Sound insulation & daft complaints

saunaboy

Hi All,

I recently moved into an upstairs flat. The floors are polished boards, but are 90% covered with underlaid rugs. All the walking areas are covered.

The guy downstairs has a living room which contains the following...

Drum Kit, Guitar Amp, Bass & PA system.

He doesn't appear to work & rehearses a full band in there regularly. When he does this, I can't hear my TV at all. It also causes the coals to topple out of my fire.

Here is the punchline...

He's recently started complaining about me waking him up in the mornings when I'm off to work. He has a crack in the plaster of his ceiling that he's blaming on me walking about (which I assume is rubbish) & is complaining about the 'unacceptable suffering' that we're causing him....!

We've pretty much done all we can. We don't wear shoes in the place & are out from 7am -7pm every day. All stairs etc are carpeted. We have recently also refurbished the bathroom & had rubber padding installed under the tiles to deaden any possible noise.

Any advice here would be appreciated. We're not willing to carpet because 1) the place is pretty much covered anyway and 2) we'd do that & he'd still be playing with a full band downstairs.

Cheers!

Accountant_Kerry

have you complained to him about his band? has he written to you? are you wanting to talk to him about this or go down the official route?

saunaboy

we've complained a few times. We came to an arrangement that he plays when we're out, but at weekends he sticks to the same hours (when we're in).

I don't really want to go down an official route, but he is talking about doing just that for us getting up in the morning!! Quite what a noise inspector would think if they turned up to respond to his complaint & saw all his gear in his from room I'm not sure...!

saunaboy

he's not written to us, just banged on the door a few times.

bobhawke

Tell him to live and let live. In the meantime keep notes on his playing and film the coals falling out etc Keep it as evidence for if he ever does press the issue and try and go down the official route. You are obviously doing all you can sound proof wise, you could try telling him to install a false ceiling with more acoustic insulation there if he is so concerned about it.

keystone

It sounds as though this is probably nothing more than tit-for-tat because you've had a bleat about the noise he makes. BTW is this property purpose built flats or a conversion? You've said the floor is polished boards but what is between the boards and him? Do you share the same landlord? What are the terms of your lease as regards noise?

I don't really want to go down an official route, but he is talking about doing just that for us getting up in the morning!!

From what you've said so far I'd not stand in his way of doing just that if I were you. Actually I'd probably actively encourage him to do so just to see how fast he backs off.

Edit: The post above this is the correct solution in reality.

Cheers

saunaboy

I own upstairs, his parents own downstairs.

One issue is that one every so often, if he does wake up, he stomps about swearing & slamming doors. My wife finds this quite threatening.

I've asked him why it's such an issue for him & his response is 'if I get woken up, I'm knackered later when I'm trying to play'.

Just ridiculous.

Thanks for the advice!

keystone

saunaboy wrote: »

I own upstairs, his parents own downstairs.

Have a nice cosy chat with them about their boys childish behaviour then? Cuppa tea sorts a lot of things out!

Cheers

saunaboy

...their boy is about 40 years old.

keystone

'bout time he grew up then.

Accountant_Kerry

and he still thinks his band will make it! lol