Neighbour noise in every room. Why and what to do?

[Bowlzi]

Hi, I can't think of a better place to put this question so have put here.

Basically I have noisy neighbours who are up all night most nights until 5am with visitors arriving and leaving at all hours.

Selling is not my plan , yet.

Sound is travelling through every surface and makes it sound louder than it probably is. I've just put my ear to the concrete floor and can hear them talking... This is the same on all walls in house, even the oposite end of the house.

I don't understand why a party cavity wall can pass so much noise.

Is there anything I can do to stop noise traveling through the non party walls

1950 ex local authority semi

Thanks

 

[conny]

Is the house owned or are they tenants? If they are tenants you could ask the landlord to have a word with them, or be polite and ask them yourself why they have a social life during the night.

To reduce the noise travelling you may need to insulate your walls with some form of insulation board such as cellotex but this can be a big undertaking.

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

Have you spoken to them about it?......... although it is a bit odd to have visitors all the time they may not be aware they are causing you stress.... in my old house which was a semi my son had his xbox in his room gaming at full volume...but it was the adjoining room to my neighbour and it really wound him up... now I did not know this until he approached me about it... we get on great... and I put a stop to it......... point is I did not know it was causing him stress

 

[HERTS P&D]

When you go to work, leave your TV on. They will want to sleep at some time and might get the message.

Andy

 

[Doggit]

It is regrettably, a typical benefits lifestyle, and if so, they'll tell you to bugger off. If you're brave enough, put a call into the council environmental health department and register a noise complaint. They'll send you a log to keep track of the problems; fill the sheet in, and then send it back - I've got about 20 in my file.

It's classified as antisocial behaviour, and it's an offence for any noise they make to be heard outside of their property. The odd part of this problem, is that loud music is the councils responsibility, and shouting etc is for the Police to deal with. Each will try and say it's the others responsibility, so you'll need to stick to their guns.

There are a lot of materials that you can use to soundproof your place, but it won't be cheap. Most require taking off the skirting boards, leaving an airgap, and then build a frame that stays away from the wall; you can then use sound deadening material in the airgap, and then sound deadening plasterboard on the frame. There are rubber products that you can glue to the wall, and then glue battens to it to so that nothing travels across, but if it's coming through the concrete floor, then you've got problems.

 

[Bowlzi]

Doggit , it would seem you know them I'm surprised the children manage to sleep.

Sometimes it is worse than others but making improvements by preventing the noise travelling is better than going down the route of complaints etc as that can escalate into something else and will not improve the situation.

The person for the 18 years prior was quiet and so am I.

Just looking for ideas how I decrease the noise travelling to whole house via walls.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

 

[Doggit]

It is possible that they don't realise just how noisy they are being, and an initial chat may well improve things, but in all, the years I've had idiots renting next to me, only a few have then been considerate. But I have found that standing your ground does make a difference, and they often move on once the council or the police have knocked on their door.

For the more persistent idiots, turn off their water supply, drop some polystyrene granuales around the water meter, and then pour a ready mixed bucket of quick setting cement on top of it; a minute tops.

As to noise reduction solutions, I've looked into them a few times, but not done them yet, so I'll check out my notes again for you.

 

[blightymam]

It's a long long slog involving councils tho before anything is really done about the noise, esp if you've a neighbour who does not care. Took a mate of mine 2 years to get her neighbour sorted, he ignored all warnings & requests. In the end he was evicted. Oh for the days where people had a bit of respect and thoughtfulness towards their neighbours!

 

[HawkEye244]

Board the walls and ceiling with plasterboard soundbloc, and then replaster them all. Pain in the arse job and won't necessarily solve the problem.

Personally I'd beat the living sh1t out of who lives there.

If you don't want to do this either, behave extremely strange around them, to the point where they think you are mentally ill, then they will stop out of fear you might do something.

 

[Seafarer1966]

The having visitors at all times bit indicates to me that they are dealers.
I'd start with informing the police that you think you have drug dealers next door.
The council Environmental Health are as much use as a chocolate fireguard.
If they are renting try and find the landlord and speak to him/ her.
I hate to admit this but in the past I have taken a similar stance to that advocated by Hawkeye. In my younger days I went round next door, barged my way in the house and offered out every adult male in the place. They all bottled it. Believe it or not I am not usually like this but it was the third night in a row that they kept my kids awake on a school night and I snapped. I also p155ed in a motorbike fuel tank owned by one of said scumbags. Not a physically easy thing to do (visions of Stretch Armstrong.....) but how I tittered the next day watching him trying to start it.

 

[handyjack]

Call crime line as it's totally anonymous and say you have seen guns and drugs going in.

If you phone the police direct they immediately have your name and address. Been known for them to let the perp have the details occidentally, they say.

 

[Seafarer1966]

Brilliant Handy Jack. Top suggestion.

 

[Deleted member 63160]

Is the house owned or are they tenants? If they are tenants you could ask the landlord to have a word with them, or be polite and ask them yourself why they have a social life during the night.

To reduce the noise travelling you may need to insulate your walls with some form of insulation board such as cellotex but this can be a big undertaking.

Don't spend money on Celotex to stay quiet. Brill for staying warm but totally use less for noise reduction. Bad advice.

 

[Doggit]

I have yet to find a landlord that rents to this sort of scum who will take any action against them. As long as they get their rent, they don't give a damn what sort of problems their tenants cause, and it's landlord like this that are causing the increase in licencing schemes.

It would be better to beat the shyte out of the landlords first, then they'd take action against their callous tenants.

Seafarer is right I'm afraid, you've got to show whose the alpha male I'm afraid, or have a go at the thinks they prize.

 

[DaveHerns]

That's OK until they come back late at night and get their revenge.