Brownstones & Noisy Neighbors
I’m considering renting or buying a floor in a BS (any ol’ BS ..not necessarily in Brooklyn) My question for you lucky bastards 🙂 that already live in one of ’em is this; Do you guys & gals find that the walls & floors are thicker and more sound-absorbing than other types of construction?. Because…
I’m considering renting or buying a floor in a BS (any ol’ BS ..not necessarily in Brooklyn) My question for you lucky bastards 🙂 that already live in one of ’em is this; Do you guys & gals find that the walls & floors are thicker and more sound-absorbing than other types of construction?. Because my biggest fear is moving somewhere only to discover that I have REALLY noisy neighbors and I’m the kinda guy that REALLY need his Z’s. I swear to God that if I can’t get a good nights sleep I get so freakin’ cranky that I’m borderline homicidal. To avoid spending the next 10-25 on Riker’s I decided to do some research beforehand and in that regard I remember hearing somewhere that BS’s where much quieter because they used a much more solid construction compared to modern buildings, particularly as far as the floor thickness goes. Could someone confirm (or deny) it?.
Also, any tips on which floors tend to be quieter?. For example I would imagine the top floor would be the quietest of all … am I right?. BTW, how thick are the walls in those suckers?.
Last question; could I reasonably expect to find the same construction characteristics in ANY brownstone regardless of whether it’s in Brooklyn or NJ ..or are they built differently in different places/times ?.
Yeah, I know -that’s a shitload of questions and I got on your nerves already. So thanks in advance for any responses.
Different brownstones were built to different standards. Sometimes the party walls are surprisingly thin. Our GC broke through to the neighbors on both sides during our reno! One neighbor has a deep, booming voice and we often hear him. The other very occasionally plays music loud and we certainly hear that. I’ve always heard that prewar apartment buildings offer the best sound insulation.
Brownstones are pretty quiet. Live on the top floor.
Sound is stopped by mass – brick is heavier and denser than wood so side to side noise should be less with brick side walls as opposed to wood joists with brick nogging.
Well, your mileage may very, but in my experience:
Side walls (brick) – nothing more than very muffled noise when my neighbors scream at each other.
Interior walls (plaster) – deadens alot, but you can yell from room to room.
Interior walls (sheetrock) – a little louder than the plaster.
Floors and ceilings – you don’t really hear alot of living sounds (talking, television), but you will hear ever every little footstep someone upstairs takes.
2:06, i think the other poster was saying that noise between attached brick construction houses would be less than frame houses. inside a given old house, there’s a lot of variables but i don’t think there’s necessarily much of a difference between brick and frame if we’re talking about interal noise issues.
Unfortunately that’s not true, 12:24 pm. Brick structures are SO much noisier than wood frame houses. I lived in old Victorian wood frame houses all through college and never heard neighboring apartments. And we’re talking about college students, some of them with bands! I move to NYC and buy a co-op in a brick and brownstone rowhouse and there’s no sound insulation at all. It’s the noisiest place I’ve ever lived. The brick doesn’t do a think to stop sound, in fact in amplifies it. Plaster helps, but doesn’t stop it. And soundproofing doesn’t help when it’s done on your side. It has to be done on the neighbor’s side who is making the noise. This isn’t my isolated experience; all my friend experience it too. You just have to be lucky and get a neighbor who does like nice thick rugs (people have an aversion to them these days, damn modern interiors) and/or is quiet and considerate.
I would think brick rowhouses are quieter than frame rowhouses… Being on the top floor eliminates noise from above.
It is also important to find a house that is mid- block rather than near a corner. I have twice lived near the corner of a block – cars stop at the traffic light or stop sign with their stereos cranked up at 3am and in the case of a traffic light sit at the corner until the light changes.
buy a detached house (victorian flatbush), invest in some earplugs or maybe consider loft apartments. apartments and houses in nyc are rarely sound-proof. I guess it goes with the territory (city that never sleeps).
You can’t tell looking at a brownstone, or any rowhouse (brick, frame, etc) much about noise without digging a bit deeper. Re: the next door neighbors, is there one layer of brick or two for the wall separating the two buildings? Plaster walls on your side? On the other? As for upstair/downstairs, is there insulation in the ceiling? Are there floors and subfloors, or is the subfloor being used as the floor (old pine plank floors usually sit right on top of the joists, whereas a new floor is usually placed on top of a plywood substrate, adding an extra layer of sound and vibration absorbtion)?
No rule of thumb applicable generally about brownstones; you need to know something about the building’s guts to answer your question as to that particular building.