Squeaky old house!

MizzLolly

I've been living in my house for nearly two years. The walls are paper thin and I can hear every creek. The floors are ancient and squeak and the bed's are very noisy!

Recently we had a new tenant move in, a lovely person, great to get along with etc. But over the last two weeks he's been bringing a girl back and unfortunately his room is right next to mine.

It's our own business what we get up to in our own rooms etc and this guy can do what he likes in the privacy of his bedroom. But just one example - Last Thursday night I went to bed at 10.30 (very early I know but I'd been in hospital that week, had used up all my sick days in work and just really needed to feel better by the morning) At around 11 I was woken by the noise of my housemate and this girl. I tried to go back to sleep but they had music playing aswell (presumably thinking it would mask the noise) Anyway the noise stops for a while but the music, laughing, giggling etc last for another hour or so. Then the noise begins again. And so on!

So I finally fell asleep when they decided it was sleepy time but the following morning at 7am I was woken again by both of them! The girl is here again this evening and they've already been making noise and no doubt I'll be woken again tomorrow morning! I just wanted to ask for advice on how to gently let him know that it's damn annoying. Or even if I should at all, because afterall it is his room and I'd be annoyed if I was told I couldn't have people stay over with me. But the fact that I'm being kept up is a bit much!

He's a really lovely guy though so I don't wana make him feel bad!

What can I do? If I do anything at all?

Also because he's pretty new here I don't feel right about talking to him about it, we don't have a friendship as such. We just get on well so I'm not sure what to do. Or even if I have any right to do anything. Because he's not actually doing anything wrong, it is his house too afterall!

minidazzler

I assume his bed is metal?

Ask him to tie some ties around the joints that are making the noise.

It should deaden the sound!

iguana

Is it your house? Are you the landlord? If so I would probably buy him a new bed, tbh. If a bed is that squeaky it's a sign that it needs replacing.

If you are all tenants in a house-share then you should mention it to him. And hopefully he will make an effort to be more quiet. Also when I lived in a noisy area I used to play a noise machine to mask out the neighbourhood noise. A constant wave sound can be relaxing and will stop you from hearing intermittent noises which are what will disturb you most.

MizzLolly

Nope I'm not the landlord. All of our beds squeak this much!

The house is old and the landlord has done nothing to maintain it. The noise can itself can be blocked with music, ear plugs or by iguana's suggestion. But the walls are so thin (and old) that they actually rattle. I have a bird cage on a locker in my bedroom and it actually rattles when they're at it!

See what I'm dealing with here, not just noise but the general rattling, squeaky earthquake vibe to the house!

I'm generally pretty laid back (I mean an old tenant here brought a guy back from a club one night and the drunken fool wandered into MY bedroom at 4.00am and I had no problem mentioning it) but I'm not sure how to approach this. It is his room, it isn't his fault the house is ancient. But at the same time I shouldn't be woken up by him.

grizzly

This is a tricky one. It embarrassing to discuss with someone you barely know and he may react badly and think that you shouldn't have brought it up at all. Personally I think it's just one of those things that comes with sharing a house, but I'm a heavy sleeper so it's never bothered me in the past.

Two things that might work;

1. Suggest he bring people home when you're away. This would only work if you're away regularly. You could bring this up by saying "you were thinking of having X round and were you out that night..."?

2. Don't mention the sex but say how much of a light sleeper you are. Hope he picks up the hint.

shellyboo

Earplugs, and ask him to move his bed out from the wall so that it's not making them shake.

It's very unfortunate that they're keeping you awake, but like you say, you can't exactly stop them having sex.

PirateShampoo

Ask him to stick a pillow between the headboard and the wall to stop the bed making noise.

thefeatheredcat

Just pull him aside and let him know tbh he probably hasn't been in the house long enough to realise how the sound travels...better now than months down the line and some serious embarrassment. If he's aware then he may also go elsewhere with his lady friend.... if you're not bothered with her being over, do stress that that's not an issue as you understand he has his rights to privacy, etc.

I live in a paper thin wall house too, so every footstep in the room next to me sounds as though it's in my room, can almost hear full conversations on the phone, stuff like that; after a while you just grow immune and don't hear it anymore, tune it out.

Invest in a good pair of headphones (the big over ear ones) as they're good for blocking out sound, or earplugs as others have suggested.

As for the house itself, I know it's not an issue, but perhaps your landlord should be maintaining it a bit more? If he's not registered then he's probably not bothered the place is falling apart as long as tenants aren't bothered/don't know they deserve better (as I've learned from experience), but if he's registered then there are certain obligations he has to the house, so PTRB's site is a good stop over. It doesn't sound too healthy a construction if it rattles imo.

gerTheGreat

I had a "school night" rule with my ex-roommate. We wouldn't bring people back to the apartment if one of us was working the following morning. Generally it would. If you feel you roommate is a reasonable person, then it may be worth suggesting.

mood

You could always mover to a house with thicker walls!