Am I being unreasonable? Neighbor complaints about noise - sorry long

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be unhappy b/c it probably scratches your hardwood and/or causes all kinds of dings and dents and scuffs in your walls and banisters and risers.

I have three kids. They are loud and wild sometimes. However, I would never allow them to do this, in our house or any one else's house. I don't think it's respectful of your house or your landlord.

The marks on our walls I remove every other week during cleaning with a magic eraser. They happen while I carry laundry up and down the stairs too. It's carpet so it doesn't mark the floor. Like a PP said we don't do this 8 hours a day. It's usually 10-15 minutes when we get a large package and it doesn't last more than 2-3 days before the box is ruined and recycled.

They giggle, laugh, talk and get excited. I can't imagine this breaks any noise ordinance. I posted the link but I didn't understand the language. I cannot see how kids doing kids things is a noise violation.
And I'm glad to hear that the majority of people think so too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think she sounds rotten, but I do draw the line at letting kids slide down stairs on cardboard boxes. If I was your landlord I'd be pissed, not to mention your adjoining neighbor.

Why so? We don't share stairwells.

Um.. I hate to break it to you, but the way sounds travel in dwellings with thin walls, you don't have to share stairwells to be able to hear sounds, especially if your children come down with a bang. Just because you 'only' share one -- or two -- walls doesn't automatically mean that the person next door doesn't hear sounds coming from other rooms of your house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be unhappy b/c it probably scratches your hardwood and/or causes all kinds of dings and dents and scuffs in your walls and banisters and risers.

I have three kids. They are loud and wild sometimes. However, I would never allow them to do this, in our house or any one else's house. I don't think it's respectful of your house or your landlord.

The marks on our walls I remove every other week during cleaning with a magic eraser. They happen while I carry laundry up and down the stairs too. It's carpet so it doesn't mark the floor. Like a PP said we don't do this 8 hours a day. It's usually 10-15 minutes when we get a large package and it doesn't last more than 2-3 days before the box is ruined and recycled.

They giggle, laugh, talk and get excited. I can't imagine this breaks any noise ordinance. I posted the link but I didn't understand the language. I cannot see how kids doing kids things is a noise violation.
And I'm glad to hear that the majority of people think so too.

Are you really that obtuse?

Kids can 'do kids things' differently. They can giggle - or they can scream. They can walk around - or they can run. They can do puzzles - or throw balls or jump on furniture. It's not about the things they are doing, it's about the level of noise they make while doing it.

If you are a dog owner and your dog barks excessively, your neighbors can call the police and the police has to respond.. and your explanation that it is just a 'dog doing dog things' won't fly. It happened to a friend of mine who put his beagles outside - at 6 pm - and at 7 pm the police officers came, because the neighbors were disturbed by the noise.. and issued a noise warning. By the same token, if you're having a party and exceeding the noise level, the cops will also come, despite 'teenagers doing teenager things'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think she sounds rotten, but I do draw the line at letting kids slide down stairs on cardboard boxes. If I was your landlord I'd be pissed, not to mention your adjoining neighbor.

Why so? We don't share stairwells.

This is what I mean. You are argumentative and flippant when opposed.

Heavy foot falls and thumps cause sounds and vibrations that carry across the floor boards. Why are you being so obtuse?

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with the prior posters who said you are really defensive and refuse to acknowledge that there is any chance that you or your children may be doing anything wrong.

If her simple act of running her washing machine shakes your windows, how do you think your children running, screaming, laughing, and sliding down stairs for 10-15 minutes over 2-3 days sounds next door?

Kids doing kid things is fine. Kids behaving like wild animals is not. I think your house might skew more towards the latter.

She can't ask that you be silent 24/7. But I think you could certainly reign in your children's behavior a bit, from what you describe.

[Anonymous]

I am beginning to wonder if this is a real post. OP sure is responding a lot--shouldn't she be singing and giggling and running and dancing with her "spririted" children?

[Anonymous]

I don't think OP is being unreasonable at all, and I think her defensiveness, if there is any, is a result of the cumulative effect of being treated like crap by this neighbor for so long. Her neighbor sounds like a nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Also, OP, you may want to think about the fact that your neighbor could complain to your LL and or a homeowners association about you...depending on where you live, your LL may need a license to legally rent his or her place and may not have one. The association might not be pleased about that. Always better not to stir that pot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP -- apparently you wanted validation, and not opinions.

With each successive self-righteous post of yours, I feel snarkier and snarkier.

Perhaps you have a similar effect on your neighbor?

And do you have rugs? I hope so, since if you don't, then I know you are not serious about noise.

OP, you're NOT allowed to defend yourself on DCUM. If you don't agree with the angry mob then you are "entitled", "defensive", "rude", etc., etc. Rather, you should just sit back and silent take the flames. Those are the rules on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP -- apparently you wanted validation, and not opinions.

With each successive self-righteous post of yours, I feel snarkier and snarkier.

Perhaps you have a similar effect on your neighbor?

And do you have rugs? I hope so, since if you don't, then I know you are not serious about noise.

OP, you're NOT allowed to defend yourself on DCUM. If you don't agree with the angry mob then you are "entitled", "defensive", "rude", etc., etc. Rather, you should just sit back and silent take the flames. Those are the rules on DCUM.

I don't think that's what's going on here. OP asked "Am I being unreasonable?" Then people pointed out that yes, perhaps, she could have handled things better, OP and a few others began beating this drum about her being attacked. I'm not attacking. I am saying OP is not without blame.

Also, the code OP posted says it is against the law to make, or allow to be made, a noise disturbance. The law defines a "noise disturbance" as "any sound which annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities." So yeah, your neighbor can't demand 100% silence, but I think what you describe would annoy or disturb a reasonable person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's BS. I work from home and it's ridiculous to expect that people "be quiet" during those hours. I would never in a million years create a stink about any noise during the day. If you can't concentrate during every day life noise, you have a problem.

This +1000! I teleccommute 100% of the time. I have security restrictions for my work that mean that I must work at home - WiFi at Starbucks won't cut it. I also live in the suburbs in a single family home. I promise you - it's a logistical nightmare to host a conference call when the neighbor decides to mow their lawn right outside my window, but so be it. While I could ask him to stop mowing, I don't really feel I am *entitled* to a quiet workspace. It's a home/neighborhood, not an office. It's one of the downsides that come with the benefits of working at home.

That being said - it'd be AWESOME!!! if I could just lean out the window and say "hey - mind cutting your lawn 45 minutes from now?" and have that not be an issue ('cause, you know, we'd live in Pleasantville and no one else but me would have a schedule to keep), but whatever.

To answer your question - IF you can keep it quiet, I bet it would definitely be appreciated. But the responsibility of you neighbor having a quiet workspace should not fall on you.

[Anonymous]

I'm a lawyer, and I am noise sensitive and work at home.

At the same time, this neighbor sounds like a BITCH.

If I were you, I would not allow the kids to slide down the stairs in cardboard boxes or do any major horsing around in the house that should be outside. And tell them not to scream. But other than that, you cannot lock up and muzzle your kids or live in fear in your own home. She is a wacko. Do NOT tip toe in your own home on account of that bitch. Live your life.

[Anonymous]

Next time she gets in your face, tell her that if she is a hot shit lawyer, then she should be able to afford a SFH where she can isolate herself from neighbors with families.

[Anonymous]

No one wants your cookies. I would have tossed them as I don't eat food from people I don't know. You are rude and inconsiderate and justifying your kids misbehavior. If the screamer is loud, go to a playground. We have a single family house and we still have the no jumping, screaming and running rule in the house. They are in activities and go to the playground for that. If she is working at home, I can't blame her. 7 AM is very early for many people. We don't get up till 8:30-9 on weekdays and sleep later on the weekends. I'd be really pissed too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You both handled it wrong.

She sounds like kind of a jerk, but you need to teach your kids the concept of "inside voices." They shouldn't be yelling in the house except in urgent circumstances.

She can't expect silence during the day but it is reasonable to not want frequent running and yelling.

Take your kids outside more and let them run around and yell in the playground.

This.