No apartment has ever had adequate soundproofing, as far as I know. Some are better than others.

I've moved out of noisy places explicitly because of their noisiness, so I feel your pain. I've finally found a quiet place, and it's all about the layout. My apartment has a long hallway that leads to the building's hall, so I'm removed from a lot of the door slamming and general noise from that, and my apartment is tucked in a corner. Got to love strange, old New York buildings. But more importantly, my two neighbors' apartments' are mostly on either side of that long hall, so I can hear them very well when I'm in the long hall and not at all when I'm in my apartment proper. It's amazing. Finally, peace and quiet. So my advice is, pick a place that minimizes shared walls and live on the top floor.

And after living below a family with a three year old who liked to clumsily sprint up and down the length of the apartment all... day... long..., I'll never not live on the top floor again.

Good luck!

The apartments outside of Boston had special fire proofing done to them. They were very sound proof compared to others. The lady next door was near deaf so early in the morning we could slightly hear her TV. The doors let in a lot of noise from the hallway, but unless the kid across the hall was having her 10:30pm 'in the hall tantrum' it was fine.

The apartments in Boston, specifically across from the music school sucked and had zero sound proofing. This was okay until the idiot below us started strangling a duck at 4am every morning. Or was he trying to play the sax? I guess I'll never know.

Top floor is the best advice I have, sometimes there can still be noise, but rugs will help. Another tip is to see what walls the bedroom is against, if the bedroom is only on outside walls, then you don't need to worry about hearing as much while you sleep. Listen closely for things like creaky floors while you're viewing the apartment as well, if the floors are loud, likely you will be able to hear those around you walking around. Also bring a friend have them go out into the hallway for a "phone call" while you're there, see how much you can hear them from inside.

I agree with MNIGHTSHANNANLAN - live on the top floor corner unit if you can. My bedroom is not adjacent to any other ones horizontally. It's very hard to tell how much you will hear when you visit the apartment for the first time, especially NYC. If it sounds like you live with your neighbors, it probably means there are clear gaps on the floor/ceiling that are not patched up. There is only so much you can do with wood frame buildings too, so I would move if you are just renting!

Try searching online with the name or address of the building and "review". There are some ratings and review websites for apartments in some cities, or even just a community or neighbourhood forum where people discuss rental issues.

Even then, it's so hard to know what you are getting into, noise-wise. E.g. my actual neighbours are pretty quiet, but there a guy living a block away has the NOISIEST motorcycle EVER and he takes it out every night. Then there's the ice cream truck (why is this still legal????). Then they rip up the street to install new water mains....it never ends.

I live on the top floor and don't hear much of my neighbors. But, I'm constantly worried about what they can hear below me. I'm always trying to walk softly, especially because my apartment has wood floors.

don't older apts have thicker wall= better soundproofing?
when we were looking for an apt yrs ago, we were mainly looking at new buildings. the highrise buildings had better soundproofing, probably because it requires more concrete and steel?
Apt that were built by reputable builders were definitely better too.

Yes, high-rise buildings are often (always?) have concrete floors, so they're quieter. If you're lucky, you'll find one with concrete walls. I looked at an apartment in a building like that once. It was very quiet.

Hi Susan! Im sorry Bout your place if you Plan on Staying Then I would Recommend Hiring a Audio engineer who specializes in Acoustics to Treat your room (s) , We do this in Recording Studios and it works! treating your room will remove those reflections and noises traveling between your walls its absorptive and obviously makes it quite :) It can be pricey but there are cheaper ways like Carpet fiber padding and stapling fabric over or cool tapestries :) Goodluck!

We purposefully selected a unit in our building that does not share walls with other units -- there's a fire stairwell on one side and on the other a storage room we snagged as part of our lease (so convenient). There are, however, the elephants above and a noisy urban street just outside, so, ultimately, earplugs are my best friend -- at least when I'm trying to sleep.

Look into your area's guildelines on sound transmission in new-build multifamily. If they are strict, go for a newer-build that would have been inspected per these guildelines.

As to older buildings, there are some additional layers under plaster that do not occur under drywall that may help sound. But no other way to tell what the wall structure and insulation is without ripping out some wall. Perhaps ask the owner if there are units under renovation where you can view the wall thickness & structure?

I've been told that if the building has fire escapes at each unit then it's likely there is no fireproofing between floors and hence no sound barrier. It makes sense to me.

LOL, this just reminds me of how crappy my current apartment is. I've been there 2 years and cannot afford anything else (of my own) in this town. I can hear my upstairs neighbor use her toilet..*ahem*..and pretty much everything else from her and next door/upstairs neighbors. It feels like we all live in one big, crappy house.

What I learned when in your situation is that on top of thin walls and gaps that cause sound to transfer between units, wood vibrates and can amplify noise (that's why they use wood to make musical instruments). So older, wooden buildings can be a real problem. I agree with other comments as far as things to look for - top floor, bedrooms without shared walls, newer high rise buildings with concrete floors and sound proofed windows. I would not bother trying to soundproof your apartment unless for some reason you simply can't move.

Dear Susan, I think the only thing you can do is carefully look at the floor plan of the building/floor. My boyfriend and I live in a very noisy building and our bedroom is adjacent to the neighbor's living room. Furthermore, it is on the street side. Next time I will be very aware of those kind of things. And the top floor tip never fails. Good luck with everything!

I also have this problem. While it's impossible to know for sure what the potential noise problems will be, ask it you can return to the apartment a few times, at different times of day, before you move in (I was able to do this when I was buying, may not be so easy when you are renting)... so you get get a better sense the acoustics when people are around, when school is out, etc. Speak to some other building residents and ask about the noise situation. Review your potential lease and see what the policy is about floor coverage. Find out if there are kids in the building and where they live. Unlike you, I hear only the noise above me, so I think top floor is your best bet. Right now I have neighbor number four with a toddler above me, and it is MISERY.

Living on the top floor corner did not help against living on a main street with a trolley and highway traffic! I guess a key point to pay attention to is if the lease says your floor has to be covered 75%! I did cover my floors and even spent a whole afternoon laying on the floor, but somehow missed the noise. New place honeymoon, I guess. After I moved in it was horrible. I couldn't leave the windows up at all. Good thing I worked outside of the city and spent a good amount of time out. I finally moved when my nerves couldn't take it anymore.

Granted, the construction industry is VERY different in Texas, but I tend to look at the materials used to build the structure and the time frame of when the building was built.

For example, in Texas the mid-80s were a little sluggish for the apartment industry, so apartments built here tended to be thick, sturdy, slowly-constructed (and thus with more attention). The insides might be a wreck and need renovation, but the soundproofing is fantastic. On the other hand, the 2000s were a boom-time in Austin, so a lot of buildings were slapped together hastily with cheap materials to start turning a profit. (I lived in one for about a year, and it was a nightmare).

One thing I've noticed that can be a tell-tale, weirdly enough, is the paint inside (if it's not a condo). If possible, lick your thumb and swipe it on the paint. If it doesn't seem to have much effect, it's good-quality paint (probably on a good-quality construction). If it starts to look weird or like tempera paint, it's crappy paint (probably slapped on a crappy build that's all about turning a profit).

You can always look up reviews of a building you're thinking of moving into. Sometimes former tenants will rate them and specify things that bothered them or things they liked. I think that's a better option then calling on all the neighbour's to ask! But if you can get a top corner unit (what I live in), that's your best bet!!

Concrete high rises are good, and 100 year old + buildings are good (floors are separated by a crawlspace, usually). Regular structures from the 70's and thereabouts are usually the worst.

A friend of mine lives in an old factory that has been turned into apartments. The floors and structural walls are thick enough to support heavy machinery and thus soundproof.

LOL @gwendolyn !

:-)

I love old buildings and wood floors, but the last apartment I lived in that fit that description had the worst soundproofing ever. In addition to neighbor noise I also heard everything that happened on the street outside because the windows (original and super charming) weren't tight in the casing.

Now I live in a 1980s apartment with much less charm, carpet, and popcorn ceilings. And now I barely know my neighbors exist! (I'm upstairs and wedged between two other upstairs apartments with lots of shared wall). I can hear one neighbor play their piano and I occasionally get a little bit of loud TV action scenes, but that's rare. The cool factor of the building is very low, but in terms of privacy it's like paradise.

Move into a vintage building!! The crazy-thick plaster walls are amazing for soundproofing. For the past 7 years I lived in two different 1920s buildings and could rarely ever hear my neighbors with whom I shared walls. I could hear people if they were talking in the hallway, but rarely heard anyone on the other side of the wall. I could never go back to a more modern building. Thank goodness I adore old buildings! Also, live on the top floor if you can because with the old building you will get the squeaky wood floors.

I live in a MFH building with pretty great insulation, at least on the sides. (People who live below toddlers still complain though.)

One thing is that I live on the top floor, and I wouldn't change, but I do get to enjoy the HVAC units on my bedroom roof. Sometimes it sounds like I'm in the hold of a great big ship, and there are vibrations too. I can usually sleep through it though.

MRSBERG, where do you find reviews of a building? It's not like there's a central website for every dwelling in the state. I don't think there's anything wrong with casually asking other people who live there, if you have the opportunity. People are always in my building going to open houses, etc, and they sometimes ask questions if you happen to be on the elevator or in the halls with them. No one seems to mind. Maybe this is just real-estate-obsessed NYC.

Concrete floors do not mean quiet. I live in a loft with great soundproofing in the walls. My neighbors next door can be holding a rave and I probably wouldn't know. But the neighbors upstairs can drop a needle and I hear it. I'm one of the lucky residents...no one above me wears high heels on a regular basis...

It's such a weird alchemy and so much of it is dependent on how considerate your neighbors are. I lived in a well insulated apartment next to a guy who insisted on playing his stereo at the highest setting, speakers against our shared walls and it was misery. I also lived in a thin walled apartment next to a woman I'd never have known lived there if I hadn't run into her in the hall on occasion. I wish you the best of luck in your quest!

I'm currently in an apartment that was once a storefront on the bottom floor of an office building. I hear NOTHING from above or to either side! In my last apt, I lived below a man I called Bigfoot who left his TV on full blast even when he wasn't home (to avoid burglaries, he told me) and who made some woman very happy at regular intervals. I was SO glad to get into this apartment with concret and steel.
I find it odd that soundproofing is better in buildings designed to be commercial space than in buildings designed for home life.
See if you can find a repurposed commercial space. Not industrial loft, but one designed for offices and stores.

After you ask the landlord if there's ever been noise complaints (although they might not be straight with you), ask the current tenants, and knock on the doors of the people above, below, or to either side when you're viewing an apartment, and ask them if they've been annoyed by the sound. Most people would want to warn someone new if there is a problem, and would welcome a conscientious neighbour. Maybe even bring notes to slip under the door of people if they're not home when you're there, so they can call or email you their response in private. It's worth the effort! Pose the question like, "I currently live in a very loud apartment; I wouldn't want to move somewhere new where I was causing someone else the same amount of stress that my current neighbours are causing me. Can you hear each other in the building?"

Where I live, buildings that were built as condos instead of apartments tend to have much better soundproofing between units. Perhaps looking for a rental in a condo building could give you a better result? Our realtor called it "flex core construction" or something like that. There's a foot of concrete between us and our upstairs neighbor; we rarely hear anything, and they have a little kid and hard floors. Being a corner/end unit helps a lot, too.

We lived in one apartment that was dead quiet for an entire year - backed to an alley, solid pre-war construction. Then we got new upstairs neighbors - a family of four in a one bedroom and a mom with a huge leg brace thing. It sounded like they were bowling all day! I think the top floor is the only way to make sure you don't have noise!

Look for a place with wallboard instead of plaster walls, plaster walls (whether it's metal or wood lath & plaster) transmit sound far more easily. How do I know? I ended up in mediation with a neighbor because their sexual noise was off the charts so I told the landlord I was moving.

Look for carpeted floors instead of hard wood.

Look for units both high (unless you're near an airport) and away from the street.

Look for units with modernized windows - double-paned windows.

I live on the first floor in a flexicore building and I very rarely hear anything from the people above me. I don't hear much from the street either. My co-workers were discussing a bad thunderstorm with hail a couple weeks ago, and I had no idea what they were talking about, it is that quiet in my building.

Try to see units when the current residents will likely be home so you can ask about the noise level. I always make appointments between 6 and 8 PM on weekdays, and I think the current tenants have always been in then.

Also ask what the neighbors are like. When I lived above dumb frat boys, I could hear every word of every conversation. When some normal girls with a big dog moved in, I heard the occasional woof and that was it. It was like living in an entirely different apartment.

If you're standing next to their landlord -- the person who controls their security deposit -- sometimes you won't get an honest answer from the current residents, but you can infer a lot from facial expressions or by decoding which things they mention. There's an "adorable baby" next door might really mean "wailing toddler", or the neighbors who are "young and fun" might be neighbors who "come home drunk at 3 AM every night." It's like when a Craigslist listing says an apartment is "charming" and you know that means "cramped and tiny" -- you've got to read between the lines.

Visit the potential apartment at a time of day when you're likely to not want noise (e.g. in the evening), and while you're touring it, ask the current tenant or landlord if they can give you a couple of moments of silence. Sit in the bedroom or living room for a few minutes and just listen. Most of the time, you'll be able to tell just from that whether it's a noisy apartment.

I've lived in an extremely noisy apartment where every sound from the neighbours echoed, in a well-soundproofed apartment that was in a really noisy part of town so there was awful street noise (think ambulance sirens every 2-3 minutes, and people coming out of bars drunk at 3am every night), and now I live in a very quiet, well-soundproofed rental condo. I'm smack dab in the middle of a neighbourhood where people have been protesting for weeks now, banging on pots and pans and marching in the streets every night, and I hardly hear any noise.

Also agree that the top floor helps.

Try knocking on the adjoining tenant(s)' door and asking them to turn their television up or shout at you through the walls. I'm serious. I live in Chicago and was a seasoned renter until I purchased a condo and I've never met a person that told me "no". Not only were they obliging, but they seemed to be thankful I asked. If you can live with the noise level they create, you won't be miserable when you move in. If you can't, keep shopping.