Noisy neighbours/noise maker

[GreenLantern]

Alright so the gf and I moved into a new pad, it is a concrete condo building. The floors and walls are thick, you can't hear TV or conversations or anything like that, but it seems as though footsteps are amplified. I can hear people walking, thats not bad, but chairs scraping on the concrete is like nails on the chalk board. Keys dropped, or anything dropped is a jolting sound that has woken me up multiple times.

The people above us are night owls, usually the noise wakes me up around 1:30 am or 2 am, and I don't get back to sleep for at least a hour or two. My gf and I have both slept through our alarms multiple times already as a result, being late for work, and we have only been here two weeks.

I figure it is someone who works shift work, and they are just doing regular stuff like sitting at a table, walking around. And that is fine, I can't ask someone to stop living. I am just curious what others have done in a similar situation, I have looked into condo rules and there is a 11 pm noise curfew. But really, can you ask someone to stop walking up and down their stairs? (It is a loft style condo, the stairs are steel and you can hear the distinct sound, I swear the guy runs stairs for cardio)

I have always been a light sleeper, so this is a bad combo. I sleep with a fan, and that helped a lot in my old room, but this wide open concept seems to dumb down the noise of the fan, making it ineffective. The drier is much too loud, as it is right near the bed. We have a AC unit that makes a good amount of noise, but it is downstairs and we are upstairs.

Looking for suggestions on how to deal with the neighbour in the friendliest way possible (I do want to have my own parties and not get ratted out every time) and also a way to deal with the noise (noisemakers). I was thinking I have three options, go behind his/her back to the condo board/care takers and make a formal complaint (last resort). Talk to him in person and ask what the deal is, if there is any compromise we can reach (in my experience a lot of people do not like personal confrontation and he/she might be intimidated), or get a louder noise maker to block it all out.

Thanks.

[Yeah_Baby]

Ear plugs?

[taco.vidal]

Buy a white noise generator.

[normtwofinger]

IMO you should give it some time. You've only lived there for 2 weeks. You are in new surroundings and it will take time to get used to the noises. Soon enough you probably won't notice them.

But if you do feel you need to do something, I would talk to them in the nicest way possible.

[Ducay]

Good wax/cotton earplugs and a loud fan.

[VladtheImpaler]

The people above aren't doing anything wrong or unusual, judging by what you told us, so there is zero reason to talk to them or the condo board. You'll just have to deal with it or move.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by taco.vidal

Buy a white noise generator.

You can get good white noise apps for your iPhone.

[Flabbibulin]

I hate noisy neighbors, but I guess that's what I get for living anywhere near Mt. Royal junior college. Two houses on our block with a bunch of 20 year old mount royal punks that like to have loud parties 2 or 3 nights a week.

I wish I could be 20, not work for a living, go to class 2-3 hours a day, yet still manage to go on and on about how busy life is.

[greyshep]

If you are that light of a sleeper why would you have chosen to live in a condo? Concrete is a bit better but proximity still increases noise potential.

Find some way to deal with it on your own (earplugs, white noise, etc).....or look for a single family home in the burbs. I see no justification in speaking to the neighbor above.

[scotty2hotty]

I went to University in the States and lived above 3 guys on the basketball team. Nice guys, but it was 1 year of incessant base from noon until 4 am.

My alarm would go off at six am every day and I would proceed to lay my stereo speakers face down over the vents and blast Neil Diamond. I'd leave it on until I came home at lunch.

I have no idea if this had any effect at all, but the immature passive aggressiveness made me feel better.

Also, I am fully aware that this anecdote in no way helps you with your situation.

[GreenLantern]

I have lived in an apartment style before and in a small bedroom the fan was more than enough noise to drown out anything around me. Having problems with it in a large room without walls, it seems to just fade into the background.

We are right downtown now, and the city noise helps as well, I actually prefer it over the quiet of the suburbs or condo towns, but that all fades by around midnight..

Its that 1 AM to 7 AM gap that needs to be filled with some noise.

I have done my research, the condo rules state any noise after 11 PM that is seen at the discretion of the tenant as a disturbance will be reviewed by the board. I talked with the maintenance girl not laying any blame not trying to make a complaint just asking, she said people have gotten results out of less than what I am dealing with. So I am perfectly in my right to complain, and something would be done. But I don't want to go that route, as I said, last resort. These people are more than likely just trying to live their lives.

Has anyone tried a humidifier here? Is it much louder than a fan? The AC unit works great, but as I said it is downstairs, so I think I need a different kind of noise than what a fan is offering.

Ear plugs might also be worth trying, but in my experience all that did in my last apartment was just block out the white noise and leave the door open for anything else.

Thanks to those for their helpful suggestions so far.

[Hockeyguy15]

We have a humidifier and that thing cranks out a lot of noise.

This guy
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

[ken0042]

I agree with the other posters; give it time, and try to find some sort of white noise.

However I do have another suggestion. Do they also have neighbours above them? If so, wait for a casual encounter and ask them if they ever have issue with noise coming into their suite? By asking if they have issues; you are bringing it up without making an imposition on them. It could be that the noise transfer issues are well known in the building.

[undercoverbrother]

White Noise is a band aid, not a cure.

The best advice has been presented. Speak to them. Many people are not even aware their actions are causing these results. The "hey how to you like it here, do you have any issues with noise" appraoch as Ken0042 said is best.

Try to fix the issue first. Just my 2 cents

[DoNotCompute]

I wish I could be 20, not work for a living, go to class 2-3 hours a day, yet still manage to go on and on about how busy life is.

. nm. You clearly have no idea what student life is like.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The best advice has been presented. Speak to them. Many people are not even aware their actions are causing these results.

Not sure what talking to them will do though, it's not like this guy is doing anything out of the ordinary like play loud music etc. He's just going about his regular business, except at the opposite time of day than most. Do you expect him to stop walking around his apartment?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Not sure what talking to them will do though, it's not like this guy is doing anything out of the ordinary like play loud music etc. He's just going about his regular business, except at the opposite time of day than most. Do you expect him to stop walking around his apartment?

good point communication is not the avenue to conflict resolution.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I had a similar situation when I first moved into my condo, although it sounds as though it wasn't quite as bad as your situation. Like others have suggested over time it may get better or you'll notice it less.

When I first moved in my ####ing neighbors would have kereokee parties with a sub so ####ing big and the music so loud I could have followed along in my unit. They used to slam every door in their condo every night at 11pm. It was bizarre.

Over time, either through complaints or realizing that doors can be shut without slamming them, they eventually stopped. No more parties, no more slamming doors. Now i hardly ever notice them at all.

Your situation is obviously different if the person above is just doing normal day to day things.

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by DoNotCompute

. nm. You clearly have no idea what student life is like.

I know exactly what student life is like thanks to 2 degrees. Its called the circle of life though- I partied like a crazy hyena in university and remember the older crowd that was occaisionally perturbed with our behaviour- now, Im the older guy (31 anyways) and its my job to be the grumpy bugger...

Anyways, didnt mean to change topic- back to noisy neighbors

[Buff]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

good point communication is not the avenue to conflict resolution.

In this case communication has a high chance of creating conflict.

The people above him are likely to get defensive for being told that their normal day to day activities are bothersome, or feel like they are being told when and how to live their lives within their apartment.