Paper Thin Walls (San Diego, Poway: hardwood floors, apartment complex, renter)

[lmorda]

I've been living in San Diego for two years now. My first apartment was in North PB. The building had all hardwood floors, and the walls were really thin. I could hear everything my neighbors were doing. I moved out because my downstairs neighbor woke me up every morning at 5am with his alarm clock. I moved to a giant apartment complex in La Jolla, and I'm having the same issues. The walls are paper thin, and my upstairs neighbor literally keeps me awake with his snoring.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same experiences. I know that I'm a light sleeper, but it seems like every apartment complex I look at does a really poor job of blocking noise between units. Are apartments near the beach made of cheaper materials? It seems like they are made entirely of drywall. I'm wondering if the bigger apartment buildings downtown or maybe in the Fashion / Mission valley areas would be better for me. Does anyone have any suggestions??

I work in Poway.. so I'm not too keen on moving downtown. I dont really know anyone well enough to live with them. I'm just looking for a 1BR. Price isnt too much of a consideration, i'm paying $1500/mth right now...

Thanks!

[sav858]

I wouldn't count on Mission Valley being any better than La Jolla/UTC. All those big, newer looking apt complexes have thin, cheaply built walls. That's what I hate about UTC so much, it's made to look nice but it is cheaply built. Nothing but a bunch of cheaply built stucco complexes surrounded by a bunch of large birds of paradise plants. My old, crappy apt in PB has much thicker walls than the newer apt complexes of PB. I think older buildings, pre-1960's, have thicker walls.

[sdlife619]

Indeed older apartment complexes are sturdier built, I live in one, and they are solid. Even though it's old, it's not run down, the doors are really thick, and the walls do a good job of insulating noises from the outside including my neighbors.

My complex was built in 1969, but it doesn't have that cheap look that many of these new apartment/condo's have. Seriously, even new homes are built using super cheap materials, everything now days are not built like used to be, stuff in the 40's,50's and 60's were built with quality that you could feel. Today, quality doesn't really exist anymore, if so, you have to pay way more money to obtain quality of materials that was a standard in the 50's. My parents tell me this all the time.

[NYSD1995]

Anything built after about 1960 will have thin drywall and little-to-no insulation, the worst offenders being anything build in the 70's which is the majority of housing stock in SD.

You either need to find a new condo building (concrete and glass) or something older (pre/post WW2 apartments are pretty rare in SD). Anything near the beach will probably be extremely shacky unless it is upscale / condo.

[MAK802]

We lived in UTC for a year and heard every word our neighbors said and every step the upstairs neighbors took, even though there was carpet. We are now in Hillcrest, and can hear the people in the house next door when they shower, their bodily functions when they use the bathroom and all their conversations and we don't even share a wall! Yup, the houses in SD are built horribly.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by MAK802

Yup, the houses in SD are built horribly.

My house was build in 1948, and has plaster walls, we replaced the old windows with dual-pane, so it is very quiet.

[SDgyrl]

I live in an old building in Banker's Hill (circa 1922) and the walls are thin here as well. I can hear my next door neighbor when he is one the phone (I can actually make out what he is saying), I can hear the neighbor below me snoring, I can hear the elevator in the hall clanging shut when anyone gets on or off and yes, I can hear the upstairs neighbors walk above me although the apartments are carpeted and so the walking is tolerable. I can hear the upstairs neighbors having intimate relations though and this creeps me out (yes, I know its natural but I still hate having to be subjected to it). The insanely loud snoring creeps me out too...I am absolutely disgusted by it.

My point? Older buildings can have thin walls too. What's a renter to do?

[sav858]

I'm pretty sure my place has plaster walls too as I can barely get a thumbtack into the wall anywhere and it has a smoother, rounder surface than most walls I see. I saw a photo from the 1940's of PB with my complex under construction so maybe that's why. So maybe try to find a place with plaster walls if you can but I think that is probably a difficult task as most places are either too new to have them or have been renovated with dry wall.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by sav858

I'm pretty sure my place has plaster walls too as I can barely get a thumbtack into the wall anywhere and it has a smoother, rounder surface than most walls I see.

Yes most likely it is plaster if it has rounded edges and a "dead" feel. Even with almost no insulation behind them, these walls do a a pretty good job. Stucco exterior also kills a lot of exterior sound.

Another option - get an upstairs, end unit. That way you only share one wall (and the floor). No footsteps above you. Townhouse end unit (one shared wall) is even better

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I couldn't believe how poorly constructed these houses are. When I decided to buy I bought a complete junker and Went all the way around the house ripping off the old siding, putting in insulation and fiber board and then new siding. Of course new windows too. The difference is down right crazy. I can't even hear the speeding cars going by at night.