Children running up and down stairs constantly

[Terracesarebad]

I’ve posted before about living in a mid terrace. Our neighbours have two boys aged 9 and 11 who spend all day pounding up and down the two flights of stairs in their house.

The noise is unbearable. The parents never take them out but for some reason the whole family get up at 5.30 am every day including weekends and the boys spend at least 3 hours pounding around the house going up and down up and down. The noise of them getting up at 5.30 wakes me up and I’m exhausted.

The impact noise is so bad that yesterday as they were pounding up and down one of my pictures fell off the wall due to the vibrations.

Having spent all day listening to it (I work from home) I went round at 9.30 pm and begged the parents to ask them to stop. I explained how loud it is & how they wake me up. They shrugged said they’re kids & it’s the summer holidays.

I’ve been up now for almost 4 hours and they’ve been pounding up & down for every minute of these 4 hours.

I’ve looked into sound insulation but apparently with impact noise there’s little that can be done as it’s to do with floor joists so the houses would effectively have to be rebuilt.

I am so so worn down with it all.

They sound awful. Definitely sell up but not until term time and viewings only 9-3 so they don’t hear.
They will only get louder and louder as they get bigger.

Yep, I agree with sending other half round. Unfortunately.

Wait out these next two weeks until school starts and sling the house on the market. Now is the best time to sell.

You won’t have to declare anything, don’t worry. If someone asks about the neighbours - ‘a couple with two young boys, haven’t been here long!’

My friends boys are like this. They go out daily for hours. But when home. The thud and pound about. And it's carpeted.
The jump off bunk beds and everything. Even a visit drives me loopy.

You don't have to declare it unless it's official.

Thanks for the helpful advice 🙂

Can’t cope with noise so off to work from a friends house

I would sell up. You haven't had a 'dispute' unless you've declared it to the council or police..if there is no paper trail/evidence, you don't have to declare it.

I sympathize OP. We moved from our last place because the neighbours had a near on farm next door, more and more animals in their tiny garden including 8 ducks which were so noisy. We sold up because of the ducks.

Yes I think moving is the only answer. Part of the problem is we have two sets of stairs so double the thundering up and down. Certainly never buying a house with more than one set of stairs again.

Put some music on loud and go out for the day.
When they come to complain,just say " school holidays innit " and shrug and smile and close the door .

@PenguinEgg

It is their stairs though, they can't levitate and there isn't a different staircase they could use. Children are more heavy footed. I don't think neighbours should have a say on how much people go upstairs/ downstairs. I would move if I was being bothered by thin walls and noise caused by the structure, it's always going to be a potential issue in a house like this.

They don't have to levitate, they just need to learn some consideration for other people and walk up and down the stairs, instead of running up and down like a herd of elephants every few minutes.

I really feel for you. It’s an awful situation. I’ve been in exactly the same position. We bought a large Victorian house… a semi. it was beautiful with original features etc. We were so excited to move but literally the day we moved our excitement turned to regret.

The house next door had been converted into two flats. The ground floor was owned by an old man who watched his tv at full volume till the early hours each night. The owner of the Upstairs flat had taken out all carpeting and sanded the floorboards. We could hear every word. What was worse was that her teenaged son had 4 speakers hung by chains in the lounge… their lounge was next to our bedroom. We moved our bedroom to the back of the house but could then hear the downstairs tv.

We tried to explain the problem to both owners but neither seemed to care. We had to move. I didn’t want to leave my home but there was no option. I think that, sadly, you’ll need to do the same.

squills how did you manage to sell with the loud TV and speakers from the neighbours? Didn’t viewers hear? I am worried potential buyers will hear the pounding and be straight out the door!

I’d be really tempted to go away for the night whilst leaving my speakers against the party wall playing some awful music with a deep base on loud. Sometimes it’s the only way.

I would send your DH round each and every time to complain. It probably wont help but it might. They know how loud their kids are they just dont care.

Then I would be just as noisy back. My ex horrible neighbors thought their continual noise was ok but complained when another neighbor cut his grass!

Then get the house on the market as soon as possible. Noisy neighbors ruin your health.

If you do sell OP, it’s only fair to warn your buyers of what they will face. It’s not like the problem will disappear when you leave - you will be passing on the same distressing issue to another family to suffer.

@PenguinEgg

It is their stairs though, they can't levitate and there isn't a different staircase they could use. Children are more heavy footed. I don't think neighbours should have a say on how much people go upstairs/ downstairs. I would move if I was being bothered by thin walls and noise caused by the structure, it's always going to be a potential issue in a house like this.

This^

Also being laminate floors, that's why it will sound louder than it would if it was carpet.

I doubt they're intentionally stomping up and down stairs all day to annoy you, they'll just be walking up them and that will sound loud to you - I'm not sure there is much they could do to stop that.

Although I doubt them going up and down stairs is making your "full house shake" 🤔

This is just part of sharing a wall with someone unfortunately, it's not excessive music or anything, it's kids walking up their stairs. If that's something you can't cope with then you really need to move to a detached house

You are very lucky to have such quiet children. Many of the little darlings ( I have some) are like obese elephants on skates going up and down stairs. We have lived in a terrace and a semi , and often apologized ...Kids can be really noisy on stairs.

Is it “normal” though for a 9 and 11 year old to get up at 5.30 am 7 days a week and then to thunder round the house going up and down the stairs for about 4 hours straight?

My children are still asleep having a lie in because it’s the summer holidays. When they get up they have breakfast, watch a bit of TV, FaceTime they’re friends etc. They’re not pounding around their house running for 4 hours. I do wonder if next door are running laps or something for exercise.
Oh and yes their movement does make my house shake and floorboards vibrate. Having been woken up by them again I can confirm this is true!

Surely whether it is generally normal or not is irrelevant. It is normal for them.

It's absolutely normal. Children are lively, clompy beasts. I have sympathy with your noise issues, but you're making these children out to be abnormal, they are not. Can confirm this ....paeds nurse.

It might be normal to want to do these things but surely part of being a parent is to encourage your children to modify their behaviour out of consideration for others .

By the way I have had three boys , not one of them has been running up and down stairs at 5,30 am and certainly not at age 11.

The problem is the noise. People can do whatever they want at what ever time they choose so long as the noise isn't excess. But your neighbours don't own you a normal timetable.

I have the same problem with my grandchildren who just moved in 2 months ago (5 boys between 7 and 12). My 17 year old granddaughter barely moves, let alone runs. I raised 4 daughters and one boy, and I didn't have this problem at all.

I work from home and it drives me CRAZY! Especially on the weekends! The STUPID suggestions I have read online say guard the stairs? Install handrails? Really? I was thinking about placing objects in a zigzag fashion on every other step so they would have to slowly maneuver the stairs, like books or something Obviously, nothing that would kill them. Other than guarding the stairs, that's my only best thought. Does anyone have any other ideas because I cannot guard the stairs and warnings go in one ear and out the other.