Hi All
Is there an effective way of sound proofing a room which joins against next door in a semi (Bungalow). I like to play music (Not loud but at reasonably audible level) and next door neighbour is a Postman who gets up at 4.00AM so goes to bed at about 9.00PM and he thinks it's him that's in the real world.
An idea of how effective and cost would be appreciated.
Cheers Andy
Been down that road Andy. Proper effective soundproofing is quite a science. It is also expensive to acheive the desired decibel sound reduction. You should do floors, walls and ceiling. Do a Google search for soundproofing like I did. There are some excellent sites on it. Can't remember any urls off hand though.
ken
A very effective solution for £25> ....
BUY SOME CORDLESS HEAPHONES!
Effective??? I don't think so, I don't want to have to walk round my own house wearing headphones after 9.00PM. Suppose I should get a flashing light on the phone and door bell as well???
Actually I do sympathise as I too live next to a shift worker who sometimes starts work at 6am. I don't make any special considerations until 11pm, but after 11 I don't have the TV loud or even flush the toilet. 11pm is the accepted cut-off time for any household (at least it is for Environmental health and help the aged). Shift workers have to accept that it is them doing weird hours and cannot expect neighbours to fit around them. However, I NEVER play music in the evenings because the sound insulation is so bad - there is nothing on earth worse than hearing the dull thud-thud of someone else's music whilst trying to watch TV or work. I think the real problem is the low standards needed in the building regs so far as sound goes - When I say I can hear my neighbours fart I'm not exagerating, and with the ever higher-density housing today the building regs should be improved greatly. So yes I use headphones a lot - I have at least four sets at present, even some surround-sound ones for movies. I don't see what the problem is with using headphones? The way I see it, in the 'modern' terrace houses / back-to-back houses, there is no other choice because it is so annoying to hear a neighbours music at ANY time in the evening. Best option would be a detached house in the country! GTS
Hi Group As an ex shiftworker now retired I should remind people that shiftworkers can fight back. A work mate of mine with a similar problem would record the music and then play it back at about 4am. Another cantankerous storeman (are they all like that?) would get to work and constantly phone his neighbour up. My biggest problem was working nights during the Farnborough Air Show, I must have been the only person going to Heathrow for peace and quiet! Alan
I disagree. If you live in a semi you have to expect to hear some noise from the neighbours. I have to put up with their yappy dogs incessant barking every time they are all out. (Which IS normally early morning before I intend to waken)
I think the detached house in the country option is for the person who actually needs/wants the solitude/peace and quiet, not for the person who lives a "normal" life.
PS: Where is the dull thud in Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Van Beethoven or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major?
So why cant you play the music when he's on shifts?
If you realy want to go to great lenghts to sound proof the room the ceiling and all four walls need to have this done...
Battons on walls ceiling and egg cartons(24tray type)stuck to the wall then plasterboarded over and plastered,same with ceiling. Its an old teqnique the sound studios used.
Just be grateful you don't live next door to me, or you'd be posting in alt.medical-emergency asking how to remove a hi-fi unit from your arse.
My wife works shifts, and it can be hell for her if the d*****ad next door decides to take a day off work to do some DIY. We wouldn't mind but the only tool he seems to have is a bloody hammer!!!
Not sure I sympathise with the view here that shift workers choose to work weird hours. Someone needs to look after the hospital patients overnight, someone needs to keep the supermarket shop shelves full, someone needs to repair railways, and in this case whilst I don't believe the postal service is much good anymore, we'd all complain if the post didn't arrive until late afternoon.
Maybe we should be playing out music/TV's a bit quieter after 9pm (I certainly do) and maybe shift workers like my Psychiatric nurse wife should invest in some ear plugs?!?
Cordless headphones are OK for radio, but frankly proper music needs to be listended to on speakers.
Just my 2p
Al
P.S. Yappy dogs should preferably be shot, I do not and never will understand the attraction to a dog that goes yip over a dog that goes WOOOF!
I don't know what makes you so stupid, but it really works, but I'm busy right now. Can I ignore you some other time? MORON !!
To be honest I didn't really want to get into all the politics about it I just wanted to learn about the practicality of soundproofing. I don't play my music at an unreasonable levels and it's not drums and bass stuff either, I'm 48 years old NOT 20 !! At least I am trying to make an effort to compromise. Headphones are all very well but not practical for holding a conversation at the same time, and I agree the full effect can only be had from proper speakers.
I can put up with the yappy dog but don't see why everything should be one sided.
Yes, the full effect can only be obtained by holding a conversation throughout the music.
If you didn't want a discussion on the politics of it, you shouldn't have implied that your neighbour should put up with antisocial behaviour because he is a shift worker. According to him, it's unreasonable, maybe a search on Google will show you where the volume controls are on your stereo. I'm speaking as a person who had antisocial neighbours, who also held the view that it was my problem and not theirs.
I think it is you that is the anti social party especially with comments like in your last message
QUOTE "Just be grateful you don't live next door to me, or you'd be posting in alt.medical-emergency asking how to remove a hi-fi unit from your arse."
I guess you're the bully type and you may think you are the "Cock" in your street, but I don't know how you can make such a statement when you don't know who you are dealing with??? You should be very careful what you say to people you know nothing about. But it's easy to be brave behind a keyboard isn't it?
I love bullies, and making them cry!!!!! Keep talking, someday you'll say something intelligent.
Lots of top posting going on here....now THAT'S antisocial!
As to politics, all I was trying to point out is that everyone is entitled to a point of view, and that calling shift workers weird probably won't go down well with the night shift when you're next in hospital.
Noise is an emotive subject, I like most I guess, have suffered a noisy neighbour. Luckily she rented so we just went to her landlords, a local estate agent, and complained loudly and bitterly for two hours one busy Saturday morning...
Result, estate agent lost a mornings potential business, and our neighbour moved two weeks later......after a VERY noisy all night party!
As for the Cock of the street, he lives next door to me, funny how it's always the little guys, bit like yappy dogs I suppose.
I'm no bully, I never interfere with people's lives unless they interfere with mine. I just try to sort any neighbour issues out before they become a problem, as they were to me once. People who play music loud enough for the neighbours to hear through the walls are bullies, not those of us who snap after one sleepless night too many.
I stand by my comments, I don't care who you are, if your music affected me and you insinuated that there was something wrong with me for not putting up with it after being asked politely to turn it down, I *would* put a stop to it. I'd be quite happy to email you the court papers resulting from the issues I had with antisocial neighbours a couple of years ago, along with my current address if you're going to turn this into some kind of chest-puffing bravado crap. I can see pretty much what sort of person you are from your posts.
I seem to remember it being you who started this with a comment about sticking a Hi Fi up my arse!! That seems to be "chest puffing bravado crap" to me. I just commented that you shouldn't threaten people whom you have no idea who they are. Bit too late for you to backtrack now.
It is also fairly obvious from your remarks that you hadn't even read the thread properly judging by your immature comments.
Hey.... I got the headphones, they sound great, but the neighbour is now complaining of my out of tune singing
What else can I do????
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