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I was 30 years old before I lived in a place where I didn't have to hear my neighbors having sex (dorm rooms, Army barracks rooms, little grad student apartments). I now live in a Class A/B apartment complex that I believe was built in the 90's. Thankfully the insulation seems quite good; my neighbor tells me she's never heard my TV, even though I have pretty big speakers. There is some floor squeaking at times from the unit above but that's not a big deal.
What the heck is a Class A/B apartment complex? I've never heard of the term.
Big difference in an apartment converted to a condo and a purpose built condo. Avoid the first one.
The condo I have now is quiet. Never hear anything. Many of my neighbors have dogs. Never hear them. Everyone that moved here were surprised how quiet it was since outdoors can be pretty loud.
Exactly, if the condo was built to be a condo then they typically have sound proof walls. My moms is like this and you can barely hear her neighbors. If it's a condo that was converted from an apartment then most likely it doesn't have sound proof walls. You can usually tell by how the ceiling looks if it's sound proofed.
Generally; however, I would like to know if condos are more sturdy and less prone to noises than apartments, or is there no correlation between building quality and whether the complex is an apartment or a condo?
In some cases, yes, but you'd have to check and see what they were built with and how much insulation there is, etc. Don't ever just assume because they were built as condos that they will be better.
After spending 21 years in an apartment with seemingly paper thin walls and very loud neighbors, I was very relieved and impressed with how quiet my new senior apartment was.
For my first three years, the next door apartment was extremely quiet. I thought this was because my apartment was well built.
This changed a couple month ago, when new neighbors moved in. I now hear frequent closing and banging noises as early as 4:30 AM, as well as occasional music. The apartment structure therefore has nothing to do with it. I was just lucky to have a quiet neighbor my first three years.
The advantage to renting is that I can move to a new unit if things get too loud, but if this was a condo, It would be more difficult since I would have to wait until it sells.
Generally; however, I would like to know if condos are more sturdy and less prone to noises than apartments, or is there no correlation between building quality and whether the complex is an apartment or a condo?
As others have said, it depends on the individual building and what materials were used. I would think that a building deliberately built as a condo building would be built with quiet in mind; but that could also depend on the neighborhood and the individual condos' price range. I live in a condominium complex and for the most part, find it very quiet. The buildings' facades are brick, interiors have concrete under the ceiling plaster. I do hear heavily stepping people above me (which doesn't bother me); or a youngster running about, but it isn't constant. I never hear other people's TV's.
We have on-site security. The rules state that noise levels must quiet down after 11 pm, so TV's and other noise sources must be turned down (or not loud in the first place); and if there are complaints, security contacts the offender immediately to stop the noise.
Are there similar rules in your apartment building? Is there anyone you can contact, other than the neighbors, to try to mitigate the noise?
Agree with some others here. I've lived in numerous apartments, and am familiar with condos to some extent. Yes, condos in many cases are just converted apartments. So, I don't think you will necessarily hear more - or less - in an apartment vs. a condo. It would depend on how well the apartment or condo were constructed to begin with.
I now live in a townhouse, and though I can't hear my next-door neighbors when they're actually in their house (too much), I can clearly hear them when I'm inside & they're outside.
Obviously, this also depends on how good your hearing is (or isn't). Mine has always been great - though in a some cases that's not always a good thing.
Last edited by The Big Lebowski Dude; 12-22-2016 at 10:42 PM..
Good luck with condos....I lived in a million-dollar condo where one could hear musician neighbor on one side in every room of that big condo and neighbors on another side would go nuts over you turning on your own bed, not to mention hearing bathroom fan noise, etc (this was a 2-story townhome with patio, garage, not any kind of apartment conversion)....but with own condo, at least, one can install wall soundproofing.
The absolutely worst thing is vibration from sound systems.
What the heck is a Class A/B apartment complex? I've never heard of the term.
Class A / B / C etc are descriptions of an apartment complex's newness and level of repair/desirability
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