Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Very thin walls

92 replies

Cactuses3580 · 01/07/2022 14:25

Hi all, need your advice.

I recently bought a semi-detached house and live alone and I had a couple of friends over late at night for a couple of drinks but we didn't get hammered. We were only talking and they knocked the door at 2am to say they could hear us talking at 2am in the morning. The walls are really thin with no sound proofing. We didn't have music on or TV on or anything like that, we were playing a board game.

I've heard them in the day speaking but as they're a bit old and retired they go to bed early about 9-10pm.

It's annoying as I bought a house and want to be able to have friends over at night but I also don't want to be inconsiderate.

Am I being unreasonable by ignoring them or should I learn to be more considerate?

OP posts:

Lululoveslife · 02/07/2022 01:13

I would not want to be your neighbour but then I wouldn’t buy a semi detached house because most people are inconsiderate of others.

MsOllie · 02/07/2022 01:53

The insulation sounds shocking. I'm in an apartment ground floor and often have my TV on or pottering about at 2am. The only thing I hear is a v faint noise sometimes of the washing machine from upstairs
It's so well insulated it's cold in summer!

I don't think low talking is unreasonable, but I can see if it's paper thin walls they're annoyed
Guess inmprovinf soundproofing is the only way really

GaryLurcher19 · 02/07/2022 02:06

LorW · 01/07/2022 16:11

Why should OP pay for soundproofing when she claims to be making a reasonable amount of noise (normal talking no matter what time of day is reasonable in your own home) if it bothers neighbours that much they need to pay for soundproofing.

You are making normal noise in your own home, OP.

I'm sympathetic to people suffering real irritation, but this isn't it. If ordinary voices are bothering your neighbours, they need to spend on sound proofing or moving.

Blowthemandown · 02/07/2022 08:35

@Cactuses3580 it would be really good if you can have a calm chat with your neighbours. It sounds a but cheesy but good neighbours are wonderful to have. That doesn’t mean you have to agree on everything or be in each others’ houses all the time but you need to get along. When I lived in a terrace, my neighbour and I did tests on our radios etc so we knew what the upper limit was etc. We also moved our speakers. If you have no soft furnishings, sound might be bouncing off walls more etc. You could also talk about splitting the cost of sound proofing. And of course it works both ways - you can say ‘I know you are early risers but I like to sleep in on a Saturday morning’. One of my friends has just had to ask her neighbour to have a word with his noisy kids but it’s all been managed with calmness and respect on both sides.

My old Dad used to say to me ‘your friends don’t live with you but in the morning your neighbours will still be there, so try to keep things good natured’

Good luck!

DuesToTheDirt · 02/07/2022 10:13

Lululoveslife · 02/07/2022 01:13

I would not want to be your neighbour but then I wouldn’t buy a semi detached house because most people are inconsiderate of others.

The OP in this case doesn't sound inconsiderate though. It seems like the houses are very poorly constructed; you should be able to chat, watch a bit of telly, cook, vacuum and do all the normal activities of daily living without impacting on neighbours. That's the real problem here - substandard housing.

sunglassesonthetable · 02/07/2022 10:16

That's the real problem here - substandard housing.

Totally this 👆

IWentAwayIStayedAway · 02/07/2022 10:18

who lived in house before you, has this been an issue for years, prior to you buying?

Confrontayshunme · 02/07/2022 10:23

I have a friend with this problem, and she has some small hooks at the very top of her lounge wall. If they are watching a movie with surround sound or chatting after 11pm, she hangs two thickish woven blanket/picnic rugs on the hooks. It really muffles the sound and cost about £30.

hellobeautifulsoul · 02/07/2022 10:39

TossieFleacake · 01/07/2022 15:38

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all.
Talking in your living room is not anti social behaviour or even inconsiderate. High volume music or shouting would be unacceptable.
Unfortunately, it seems like your neighbours have been spoilt with silent neighbours previously and are going to have to adapt to living with normal neighbour noise.
What if you have a baby? Get a job working nights? Living in a semi detached house means living with a certain level of neighbour noise in my opinion.

Totally agree with this! Be considerate but live your life as you see fit. Unfortunately living in a terrace it comes with the territory

MissMaple82 · 02/07/2022 10:43

2am is inconsiderate

knickersniff · 02/07/2022 16:20

I'd be gutted . 2am is the usual if we have a night round mine . Crap for both sides . I'd look into soundproofing.

Darbs76 · 02/07/2022 16:30

I don’t think have friends round in your own home at 2am and just playing a board game sounds unreasonable. I’m afraid both sides will have to put up with occasional evenings like that if the walls are really thin. It’s not like it was a party

swedex · 02/07/2022 16:38

If you were having friends over every weekend and staying up chatting and playing music until the early hours of the morning then yes that's unreasonable and I can understand the neighbours moaning but if it's not very common then they are being unreasonable! If you live in a built up area you have to expect some noise!
A few weekends ago a neighbour of ours had some friends round and they were sat outside and there friends turned up at about midnight on their mopeds. Yes it was annoying and disturbed our sleep but it was a one off!

TossieFleacake · 02/07/2022 21:18

MissMaple82 · 02/07/2022 10:43

2am is inconsiderate

I completely disagree.

Talking in your own home is not inconsiderate at any time of the day or night.

Disgruntledpelicanlady · 02/07/2022 21:27

A question for those who think talking to friends at 2am is unacceptable- do you see it differently if you're talking to someone you live with?

Me and my husband have been known to talk to each other after 11pm and have played board games, watched TV etc. Due to shift work my husband used to get in after midnight and it'd be the first time we'd seen each other all day so we would sit in and chat for half an hour or so before i went to bed.
I'm now wondering if our semi detached neighbours think we are antisocial?!😬

FayeGovan · 02/07/2022 21:54

Does anyone know how much soundproofing actually costs.
We are mid terrace. Even one side would be better than nothing.

Lemonlemon88 · 02/07/2022 22:06

Even if i knew my house had thin walls, i probably wouldn't have expected that the noise would be travelling that badly from a different floor to a room on the other side of the house.

Neighbours might need a white noise machine? Agree with others that acoustic panels would be a great idea, a friend who is a radio journalist has them in her home workspace and has covered them with cool fabrics so they look like intentional artworks on the wall.

Flip

1 2 3 4