Backyard Basketball Noise
A brownstone behind me has been undergoing renovation since last Fall to add an extension onto the back of the house. They finished this month, after paving over the back garden and installing a basketball court. The ball in in play off and on most days from 8:30 in the morning, sometimes until after 10…
A brownstone behind me has been undergoing renovation since last Fall to add an extension onto the back of the house. They finished this month, after paving over the back garden and installing a basketball court. The ball in in play off and on most days from 8:30 in the morning, sometimes until after 10 at night. Anybody who has ever lived on a back courtyard knows how sound carries. Imagine that of a bouncing ball on a hard surface, off and on all day long.
I really do understand how difficult it is to raise a child in a city. And the owners are certainly entitled to use of their outdoor space, but not at the expense of the rest of us. Is there anyone who has dealt with this kind of problem? Any advice? Or should I just try to get used to it?
get use to the noise. other wise play some music or something.
Yeah, I would think long term and understand that the novelty is going to wear off by the end of the summer as well.
Why not set a deadline for yourself? Promise you’ll check back in about this in late August. If it’s still all day every day and it’s still bothering you, then a friendly discussion with the parents might be in order. A curfew is a good idea. Another way to approach it might be to ask for one day off. Any reasonable request that soothes you and has minimal impact is OK if it’s done in a collaborative spirit.
Cheap solution: buy a white noise machine. Expensive solution: replace your rear windows with sound proof or sound reducing glass. They both work. There’s no sense driving yourself nuts trying the “fix” the problem. Focus on the only thing you can control – how much noise enters your space.
I pretty much agree with Strinos, and that’s how we deal with the noise from one another’s kids in our block’s backyards, but I would say that it is perfectly okay to ask for a curfew on the noise. You’d be surprised at how people are unaware of how their sounds carry in these teeny little yards. When people next door to a narrow brownstone are in the yard making noise, they may as well be right under their neighbors’ windows. Asking them if they can call it quits by 9 or 10 is reasonable, as long as you show them you’re being reasonable and not asking them to stop altogether.
You have to be a real tight ass to have a problem with the sounds of kids playing in the summer. Do any of you remember when you were kids before you were rich and had fancy brownstones? Me and my friends played ball in the streets all day long and that’s supposed to be how it is. If they are noisy after 10pm, that’s a different thing of course.
ringo makes a seriously good point…
*rob*
As a parent, I can say with certainty that that court will never be used as much as it’s being used this month. Activity should drop by half before the summer is out and drop out by 90% by next year. Try to live with it and see how it goes.
strinos
that is a great way of putting it.
Please keep posting.
One solution:
http://i.imgur.com/QUY35.jpg