Noisy Condo Tenants

[JayBee]

Sorry. Yes I am in an end unit... just assume that semi-detached means a single attached neighbor -no pun intended? Spoke to the neighbor beside my neighbor and apparently I get the impression that the sound on his side is not as bad and he didn't go with soundproofing upgrades? I saw the same episode of Holms on Homes. In fact my colleague at the office will be having Thanksgiving dinner with Mike this weekend and he agreed to pose my issue to him just in case he had some suggestions. At my condo Concord brought in a company to do the sound test at no cost to me.

It's easier to go with the builder. But in cases like this, it's always best to do the work yourself. Builders will always do the bare minimum. There are contractors who specialize in soundproofing. There's also a certain way you set up the studs to soundproof a room. You have to use a special kind of soundproof glue (lookup green glue) and a bunch of other soundproofing materials. I bet the builder got some better STF rated drywall and threw in some cheap insulation and called it a day.

You should try to find out all the materials used and the construction methods used.

Some builders are good, but others seriously are slacking on soundproofing. Friend of mine hears his neighbour snoring, hears the alarm clock, pretty much everything. Not a cheap condo either.

 

[Murishnikov]

What is "reasonable noise"?

I'm relatively new to the condo scene, but I've lived in many "shared wall situations" over the years (semi detached house, apartment, etc.). We've been in our current place for a bit less than a year and we've had periodic but increasing problems with the people next door. They are renters and they are thankfully not there year round. However, when they are home, they very much like to watch movies and listen to music on their home theater system at very high volumes.

My question is this: how much noise should I be expected to tolerate and where is the line between reasonable and unreasonable?

When my neighbours are home, we consistently hear fairly loud bass vibrations from their unit during the day/evening. These are usually loud enough that we can hear them over the sound of our own television and they often go on for 4-5 hours at a time. Periodically, they like to really crank up the music and we can hear the entire range of sound through the wall (to the point of being able to recognize the song being played). On the positive side, they seem to respect the fact that people need to sleep and generally tone it down after 10:30pm.

A few points to note:
- the units in the building are separated by cinder block walls (with insulation)
- I have never heard a single sound from any of the other units around us (with the exception of footsteps upstairs)
- on a number of occasions, I have dropped by to let them know that it's too loud, but they can't hear me knocking over the sound of their television (or they are just ignoring me)

I have managed to speak to them about the noise on 3 or 4 occasions and in all cases I have been very polite/diplomatic. However, nothing seems to change. They have made promises of a "sound check", but they never come by when they promise.

At this point, I definitely see it as a disturbance and it's impacting my enjoyment of my home. However, I don't want to wage war (i.e. start engaging the property manager and escalating the issue) if I am just over reacting to the whole situation. I definitely understand that noise is part of living in a condo...but my gut tells me that this is going over the line.

Thoughts?

 

[JayBee]

If you don't want to engage property management and can't work things out with your neighbour you can insulate the wall between you two or just hope they move out. Most leases last a year.

On the flipside, their music/tv might not be that loud, could just be poor soundproofing in the building. It would be great if you could do a sound test with them. You go into their suite, they turn the music up and then you both can decide over a reasonable sound level.

 

[Murishnikov]

Would love to do a sound check, but they seem to be dodging me on that. I'll keep pestering them I guess.

On the soundproofing, I've spoken to a couple of other owners and none seem to have these kinds of problems. As well, I think the fact that I don't hear my other neighbours says something.

As to spending some money on my own to fix the problem, I'm considering that, but I sense that it could be expensive (it's a loft with 14' ceilings, so it's not just a matter of slapping up a few sheets of drywall). I also don't think I should have to spend the money to indulge my neighbour's desire to crank up his home theater.

Sadly, I don't think these people are going anywhere soon (they have been there for some time from what I can tell). The prior owner of my unit was never home and there is a business on the other side of their unit, so I don't think they've ever had anyone complain about them before.

 

[JayBee]

Would love to do a sound check, but they seem to be dodging me on that. I'll keep pestering them I guess.

On the soundproofing, I've spoken to a couple of other owners and none seem to have these kinds of problems. As well, I think the fact that I don't hear my other neighbours says something.

As to spending some money on my own to fix the problem, I'm considering that, but I sense that it could be expensive (it's a loft with 14' ceilings, so it's not just a matter of slapping up a few sheets of drywall). I also don't think I should have to spend the money to indulge my neighbour's desire to crank up his home theater.

Sadly, I don't think these people are going anywhere soon (they have been there for some time from what I can tell). The prior owner of my unit was never home and there is a business on the other side of their unit, so I don't think they've ever had anyone complain about them before.

Yea, but soundproofing your suite could possibly add value to it. Also, it seems that you're bothered by the noise. If you don't want to involve property management, investing a few dollars might be worth you keeping your own sanity. It shouldn't be that expensive, it's just a bunch of sheets of drywall. You can even do it yourself.

 

[cruzin4u]

I have been living in my first ever condo for a few months now and I think your situation might be as was described by another member - the doors lack soundproofing.

My neighbour does not crank up the tv or stereo, but they do have a newborn and you can hear it very often, crying. I will be watching TV at night and I could swear there is a cat outside crying. But I know that's impossible because I face the rooftop lounge area which is 4 stories above the ground. So it can only be one thing, and that's the baby crying. I often wonder how the hell I can hear noise so easily. I guess this is a part of condo living, walking the halls and hearing people's tv's from their units. I am definitely not use to it, as I have been a home owner for7 yrs. It's a difficult transition hearing doors closing constantly thoughout the day, vibrations from outdoors (Couture being built next door), the newborn crying and so forth.

After 10, your neighbours should not be blasting their music. I understand it's hard to confront your neighbours, as you don't want conflict with them - but if they are hurting your quality of life, this is an issue you must address with property management. And if property management is not going to do anything, the worst case scenario would be to file a noise complaint with law enforcement. It sounds stupid, but they have to learn some how.

The unfortunate thing in life is that some people give a damn and others don't give a shit. It seems that your neighbours are the latter.

 

[JayBee]

Funny thing is I rented in an older Tridel building....I never heard TV's or music or dogs(my neighbour had a dog) anything when in the halls. The sound comes from the gaps around the door. I've been in so many new condos and I witness the same thing. People talking, TV's, etc... in the hall. Wish builders did a better job here, but it is what it is.

I think most people in general are decent with regards to keeping the sound down, but you just have to understand that in these new condos sound really travels. You can have your TV at a decent level but still hear it in the hallway.

What you can do is get some weatherstrip and place it around your doorway. It should help with the sound transfer a bit.

Which building are you in, X?

 

[doug]

investing a few dollars might be worth you keeping your own sanity. It shouldn't be that expensive, it's just a bunch of sheets of drywall. You can even do it yourself.

Unfortunately, this is a laymans understanding of 'soundproofing'....it involves a lot more then 'slapping up a few sheets of drywall'.
You need to isolate your new wall from the existing, and add insulation, and preferably use 5/8" DW. Any electrical outlets/switches will have to be relocated.

 

[AHK]

Funny thing is I rented in an older Tridel building....I never heard TV's or music or dogs(my neighbour had a dog) anything when in the halls. The sound comes from the gaps around the door. I've been in so many new condos and I witness the same thing. People talking, TV's, etc... in the hall. Wish builders did a better job here, but it is what it is.

I think most people in general are decent with regards to keeping the sound down, but you just have to understand that in these new condos sound really travels. You can have your TV at a decent level but still hear it in the hallway.

What you can do is get some weatherstrip and place it around your doorway. It should help with the sound transfer a bit.

Which building are you in, X?

We are in a new building - and in all the units the doors to the units have a gap between the door and the door frame. Turns out that it is by design - that is how the make-up air from the ventilation units in the corridors gets into the suites. The make up air is required to allow the kitchen and bathroom fans to operate properly - if the units were so tightly sealed that no air came in, the exhaust fans would not be as effective. Not a great situation from a noise control perspective. I do not know how long this has been the practice, or whether it is a building code requirement.

AHK

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

We are in a new building - and in all the units the doors to the units have a gap between the door and the door frame. Turns out that it is by design - that is how the make-up air from the ventilation units in the corridors gets into the suites. The make up air is required to allow the kitchen and bathroom fans to operate properly - if the units were so tightly sealed that no air came in, the exhaust fans would not be as effective. Not a great situation from a noise control perspective. I do not know how long this has been the practice, or whether it is a building code requirement.

AHK

That's very common in highrises going back decades. I always put weatherstrip around the door and keep a window open a few inches when I'm cooking or showering, that allows the suite exhaust to operate just fine. If you use weatherstripping, do so discretely (suggestion, use black) because if property managment happens to notice it during some inspection you may have to remove it.

 

[JayBee]

We are in a new building - and in all the units the doors to the units have a gap between the door and the door frame. Turns out that it is by design - that is how the make-up air from the ventilation units in the corridors gets into the suites. The make up air is required to allow the kitchen and bathroom fans to operate properly - if the units were so tightly sealed that no air came in, the exhaust fans would not be as effective. Not a great situation from a noise control perspective. I do not know how long this has been the practice, or whether it is a building code requirement.

AHK

I know, but I think this is a bit of a copout. Office buildings don't seem to have this kind of issue. The soundproofing is much better.

 

[NIL OMNI]

We are in a new building - and in all the units the doors to the units have a gap between the door and the door frame. Turns out that it is by design - that is how the make-up air from the ventilation units in the corridors gets into the suites. The make up air is required to allow the kitchen and bathroom fans to operate properly - if the units were so tightly sealed that no air came in, the exhaust fans would not be as effective. Not a great situation from a noise control perspective. I do not know how long this has been the practice, or whether it is a building code requirement.

AHK

Correct. I believe it's referred to as "positive pressure." You can still install weather stripping around your unit's entry door but the trade-off is that you might be creating a mold situation if there is insufficient ventilation otherwise.

 

[NikoS]

Ok.. so I realize this thread is sorta dead.. anyways thought I would post... I found a place I absolutely love... but I went in for a 2nd showing and the noise from the neighbours unit was loud... is it worth buying a place and sound proofing? or should I just move on?

 

[TheKingEast]

Ok.. so I realize this thread is sorta dead.. anyways thought I would post... I found a place I absolutely love... but I went in for a 2nd showing and the noise from the neighbours unit was loud... is it worth buying a place and sound proofing? or should I just move on?

Noise from upstairs neighbour or beside you? It really depends....I say, if it's a place you want to live in for quite some time and you absolutely love it, then soundproof it. There aren't too many soundproofed condos out there so anything you get you'll probably have to deal with a bit of noise.

 

[NikoS]

Its only one shared wall... about 12 feet tall and 40 feet long... its a big wall... I don't know anything about sound proofing and searching online it would seem to be more complex ,,, Would most condo boards allow modifications to accommodate sound proofing?