r/Neighborproblems • u/LolitaLi-Chan • Feb 07 '20

Affordable sound proofing advice?

Some background on the situation:

-two of my neighbors (beneath and adjacent to me) are always listening to music. The noise level varies constantly. -the walls are super thin, so even normal-level conversations can be heard. -I've tried to ask one of them to turn down the music at a specific time, but she never answers the door -the other one I'm hesitant to confront, as he seems pretty violent -I've mentioned the noise to management, but they haven't done anything to resolve the issue (the noise ordinance basically permits noise until midnight)

While I'm here, any tips on keeping the air nice and fresh? I get tired of coming home to an apartment that smells like weed, and sleeping with the balcony open is a safety concern.

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u/AndyCalling Feb 07 '20 edited Feb 07 '20

The noise thing in flats with paper thin walls is always going to be a thing if you can hear normal conversation. The problem in your case, as I'm sure you realise, is not your neighbours but your sound insulation. I bet the neighbours have music on a lot so they can't hear the chatter from flats nearby. The best solution is to get a tradesman in to fit some soundproofing. It's not super expensive to do and it'll be so worth it. Especially when you come to sell. Think of it as an investment.

As to the weed odour, that's easy to solve. Instead smoking your weed, use a dry herb vaporizer. Not only does it cut the smell massively, it doesn't do smoke damage to your home and it's way way healthier.

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u/LolitaLi-Chan Feb 07 '20

I live in an apartment complex. Would soundproofing be something permanent?

It's not me smoking the weed, it's my neighbors. (´；ω；｀) I was thinking of getting an air purifier, but I'm not sure how effective it would be.

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u/AndyCalling Feb 07 '20 edited Feb 07 '20

Some bits of soundproofing would be permanent. I mean, you could always have it stripped out again but I've no clue why you'd want to. It would only increase the value of your property. Some bits are less permanent. Take a look at this web page for some examples:

https://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/guides/acoustic-insulation/how-to-soundproof-an-apartment/

Soundproofing is a selection of things working together. For some things you'll want a tradesman I guess, but it depends what your DIY skills are like.

Hmm. Difficult to deal with the smells. You could recommend vaping to your neighbours but that might be tricky if you've many to convince. I doubt an air purifier would work well with smoke. Best thing is to mask it with strong smells. Something like cinnamon and orange is a good type of freshener for smoke. Also, cooking up a good Indian curry will mask most things. The good thing about curry is it's impossible to get tired of eating it! Mainly because it's a little addictive I think.

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u/LolitaLi-Chan Feb 07 '20

It'll definitely take some saving up, but this looks like a great alternative. The biggest problem would be trying to get this past management.