re-insulated/sound proofed. Have you tried masking the sound with 'white noise?'
Townhouses just like apartments mean shared walls and make your own enjoyment dependent on the quality and consideration of those you share walls, ceilings, or floors with. Too frustrating for me, bought a single family house and never would want to be in apartments/townhouse again.
If you are in a townhome, that typically means you have an HOA. If that's true, have you looked into the noise bylaws to see if they are breaking any? If they are (or even if they aren't), a few letters to the HOA board could prove helpful. HOA's usually have monthly or quarterly meetings that residents are invited to - that may be a good place to start talking to the board and voice your concerns, gain feedback, etc.
I have had my share of noise issues in the past so i feel your pain. Good luck and hopefully you can work something out between noise insulation, neighbors and the hoa board.
I didn't update it myself but on my new construction with one shared wall, I hear absolutely nothing from my neighbors on the other side. I can hear them when they are out in the front yard, as you would in a single family too, but when I'm inside, I hear nothing from that side of the wall.
So I can at least attest that the materials exist to give you much more sound proofing than you currently have. I have no idea if it's feasible to retrofit onto an existing unit, or how much it would cost, though.
[quote=emm74;44803620]I didn't update it myself but on my new construction with one shared wall, I hear absolutely nothing from my neighbors on the other side. I can hear them when they are out in the front yard, as you would in a single family too, but when I'm inside, I hear nothing from that side of the wall.
So I can at least attest that the materials exist to give you much more sound proofing than you currently have. I have no idea if it's feasible to retrofit onto an existing unit, or how much it would cost, though.[/QUOTE
It is all in how they were built. I never hear anything from my shared walls.
That is something you should check out before you buy.
That is something you should check out before you buy.
I visited the spot a half dozen times and it was always stone quiet. After we bought the house we stopped by numerous times to bring stuff over before we moved in two weeks later- always quiet.
Now after we moved in it's been one loud noise through the walls after another.
Your town house was poorly constructed and not apparently sound proofed between walls.
Without sound proofing between units, children in the normal process of being children are going to be heard next door as in you situation. If you do not like the sound of children, you are going to be miserable.
The good news is you can fix the problem with sound proofing panels on those two walls.
Easy solution is to install sound proofing panels on your walls between units. There are numerous kinds.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
