Neighbour Noise

[Dragonfly_01]

Hi,

I haven't posted before. Feel like I am going to shatter into tiny pieces. I am a quiet person in my early 60s and live on my own. I have been having issues with the people in the house behind me since I bought my house 15 years ago. They like to play their music loud and the bass beat is inescapable. They also tend to attract a lot of like-minded people and enjoy large loud gatherings in their backyard which might as well be in my house as my thin fibro walls are no defence against it. It wouldn't bother some people, I know, but it does me. It feels like they are denying my right to exist, that my needs don't count for anything which leads me to feel angry but also sad and pathetic. I have tried to resolve it both directly and through the housing organisation which leases the house to them. It works for a while but then it gradually just ramps back up again. I really want to develop some mental resources to not let it get to me so badly as I suspect it will always be an issue. I have tried practical things like earplugs and headphones which work for a while but I want to enjoy my house and garden and not have to block out birdsong and other nature sounds and feel totally cut off. I would welcome any suggestions for reconfiguring my brain/thought processes so that their noise doesn't bother me so much. Thanks.

[white knight]

Hi, welcome,

One of my previous jobs was by-laws officer for councils for several years and that covered ePA regulations. Plus I dislike loud noise and I'm bipolar and high functioning Asperger's that is intolerant to any raising of voices etc.

If laws havent changed enforcing EPA regulations in a domestic set up like yours is nigh impossible due to the measuring devices required to measure the loudness and then the noise would need to be over a certain level for a continuous period of time. So that rules out council assisting in a legal sense.

The people making the music are not the type to negotiate with and they likely will make life hell for you by the direct, tactful and pleading self. I wouldnt try. If they were asked to use headphones they wouldnt - why? because they want everyone else to appreciate their taste in their music... chest banging mentality.

A person once said to me "I want to buy 100 acres and build a house in the middle". But in my experience in the country, loud trail bikes would still be annoying... If you had neighbours each side of them and each side of you that were prepared to each write a letter of complaint to that housing department you might have a better result but, also in my experience people arent prepared to stand up together, when push comes to shove they retreat...

So, at your age have you considered moving into an "over 50's" establishment that caters for your age and needs? They have strict regulations for noise and everything else. I realise your attachment to your home but your twilight years are coming and setting yourself up now is no better time.

Finally, you can get small ear peices now that fit into your ears and are hardly seen that you can have on bluetooth (wireless coming from a player in the house). You could have soft nature music on it that will drown out most of their loud noise while you are in the garden. A bonus is they block out other noise.

Older houses arent worth the expense to soundproof. You would need, triple glazed doors, windows and thick insulation. I once owned a house on a main road and those things still didnt stop all the road traffic.

I hope that all helps.

TonyWK

[Dragonfly_01]

Thanks very much for your reply.

Yes, I have come to realise, belatedly, that there is no way of stopping them. I am now trying to work out ways of coping so I appreciate  your earbud Bluetooth idea, thanks.

I, too, have had that fantasy about the house in the middle of 100 acres but, like you, thought of trail bikes! I agree that somewhere like an over 50s complex might be quieter but I don't enjoy too much interaction with other people - I find a little goes a long way. Plus, I am fit and well and like the space around me that my biggish garden affords me. 

I know I am a lot luckier than many to have the house and the noise is not 24 hours a day. It could be worse.

Thanks again for taking the time to offer your advice and support. It really means a lot.

I hope you are finding sufficient peace yourself in this noisy world.

Kind Regards, 

DF