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Noisy neighbours

Ellieliversheff
Posts: 3 Newbie

Hi,
I live in a 1930s semi detached and get a lot of noise pollution from the attached house. We tried sound proofing one wall and floor where the noise is worst but it has made no difference at all.
Anyone got any advice? I'm considering cavity wall insulation but don't even know if it's possible yet.
I live in a 1930s semi detached and get a lot of noise pollution from the attached house. We tried sound proofing one wall and floor where the noise is worst but it has made no difference at all.
Anyone got any advice? I'm considering cavity wall insulation but don't even know if it's possible yet.
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Comments
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You won't have a cavity wall between you, so that's probably out!Sound vibrations travel through more than just the party wall. If you have suspended wooden floors, they will carry vibrations too and there's potential for open gaps beneath the floor. Anything generating noise that is placed against the wall will be amplified. I don't think it's possible to sound proof effectively without a very serious and comprehensive renovation from top to bottom.It's one of those things that go with being attached to other people's homes. In our house I could hear next door if I had no sound going on in the house myself. It didn't bother me, but just having the TV or music on for a bit of company made all but extreme excitement next door disappear.
Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
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What have you already tried, Ellie? And what types of sounds come through - are they low frequency thumping sounds, or do they have a fair bit of 'clarity' to them?The former would suggest it's coming through the walls as you'd expect, and muffled in the process. The latter would possibly indicate some air gaps, or passages where the sound can travel relatively 'directly'. As Doozer says, this can be through gaps in floors/skirtings, through spaces in the underfloor foundations, and up into your house. Ditto via the loft or ceilings.It's hard for us to know how bad it is, but if it's affecting your quality of life and you don't think the situation's going to change (ie they aren't going to quieten down), then - sadly - moving is the only fairly reliable option (provided you don't jump from t'pan into t'fire.)Are the neighbs actually making an 'excessive' noise, or just normal boisterous living sounds? Is it due mostly to children? If so, what age are they, and do you reckon they might chill as they grow older (eg if it's screams from a 2-year old's tantrum, then hopefully that'll pass...)1
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Hi, thank you both for your replies.
Jeepers_Creepers, we insulted the room we have the most issues with (loud shouting from teenager on computer game). We soundproofed the party wall and underneath the floor boards but there has been no improvement.
If cavity wall insulation is not possible, do you think insulating the subspace below the house would help? We have quite a deep subspace, at least 1/2 a metre. It is not insulated at all.
We obvs need to have the awkward conversation with the neighbours too.
Thanks again0 -
And did your room insult you back? :-) (soz...)What kind of insulation did you use - is it 'proper' stuff, of something you figured out yourselves? I'm surprised there was no improvement after doing the wall and the floor - did it not help a bit?Is it 'just' this teenager shouting, or are there other sounds too? Could you live with the other sounds if the teenager perhaps used a different room on the other side of the house?!I know it feels as tho' it'll be an awkward conversation, but the chances are the neighb will be understanding. After all, they themselves will also be aware of their child's shouting... But, sadly, some parents just become defensive, essentially because they know they have no say or control over the situation, so their react badly rather than face reality.If you have fully insulated the floor, then in theory you have blocked any 'air-borne' sound paths, so I'm not sure going under the floor - which would be quite a task - would have any additional benefit.What have you actually done to the walls and floor so far - full details, please?1
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Hi, had to be a typo, didn't there
We used rockwool on the walls, then soundproof plaster board, plastered, painted and sealed all edges/sides with soundproof sealant. Then Rockwall underneath the floor boards.
I think the defensive position is what I'll most likely be confronted with. It's such a shame, this is our ideal home but the noise is really getting us down.
Thanks again.2 -
Ellieliversheff said:Hi, had to be a typo, didn't there
We used rockwool on the walls, then soundproof plaster board, plastered, painted and sealed all edges/sides with soundproof sealant. Then Rockwall underneath the floor boards.
I think the defensive position is what I'll most likely be confronted with. It's such a shame, this is our ideal home but the noise is really getting us down.
Thanks again.No man is worth crawling on this earth.
So much to read, so little time.0 -
I wonder if the teen has their game by the wall or facing it.
There's usually a chimney/cavity in the adjoining wall that is a real echo chamber. As my good neighbour got older she had her radio on a shelf or the fire surround and it became really annoying.
Could be if you can rocate said teen it could help somewhat.
The alternative is to place a sound speaker by the wall and play reasonably loud classical music when he's there. Quickest way to get a teen to move
If he doesn't at least you have the satisfaction of knowing he's being educated while he's gaming.I can rise and shine - just not at the same time!
viral kindness .....kindness is contageous pass it on
The only normal people you know are the ones you don’t know very well
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OP, I worked dealing with noise nuisance for the council for about 10 years. Grim work, and fortunately I've moved on. Here's my take.
1. Speak to your neighbours. They are often unaware of the impact of the noise, as it's just normal to them. Approach them in a positive non-judgemental way. If it's a couple speak to the sensible one first. Have a think about how you would like them to resolve it - if it's a problem at a particular time for example, agree a curfew. Give them ideas how to resolve it so you're happy.
My grandson is always shouting when he's on his PlayStation, mainly because he usually wears a headset so he can communicate with his friends. They won't hear anything from your side. When they moved into their current house, they made sure his bedroom was on the opposite side to the neighbours, and he has to switch it off by 10pm.
2. If it's general household noise, it will be difficult to resolve without your neighbours cooperation. If it's the likes of loud music, then your local council can get involved. We would normally send out noise diaries and ask you to keep a record of the noise incidents and how they affect you for 4 weeks. The diary would be reviewed and action taken if it was deemed a statutory nuisance. Getting the council involved tends to wind the neighbours up though, but can be the only way to deal with ignorant so and so's.
3. Insulation is rarely a viable option - as others have said, the noise will find a way through.
4. Depends how old the teenager is, but with any luck they'll move out at some point. We had 2 teenagers living next door to us. They were generally okay, but didn't know how to walk up and down stairs without sounding like a herd of elephants, and obviously shouting up and downstairs is easier than walking to the person you need to speak to. They only had the one party when their parents were away - weren't left alone again after that.3 -
We used to live in an end terrace house & I’m so glad to have moved.You could hear toilets flush, plugs being plugged in, conversations on the phone etc
sound will travel through many different methods and practically impossible to block it all
It’s a teen living in that room now, go’s help you when he starts bringing girls back 👀
we made it a priority to move to a house with. I thing attached to it and it’s a godsend, not only because we hear. nothing but we don’t have to be conscious of our own tv volume etc
I think you could spend a fortune on sound proofing but will still hear things, you probably need to create a void to do it properly and that is hard to do and costly in space1 -
Ellieliversheff said:Hi, had to be a typo, didn't there
We used rockwool on the walls, then soundproof plaster board, plastered, painted and sealed all edges/sides with soundproof sealant. Then Rockwall underneath the floor boards.
I think the defensive position is what I'll most likely be confronted with. It's such a shame, this is our ideal home but the noise is really getting us down.
Thanks again.Ok, that sounds pretty substantial, and if it didn't have a noticeable effect, I fear you are going to struggle to block the noise. That leaves only trying to stop it at source...What are your options, Ellie? Either 'live' with it and be miserable, or else move? Is the latter even an option?It's good to have BigPhil's take on this as someone on the front line. I think you know, Ellie, that no-one is going to help you with this until you have demonstrated that you have tried the 'obvious' - a nice direct approach. It will be the first thing that any service will ask you - "Have you spoken to your neighbour about this?"Try and find a balance in your approach between 'sorry to have to bring this up' and 'but there is an issue that I'm finding very hard to live with...'. Show that you understand - young folk get a lot out of playing these games - but it does impinge on others when it's too loud and regular.Have you been keeping a note of the days and times this gaming activity in particular takes place? If you don't get the response you hope for, and need to consider taking it further, you should have this. Do you have any means of recording the level of sound - ie keep some actual recordings, say, on your phone, and also download a decibel-meter app to take readings - tho' they won't be particularly accurate, I doubt.It is looking as tho' you either need to 'deal' with this using reason and then 'force', or else live with it - which sounds (and is) miserable.1
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