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In our condo the upstairs units must have carpeting. This is what they had when they were built, and there were no complaints until people started putting in hard flooring. It's unfortunate, but it is specified clearly upon purchase. Thankfully, we have a single story unit.
Sounds as though you are open to buying a house and that's probably the best way. No guarantees of not hearing noise though. Loud parties, motorcycles, kids, barking dogs, go with the territory, but having to hear others who share a wall or floor would stink. Hopefully the noise problem in a house will be less at night.
Be sure to find a realtor who really listens to what you want, some may know of quieter neighborhoods in the area where you're looking, instead of the places that go on 24/7.
You told us what the problem is. The floors are so poorly built and so poorly insulated between floors, that you are going to hear movement in the upstairs unit no matter what. It is not their fault, the units are so poorly build you hear any movement above you. It is not that they are being noisy, but the problem is the building is not built so there is no noise between floors.
You are going to hear bed noises from sex activity. They are living their normal life, and have the right to do so.
In these cases, the only solution for you is to move, if you can find a quiet place to live.
I am old, and in my life I lived many years in apartments and had the same problems. I tried EVERYTHING, from being sweet and asking, to calling the landlord, and even calling the police. I could rant for hours about how people have no consideration but I'll spare you. They just don't.
Anyway, eventually I saved up enough for the down payment on a house and for me that solved the problem. Start saving every penny, and buy a single family home in quiet neighborhood, with nobody living above you and no shared walls. It may take years and years but for me it has solved that problem at last.
Thank you all for the replies. Seems the general consensus is that things probably won't improve and I will have to move and to make the best of it for now. At least I know that I'm not alone. The lack of sleep and noise is just so draining and makes life feel miserable. I will definitely be approaching the neighbors and hope that there is something that can be done although I feel it will have little, if any, effect.
maybe you can re-read what I said. It doesn't sound like you've ever met the neighbors, so why draw the conclusion it will have no effect on the noise/situation?
If you own the condo, suggest getting it soundproofed... yeah not cheap, but if you don't want to move... There are special acoustic panels that are used in a sound studio that can help keep your place quieter.
If you rent... well, I'd be outta there.
We had a similar problem in our last apartment. Old people, like mid-70s. Up walking around and slamming doors and drawers until 2:00 AM. Woke me up every night for the long year we lived there. The only time I had a good night sleep was when they were out of town!
AND then that &^%$ B-word would want to run the vacuum at 8:00 AM on a Saturday morning...
Thanks guys - I appreciate the info/responses. I haven't seen them yet as they haven't been home (I don't think) when I checked. When I do catch them, I'll see if they would be willing to split the cost of carpeting between us as a potential help.
To respond to a few questions/comments:
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
You told us what the problem is. The floors are so poorly built and so poorly insulated between floors, that you are going to hear movement in the upstairs unit no matter what. It is not their fault, the units are so poorly build you hear any movement above you. It is not that they are being noisy, but the problem is the building is not built so there is no noise between floors.
You are going to hear bed noises from sex activity. They are living their normal life, and have the right to do so.
In these cases, the only solution for you is to move, if you can find a quiet place to live.
Understood. The floors are definitely creating the problem and they should be able to live their normal lives. This is a big part of the reason I've just dealt with it for so long. But, I never had an issue with the previous owner the 4 years that I lived below her. She started her day at 4 AM and never woke me up, nor did she ever walk around enough (or loudly enough) to bother me in the slightest. Ever. These guys are constantly walking, and do so heavily with pounds and thuds. They sometimes jog across the floor. And they don't have kids. All between 11 PM to 5 AM. I guess I was hoping they could do something to reduce the noise during these hours and consider the fact that I also need to live my life. I know the floors are bad, but there must be something that they can do to be quieter.
I also understand that this is inescapable if I don't move. I have made a decision that I'm going to buy a house, and will do so as soon as possible. But in the meantime, I need to figure out how to best weather the storm so I don't completely lose my sanity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoBromhal
maybe you can re-read what I said. It doesn't sound like you've ever met the neighbors, so why draw the conclusion it will have no effect on the noise/situation?
I re-read Thank you for the advice. I think I will do as you suggested and leave a note. I've been finding it difficult to catch them during the day, although the few times I've actually seen them it was in the afternoon.
I'm not expecting a positive outcome from a discussion because of the nature of the issue. It's hard to actually prove that walking is excessive or too loud, so they have the upper hand in a significant way. And the floors ARE bad, even though I never had trouble with the previous owner. They would have to have a desire to make a change in the way they're living, which based on an interaction with them I just don't see happening. But you are right in that I should not just make assumptions.
I know exactly how you feel. In college I lived in an apartment in the Prudential center. The walls were totally soundproof but the floors were not. If someone flushed a toilet 10 floors up or down you could hear it. Many of the tenants were old ladies that went to the Christian Science church nearby. They rarely went out and the one directly below me played the same thing on the piano over and over and over and over again. If I turned up my stereo above a whisper she would pound on the ceiling with a broom handle. It was awful. Allegedly Judy Garland lived in a penthouse in my building and got booted for having too many wild parties (its a shame I wasn't invited). When I finished school and was moving I cranked my stereo up as loud as I could. Another tenant moved because the people above them had a pool table and the sound of the balls rolling across the table was too much for them. After that I moved back home and into an apartment with loud neighbors upstairs and a constant problem. My next was a townhouse with spaces in the wall where you could see light (and hear sound). The complex would mow the lawn at 6AM because the owners son did it before he went to school. The next door neighbors has this awful Beagle which barked at 7AM every morning when it wanted to come in and woke me up. The neighbors once complained about my stereo being too loud and I told them "I'll turn it down when you turn your dog down". As far as your inconsiderate neighbors go, plan on moving before it drives you crazy. I know the feeling and it drives me CRAZY. I would never, ever buy a condo for that exact reason.
If you're not yet ready to buy, and it's still driving you insane, move out and rent this time a townhouse so you have no neighbor noise on top of you.
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Thank you for the advice. I think I will do as you suggested and leave a note. I've been finding it difficult to catch them during the day, although the few times I've actually seen them it was in the afternoon.
