Emmadan's Profile

Blynne is right, sometimes you just have to move, particularly when the noise is more due to structural weakness than the noise level or habits of the offending neighbor.

I once lived in Manhattan on the third floor of a three story building. My old wood flooring allowed all the noise of my downstair's neighbor even though I covered my floor with two layers of thick wall to wall carpet; I could still easily hear their music that included bongos and drums so that my floor shook with the vibrations and they were a romantic couple (two gay men) I could hear some of their conversations, especially when the "bitchy" one would give whining demands to the other.

Next door to me was another romantic couple, man and his woman. Extremely thin party wall, I could hear him smack her on the ass in foreplay and sometimes hear the pop from his uncorking of the wine bottle as well as very clearly some of their conversations.

Going crazy, toward a nerveous breakdown from constant noise, I tried to glue panels of wall cork on the adjacent side wall, the glue combusted spreading a fire throughout the apartment. My cat, whom I dearly loved, died from smoke inhalation and I barely survived with my life!

The message to my story is: I was determined not to be forced to move due to the noise but, I was fighting a battle I could not win against these construction problems. After, being forced out by the fire, I soon located an efficiency in a pre-war building (West End Ave, NYC). It was 1/4 less in size than my burned out studio apartment and for about $50.00 more per month rent. But, I lived in heavenly quiet peace: walls and floor were concrete and I lived on a relative high floor (9th floor) and for first time had a doorman. Also, my only neighbors were above and below me, whom I never ever heard. On one side of me was the stairwell and the other side the building elevator, that I also never heard. Had I given a serious review of other apartments instead of all of my fruitless sound prevention methods I could have had this heaven and not experienced my catastrophe.

So, whether it be construction weakness or a mean neighbor who gets his/her jolies terrorizing you with noise; sometimes the only thing you can do is remove yourself from the problem and then be able to have life and a healthy one.

This comment is long but, for those who can use it please give it thought!

However, I really appreciate all the advice given in this blog because, now many years later and living in Philly I intend to move and if I run into FIXABLE problems I surely will use some of this advice or just move again! My fire taught me that life is short; if I have to fight too hard against something and after a long while it is just draining me with stress but not alleviated then remove myself from the situation, I am not bigger than life, so I can't win every battle nor change all situations to my desires.