Noisy neighbors, about the transmission of sounds in apartments

In this article you will learn:

1. How to verify the source of the problem

2. How to combat noise in your apartment

3. What can contribute to persistent noise?

Why do I hear my neighbors?

Let’s start from the beginning, noise in apartments can be a result of many acoustic phenomena. From an acoustic point of view, we distinguish several paths and ways in which noise spreads. Sound can be transmitted through the air, for example, through ventilation or it may reach us through open windows, it can also be transmitted through material, for example, through the building's structure, walls, or the floor. If we hear voices coming from behind the wall, we are talking about direct transmission, which we can combat by increasing the acoustic insulation from airborne sounds of the walls separating our apartments. However, it should be noted that such solutions usually involve a real limitation of the usable space of the apartment, which can be problematic in the small areas of modern apartments. Interestingly, noise does not have to reach us directly through the wall behind which there is a noisy sound source. The walls of a room are a coherent and rigid structure and besides direct transmission, we may also be dealing with lateral transmission. This refers to situations where sound, for example, radiates from a wall distant from the sound source. The problem of hearing footsteps is related to the transmission of impact sounds through the floor structure. This problem can be effectively reduced by using a floating floor. Unfortunately, it is best to do this at the construction stage and when buying a ready apartment, we often have no influence over it anymore. Nevertheless, this solution allows noise to be reduced by as much as 30dB.

How to fight noise in your apartment

Many experts emphasize that often the problem of perceived noise in the apartment is not caused by loud neighbors, but by poor acoustics of the rooms. If we plan to buy an apartment, it is worth asking what the floor is made of, whether soundproofing mats were used, and what the acoustic insulation of the walls inside the apartment is. It is also important how much insulation the doors and windows installed in our apartment will have. It is worth asking whether rigid connections between structural elements were avoided (currently they are not usually used anymore, but it’s always better to ask). It is also advisable to strive to limit reverberation inside our apartment. Some studies show that in reverberant rooms, sound level meters can indicate even 10dB more than in soundproofed rooms with optimal acoustics, even if the music played is the same and is played at the same volume level.

The right attitude is the key to success

Interestingly, people find it easier to cope with noise when they are prepared for it and know how long it might last. If, for example, our child practices the piano every day, it’s worth encouraging them to do so at similar times and not for too long, so that the neighbors are prepared for the situation that it might happen and roughly how long it will last. If you are planning a gathering with friends and are concerned about the neighbors' reactions, write a short note or personally tell them that such a meeting will take place on a given day and ask them to let you know if it gets too loud. It’s also worth remembering that everyone has a different threshold for noise and perhaps before calling the police to report bothersome noise coming from the neighbors’ apartment, we should try to talk to them and let them know that the volume of the music they are playing bothers us. There is a good chance that they were not aware of it and will immediately lower the volume.