Noise dispute from Semidetached house

jasminerose

Hi All,

We recently moved to Wicklow town to one of the new housing estate which is in Marlton Road. We’re a young family with a 2 year old and 5 year old living in a 3bed semi detached house.

There has been constant complaints from our neighbours since we moved in, because of kids playing around during social hours. Our children normally goes to bed before 7:30pm and wake up mostly around 8am. There are some exceptional cases like when they fall sick or get cold.

We were also given out for using water pump, blender in the morning or carrying out any normal activities. We went to their house to understand the level of impact they’re referring to in the initial days. It’ll be minimal or none if we’re carrying out with our daily routine. We could hear very slight noise if their house is silent. It’s pretty much the same on our end. We could hear them using the switch or walking when our house is silent.

Things have gone worse where they started using foul languages and threatenings where we completely ignored them. Garda was involved where they were hitting our front door and gave out.

They started hitting the walls during the night or day time intentionally to disturb us and putting loud music intentionally to annoy us.. They also have a little girl but they still don’t understand the point. Tired of explaining that we’re not making anything intentionally.

Our children goes to crèche and there won’t be any noise till 5pm or so.

We've hard flooring, so we’ve put down additional rugs and we don’t wear shoes in the house. Trying our best to take children outside and stopped inviting guests as much as we can. Thick curtains with additional layer has been put everywhere. Not using any items which is on the connecting wall.

Today we had friends over for dinner and children were playing around 5:30pm. They started ringing the door bell but we didn’t open the door. So we just responded via doorbell but they mentioned that they’ll go to solicitors for making sound(Kids playing) at 5:30pm on a bank holiday. He says that he wants to go for night shift and he’s not able to sleep. 

They were asking us to change the flooring in the initial days and said they’re happy to share the partial amount too. 

we didn’t entertain as we felt it is unnecessary and they won’t be happy even after we do things.

Is there someone whom we can go to stop this problem?

Thanks all for your help or valuable suggestions

Baybay

They do sound difficult people to live beside as you describe the situation. Have other neighbours in the semi detached houses there noticed similar noise problems with their neighbours? If so, perhaps there are insulation or soundproofing issues in general or perhaps just between you & your neighbours.

Legal advice isn’t really a thing on Boards & even if it was, I have no idea but I’m not sure a solicitor is where to start. Maybe the builder might be an option for advice, if they’re still on site. Perhaps a surveyor to make sure everything is built between you to acceptable guidelines. I think the council sometimes evaluate nuisance noise levels but I’m not sure if that’s just for council owned property.

coolbeans

They sound quite unreasonable so it may be difficult to keep them happy. I wouldn't be going out of my way to accommodate people who appear to be harassing you.

Tippex

They sound like a nightmare.

I would keep a log of all incidents where they complain times etc.

This is bordering on harassment; You should be prepared to go to the gardai with a complaint of harassment, as everything I have read is unreasonable.

Have they purchased the house or are they renting? If renting you could complain to their landlord.

This will not be and easy fix but 100% keep a log of every incident and if they are using foul language already record every incident of this on your phone.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284082#Comment_120284082

That's the best course.

Take notes of all interactions. Get the Gardai involved if it goes further.

At the end of the day, this is what happens in semi-Ds. Our house is well built but I can hear the neighbour walking up their wooden stairs, or inserting a plug in a socket on the adjoining wall. They need to get over it. Not your fault if someone works unsocial hours.

circadian

"Things have gone worse where they started using foul languages and threatenings where we completely ignored them. Garda was involved where they were hitting our front door and gave out.

They started hitting the walls during the night or day time intentionally to disturb us and putting loud music intentionally to annoy us."

This sounds like harassment to me. I get the feeling that no matter what you do they won't stop. Are you renting or are they renting? I had a family member renting beside a family who got increasingly difficult, similar to this. The intention was to get them to move out so their sister could rent the place instead. Headbangers.

monseiur

It seems that the builder cut some corners and that the party wall i.e the dividing wall between you and your neighbour was not built according the relevant building regulations - Part E 2014 Building Regulations (it deals with sound, soundproofing etc.) Google it and have read thru it. It may be worth you and your neighbour's while to engage the services of a competent civil engineer to establish if this is the case. Be sure to involve your neighbour to ensure costs are shared😊 Once you have a professional report go after the builder or his insurance / bond to rectify the matter. Some remedial work may have to be carried out by the builder on party wall from ground floor up including attic, try to off load this on to your neighbours side of wall seeing that they are the complainants🤣

Also have a discreet chat with others in your estate re. similar issues with sound.

jasminerose

Sound testing was carried out on both the houses and it has passed the test on both the houses. Builders said it is pretty normal and they’re in this field for 30 years and never experienced this. Spoke to other neighbors living in semi detached houses and they mentioned it is pretty normal for any semi detached house. Our floor person also brought an engineer to investigate the flooring to make sure it was laid correctly along with ghe floor person.

jasminerose

This is not a council house. Unfortunately we both the own the houses and bought the houses around the same time.

I have been making note of everything with all the timings in full details. Garda warned them couple times for their behavior.

We are tired of explaining them that we’re trying to live a normal life. They do this intentionally when we’ve guests or when kids play during weekend at evening times.

yer man!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296742#Comment_120296742

I think I have a similar issue to you on this. I can hear quite a bit from my neighbour, mostly TV, talking and impact sounds. It's a new build with a fully complaint party wall construction (sound test passed). However, we do seem to have an unfilled cavity wall in front of the block work. This seems to be creating a reverberation effect and amplifying the sound from the neighbour. We're going to try and fill that cavity and see if it makes any difference before commiting to the full on sound insulation as each room is the guts of 4k to do.

dbas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058283092/noise-dispute-from-semidetached-house

Send him a link to to a set of ear plugs and tell them not to knock on your door again.

You do need to stand your ground against these people.

Tossers

Hope it all works out for ye. Wicklow is lovely.

Wildly Boaring

When thr builder says it's tested he may be stretching slightly.

Under building regs, part E, not every single house in a development is tested. A representative sample if each type is tested. If you're in a development of a load of semi-d then there's a chance you're specific house wasn't tested and the builder messed up something.

Be worth getting it tested, unfortunately that would really require cooperation from next door......

prunudo

I suspect there is nothing wrong with the house, sounds like your neighbours are the problem. If their hearing is that sensitive and are that annoyed by normal urban noises maybe living in a semi-d isn't wise for them. Part me also wonders is there another underlying grievance here and they using the noise issue to make your life difficult. Did you know them in the past or having any dealings with them through work or elsewhere.

hilwrh9

I bought a new build last year myself and i’m hearing pretty much everything from my neighbours (I haven’t mentioned it to them) - Impact and airbourne sounds (loud talking, moving around rooms, doors closing, plug sockets - normal day to day stuff). I feel personally it’s poor construction on the party wall, i might as well be living with them. I complained to the builder and they have said that they are in compliance with part E of the building regulations (my unit itself was not tested however). I have contacted pretty much every acoustic engineer i can find in Ireland and i’m having no luck with getting any of them to look at the issue. I have also looked into getting soundproofing material added to the walls, the multiple companies i spoke with told me they get multiple calls every week for new build sound transfer issues, the prices to do it are huge and there is not a guarantee it will do much for impact noise. If anybody has any luck with resolving this type of issue please let me know.

2011

Mod note: Not a regional issue, so I have moved this thread to a more suitable home. Perhaps one of the many knowledgeable contributors here can assist with a clever idea.

blackbox

House design has a lot to answer for. I grew up in a semi-d where the two front doors were side by side. This meant that the halls, stairs and landings were between us and our neighbours' living spaces.

We rarely heard a sound from next door.

kirving

Building regulations aren't worth the paper they're written on if they're not enforced. With the best will in the world, and even if the builder is correct, you can't trust them to test it properly, you need an third party.

The other side of it may simply be that your neighbor is genuine, but has never lived in a semi-d, is overly sensitive to noise and so is driven mad.

They might also just be trying to assert a bit of control from the outset, so they have the moral high-ground when it comes to other issues like parking, planning, overgrown hedges, etc. in future. They do their best to make you feel bad about it (as you clearly do posting here) and they then go unchallenged on bigger issues for years to come. Whatever happens, don't change your life unduly to comply with their demands, it's too much of a toll on you mentally and will never ever stop. Even if they themselves are genuine, they can still be objectively unreasonable.

ted1

You’re neighbour is an idiot.

when working night shift you have to expect regular day time noises. It’s one of the reasons why he’s getting a shift allowance. , for inconveniences.

If he wants complete silence he should have bought a detached house

as he has let it bother him. He’s just getting more and more wound up.

get a doorbell camera. And ignore the prick, but do keep a log in report him for harassment.

Supercell

Sell OP, life is too short for the stress this is causing your family.

hesker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120877820#Comment_120877820

My first house was like this. Front doors and hall/landing were adjacent so it meant I could sleep ok and living room was unaffected.

A small group of the residents took the builder to court or threatened to do so. The builder installed sound insulation for them. Only that small group had their houses done as they acted in secret. No idea if it resolved the problem and I moved on not long after.

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120881861#Comment_120881861

Exactly, there is zero chance of a resolution as long as you are living next door to each other.

shinzon

Im going to come at this from the opposite direction from someone who is dealing with the problem of noisy Children, and people are going to say im a tosser etc etc but I dont care, the house im talking about is a rented property and anyone is just thrown in there so long as they pay rent the landlords dont care and everyone that goes in there has been a problem in one way or another. The present tenants are a couple with 2 children and the noise levels are beyond belief not just shouting and roaring but screaming to the point of distraction all hours of the day. Yes people have said to me there children thats what they do, I say I have no problem with playing but thats not what these children are doing and basically spend time in this house youll quickly change your tune. Its gotten to the point where I have to roar at them to shut up just to get some peace, I dont harass these people I do knock on the wall when things get out of hand in there ive not gone to there landlord or anything like that, but I do think in a housing estate where everyones on top of each other with semi detached houses some consideration should be given to everyone I dont think thats to much to ask.

In closing they havent been in there the last 3 weeks and its the longest run of quietness since they moved in its been heaven.

Shin

TimHorton

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120881895#Comment_120881895

Same here , I moved out of a 4 Bed Semi to a new Detached House (Builders Finish) on half an acre , Only added 20k to the mortgage at the time in 2006, Best decision ever made.

Oscar_Madison

Hi OP. Firstly, If you’re living a normal family life in your home, with normal sounds then you’re doing nothing wrong.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of houses like yours across Ireland. I lived in a house once for awhile where next door was rented to a group of young Eastern European casual workers- they worked Mon-Fri without much incident but the weekends were a nightmare. The soundproofing was really bad- simple things you could hear like you included light switches, someone walking on wooden flooring or even slightly raised voices etc - so you can imagine if a party took place with loud music, what the levels of noise would become- you may as well have been in the same house.

As you say, sound proofing is expensive, needs to be done on both sides and there’s no guarantee you’ll be noise feee. You obviously have a tolerance level for normal family sounds that your neighbour refuses to accept. Your neighbours are in denial that the issue is not you in any way, but the deplorable way the house was built.

My recommendation is this. Keep a notebook close to hand and document every time your neighbour becomes threatening towards you- whether it’s a bang on the wall or the door or whatever- note the time, date , whose in the house, describe the aggressive behaviour and the impact on you. Once you have built up this evidence, present it to the guards- a case of harassment may well be called for.

You have accepted that your house is not sound proofed and you are trying your best to minimise normal house sounds- your neighbour is too thick to recognise this situation - keep calm, never respond to his aggression in any way, but keep a log of everything - one day I think you’ll have just enough to make life very difficult for this chap.

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120881975#Comment_120881975

If you purposely move into a badly designed and built attached house then you can’t expect peace and quiet, as that is not what you paid for. These houses are not much beyond cattle sheds, they are not designed and built for comfort.

deezell

Article in the Indo today

"Stefanie Preissner: We are moving house — what if we get the neighbours from hell?"

It got me thinking, if you've new people moving in beside you, what if it's - Stefanie Preissner?!

Storm 10

Thank God I live in a semi detached house built in 1986 the neighbour could let off a bomb and we would not hear it, the houses were built with the blocks laid flat between them so its really noise free terrible position for the OP to be in.

vixdname

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120902602#Comment_120902602

Yeah, I bought a semi D build in the early 60s.

Whilst renovating I saw some of the blocks they used back in the day, they were huge and weighed a ton.

We've a young couple next door with a new born, I've not once heard the child nor themselves in any way.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121274729#Comment_121274729

6 inch solids! For real men only.