Noise from neighbours

So basically I have loud neighbours, not music wise but not knowing how to close internal, external or cupboard doors without slamming.

In the stairs party wall and the small back bedroom onto the party wall I installed 50mm insulated slab. Made a slight difference. But it’s the slamming front and back door is what is the most infuriating especially in anti social hours. By the way I don’t sleep in any room adjoining the party wall but it stills wakes me. When they slam it feels like it reverberates through the house.

I have asked them and nothing changes. It’s rented so thinking of going the RTB route to force the landlord to install pneumatic arms.

But why I am here is because I want to muffle them out. I can’t change the kitchen for a while so cos the cupboards are onto the party wall, I do plan on this in time. What I was thinking of doing was drilling small holes into the drywall closest to the party wall and spraying expanding foam into it as I am thinking this could stop the slam/vibration from travelling, would this work? Also the landlord has installed an old front door where the back door should be so it slams and closes towards my house if you know what I mean

By the way all the offcuts of the insulated slab I have put into the attic party wall but I have gaps so thinking of expanding foam to fill them.

Any thoughts?

Tails142

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Tails142

Tails142 wrote: »

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I tried that and they slam so loud it still woke me and anyhow to sleep permanently with ear plugs in I would not think to be good, what if some broke in, what about a kitchen smoke alarm etc.

Also should my kids now sleep with ear plugs over inconsiderate neighbours and poor door installation by a landlord?

Tails142

Yeah I understand you. Unfortunately I think noise from neighbours is just part of living in a semi-d. The house I grew up in (70s build) you could hear next doors front door close. Growing up I'd say we were the noisy ones but in my late teens our neighbour or his kids seemed to take up some hobby that involved repetitive hammering. Never found out what, sounded like they were putting down a parquet floor, went on for years. Sociable hours only of course but I remember it bothering me studying for college exams.

I remember living in a modern build a few years ago and I was getting woken up by our neighbours alarm clock at 6am, this was after she'd gotten up and gone to work, it used to go off on repeat for an hour. Had to drop a note in the door. One morning there was a really annoying tapping sound coming from her bedroom. I went downstairs to try get some sleep but could still hear it. Went out the front door in a rage to complain and noticed her window was open and the Venetian blind was moving slightly in the breeze, knocking on the window reveal, I could barely hear it outside, it sounded so loud in our house.

I'm living in a 1940's house at the minute, possibly have some shared timbers with the neighbours and there is a lot of sound that travels. All the walls downstairs are solid block including party wall of course. They must have speakers or a tv mounted on the party wall because I can hear in the evenings when they play music, only really notice when our own house is quiet. They have an inset stove and when they are loading coal into it or cleaning/shutting the door it sounds like they're about to burst through my fire place channel tunnel style. They must have a socket on the party wall too, when they flick the switch every evening it sounds like someone flicking a switch in my own living room, it's weird. Poor things cause I can hear them going to bed every evening at 10pm and assuming they can hear the sounds that we make in a similar fashion, we keep racketing on till 1am most days! We have built in wardrobes in the bedrooms against the party wall and the doors and catches are very clunky, eek!

We've a 6 month old in the house and we have suspected that their slamming front door has woken him a few times, not that they close it any different to how we close our own.

Anyway, we chose to live near the city instead of a detached house it the country. And with the two young lads I'm rearing, it's the neighbours I'm feeling sorry for (they're kind of posh yuppy types, only one kid that's already 5 or 6, very quiet). Let's hope for their sake death metal doesn't come back into fashion when my lads hit their teens.

Tails142

And sorry, to help answer your question seen as this is the diy forum, I don't think any amount of sound deadening fixed to walls is going to stop that low frequency noise from doors slamming travelling through into your house. The noise is transmitting through the structure itself so there would need to be a clear break in the structure to stop it travelling.

I've a feeling that type of sound deadening insulation you are using will only help to block higher pitched noises that would be travelling thorough the air such as music or voices from passing through from one side of the wall to the other.

Tails142

Tails142 wrote: »

Yeah I understand you. Unfortunately I think noise from neighbours is just part of living in a semi-d. The house I grew up in (70s build) you could hear next doors front door close. Growing up I'd say we were the noisy ones but in my late teens our neighbour or his kids seemed to take up some hobby that involved repetitive hammering. Never found out what, sounded like they were putting down a parquet floor, went on for years. Sociable hours only of course but I remember it bothering me studying for college exams.

I remember living in a modern build a few years ago and I was getting woken up by our neighbours alarm clock at 6am, this was after she'd gotten up and gone to work, it used to go off on repeat for an hour. Had to drop a note in the door. One morning there was a really annoying tapping sound coming from her bedroom. I went downstairs to try get some sleep but could still hear it. Went out the front door in a rage to complain and noticed her window was open and the Venetian blind was moving slightly in the breeze, knocking on the window reveal, I could barely hear it outside, it sounded so loud in our house.

I'm living in a 1940's house at the minute, possibly have some shared timbers with the neighbours and there is a lot of sound that travels. All the walls downstairs are solid block including party wall of course. They must have speakers or a tv mounted on the party wall because I can hear in the evenings when they play music, only really notice when our own house is quiet. They have an inset stove and when they are loading coal into it or cleaning/shutting the door it sounds like they're about to burst through my fire place channel tunnel style. They must have a socket on the party wall too, when they flick the switch every evening it sounds like someone flicking a switch in my own living room, it's weird. Poor things cause I can hear them going to bed every evening at 10pm and assuming they can hear the sounds that we make in a similar fashion, we keep racketing on till 1am most days! We have built in wardrobes in the bedrooms against the party wall and the doors and catches are very clunky, eek!

We've a 6 month old in the house and we have suspected that their slamming front door has woken him a few times, not that they close it any different to how we close our own.

Anyway, we chose to live near the city instead of a detached house it the country. And with the two young lads I'm rearing, it's the neighbours I'm feeling sorry for (they're kind of posh yuppy types, only one kid that's already 5 or 6, very quiet). Let's hope for their sake death metal doesn't come back into fashion when my lads hit their teens.

Agree in principal in what you and I understand it comes part and parcel of living in the city, noise from their kids I take no notice of, it’s the adult children and the father who come and go at all hours, then go out the back for a chat and smoke at 1am and slam the door on the way in.

Once I can manage a sleep in the normal sleeping hours I don’t mind. Daytime noise is part and parcel but it’s the inconsiderate adults in ridiculous times that frustrate me. I would expect them to have a bit more cop on

So I know I can’t change their ways so I want to minimise their impact so that’s why I am looking for tips to muffle them out, especially stopping the slamming vibrating through the house

DonJose

I’ve used draught excluder tape on my doors to stop the kids slamming them. Bought mine in Lidl years ago and they are still on the doors. It’s a foam tape that would cushion the slamming of the doors. Cheap solution to your problem.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weather-Stripping-Adhesive-Draught-Excluder/dp/B078M2YVSK/

DonJose

DonJose wrote: »

I’ve used draught excluder tape on my doors to stop the kids slamming them. Bought mine in Lidl years ago and they are still on the doors. It’s a foam tape that would cushion the slamming of the doors. Cheap solution to your problem.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weather-Stripping-Adhesive-Draught-Excluder/dp/B078M2YVSK/

I agree, I suggested that to them, even told them I was going to b and q and could buy them some

InPsyDer

Door slamming is one of the worst things about living with or near other people in my opinion! Am in a rental and have always had issues with other people in the house slamming, rather than simply closing, the doors.
I think it must be one of those things people genuinely don't realise they are doing and are tuned out to, as it isn't done with any intention. I find it so odd though as for me it couldn't be easier to just let it close but with no force. I hear the people in the flat below us slamming their doors and cupboards too. I've tried everything I could think of over the years to reduce it in my home, including putting up the excluder tape everywhere!
The only thing that has ever helped though was repeatedly saying how much it disturbs me, asking people to try and remember not to slam.... And even having to go as far as literally explaining how to turn down the handle as you close it so there's no impact with the catch! Cringed having to explain that to other adults and feeling like I was nagging people but I think slamming is a habit people grow up with and is hard to change! Would hope your neighbours would be willing to make the effort if they really understood how disruptive it was for you. I would be mortified to think I was waking people in another house!!

InPsyDer

InPsyDer wrote: »

Door slamming is one of the worst things about living with or near other people in my opinion! Am in a rental and have always had issues with other people in the house slamming, rather than simply closing, the doors.
I think it must be one of those things people genuinely don't realise they are doing and are tuned out to, as it isn't done with any intention. I find it so odd though as for me it couldn't be easier to just let it close but with no force. I hear the people in the flat below us slamming their doors and cupboards too. I've tried everything I could think of over the years to reduce it in my home, including putting up the excluder tape everywhere!
The only thing that has ever helped though was repeatedly saying how much it disturbs me, asking people to try and remember not to slam.... And even having to go as far as literally explaining how to turn down the handle as you close it so there's no impact with the catch! Cringed having to explain that to other adults and feeling like I was nagging people but I think slamming is a habit people grow up with and is hard to change! Would hope your neighbours would be willing to make the effort if they really understood how disruptive it was for you. I would be mortified to think I was waking people in another house!!

They seemed receptive the times I said it and then back to normal very quick. I actually got draught excluder for my own house and I might actually try to suggest when I see them that I can go in and put it on, it’s less than a tenner and it would be worth it for the peace. Still think I need to work out a way to stop the vibration spreading it feels like it travels big time, so I think it’s the old dry wall that was there when I bought the place is probably hollow so i will see if spraying in foam might do the trick

lgk

Deleted User wrote: »

Still think I need to work out a way to stop the vibration spreading it feels like it travels big time, so I think it’s the old dry wall that was there when I bought the place is probably hollow so i will see if spraying in foam might do the trick

Foam will do nothing. The only way to stop vibration transmission like that is to break the transmission medium, close to impossible to retro-fit.