We've just purchased our first home, and our worst nightmare has come true: Our neighbours play their bass-intensive music all night and all day.
Aside from calling the cops (or the bikies - they're too busy attending to other Ozbargainer issues), I want to know if anyone has used secondary/double glazing in their house to drown out noise? And if so, rough costs you paid, and if it worked. The music itself isn't (usually) invasively loud, it's the bass that's driving us mental.
they said the dial for the bass was broken so they couldn't turn it down. But they turned up the treble to try compensate but it has made things worse.
Ha, Yah, Tsch, Uh.
Perhaps I'll ask for forgiveness,
Uhck but just not not for permission.
Imma turn it up to 11,
Just so so the neighbors can listen.
We gotta get that richter moving,
Yes we gonna start a quake.
We gotta give your kids a schoolin',
Yes this is that party bass.
I'm all about the bass, bout the bass, no treble…
If they are the reasonable sort, then they'll turn the bass down.
And if they aren't…
I'm pretty sure subjecting anyone to 10 hours of bagpipes is a violation of the Geneva Convention
I had a neighbour start up the noise, again.
My response was to turn up my noise. They got the message.
Having dealt with assholes before I strongly recommend against this. 9 times out of 10 it won't solve the problem, but it WILL alert them to who you are unfortunately.
I attest to this. Remain anonymous! But too late for that now, you could've printed local laws around noise pollution from your local council website and placed in their letterbox. Educate them on the problem as a lot of local councils can issue on the spot fines if investigations gets to that stage. Had it been approached that way… The culprit/complainer could've been anyone in the street!
Buy them a decent stereo with the bass nobbled.
This is my serious face.
Either that or make them and their pet cat you best friends.
Then kill their cat.
I'm just tryin' to help man.
Honestly mate, just learn to live with it, it will save you a lot of trouble.
There are probably things that they hate about u too…
Are there other neighbours that agree with you?
Most chemists sell that style too. But they're much cheaper on ebay if you're after more than a pair or two
I tend to wear earplugs for the majority of the day/night (I use them for sleeping and for work) it's worth getting a set of Moulded plugs made up, far more comfortable over long periods and cut more noise out.
If I have to wear disposables I find the Stanley plugs from super cheap to be a good compromise between soft and hard foam
Cutting the power to the neighbour… problem solved for all.
Macks earplugs from Coles are good
Long term use of ear plugs while sleeping will prevent wax from dripping from your ears. It ends with extreme pain and a visit to the Doctor to have them use their sonic machine to wobble the wax out.
Currently free if you have somewhere that's bulk billed, but who knows in the future, and it's a little uncomfortable.
Not for everyone - i use them at night and no problem.
However i do use metho to dry them out after a shower - picked that up from scuba divers up north. Don't do that shit if you've got an outer ear inflammation dummies. Told an ENT once and he didn't seem perturbed, though it does tend to make the ears a little dryer. I only do this as if i don't i get outer ear inflammations all the time. If you don't then don't bother. But if you do, make sure the metho has totally evaporated before you start stuffing plugs in.
Yes, you can get custom plugs. Never tried that, but told they're good.
The best plugs from the chemist are the pink silcone-based ones. The white silicone are too hard. I don't actually know what the pink ones are made of, but they are good. I cut each one in half and put one in each ear. When you take it out make sure you don't fold the outer skin onto itself or it will just fall apart, and replace it now and again. I'm full of top advice today. Can't stand noise, or people for that matter.
Sonic machine to wobble wax out??? Huh? I have issues with ear wax and they just get you to use wax softener for a few days then irrigate the ear.
I had similar problems at a previous house; we spent some money on double-glazed windows and extra insulation for the bedroom, made no difference whatsoever. The problem is the energy inherent in the wavelength of bass frequencies; unless you are talking about thick walls, extra insulation (eg the roller shutters previously) won't make any difference. Also, if you have a single small air gap even with a proper sound insulation scheme, this 'leak' will let the sound through.
Also in my experience, people that play music like this are well-aware it might bother others, but just don't care. You must talk to them as the first etep, but after that deal with it via the police or local council. Also start making friends with other neighbours; the more people who complain, the better.
+1 even if insulation is installed you will still be listening for it and you will hear what your listening for regardless of the volume.
Plus another. To really block out the sound you'll need to do the whole lot, walls, floor, ceilings and windows.
True, this is a concern. It didn't bother me too much but now just the tiniest noise is driving me bonkers.
The more you think about it the more you will hear. Go and have a word to them, they may not realise how loud it is.
Then think Frozen… Let it go….
Having said that, we have a stupid yappy dog next door that drives me crazy! But the neighbours don't seem to even notice it. The hose goes over the fence from time to time which seems to help, but that probably won't stop music unless it is really well aimed.
@Euphemistic:
people shouldn't get dogs if they're not going to put the effort to train them to keep their gob shut.
Then think Frozen… Let it go….
Yep, playing that even louder is sure to make them stop!
@KeplersLaws: dont assume training will solve the problem because it rarely does. if your going to get a dog and leave it outside all day then get one that doesn't bark to begin with.
and now you know why some people hate dog barking. It took a lot to break down my barrier but now a single bark from one particular yappy one nearby, literally makes my heart start pounding ….
@KeplersLaws: After moving into a shitty area I love the neighbours noisy dogs. Everyone has dogs on my street so you can hear the criminals get closer and closer as they stalk the streets at night.
They don't bark at other times though - that would be annoying. Just very good at letting you know where people are.
Thats because most people assume that you can just teach a dog a behaviour once and expect it to just remember it like you've loaded a program on it. Their are also a lot of shitty dog trainers out there that usually advertise on gumtree with outdated outright wrong methods. Dogs aren't machines and all dogs bark, when they do it way too much thats the problem and yes they annoy me too but more the owners. Owners are lazy, and I think so many owners don't have the lifestyle to own a dog, they don't realise that if you want a trained dog you need to practice consistency and repetition with it, even professionally trained k9s are forever taught to keep their skills relevant. I mean you can't stay amazing at guitar if you don't practice.
I have a dog like this (trained dog) that cost me a small fortune (so its obvious i'm the exception to the average dog owner and not many people have encountered a professionally trained protection dog) and I still need to give it the time, training and energy to keep him sharp which I love doing.
Spraying a hose at a dog is not really conducive to teaching it anything. Most likely making it worse in the long term. It'll just make the dog more wary of people and be more aggressive and continue to bark.
Then one day a kid is gonna jump the fence to fetch their ball and its probably going to attack it. I know in your situation, its a small dog, and yappy dogs annoy the shit out of me too but your probably better off just making continual noise complaints.
@DoctorOwl: actually part of most noise pollution laws. Barking at passers by actually fits into the definition. Your house isn't under attack, so people walking by with no noise every hour shouldn't set a dog off on a barking rampage for 5 to 10 minutes.
@jenkemjunkie: I read somewhere that it was suitable method for stopping dogs barking.
The most annoying is when the two neighbouring dogs start going off at each other, the little one also claws at the colourbond fence during this. A quick spray of water, not directed at the dogs, just over the top of them soon stops it. They don't seem to be doing it as much now. i don't hang my face over the fence while I do it, just spray the hose so the dog gets a bit of 'rain'
If I heard the dogs barking, followed by some sort of interaction from the owners I wouldn't do anything, but the fact it just keeps going while people are home is what is annoying.
It's all good and I totally understand your plight, a dog shouldn't be jumping up on your fence and generally ruining your peace by barking like a maniac when you're in your own backyard, problem with a lot of dog trainers is there is too many bad ones and since it isn't a regulated industry their is all sorts of bad information. The water thing may stop it briefly and you're probably at your wits end, but it really is on the owners,I bet they think screaming at it will fix it when patience and confidence is needed and thats what is mostly lacking… the dogs are straight up bored, and have no guidance so they will just act up like a kid, and dogs need guidance and things to do… It can be fixed, but the owners need to get a decent trainer there and the only way thats gonna happen is if you bring it up with them (if they're reasonable) or just make heaps of noise complaints so they have to do something about it.
Hey I'm an owner that respects my neighbours and I despise a lot of dog owners lol. My neighbours will happily put my bins away for me and they are safe doing that, my dog is also not left outside if I am not home…hell If I was certain my neighbours young kid was capable in giving verbal and hand commands confidently (and I find kids are way better than adults at training ),my dog would happily accompany them for a walk to the corner store if their parents were worried about them doing it by themselves. It would literally be glued to the left hand side of that kid and even wait outside the store for them…
I think the main thing we can take from this is don't move if you have cool neighbours!
@jenkemjunkie:
True, you need to add some lemon juice. Only the the dog hates the smell, and teaches him not to bark
@roosta: I can understand why people would feel that way but my area is so dodgy that it's a good thing. You should know when someone is walking outside because they're likely up to no good.
People literally watch their porches until midnight and everyone leaves lights on to illuminate their yards.
I'd really like to live in one of those places where it's safe to go walk around the block even in the evening but this isn't it. I'm an OzBargainer though and I bought somewhere I could afford.
Thanks for your feedback, this is good to know. And agree, people just don't care which is why we're looking at options from our end.
Strongly recommend you get to know your neighbours if possible.
Pull the fuses from their fuse box if possible. Temporary relief.
Also start making friends with other neighbours; the more people who complain, the better.
This +1
My friend had a similar issue with his neighbours. Went around to talk to all the neighbours and they're all fed up with it.
Cops came around and gave warnings a few times. On the last warning, the neighbours were told that if they received another complained then it would be a big fine to the guys playing music too loud. It stopped soon after that.
Blow them up
calm down Osama
calm down Bush…
its a trap
Calm down Donald.
Bass waves can't melt steel beams
illumanati!
But jet fuel can melt bass.
Which suburb is this for other's sake?
Berwick in Vic.
Berwick used to be such a nice village suburb. Until the last couple of years. Now it is just one large traffic jam because there are simply too many houses built for the area. Plus, it's getting worse all the time. They will wait until there is a multiple fatality pile-up before fixing that built up off-ramp from the Monash Highway into Berwick. It's a shame because it once was a lovely town. I used to want to live there, but not anymore.
On topic, speak to them in person. Hopefully they will adapt their behaviour after knowing that it annoys the neighbours. However, the devil in me would watch for their routine, and then crank up my own doof doof music just when you assume they have just gone to bed.
Use a lawnmower. Seems less spiteful.
The problem with the revenge tactic of cranking up the doof doof music is that you will then disturb the other neighbours who have been doing the right thing.
Yeah, this is one of those problems.
When buying a house I do some weird things like making sure I come at night to see if I can hear the trains because during the day it might sound fine with all the background noise, but at night you won't be able to sleep. There are other things I do as well like look at the way the water flows across the street. Proximity to shops. Any trees the neighbours have, fence and more.
That's spot on, what needs to be done, and the thing is, we did it. We came past at different times of day and night, the thing is you wouldn't hear his music/the bass from the street, only when you're in the house/in our room. I actually remember commenting one Saturday night when we came out how nice and peaceful and quiet it was.
Damn… ;-(
I have a neighbour who sings (sounds like screeching) during the day who recently moved next door. I haven't figured out what to do about it and will probably have to live with it until I adjust. It goes straight through the walls and insulated windows.
So, not 100% foolproof.
I don't think it will be a good idea to spend money fixing it.
I'd sing along with them. :D
Try sending them a really polite letter maybe, I dunno.. I sing around the house sometimes and i'd be pretty mortified if someone sent me one… enough that'd i'd stop anyway.
Throw a rock? Lol
Hey there, hello neighbour!
talk to the neighbours and discuss it to start with.
speak to them.
Whats the worst that can happen? they're bogans and tell you to f-off?
It could save you thousands
In retaliation, they break into your house to trash it. Upon reaching the bedroom the male sees your underwear drawer and sniffs it, he decides he loves you. After numerious rejections his obsesion turns violent and he starts to kidnap backpackers and make a suit of the skin. He kidnaps you and forces you to be his basement girlfriend.
Thats the worst case senario.
If the neighbour is that kind of person, you've probably got an equal chance of it happening, irrispective of speaking to him about the noise.
Lol likely.
puts the lotion on the skin
ha ha ha
Slippery Fish has come up with a great example of worst case, we've got a few more that we've run through in our heads. To note, we did call the cops one night when the music came blasting on from 3am-5am (golden oldies songs!) but we're pretty sure they never went to the house and then by huge coincidence my partner got prank calls from an anonymous caller the next night with some random just saying 'F off' down the line…We have to wonder why the rest of the neighbourhood doesn't have an issue with it - or if they have tried to take action in the past and it got them nowhere.
If silly enough to invest cash in the first instance to find nothing worked! Identifying yourself as a complainer puts a bullseye on your back whenever the cops as a visit… The neighbour knows who sent them!
Learn to play music and play twice as loud and twice as often as them.
I may just get the sudden urge to practice my karaoke skills at 6am on Sunday mornings…
Drum kit. Make it your mission to learn speed metal.
What if the neighbor needs a drummer and befriends OP to join his band.
We sent the kids out with a recorder and permission to play as loud as they liked. Neighbour behind us (who suffers more than us as the offending neighbour is next to him - he's on the back diagonal to us) soon sent his kids out with their recorders too.
Neighbour behind us has also parked his lawnmower, running, right up against the offenders fence and left it there until it ran out of petrol…starting at 6am on a Sunday morning after a particularly bad night. We all took his lead and were mowing our lawns not long afterwards…it hasn't done anything but it's a good way of blowing off steam and bonding with the other pissed off neighbours!
I would do this and will play it in some different language to annoy the (profanity) out of them.
That would be the best option 😂
Good lord!
We had nightmares for years with the block of flats behind us. We complained to them, the police, body corporate, owners of flats and all said nothing really could be done. Then I wrote a letter saying we were not able to have 'quiet enjoyment' of our property and listed dates and times we had been kept awake over the last month and I would be taking civil action. We have had no noise problems since. A complete miracle response from the people who said they could do nothing about the noise. Ask a lawyer friend or legal aid. Also, find out if they are renting the place and send the letter to their agency/landlord and request a response. Good luck!
Thank you, this is a positive outcome. We have started keeping a log now of dates/times/action taken.
+1 for this. Complaining to the next door's real estate agency about our noisy neighbors (dogs and crap music) got our issues resolved pretty quickly. Dodgy boyfriend of the tenant who was not on the lease document.
Are the neighbours renting? If so, talking to the property owner worked for me in the past.
I've had a look online to see if I could find any old leasing ads, nothing came up so I don't think so unfortunately. Being in real estate myself I knew this would be the easiest way to go but no luck.
The council will know.
How?
@aboabo: I still don't get it, the public records that the council would have are of the owner and ratepayer not the tenant. Genuinely interested to know if there is a way?
@robbyjones: no there is not. council don't have such information, even if they did they would not disclose it to you.
May not be the council these days but you can get a copy of the title from Victorian Government's Landata that will list the registered proprietor. If this is a different address to the actual property then it's most likely a rental and you now have someone you can annoy to get the music stopped/tenants removed.
If you know any real estate people, they have access to a database which will tell them the current owners of the property. Might take a bit more digging go from there, but at least it is a start. Or just ask at the door if "Joe Homeowner" is there :)
Didn't I say property owner?
My council sent me to an office where I was given the name, address and phone no. of my neighbour's property owner.
Call you local council or send them an email
Usually you will have to fill form to get the owner details and reason behind it
If they are renting the postal address will be different
Once you tell them the reason, they will ask you to speak to them at first point
Throw them the question there, is postal address different than street address
That will help if the doing things right way
Have you spoken to them? Maybe they aren't aware that the bass is an annoyance to you. If they are the reasonable sort, then they'll turn the bass down.