Help! I'm the neighbour from hell.

[12345678sh]

So I've just moved into a new house, stupidly put laminate floor everywhere.. the noise is ridiculous. I'm literally telling the kids off for walk/breathing/anything.. they sound like elephants everytime they move. It's the frontroom that's the worst. I have one rug that doesn't seem to make to much difference. Im so worried about upsetting the neighbours. I have serious mum guilt and absolutely hating the house. I have 0 money left to buy carpets or do much. But Any advice?

I have so many bigger issues & theres so much worse happening in the world but for some reason this noise situation is really getting to me.

Helpppppppp!

Sorry to hear this is making you so anxious, OP. Whether or not the neighbours can hear anything / are annoyed, the fact is that the noise is a problem for you within the house. I would focus on addressing the areas where it bothers you the most - which sounds like when the kids are running about upstairs?

Go for cheap options now, and aim to carpet the upstairs over time, perhaps, and possibly the stairs... you could get a colourful runner which wouldn't show the wear or dirt so much?

@12345678sh Can I ask is the laminate upstairs? And is it the upstairs rooms caused the bangs? In most of your posts it seems you are talking about the living room but then you say the children are upstairs at the moment and the bangs are just so loud.

Bubble wrap was first meant as wall decoration but apparently it is also a good insulator, not sure if it's heat or noise!

Do you hear any noise from your neighbours? If they're a family and you don't hear them maybe it's not carrying as badly as you fear. Also, if the stairs are on the adjoining side, rather than just a wall between rooms, your noise will be further away from them.

Any soft furnishings will help to absorb noise - rugs, curtains, cushions, throws, wall hangings etc

You are worried that the noise from walking carries to a next-door house?
I wonder how the terraces are actually built and whether the noise actually carries similar as in block of flats, I dont know. But I am wondering whether the neighbours can actually hear you walking/children running. If it sounds too loud for you, perhaps the rooms are still a bit empty and the noise echoes? You need furniture/curtains/decorations to break up how the noise travels in a room. Or perhaps you could used some acoustic panels if that calms you down.

I wish my neighbours were this considerate...

@peekaboo1986 it's 2 rooms that are the issue, 1 room upstairs and the front room, the stairs are carpeted and hallway.

The stairs are the other side of the house, not joining to the neighbours. The kids can bang in the kitchen and it makes barely no noise, step into the frontroom and it's a massive noise.

Do you have a local freecycle facebook group or something?

As in, to see if anyone has carpet/rugs spare

Generally there needs to be a layer of sound insulation under the laminated floorboards. Its like a very thin layer foam, like a camping matt. If for any reason you have old floor boards and new laminated floorboard directly on top it is going to make noise as they are literally banging against each other. The noise is going to be heard in the rooms a floor under rather than adjacent rooms or houses.

I don’t understand the set up either. There’s no neighbours above or below you, it’s just the adjacent side neighbours that you’re worried about?

@katepilar the underlay was a thin almost see thru type foam on top of old wooden floor. So maybe the underlay is the issue. The floor was put on top of concrete in the kitchen and there's no noise at all in there.

Fb marketplace will have lots available and much more affordable imo

But I agree with pp - you are terraced so it won't be as bad as you think it is.

We have carpet and a waterproof mat for crafts etc. It was super cheap from wilko/lidl type place and we still use it even though mine are now 8! I really recommend it to protect your flooring whether you go for carpet, rugs or laminate. We also have a rule of nothing messy upstairs which helps with the carpets too. Literally never had to replace even though we have cream and light grey! I think upstairs would probably be better carpeted if you're already worried about sound, mine stomp around heavy footed even though they're older!

@12345678sh ok so the noise bedroom is laminate? Well it will be very noise if you are sitting directly under that room, it will be louder for you than your neighbour. This is why laminate is banned in flats as it causes issues for the flat below, I know this is a bedroom in you house above you but will be the same issue in principle.

@12345678sh Bless you for being concerned - this means you are not a neighbour from hell!
I haven't read the whole thread, but we're mid-terrace (Edwardian) and our neighbours at one time had laminate and young kids. Unfortunately both us and their neighbour the other side could hear the kids - as he commented it sounded like Riverdance was going on. What helped us was the neighbours with the laminate agreed to have the kids wear soft slippers - no more Riverdance! Wearing soft slippers is by far the cheapest option too, so I'd start with that. It might need more underlay or a large rug for your own peace, but start with the slippers & see how that goes.

Is this a mm parody? Unless you are in a first floor flat I can’t even imagine how you would think this is a problem. Loads of people have laminate, or wood, or tiled floors - it’s absolutely not an issue.

What about those rubber floor tiles they have in soft play areas? You can buy them from Sainsbury's or Amazon, of maybe someone on Facebook marketplace will be giving them away. They're quite thick and are good at reducing sound and vibration.

@NotSoLittle thank you, everyone thinks I'm being dramatic and ott. But they can definitely hear it, its a horrendous noise. It's obvious something has to change cause the kids have to live/play and next door can't be miserable in there own house.

@BCCoach well a few other people have had neighbours who they can hear because of the flooring. And it's not just a little bit of banging.. its like elephants jumping up and down about to crash thru the ceiling noise.

Put notes in your neighbours' letterboxes and explain. Tell them you're sorry if anyone is bothered by the noise and that you are looking into ways to make it more quiet. 9 out of 10 times I was annoyed with neighbours, having them acknowledge the problem helped. I haven't read all your answers but having you shout to your children to be quiet, wouldn't bother me. At least it shows you care.

Our Laminate was laid over fibre board panels to stop noise.

This. Plus people with young children still have carpets. They just protect them when it’s meal time or during messy play

@Womencanlift I've had carpets and I've had laminate.. and laminate is easier.. and as other people have said they've had neighbours they CAN hear. It's not a little bit of banging it's really loud! And I'm not an anxious, hide in my house kinda person.. its an actual issue that's happening and I asked for advice to fix the problem.. I've just moved in I've just brought the floor I'm not going to just rip it up.. I wanted people who'd got a thick rug or something that somehow helped them.

I just Bought a new rug from wayfair but it's just a bit to small and not thick enough I don't think x

Wayfair is expensive - suggest you try freecycle and facebook / NextDoor for freebies, I've often seen rugs and carpet offcuts on there.

But, have you considered it might be only you the noise is disturbing? Sounds like it's travelling up-down, not sideways to the neighbours.

It might be yes- our neighbours have a huge guard dog that occasionally barks (usually because he has found a particularly dangerous stone 😂)- he isn’t annoying because he has a deep toned bark and will only bark 2/3 times. My neighbour on the other hand drives everyone mad by screeching at him to be quiet, for longer and louder than he barks!