Which would be quieter flat or house? (Renting)

pinkshoes

I've lived in 2 purpose built flats (newbuild), and the sound insulation was excellent, although I have always lived on top floors.

I've lived in a conversion flat, which was far too noisy! (so never again!).

I've lived in a detached house, which was bliss, although I don't have a spare £1Million to buy one in my area!

I've lived in several terrace houses, and actually found them quite noisy; I could hear people peeing next door, dogs barking in garden, kids screaming etc... so it really depends on your neighbours.

I also lived in a terrace where they all had wooden floors, so I could hear the neighbour scraping their chairs in and out when having dinner!

ILW

chickmug wrote: »

Do kids live in flats as well as houses. I thought there may be less chance but perhaps not.

Same as dogs I though there was less chance in a flat but?????

Are you living in the same country/planet as the rest of us. Of course kids live in flats.

Mum_of_3_3

We live in a flat & have done since we had kids as it was by far the biggest property we looked at. Our kids know not to make loads of noise indoors and don't put music on loud etc.

We are in a converted Victorian property of 6 flats & the only place where we we ajoin anyone is our upstairs neighbour above our bedroom, and that's fine because she goes to bed the same time as us normally.

Our flat is much, much quieter than most of my friend's houses, as I type now I can't hear a thing!

When we've lived in semis before we've had an old lady who was practically deaf so had her tv & radio up really loud (a 1960's house) & in another we had a very noisy, very amourous couple whose bedroom backed on to ours (1920's house) :eek: and in the third it was as quiet as it is here (modern house).

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it really depends on the property. Noisy neighbours are noisy wherever you live and it really doesn't depend on the age of the property either as Victorian houses imho have just as poor an insulation as new-builds between the two properties.

M_o_3

LittleMissAspie

I don't think you can tell until you move in. Obviously you can make sure you live away from traffic and pubs, but in terms of hearing the neighbours it's quite unpredictable.

I lived in a flat where we couldn't hear a thing from the neighbours. Once I could vaguely hear a ringing sound, thought it was coming from over the road but it turned out to be next door's fire alarm going off. And the alarms were really loud.

Now I'm in a house where we can hear the ping of next door's microwave and them closing cupboards and drawers. It makes me worry that they can hear me in the bathroom, as our loo is next to their bedroom!

ILW

LittleMissAspie wrote: »

I don't think you can tell until you move in. Obviously you can make sure you live away from traffic and pubs, but in terms of hearing the neighbours it's quite unpredictable.

I lived in a flat where we couldn't hear a thing from the neighbours. Once I could vaguely hear a ringing sound, thought it was coming from over the road but it turned out to be next door's fire alarm going off. And the alarms were really loud.

Now I'm in a house where we can hear the ping of next door's microwave and them closing cupboards and drawers. It makes me worry that they can hear me in the bathroom, as our loo is next to their bedroom![/QUOTE]

Leave a tap running.

chickmug

ILW wrote: »

Are you living in the same country/planet as the rest of us. Of course kids live in flats.

Sarcastic aren't you?

Anything helpful to say would be somewhat more useful to me and more in keeping with the spirit of this forum that most others show.

I know, from my considerable experience of selling lots of flats, that there is less chance of kids in smaller flats but wondered what others thought. Even as an agent, having sold them I am looking for help as I never had to live in them.

PasturesNew

I lived in a solid Victorian terrace. Next door stripped down their floorboards and they had 3 boys running around screaming at each other and the sound traveeled along the boards and was annoying. Also, the fireplace adjoining next door acted like a huuuuge speaker when they had riotous parties complete with karaoke until 4am.

I now live in a studio and above they had laminate flooring. One lot of tenants were a couple and would have 2 kids and friends over at weekends, couldn't hear my own telly when they were up there. Had to bang on the ceiling once with a broom and they all jumped up and down and laughed... their kids learnt a new word that day. C****

merdoom

really depends on neighbours, we have a student house next to us - the last lot were pretty noisy and had a few parties.
But the ones in this term seem pretty quiet, but i bet they get noisier!!

It also really depends on personality, we also have a dog next to us that never bothers me but winds my oh something chronic!

If they find somewhere they like, its worth going and looking in the evening and at the weekend to get an idea of neighbour noise, but honestly its pot luck.
At least with renting if they move next door to mentalists they can leave!! (make sure they only sign a 6 month tennancy to start with).

delain

i lived in a flat below a girl who had a real complex about being short, and she wore high heeled shoes from when she got up to when she went to bed. She had a young baby and was in most of the day so i would hear 'thunk thunk thunk' on my ceiling all day long. Then she developed a liking for dj sammy's 'heaven' when it came out (this was a few years back) and she used to play it on repeat all the time. Had to knock on her door in the end and say look, i don't mind the music but if i never hear that song again it will be too soon! She did stop, it hadn't occurred to her we didn't all love the song as much as she did :rolleyes:

Then i moved into a bigger flat about 200 yds away when dd's were born and heard someone get stabbed in the flat downstairs :eek: also heard arguing, relations, and 'wind' from them.

Now i live in terraced house, well away from the hell hole and its brilliant. Nice and quiet, and much safer

carefullycautious

:rotfl:Had to laugh out loud at the above. Thats exactly what I do leave a tap running. I live in a GF flat.

Im in a block of 4 built just after 2nd world war. No noise whatso ever from the 2 adjoining but can have lots from above and no doubt from ourselves. However, we are set well back from the road and back onto fields so no environmental noise which is bliss.