For those who live in a semi-detached house....

[Afternooninthepark]

Do you/can you hear your neighbours very much?
I ask because we have lived in our semi for nearly 20 years. Our next door neighbour lived on his own and wasn’t there much. When he was at home he was very quiet and we would hardly hear him. Sadly, he died 2 years ago and the house has been empty ever since.
However, when his family come down and stay (the house has been up for sale the last 18 months and they stay from time to time) they make so, so much noise it drives me insane. They watch the tv at a really high volume, the seem to talk really loudly and have 2 dogs who yap all the time and they seem to stomp around the house, we definitely know when they are next door.
The house is now sold and our new neighbours (a couple in their 30’s, no children) are due to move in any time.
In all sense and purpose it has been like living in a detached house for the last 20 years and it’s going to take some time to get used to hearing people going about there every day.
Before that we both came from our childhood homes which were detached.
So I’m just wondering if you hear your neighbours much? Are they noisy or do you just get used to it?
Silly, I know but I’m getting quite anxious about having neighbours.

1960's semi here. Can hear various things like the hoover, but not talking etc. Can hear sex though 😱

I live in a 1930s semi. My neighbour is a single bloke in his 40s who works a lot. He sometimes has lodgers. I very very occasionally hear his telly but that's all. I have two very loud children - he probably hears them. Poor chap.

Sometimes I feel like me and my neighbours live in the same house.

Some nights I fully expect me to ask me to shove over while they're having sex, it feels that close.

But we're in a new build, so I can also hear DH fart in bed from downstairs, and the other side's key turn in the door.

#communalliving

1930's semi, and we occasionally hear the odd thing, but only what we would class as day to sounds. They are a lovely family.

We didn't hear the previous neighbours either.

New build here but can only hear going up stairs or work being done on the house. Never heard anything else. They also say they can't hear us despite us having a 6m baby. I think we got lucky with our house developers! The old rented place we lived in was an old terrace and you could hear every conversation either side of the house.

We used to have a family of four living next door and could only hear them when the children played the piano.
Now it's an older woman and her son (40s I think)
He never leaves the house in daylight and they go out in their car every single sodding night about 10:30, back about 00:30 and then shout at each other.
It's awful, but it was even worse before when they had a very yappy dog who would bark furiously for about 20 mins every night when they left it alone to go on their drugs run or whatever it is they're doing every night

I dream of winning the lottery so I can a buy a detached house !!

If you can hear them, they can hear you, no matter how quiet you think you are.

My old house was horrendous - my neighbour sneezed once and without thinking I said bless you, and then I could just hear him laughing. Mega awkward!

This semi I’m in (1930’s) isn’t so bad at all which is lucky as it’s my mum’s house! I can hear their tv if mine is off, and I occasionally hear them shutting doors upstairs. She has texted me to ask if everything’s okay a few times when I’ve REALLY had a go at Ds, but mostly it’s not so bad.

1930s semi here. Single guy in his 30s next door. He reckons he doesn't hear us at all, but we hear him. I think it's because we've got carpets throughout while his house has laminate floors. He likes music with a strong beat, and has the bass turned up. He's usually considerate unless he's had a few drinks, then he pumps up the volume. But at least it's not constant, like some pp are putting up with.

Our staircase and hallway adjoin neighbour's living room, so not a sound.
Our bathroom is next to one of their bedrooms and our other adjoining bedroom is obscured by our staircase, so just about three feet of actual wall space for noise to travel. Sometimes their DC run around upstairs but it's rare.
It's very sensibly designed.

I haven't lived attached to someone in over 20 years I'm dreading moving to a semi but that's all I will be able to afford...it's more for the fact I make a shitload of noise, very loud tv, music and awful singing, arguing with Alexa (she knows nothing)...screaming at kids to tidy rooms, screaming at spiders, the list is endless! I should buy the neighbours a bottle of wine when I move in...

I live in an Edwardian mid-terrace. I hear one side more at the front of the house, and the other side at the back because of the way hallways and rooms are laid out. Across the two I hear walking upstairs and vacuuming. But it doesn't bother me. We're the noisy neighbours. DS1 has a full sized drum kit But our loft is boarded and useable as a room so we put it up there and took brownies round to the neighbours to explain. I then stood I each of their houses after asking DS to make as much noise as possible. You can hear it, but it's not particularly intrusive. And he only practises for about 10 minutes a day, so he's not on it all the time.
The older couple on one side love listening to him though and comment on how he's improved. Although the neighbour 4 doors down did catch us at DS2s birthday party recently and ask DH if he played the drums. DH was a bit confused until the explained that they thought it was so good, it couldn't be DS (8). Turns out they can hear it when they're in their garden. Didn't occur to me to go up and down the street.

Old semi here.
Can hear everything

We hear the odd cough and the odd bit of shouting from our neighbours daughter - she shouts a lot. Elderly guy, too, so no idea how much noises really gets through the walls.

With DS2 in our family, they probably have a better idea than us, but he house is wide, so his bedroom is on the outside.

I only hear my neighbour when she hoovers her stairs which are next to the adjoining wall..and she has two kids.

While new build semis look very smart I would not want to live in one for the very reasons explained on this thread. Thin walls and neighbour noises all the time.

I was brought up in a 1950 built solid house with what must have been the thickest walls ever although it wasn't appreciated at the time. A family of 5 next door and the youngest son was always a handful but not a sound was heard.

I now live in a ground floor flat within a small block built in late 60's and I have been spoilt for the last 7 years by the couple above me, out all day and early to bed people who never made a sound. They must have tiptoed around and I never once heard so much as a door close or toilet flush.

They sold up a couple of months ago and it is now for sale but I have this awful feeling I will not be so lucky a second time.

Watch this space.

I live next door to a family of 4. I rarely hear them. They're so quiet.

Standard Wimpey semi here (circa 1960s). Paper thin walls. I hear them, so I assume they hear me. Thankfully it’s quiet 99% of the time. (And I, obviously, try to extend the same courtesy). I think most people living in semis/ terraces realise there will be some noise from next door. If it’s unreasonable, just go and have a chat - they may not have realised

Yep. Ours is a 1930s build. It's solid but i can hear next door playing music / putting kids to bed etc.

I'm in a 1930s semi and never hear my neighbours. Never heard a TV or radio or children crying when they were babies. Nothing.

I know now never to move to a newer house.

We used to live in a 1930s semi and could hear the elderly neighbour's TV through the lounge wall. Like a previous poster mentioned, at times we had to watch the same TV channel as her otherwise her TV drowned out ours. We asked her to turn it down but was met with angry tears, saying "it's all right for you young people, you have your hearing and your health. All I have is my TV" We felt terrible for having mentioned it.

The only solution was to move. We now live in a lovely detached house and we are enjoying the silence - it's wonderful!

Oh dear, I live in a gff and my neighbours above are awful, I’m woken up every morning by their hoover clattering across the floor, it’s sounds so loud and echoey, I also hear them regularly fighting. I thought houses had better sound proofing, seems not.

Moved from mid terrace where we occasionally heard the neighbours grand kids. Now semi but only attached upstairs (shared alley between) so barely hear the neighbours. Occasionally I hear next door singing in the shower but that’s about it. I imagine if they have a baby we may hear them then

When we lived in a mid terrace, i could have a conversation with my neighbour through the wall. We would often be reading our toddlers bed time stories at the same time and would be able to hear the other one reading as the dc bedrooms shared the wall. Luckily, the couple on the other side were rarely there and were so quiet we never heard them,

Currently trying to get DS asleep for the 5th time thanks to neighbours having a party. Adults are all sitting in the conservatory doing karaoke with the music so loud can actually feel the bass, and about 10+ kids running around, screaming, shouting, jumping on beds etc. Knocked three times but no answer, although kids have poked their head out of the window and I've asked them to get an adult to the door. Kids climb into our garden to play with our dog without asking, telly often so loud we can't hear our own, etc. Noise complaints do nothing, landlord does nothing. We're moving soon which is the only reason I'm holding on to my sanity!!!