Can you hear your neighbours

[AlwaysSomethingThere]

Those of you in semi or terraced. How much activity can you hear through your walls? Screaming kids, barking dogs, slamming doors, music etc. I'm looking for a house (unfortunately my budget doesn't stretch to a detached house on an island with a moat, a 12 foot fence and a drawbridge) and the first thing I do on viewings is pin my ear to the party wall as I'm so terrified I'll end up with a shit neighbour.

I suffer with anxiety and EXTREME misophonia so I find it very hard to judge when it's me being irrational or them being inconsiderate.

Interested to hear the measure of what other people think \ have to cope with?

Currently live in a detached cottage that was once an end terrace. Thoroughly recommend eliminating neighbouring properties . When living in semis I've only really heard the odd power tool or a lady shouting at her husband about his toilet habits!
The neighbour opposite in our quiet village practices his drums at about 10.30 on a Saturday morning for half an hour at most.I'm enjoying his progression!

90s semi
Neighbour is retired with a puppy
She apologised for her pup barking, we had heard a dog outside but nothing disruptive and hadn’t heard a peep in the house, we hadn’t realised she had one. Hopefully it’s the same for her. Her son was removing tiles from the shared wall at 6am on a sunday(!!!!!) but we gave him a pass because he was trying to fit an accessible bathroom whilst she was in hospital. That’s the only disruption we’ve had in the year and a half we’ve lived here.

I agree with pp that layout is very important. Our hallways and dining rooms downstairs and bathroom upstairs are attached so not bedrooms or main living areas. Otherwise we may be able to hear more.

1880s end of terrace (2 up 2 down). I only hear shouting or loud crying. Neither happen that often though. The neighbours who have a teenager and toddler and one in between are fine. I've never heard arguing between the parents or music/tv. The walls seem quite thick.

I'm glad this thread was at the top of chat because I came here specifically to vent about my neighbours haha.

The soundproofing between our houses is strange. I can't hear anything other than their activity on the stairs. After I moved in a group of 7 or so people moved into a houseshare. All I can hear all day and all night is the constant pounding of people running up and downstairs. It literally sounds like it's in my own house. I can't fucking wait to move out. They do not stop. Even at 5am as they all must have different sleeping schedules.

Detached doesn't solve everything, it just reduces it. Detached with some garden in between is good, until the drunken ranting at the BBQ starts, which is next to the fence and therefore as close as you can get.

Currently in a detached house but due to the ground in between being an extension of the driveways and paved front gardens, ie: concreted over, the sounds from both sides carry into ours. As a result I hear the kitchen floor being swept, toilets flushing, toilet lids banging, showers, shouting for Mummeeeeee, and shower doors slamming. Also clumping about on the decking which is attached to our fence and the wall, and balls banging on the decking. This is from inside the house and the vibrations carry through.

On the other side I hear any home repairs being done, carpets being laid, drilling etc. plus children thundering through the house. Scraping against the walls and furniture being dragged about too.

I know it would be much worse in a semi but sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

Even buying a house with a space between won't prevent someone building up to the boundary so it needs to be a substantial space otherwise you will, as I did, hear the radio and voices in the house next door after buying a detached house for peace and quiet.

Yes, I have also tried the countryside and ended up with children on mopeds riding between the houses, and playing on small (real) tractors next to the house on one side and a non stop barking dog on the other that would come down to our house especially to bark at us rather than his own house which was a long way off.

I despair of ever having a quiet home before I die.