Noisy Neighbours Driving you Crazy?

How to Reduce Unwanted Noise in Your Building

People who live in apartments generally accept a certain level of noise from their neighbours and from outside as part of their urban living experience. But there are limits to the amount of noise anyone can tolerate. When that threshold is passed, your once peaceful and tranquil home can suddenly become a source of stress and anxiety.

Your tolerance for noise will depend on a number of factors ranging from your building’s soundproofing, the type and level of noise and even the time of day it is generated. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers the following tips on how to reduce excessive or unwanted noise in your building:

• Get to know noisy neighbours, and make them aware of how their activities are affecting others. Speak with other neighbours to see if the noise is bothering anyone else, and consider adopting a joint strategy. Discuss ways to reduce objectionable noise, such as laying down carpets, moving stereo equipment away from shared walls and agreeing on reasonable hours for noisy activities. If all else fails, consult with your building management or condo board.
• If your building’s elevators, refuse chutes, garage door openers, air conditioning units or other mechanical devices are the problem, ask the management to investigate the problem. Solutions may include ensuring that motors are mounted on springs or pads to reduce vibrations, air conditioning compressors are located away from operable windows, or restricting the hours of the day or days of the week when noisier devices operate. Better isolating those devices from occupants by insulating and air sealing walls may help as well.
• To reduce noise coming in through openings or gaps in your walls, place gaskets behind electrical outlet cover plates. Check to see if electrical switches and outlets in common walls are offset from those on the other side of the wall so noise can pass directly through them from one side to the other. Carefully caulk the joint under your baseboards.
• If noise associated with people speaking frequently comes in from outside the building, ask management to take measures to discourage loitering and other after-hours activities. For other exterior noise sources, contact a bylaw officer to inform you on noise regulations in your area.
• Inside your apartment, consider adding more or heavier fabrics and upholstery to absorb more sound. If the windows in your building are to be replaced, encourage management to install windows with a high Sound Transmission Class (STC) performance rating and make sure they open away from any sources of noise.
• If serious noise problems in your building persist, ask management to retain an acoustical consultant to study the problem and recommend solutions.

This article is courtesy of CMHC.

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