Best way to choose a quiet house?

[CatsWearingTutus]

We are in the market for a new home and are considering terraced or semi as you seem to get much more house for your money than you do for detached, especially since new build is not to our taste. We just don't want to have to listen to the next doors television, arguments, etc. so is there any way to be sure the house we would be buying is well soundproofed?

Any types of houses to choose or avoid? And if we get it wrong how difficult is it to add soundproofing? Any sneaky tricks for finding out from the neighbours before purchasing without starting off on the wrong foot?

Does it depend which part is attached?

Locally lots of (v big, expensive) houses are marketed as 'halls adjoining' which makes me think that neighbours noise is les than if the eg living rooms adjoin. More so with chimneys probably.

We live in a Victorian semi. The entrance hall and upstairs landing are adjoined to next door's house, as it the kitchen. We don't hear a peep out of them. I hope the same can be said of us...

Don't just trouble yourself with neighbours' noises though. It's a really good idea to visit your potential house or at least have a drive by during school run time and pub kicking out time.

I used to live in a lovely quiet street, but 11:15 on a Saturday night the street was like a bull run with everyone streaming back from the pub.

I go in lots of people's houses when they are not there for my job (no I am not a burglar!) It is surprising how many houses are noisy, people up and down stairs, musical instruments playing, babies crying etc.

I would recommend getting a semi rather than terrace unless it is the end one, as any noise will only be from one side. Also I know you prefer the older houses (victorian?) though I have found these can be noisy, soundproofing is not always great. By comparison, I live in a 1930s semi and don't get any noise at all.

If you are looking round and the owners are there I would ask them if they get much noise, I don't think it is an unreasonable question. Also the estate agents they would know the type of houses and problems people may have had there in the past.

If you're looking for quiet I wouldn't go for a terrace! I dread to think what our neighbours think of our DC and they don't play music/watch TV everyday/play an instrument, they're just LOUD when they play no matter how many times I sssshhhh them. We're in a 1870s workers terraced cottage.

There doesn't seem to be any way of judging which properties to choose or avoid. We are in a 1930s semi which has living rooms adjoining (as opposed to halls adjoining). Our neighbours are quiet & considerate but the walls transmit every sound. I can hear our neighbour coughing at 2am, and they must certainly be able to hear our alarm clock at 5.30am even though it's just Radio 4. If someone next door drops a cup in the kitchen we can hear it like they are in the room with us. It's an awful sensation - so un-private. I shudder to think what it would be like if they had a crying baby or a teenager with a drum kit. That would be horrendous.

Our next house is a very plain 1960s detached place (currently waiting to exchange) and we cannot wait to move. I would never live in a property with a party wall again unless it had a ton of sound insulation, but I realise I'm in the minority, everyone is different and we know lots of people who live in 1930s semis and are more accepting of the noise carry-through.

Having lived in a semi next door to a demented shrieking harridan and a pack of howling dogs we would never buy another 'joined on' house again.

We paid £2500 for sound insulation of the party wall upstrairs and downstairs.

But, one mans tolerant noise levels is another mans nightmare.

I think you can get some sound proof plasterboard.

I live in an old semi and same as nancerama, the hall and kitchens are adjoining downapstairs. Upstairs the bathrooms and spare bedrooms are. We never hear them.

I'd never buy on a street corner if possible. Also avoid been to close to shops and pubs.

There's a reason that a detached house of a similar size to a semi, is a LOT more expensive......

You can get 'link detached' in some areas where there is a garage between each house, so you are only attached to their garage downstairs and then bedroom, other than that, I'd aim for one where the hall / stairs / landing are joined and the living areas not, if at all possible.

Thanks, all. Isn't it crazy that for pretty much the most expensive purchase any of us will make there isn't really an easy way to tell basic information like how soundproof it is before buying?

On a chilly day like today, I'm missing the free warmth from being sandwiched in a terrace though! Our heating bills are enormous now

Cats - sorry but there cannot be an easy way to tell this. Houses in the UK vary between brand new and 500 years old and can be built out of many materials of many densities. So it's just not that simple. Even real life testing doesn't always help because sound carries differently depending on the type of sounds (howling dog vs high heels on stairs). So it's really not basic.

The best way to increase the chances of a quiet life, as we discovered through experience, is to buy a detached house in a neighbourhood of oldish, quietish people, not under a flight path, not near a busy road. We'd previously had a lovely house under a flight path (drove me crazy) and a lovely semi with a thin party wall mentioned upthread (also drove me crazy). I am intolerant, that's the simple thing! So detached house in a quiet street was the best solution for us and will be best for resale as well.

I live in a 1980s end terrace, and can honestly say that I've never heard the neighbours through the wall. I hear the neighbour on the other side (the non attached house) more, but this is down to the layout.

Our house is a 2 storey. Our attached neighbour's house is 3 storey. So our living room is next to their garage, our bedroom is next to their kitchen, and their bedroom is by our attic. As we're rarely on the same floor as each other, we never hear them.

I think layout counts for a lot.

Our last house was a 3 storey terrace built in the early 1990s. Fantastic soundproofing, could never hear anything.

This house 1930s semi. We have an elderly lady next door and we can hear her coughing. All the time she's there it'll be fine but if she dies/ moves away we will have to invest in some serious soundproofing :(

I live in a terrace and its ok cos my neighbour on my left is quiet although our bedrooms share a wall I can hear him coughing sometimes. My neighbours on the right was quiet but since moved out, the new couple who move in are door slammers though - every door is shut with a slam, its a bit grating sometimes especially when they slam their patio door but could be worse!

I live in a semi. The stairs, kitchen and bathroom of our house and the neighbour's house are next to each other, so no bedrooms or rooms that you would hope to be quiet are effected by noise.

Saying that, they have three sons and told us when we moved in that they had put up sound-proofing as they were inclined to be noisy!

The only time we tend to hear them is when the sons run up and down the stairs, or they do DIY.

If you do go ahead, check the layout of the rooms.

OP we lived for a number of years in a decent sized Victorian terrace. It was only after we moved in that we bothered to find out who our neighbours were, - and one side was converted into three flats! One sitting room by our sitting room and on the first floor another flat with sitting room next to our bedroom, and kitchen next to ds1 bedroom.

However, a happy story because we didn't hear a peep! So I would definitely recommend a Victorian house with nice thick walls.

I live in a modern basic end terrace and never hear a sound from next door even though they have two primary aged children. Nor did I when a working couple lived there. The street is very quiet as well.

We used to live in a 1920's semi and we could hear our neighbour closing his kitchen cupboards. Luckily he never said a word about our two very noisy children but he must have been able to hear everything we did.
Buy a detached house.

Go for a semi that has largeish rooms (that you could bear being smaller) on the link side, and reckon on spending circa £5000 on some good sound insulation (which will reduce the size of the rooms on that side by at least 6 inches) plus extra for redecoration over the soundproofing of course.

You'll never get total quiet - without getting a detached crofter cottage miles from civilization on a remote Scottish island. Remember that when you buy you have no control over who might be living next door in six months or so - the quiet-seeming elderly couple could go and be replaced by a noisy family of teenagers at any time! Personally I feel it's better to be a bit less precious about hearing evidence of other people's lives, and if I can hear next door's telly I put my own music on so I can hear that instead.

We lived in a 1930s semi before we bought our detached. The walls were very thick and yet still sound transmitted very well.

One thing I noticed was that sound transmitted more in the rooms at the back of the house because the chimney had been removed to give more room.

Agree that if you can get a semi where the stairs are in the middle then to is ideal.

We now have a very ugly 1960s detached and you can absolutely hear a pin drop. If you are even slightly concerned by noise then you'd be better off buying something detached if there is any way to afford it.

Our old neighbours on the other side were very troubled by noise from their neighbour so they had the walls soundproofed which has helped but they still hear the noise. The extra soundproofing has also made the rooms ever so slightly smaller.

Old houses with big thick walls and chimneys are the best for not hearing your neighbours, IME.