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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

With my neighbours strange problem!?

138 replies

killerjane · 17/12/2020 12:30

So I've lived in my semi detached house for just under 2 years; friends with the houses across the road and to my right, but my actual direct neighbours (an older-ish couple) have always avoided eye contact and ignored my 'hellos'

We don't really hear much from them, apart from their little dogs incessantly barking and very occasionally they BLAST their music (though more through poor hearing than trying to be anti-social I think?!).

Anyway, to my surprise, before the weekend, the lady came round and said that for the past few months there's been a deafening vibrating/machinery sound coming from my house that 'shakes the wall' and causes their dogs to fuss. I was shocked and completely clueless as to what could be the issue as I work from home in a little room at the opposite side of the house and the most noise is our tele on an evening.

Our adjoining wall on my side is a long living room/dining room and upstairs master and spare bedroom. The only electrical items plugged in at all are the TV (and currently Christmas tree), neither of which emit any noise whatsoever. There's no plumbing, radiators or anything else that's powered plugged in on that side.

She said sometimes it was so loud they had to turn the tele up and she'd heard it after 1am the night prior. I explained there's nothing electrical along that side of the house and that the only thing plugged in was the tele. I also told her at 1am, we'd have been in bed for hours ha! I said she'd just have to let me know next time she heard it and I'd investigate with her.

I panicked it might be our wood burner or attached fan however it couldn't be at that time and we hadn't even had a fire on the occasions she'd mentioned.

I ended up having a slight run in with them today, on a blasting music occasion as I was working from home and couldn't hear myself think. She brought it up again and said her son had visited the previous evening (who cares about lock down eh!) and had mentioned it too. I asked why she hadn't come and said something as I couldn't help her if I didn't understand. She said she would this weekend...

What the heck could it be?! And is it my responsibility to sort it out?! Neither me or my partner have noticed any noise of that sort (she likened it to an engine speeding up, or a sewing machine) and I'd consider us good neighbours as we're considerate and quiet, but she's convinced it's our problem!?

Gaaah!

OP posts:
SoWhatNo · 17/12/2020 13:03

Yeah walls shaking is weird.

Probably is possession then. Put a crucifix on the wall and see what happens. If it turns itself upside down and starts spraying black bile at you that might give you an indication.

Beautifulbonnie · 17/12/2020 13:03

Washing machine? Tumble dryer. Dishwasher?

All 3 of mine are quiet in my house. Neither in my neighbours wall. But they do vibrate more on her side. So I try to do it when she’s out. Though she doesn’t mind.

museumum · 17/12/2020 13:05

Vibration in the walls definitely sounds like plumbing, air in the pipes. Our neighbours (adjoining) have pipes that do that sometimes, they have an old fashioned 'back boiler' and our chimney breasts are on the adjoining sides of our homes and share a chimney at the top. Have your homes had a chimney at any point? even if blocked up now? and if so are they in the middle where the two houses join?

Foobydoo · 17/12/2020 13:06

Could it be your washing machine? Our neighbours washing machine make a vibrating humming sound.
We can also here a humming sound from our neighbour on the other side. It sounds like a boiler running as I often check our heating is off when I hear it going upstairs.
Our walls are thin. I have never mentioned this to either neighbour as it doesn't bother us.

Original poster
killerjane · 17/12/2020 13:07

@Beautifulbonnie

Washing machine? Tumble dryer. Dishwasher?

All 3 of mine are quiet in my house. Neither in my neighbours wall. But they do vibrate more on her side. So I try to do it when she’s out. Though she doesn’t mind.

Washing machine at the other side of the house on the external side (and certainly not at an unsociable time like 1.30am). And only for an hour or so max when I do a load at the weekend. No tumble dryer and no dishwasher (I wish it was a yes ha!)

I can hear their washing machine when it's on and don't think twice about it so not sure it's that!

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Yebanksandbraes · 17/12/2020 13:07

I would chat to the other neighbors in your street. See if they are aware of this noise and whether they think it could be related to the trains or if there is any previous history of these neighbors complaining about things like this. I'm not sure it's possible for you to make their walls shake, but a train could. However, if you haven't noticed it then that's unlikely. Sounds like an issue with her hearing or perception which you can't solve sadly.

Moneuxly · 17/12/2020 13:08

Are they doing track repairs anywhere on the line? Those can cause vibrations and are commonly done at night.

IntermittentParps · 17/12/2020 13:10

Although if the son heard it too ...
She could be making that up. And the dog might fuss because she and her husband fuss about hearing it.

You can't help unless you can go round when it's happening. Point this out to her clearly and firmly. And at the same time, say that their music disturbs you and that you will go round next time they do it and ask them to go to your house so they can understand how loud it is. Quid pro quo.

Original poster
killerjane · 17/12/2020 13:11

@museumum

Vibration in the walls definitely sounds like plumbing, air in the pipes. Our neighbours (adjoining) have pipes that do that sometimes, they have an old fashioned 'back boiler' and our chimney breasts are on the adjoining sides of our homes and share a chimney at the top. Have your homes had a chimney at any point? even if blocked up now? and if so are they in the middle where the two houses join?
So no plumbing on that side of the house for me (bathroom and kitchen on the opposite side, no radiators on the shared wall) but can't speak for them!

We both have chimneys; I have a woodburner so keep it in good repair obviously. I did think maybe the issue was in relation to this as when she first mentioned it we had started having fires again with the cold weather. However the instance she mentioned today, we hadn't had a fire for a couple of days at that point. I think they have a gas fire so assume it's blocked up? The chimneys are both in the middle!

OP posts:
Original poster
killerjane · 17/12/2020 13:12

@Moneuxly

Are they doing track repairs anywhere on the line? Those can cause vibrations and are commonly done at night.
In fact it's funny you say that because we had a letter a little while ago saying they're doing repairs to the trainline overnight...sh*t!

They would have received the letter too and can't remember the dates it mentioned. Would explain the time as well, we're fast off at 1am but if they're up and that's the time they're doing it...

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Original poster
killerjane · 17/12/2020 13:13

@IntermittentParps

Although if the son heard it too ... She could be making that up. And the dog might fuss because she and her husband fuss about hearing it.

You can't help unless you can go round when it's happening. Point this out to her clearly and firmly. And at the same time, say that their music disturbs you and that you will go round next time they do it and ask them to go to your house so they can understand how loud it is. Quid pro quo.

This is literally exactly what I did...firmly. Will let you know what happens!
OP posts:
NerdyBird · 17/12/2020 13:15

If it's a shared wall she says is shaking, and you can't feel or hear anything too then it's more likely to be external. Or that she is imagining it.

Cornettoninja · 17/12/2020 13:17

I wonder if there’s an app sensitive enough to pick up anything? I know you can get decibel ones but I don’t know about one for vibrations? Earthquake detector maybe Grin

But then you’d have to set it up to record all night for a week or two and it starts seeming like a pain in the arse for something that isn’t even bothering you... although it would be satisfying to show her graphs for two weeks indicating the level of noise they make!

MaelyssQ · 17/12/2020 13:19

Much as I'd love to think this is the ghost of Christmas past haunting both your houses, I concur it is almost certainly something to do with the railway line and track repairs done overnight.

crosspelican · 17/12/2020 13:21

We live by train tracks and sometimes the house vibrates with them. They also feel much louder at night.

I second the suggestion above of hearing aids + train tracks. Can you diplomatically ask about hearing aids when you see her next?

Spandang · 17/12/2020 13:24

I’m going with railway. I had one at the back of my old house and you learn to tune out of it. But when Network Rail did emergency repairs, I did not sleep for weeks.

Moneuxly · 17/12/2020 13:24

Pretty sure it will be the track repairs...

They vibrate for quite a far distance.

Judashascomeintosomemoney · 17/12/2020 13:25

@Ohdeariedear

My mum found the world quite overwhelming for a while when she got her hearing aids, so much background noise she’d not been hearing for years....
My MIL has actually decided she’d rather be deaf than use the new hearing aids. She just couldn’t stand it, it literally was driving her to despair. No amount of tinkering with them could produce a result she could tolerate.
80sColourfulChristmas · 17/12/2020 13:25

@killerjane It’s this! We had a train line near us in our last house and oh my god it’s loud! Track repairs are like they’re digging to the centre of the earth! Our entire house was shaking!

Original poster
killerjane · 17/12/2020 13:25

Okay so after live chatting network rail, it seems the works I'm thinking of were only 14th-29th of Nov. But I still think you're right. We've had trains idling on the tracks before and it's such an annoying noise, maybe they're more likely to do it later on and that's the problem!

OP posts:
LakieLady · 17/12/2020 13:28

A friend of mine lived in a flat that backed onto a railway line.

Every now and again, the maintenance people would run some huge machine along the track in the early hours of the morning, for a few days at a time. It made a monstrous noise, like a deep rumbling. Then it would stop, and not happen again for months at a time.

Although I'd have thought you would have heard it too, if it was one of those things.

PizzaForOne · 17/12/2020 13:29

Trains or their own hearing issues quite likely. Perhaps something like: www.tinnitus.org.uk/pulsatile-tinnitus

Work together to be present when the 'noise' appears and see what you think. If you don't mind a disturbed night, insist they come and knock on your door when they next hear it.

Fruitinator · 17/12/2020 13:31

We had an intermittent knocking sound, that both us and our adjoining neighbours could hear. We are very good friends, and we had heard it whilst being in each others houses. Louder at night with less back ground noise.

We ended up going halves on having someone out to look at the chimney, which is between us- the aerials attached to it were swaying in the wind and causing a vibration which was travelling down the chimney and we could hear it through the air bricks. We had both TV aerials re-fixed and a band put round the chimney and it stopped.

If a Pidgeon is sits on the chimney pots we can hear them cooing through the air bricks in our bedroom.

Viviennemary · 17/12/2020 13:34

I think she's imagining it.

Original poster
killerjane · 17/12/2020 13:34

@LakieLady

A friend of mine lived in a flat that backed onto a railway line.

Every now and again, the maintenance people would run some huge machine along the track in the early hours of the morning, for a few days at a time. It made a monstrous noise, like a deep rumbling. Then it would stop, and not happen again for months at a time.

Although I'd have thought you would have heard it too, if it was one of those things.

So me and my other half are both in bed for 9.30pm like clockwork haha! And our bedroom is the opposite side to the railway line (on purpose) so maybe we're fast off. Plus she's said it herself that she's awake past 1am so maybe we're missing it and she's not!
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