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!

I've lived in terraces 3 times now, including currently, and side-to-side sound was never an issue. In our current place we've had one baby on one side and a baby and pre-schooler on the other and I've never heard a thing.

I would ask the neighbours about noise before driving yourself round the bend about something that might not even be happening.

Agree with PP. My n-d neighbour (in a semi, detached on the other side) occasionally has a living room full of people, and her TV on a lot (she's deaf too) and I never hear anything. When her living room window is open I hear the telly outside, but never through the wall. The only place would be the stairs, if she has a workman round I can hear footsteps (giant boots etc). Your house may or may not be well sound-proofed. Just ask them about noise!

We all have laminate on my street and you don’t hear anything. I think it’s only annoying if you live in an upstairs flat.

Rugs?

If your neighbours haven't complained...what are you on about??

OP have you popped next door while the kids are crashing around and said,
"Can I come in and have a listen, I've got plans for noise reduction and I want to hear how bad it is to start with?" to them?
Then they know you're trying, and YOU have a baseline for how bad it is without ameliorating measures.

Unless you're in an upstairs flat, laminate noise isn't a problem. Everyone knows they have to live with normal day sounds of living.

Your neighbours can't hear anything OP. If you've just moved in, you've probably yet to fill the house up a bit. Once you have, you won't notice.

And heavy curtains and blinds really diminish echoes in a room - you don't half notice the difference when you remove them to decorate etc.

That is good of you to realise and want to adapt where possible. Our neighbours have laminate throughout, personally I don’t mind hearing kids, it’s the dog barking and adults fighting I don’t like.

I would look at local free FB sites for rugs, curtains over blinds and any soft furnishings. I would say apologise in advance to neighbours, say you are aware it could be an issue and you’re looking into options available on a budget.

Try to keep noise to a minimum after 6-7pm on most days and being considerate in other areas all helps.

Neighbours could be working, hard of hearing etc, but being ahead of the game is courteous and kind.

Shoes off and slippers on with reduce the noise dramatically. Then put rugs down as and when you can.

There is only carpet in one room of my house (bedroom), its a mid terrace.

I know one side has hard floors, no idea what the other side has.

I have never had a complaint about that sort of noise (did have about our tv once but it was against the adjoining wall and almost directly under their kids bed effectively. We moved the room round so the tv was against an internal wall, no further issues.

From my neighbours -I hear hoovering and loud shouting, I don't hear normal conversation and i dont hear footsteps EXCEPT the neighbours whose stairs adjoin our wall, I do hear her kids running up and down the stairs (particularly down) and them slamming doors.

Otherwise, its really not an issue in houses - generally if you have hard floors and no soft furnishings, things will be louder, less to absorb the sound but its not the big deal it is in an upper floor flat!

if you were truly the neighbour from hell you wouldn’t even be giving it a second thought. Why don’t you pop round to your neighbours and tell them what’s happened and ask them if they really can hear it/if it’s annoying? Might put your mind at rest

What about some fluffy slippers for the kids, cheap and worth a try, it’s getting colder anyway

also chat to your new neighbours see what they are like and if you’re worried over nothing

So sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time at the moment.
I can see that you've had a lot of good support on this thread....just to add an idea...Facebook Marketplace often advertises free items if you can collect them...
It can take a long time to settle into a new place...
Be kind to yourself....
"Rome wasn't built in a day!"

wow what does hard flirting consist of? it sounds amazing

Slipper Socks. Simple.

Could get some off cuts /carpet samples and stick them to the soles of the kids shoes 🤔

That was my first thought...gives me the eebyjeebies 😫

Lived in semis and always had laminate floors as do a lot of people.

4 DC and never had a complaint about noise from walking or running on them. Never occurred to me that I would either!

Chill out OP and let your DC enjoy your new home.

Is it a bigger house than you’re used to so more echoey? Have you had a complaint previously? Had carpet in previous houses? You seem overly anxious about it.

I’d be wary of slippers on toddlers and young DC going up and down stairs tbh unless they are very well fitting.

@12345678sh I'm end terraced also. I have 5 very noisy dogs and when I moved in at August last year, made a point of asking the neighbour next door and the one across the street to tell me at once if they were finding the dogs disruptive.

They both swear they never hear the dogs even if something's disturbed them and they've made a racket in the middle of the night. (The dogs, not the neighbours .. 🐾)

So honestly, please don't worry so much. If the neighbours have so far seemed nice, maybe approach them and find out if they do hear your kids .. just for your peace of mind.

@HelpMeGetThrough 😅😅That was the way my mind worked, too. xx

I used to work for a house builder 20 years ago and would sell new build flats. It was written in the lease that no laminate flooring could be laid in any of the properties, it had to be carpet or vinyl. But that was a while ago, the quality has probably improved, but if you’re in a house not a flat, you should be fine.

I'm in an end terrace maisonette so slightly different but I know my next door neighbour has laminate and I don't hear her moving about. I do however hear her upstairs neighbours who have laminate.

I wouldn't make my kids wear slippers on the stairs etc for the sake of noise. It's more important that they're safe. Grippy socks maybe.

I think you are right that your neighbours can hear, my neighbours have 2 boys about 3 and 5 and I can defo hear them when they are running about 😕 I think my neighbours don’t actually care though, as they are just loud people, constantly slamming doors and banging about. Part of the reason we are currently getting our house ready to go on the market. I think as long as you make an effort to deaden the noise a bit you can at least explain what you have done to try if they do make a comment.

I realise I am the one with the issue when it annoys me, the kids are just being kids, which is why I haven’t mentioned anything to them and just seethe to myself and use my noise cancelling headphones quite a bit!