Noisy Neighbors

[Dan Gould]

Does anyone have experience with white noise machines and noisy neighbors?

Our greatest annoyance with our new house is the presence of annoying neighbors who can't seem to understand that people might actually want to sleep, say, after 10:30 at night. Sometimes its the car stereo blasting while the car sales through the neighborhood, but last night it was the stereo inside their house. The cops are worthless, they show up an hour later, if you're lucky.

So, as I was desperately trying to shield my ears, I began to wonder about white noise machines and whether they might be the answer.

Any advice? Thanks!

[BERIGAN]

Well, air purifiers make a lot of white noise, and they make your air better as well! A friend of mine who worked nights swore he would have killed someone if he hadn't gotten one. I don't know if anything can completely drown out bass though......

[Rooster_Ties]

Got storm-windows?? I think they help.

We generally keep the storm-windows on all year round on the east side of our house, that faces the street (and our bedroom is on that side of the house, right at the front). In the summer when it's cool enough to NOT run the A/C, we only open one window (the farthest from the street), and run an exhaust-fan for air circulation.

We don't live on a really busy street, but it does get some traffic at all hours, occasionally with loud car stereos (maybe twice per night).

[AmirBagachelles]

Have you tried talking to them? Enlisting the help of other neighbors? Cops in NYC don't take action (though will respond to complaints by single citizens, but precinct commanders and police liasons to Community Boards in NYC will respond if several people get together and complain.

[A Lark Ascending]

I live in a terraced house with walls that are designed like a guitar box...they just seem to amplify the music or TV from next door.

Last weekend I bought some cheap bookcases and lined the wall with old books. Looks nice and seemsto have reduced the seepage.

I identify totally with the irritation expressed here. I'm totally tolerant of most things neighbours do. They can build wierd structures, keep tigers in their back garden, run a fish and chip shop.

But I just can't abide hearing the thump of someone elses stereo or the feeling that Bruce Willis is going to come through the wall due to someone's surround sound TV system!

I just get irrational, turn the speakers towards the wall and play very antisocial jazz very loudly! Not a sensible way to solve the problem but it just makes me see red.

[connoisseur series500]

Unfortunately Dan, I have a noisy and selfish neighbor.

He has every frickin loud mechanical device known to the American suburbanite; and he makes a living by adopting kids and pocketing the $20-30,000/year per kid income that comes along with it.

He has his noisy friends and family over all the time to scream and splash in his pool; and they love to park their cars in front of my house, while nothing is parked in front of his house.

His dog poops in my yard and he's always up to something guaranteed to annoy me.

I just try to take it all as philosophically as possible.

If I had more of Dan's guts, I would call the cops, but I just tend to take it...

Once I parked my speakers to the window to blast out some jazz and he responded by pumping out rock n' roll while swimming in the pool. I just can't win...

I am determined to telephone him next time he's got another noisy pool party going at 11:00 at night.

[Dan Gould]

Paul,

If this guy is this obnoxious, you really ought to start using the cops to hassle him. You might also look into contacting your city's department of Code Enforcement. Dogs pooping on your yard and parking in front of your house (if its illegal to park that way, or on the sidewalk) surely violates codes and they may do something about it.

What made it really annoying this time was the fact that it was coming from the house. Usually its someone sitting in their car. Its small consolation to know those jackasses will be stone deaf in ten years-I want to get some sleep TONITE!

And as far as that house goes-I'm not about to go knock on their door to tell them to lower their stereo. Might get greeted by a shotgun.

[AfricaBrass]

I used to have a neighbor that was a real jerk. My solution was to resort to sonic warfare. I didn't want to be obvious about it (since the guy was a scary meth head), so I'd use this cd that had really high and low frequencies on it. In the middle of the night, I'd run the high frequencies to make his dogs bark, or I'd just let a low frequency rumble (with my subwoofer), I'd even let off loud thumps with my subwoofer in the middle of the night. I'm sure he had no idea what was going on, but I know it had to have bothered him.

[7/4]

I am determined to telephone him next time he's got another noisy pool party going at 11:00 at night.

That's when you call the cops.

[7/4]

His dog poops in my yard and he's always up to something guaranteed to annoy me.

Tall fence.

[7/4]

I used to have a neighbor that was a real jerk. My solution was to resort to sonic warfare. I didn't want to be obvious about it (since the guy was a scary meth head), so I'd use this cd that had really high and low frequencies on it. In the middle of the night, I'd run the high frequencies to make his dogs bark, or I'd just let a low frequency rumble (with my subwoofer), I'd even let off loud thumps with my subwoofer in the middle of the night. I'm sure he had no idea what was going on, but I know it had to have bothered him.

Cool.

Sonic warfare!

And...they don't even know what's going on....

[Jazzmoose]

Damn...guess I'm lucky; the neighbors are pretty quiet and so are we. Don't get me wrong; I've been in this situation before, I'd just forgotten how shitty it was. Thanks for reminding me! I'll go count my blessings for a while...

[connoisseur series500]

I think that I will telephone him first to warn him when his parties extend out too late in the weekdays.

The cops will be call afterwards if my call has no effect.

I'll develop a backbone yet...

[7/4]

I think that I will telephone him first to warn him when his parties extend out too late in the weekdays.

The cops will be call afterwards if my call has no effect.

I'll develop a backbone yet...

Don't talk to him about it then call the cops. Then he will know you called the cops.

Just call the cops.

Edited May 25, 2004 by 7/4

[Jim Alfredson]

Dan,

Buy some M80s. Wait until the party is over and everyone is asleep. Light the M80s and put them in between the screen door and their front door. Run.

[Brad]

Dan,

Since the cops don't seem to work, it would seem the next best thing is, unfortunately, a court. They must be violating some noise or nuisance statutes. It's unfortunate to have to resort to something like this but unless the cops step it up, you don't seem to have many other options. You shouldn't have to put up with this.

[chris olivarez]

We have some miserable little punks cruising through town blasting their car stereos but it usually doesn't last too long because the little weenies are usually cruising through but it is annoying.

[Christiern]

I live in a building that was completed in 1929, so it has walls that are far thicker than anything built around here today. The Negro Ensemble used to rehearse in the apartment next to mine and while I could always hear the actors when I stepped off the elevator, nothing ever came through the wall.

I have only had one problem, and I was the noisy neighbor. Geoffrey Holder brought over a tape he wanted me to hear. It was something he had put together for Alvin Ailey, a voodoo thing with lots of loud, deep drums. I had two huge studio speakers at the time, so the sound was, admittedly, voluminous.

I was in the kitchen making drinks when the doorbell rang. Geoffrey answered it. It was my new upstairs neighbor, a little Wall Street broker, slight of build and somewhat mousey. If you don't know what Geoffrey Holder looks like, let me say that he is a very large, imposing man with a deep, resonant voice. You can imagine the shock my neighbor had when Geoffrey opened the door and he had to look up. My neighbor later told me that he had come prepared to read me the riot act, but the sight of this large man, whom he instantly recognized as the "Un-cola Man," took the bombast out of him. He almost became apologetic as he wondered if we could "turn the bass down a little bit."

[chris olivarez]

I remember those commercials and I remember Geoffrey in "Live and Let Die". I can see why you're neighbor rethought his approach Chris.

[tooter]

I live in a thick walled, 1920's terraced house in inner London - the area is gradually being taken over by yuppies and recently the houses both sides were occupied by groups of young people - tenants. (We moved in here twenty five years ago partly because of the quiet, and the layout allows me to play my music, quietly, without annoying anyone.) We were on tenterhooks but surprise, surprise -one side we never hear anything at all and hardly ever see them. The other side they are extremely considerate and, although boisterous, do not play any loud music. They could run up and down stairs more quietly but this doesn't compare with the music menace.

There's no answer to anti-social behaviour, and the offenders seem to be becoming more and more prevalent. New York style zero tolerance - yes, please! They got it right in Singapore I believe.

[vajerzy]

Boy- this thread really makes me count my blessings that I live on 12 acres and my nearest neighbor is 3/10 mile away from me.......

In all my previous instances of rude neighbors, I've knocked on the door and spoke to the people in a nice way- most of the time we've come to an agreement of what to do and when.

Dan- have you talked to the person who lives on the other side of this knucklehead, or someone who lives behind them? Perhaps other people have the same dilemma as you and there may be strength in numbers.

[sidewinder]

I've had this problem in the distant past and after polite and ignored requests I found that the only solution was to turn hi-fi speakers to the wall, put one of the more far-out disks on 'Escalator Over The Hill' on autoplay (the one with that ultrasonic hum track is particularly good) and then go out for the evening. That got some action..

Sadly though, you can't beat detatched homes in order to avoid this problem. Even then, there's always spotty baseball-capped adolescent dolts who persist in revving down lanes in their souped-up crapmobiles at 4am, even when you live in the countryside..

Edited May 25, 2004 by sidewinder

[Dan Gould]

Thanks for the advice.

We are talking about detached homes in my case.

Interesting suggestion about enlisting the neighbors, it seems as though we are the only people to call the cops regarding noise complaints. Does the noise not bother them? Do they have no faith that the cops will do anything? Or are they afraid of the neighbors and don't want to get blamed?

At least last night was quiet and I got some sleep. The problem was, we just started letting the dog sleep on the bed with us, but he won't just curl up and go to sleep. He stretches out, moves around-and he's 40 pounds, just big enough to really make his presence known. I'm a heavy sleeper, but my wife isn't-she told me she hardly slept at all.

Back in the crate for you, Coltrane!