Condo noise

[fosseway]

I am not sure if this subject has been discussed before, but anyway, I would like to ask members here, on their reaction to the "Impact Sound" between condo floors. I am sure this has bugged most of the condo residents at some time or the other.The

typical construction method here, is to cast the concrete reinforced floor section, and then lay a 5cm mortar screed. This is used from the very cheapest units, to the very expensive ones. This results in absolutely no protection from even the slightest

impact noise, i.e footsteps of residents just moving around, ladies high heels are the worst!!.

The older building came with some sort of protection in the form of underlay and fitted carpet, but most of this has now been replaced with ceramic, marble or granite.

UK building regs going back some 20 years, required a 5cm hard Styrofoam membrane sandwiched between the concrete floor slab and the mortar screed, this made almost all of the impact sound issues mentioned almost inaudible, also a "lightweight"

block of at least 20cm thick is typically used for non load bearing partitions.

If used here this would add very little cost per square meter, but it would be a very big step forward in build quality, and would be a very good selling point.

[KittenKong]

Developers in Pattaya generally seem to be uninterested in doing a good job. They only want to maximise profits and they do this by providing cheap glossy finishes that look expensive but wont last longer than a couple of years. Actual construction quality is generally minimal, even in very expensive buildings.

[ThaiBob]

I can't speak to the building standards of these newer condos all over town but but I have rented in some of the older buildings over the years including many of the view talay projects. Noise as you describe coming from above was never an issue in those buildings but noise coming from an adjacent unit could be a problem.

[fosseway]

Dear Bob,

Sometimes you can be lucky enough to enough either to have no upstairs neibour, or just a considerate one. Most certainly the View Talay's rank as some of the worst when it comes to build quality, rumor has it their bare shell unit ( excluding land of course), cost them Baht 10K per sm. that would have been V.T's. 1, 2,and 3 later ones would be maybe 15K. A fantastic money making formula. Many people made a fortune on these, buying off plan, and selling on the contract, as they are a cash rich company, with low or no risk, even without using the non existent escrow account. These days however, the "flipping" days are not what they used to be.

I did notice an ad. in the latest "Pattaya Property Guide" promoting the usual artists impression, of a new condo boasting 30cm partition walls, that would stop most or even all of the "transmitted noise" you mentioned coming from adjacent units, but would do nothing for the 'Impact noise"as I previously mentioned, but it is certainly a move in the right direction.

All this is of course is part of the downsides of communal living, but there are many other advantages that balance things up.

[pattjock]

If you have lived here for any amount of time you would know that Thai people like noise, the more the better, loud is good. This suggestion of yours will just sound crazy to them

[jacky54]

If you have lived here for any amount of time you would know that Thai people like noise, the more the better, loud is good. This suggestion of yours will just sound crazy to them

A myth, Thais hate noise as much as anyone, they are just not up to complaining about it for fear or retribution.

[KittenKong]

I can't speak to the building standards of these newer condos all over town but but I have rented in some of the older buildings over the years including many of the view talay projects. Noise as you describe coming from above was never an issue in those buildings but noise coming from an adjacent unit could be a problem.

I would say exactly the opposite, though it does all depend on the sort of people living above/next to you.

Noise coming from next door, being airborne noise, is quite easy to stop by complaining to the management who will be able to hear the same noise from the corridor which is generally accepted to be the definition of being too noisy. But impact noise on floors (dragging furniture, flat feet, dropping things) will often only be heard by the people below and can be many times louder than anything coming through the walls could ever be.

As mentioned, it is all down to the type of people, some of whom are just incredibly noisy and clumsy and seem to be constantly banging themselves and their furniture around.

[KittenKong]

If you have lived here for any amount of time you would know that Thai people like noise, the more the better, loud is good. This suggestion of yours will just sound crazy to them

A myth, Thais hate noise as much as anyone, they are just not up to complaining about it for fear or retribution.

No, many Thais really do like pointless noise and hubbub and find quiet very spooky.

[Guderian]

I've lived in three different condos here and sooner or later noise drove me out of them all. The noise from above was the worst problem, at least if my next door neighbour cranked up his stereo too often I could easily talk to him. In one room a pig-ignorant French guy living above me built a bowling alley on his balcony so that from sunrise every day his young sprog was dropping bowling balls on the floor above my bed. In another it was Russians living above that caused the problem. They didn't have a TV or stereo but insisted on playing silly physical games like tag into the early hours of the morning, stamping around. You can complain to the condo management and call security so many times, but sooner or later they get bored with you and start considering that YOU are actually the source of the problems. The only solution I could see was to move into a bungalow and hope the neighbours are quiet. So far, anyway, I've been lucky, but there's no long-term guarantee of peace and quiet anywhere.

[ThaiBob]

Dear Bob,

Sometimes you can be lucky enough to enough either to have no upstairs neibour, or just a considerate one. Most certainly the View Talay's rank as some of the worst when it comes to build quality, rumor has it their bare shell unit ( excluding land of course), cost them Baht 10K per sm. that would have been V.T's. 1, 2,and 3 later ones would be maybe 15K. A fantastic money making formula. Many people made a fortune on these, buying off plan, and selling on the contract, as they are a cash rich company, with low or no risk, even without using the non existent escrow account. These days however, the "flipping" days are not what they used to be.

I did notice an ad. in the latest "Pattaya Property Guide" promoting the usual artists impression, of a new condo boasting 30cm partition walls, that would stop most or even all of the "transmitted noise" you mentioned coming from adjacent units, but would do nothing for the 'Impact noise"as I previously mentioned, but it is certainly a move in the right direction.

All this is of course is part of the downsides of communal living, but there are many other advantages that balance things up.

I have stayed at VT5, vt2, and vt7. Again, we are only talking about noise from above. I actually did jumping tests tests before I bought a unit on the unit above. I have no noise issues from the unit above, neither do my friends. Noise is transmitted through the adjacent unit walls. When I saw my neighbors pregnant wife I told my contractor to build a soundproof wall. I can still hear his loud stereo on occasions. When a unit is doing a build out using concrete drills the sound reverberates throughout the building over several floors. I have got full time neighbors above but never a sound.

[fosseway]

Dear All,

Thank you for your interest in this. I have been living in different condo projects in Pattaya for many years, hence my observations re. noise, I realize that to live noise free here you would have to buy a large plot of several rai, and build a high spec. house in the middle. So I chose condo living, warts and all, because of all the other benefits associated with it.

I think I have explained the reason why we all suffer from "communal living noise" in my previous post, and without wishing to bore you all again, the short answer is down to the applied building standards used here.

[ThaiBob]

In my view the worst noise culprits are children playing in the hallways (banned in our building), loud conversations in the hallways, playing tvs or stereo excessively loud or room parties. This can be more of a problem for me than the street noise coming from bars, markets, etc, although the bar racket is most annoying in Jomtien during the high season and especially on weekends.

[bartender100]

Noise is the one big problem living in a condo, mine is an old building and the walls are good, but there is constant remodeling going on, but the main reason I moved to this building was they have some good rules, no work is allowed before 11am, none at the weekend, and Dec,Jan, Feb, no work is allowed at all.

My other bug is the tannoy advertising cars, my street is like a magnet, at least a dozen everyday up and down, some with ear splitting volume, the one advertising the boxing is particularly annoying

[KittenKong]

I have stayed at VT5, vt2, and vt7. Again, we are only talking about noise from above. I actually did jumping tests tests before I bought a unit on the unit above. I have no noise issues from the unit above, neither do my friends. Noise is transmitted through the adjacent unit walls. When I saw my neighbors pregnant wife I told my contractor to build a soundproof wall. I can still hear his loud stereo on occasions. .... I have got full time neighbors above but never a sound.

Having spent much time in the very same buildings I would say exactly the opposite. Very odd.

One thing that I do know is that the people who live below me are completely unaware that I exist, but a friend in a nearby unit has a constant din of moving furniture and stamping coming from above, 18 hours a day (Russians, unsurprisingly). I've been in his unit and have heard it myself.

[ThaiBob]

I have stayed at VT5, vt2, and vt7. Again, we are only talking about noise from above. I actually did jumping tests tests before I bought a unit on the unit above. I have no noise issues from the unit above, neither do my friends. Noise is transmitted through the adjacent unit walls. When I saw my neighbors pregnant wife I told my contractor to build a soundproof wall. I can still hear his loud stereo on occasions. .... I have got full time neighbors above but never a sound.

Having spent much time in the very same buildings I would say exactly the opposite. Very odd.

One thing that I do know is that the people who live below me are completely unaware that I exist, but a friend in a nearby unit has a constant din of moving furniture and stamping coming from above, 18 hours a day (Russians, unsurprisingly). I've been in his unit and have heard it myself.

Come to thank of it I did hear a piece of furniture dragged across a unit once. Loud screeching sound and another time a large piece of furniture toppled. I find my project to be very quiet except for street/bar noise during high season. Compare the newer VT projects with the cheap shop houses or these inexpensive condos currently or recently built.

[Pattaya28]

"Not Our Problem" is the way constructors develop. All down to maximizing profitability.

[fosseway]

Dear ThaiBob,

The furniture "screeching" you mention can be overcome by way of a diplomatic approach to the culprit, either by yourself or asking the manager to talk to them, explaining the problem. I did this and also gave several sets of self adhesive felt pads to the upstairs tenant F.O.C. this worked very well, no more screeching !!

[ThaiBob]

Dear ThaiBob,

The furniture "screeching" you mention can be overcome by way of a diplomatic approach to the culprit, either by yourself or asking the manager to talk to them, explaining the problem. I did this and also gave several sets of self adhesive felt pads to the upstairs tenant F.O.C. this worked very well, no more screeching !!

Thanks for the tip, if the issue resurfaces I will follow your advice.

[wilfrid lussier]

I live on Maerumpung Beach,Rayong.Few years ago I bougt Nice condo by the sea.It was paradise.the third year the next resort start karaoke.3 time/week.We,Thai+myself ,ask least turn speaker facing the sea,not to our condo building.

They dons t careless.Later they had 7 days/week.

We call police,useless of course,we wrote to the governor of province,din t receive any answer.I wrote in BKK Post.....

So the ultimate solution,I use blue Laser on them,this work very well but police came to arrest me!!!!!!!

Finally,I sold the condo.!.!.

Remember before to buy,we farang have no right here!+ it is lawless country.

be advice.

[KittenKong]

I live on Maerumpung Beach,Rayong.Few years ago I bougt Nice condo by the sea.It was paradise.the third year the next resort start karaoke.3 time/week.We,Thai+myself ,ask least turn speaker facing the sea,not to our condo building.

They dons t careless.Later they had 7 days/week.

We call police,useless of course,we wrote to the governor of province,din t receive any answer.I wrote in BKK Post.....

So the ultimate solution,I use blue Laser on them,this work very well but police came to arrest me!!!!!!!

Finally,I sold the condo.!.!.

Pointless and inconsiderate noise is indeed the single biggest problem with Thailand, but like the appalling driving it all stems from selfishness and a total disregard for other people.

[DogNo1]

My apartment in Bangkok is subject to dragging/clunking noises from above and loud talking in the hallway. Going into my bedroom and shutting the door insulates me from the hallway noise and earplugs help with the noise from above. I have found that complaining is useless and, although I am a long-term resident, some of the other guests are only here for weeks or days at a time. Fortunately I am on a high floor so street noise is not a problem.

[Suradit69]

UK building regs going back some 20 years ...

So it must be hell for anyone in the UK staying in a building constructed before 1994, hmm?

Can't say I'm bothered by noise from residents above or adjacent to me or walking about in the hallways in my building. Undoubtedly cheap construction has its consequences, but then that should be the sort of thing one investigates before buying or renting.

Pointless and inconsiderate noise is indeed the single biggest problem with Thailand,

The single biggest problem? I guess that puts things in perspective.

The few times I've been bothered by noise it's inevitably been caused by short-term renters, aka foreign tourists, here for a good time without regard for anyone else. Fortunately the units in my building are increasingly occupied by long-term residents, both farang and Thai, many of whom are co-owners, so things are pretty tranquil even in the midst of Pattaya. And in those few cases, a word to management has brought about a quick resolution to the problem. I guess it's partly a matter of luck, but also the sort of thing that needs to be looked into before buying or renting.

Some people seem to think buying or renting a house solves the problem, but you're just as likely to end up with noisy neighbors there too.

Edited November 15, 2014 by Suradit69

[fosseway]

UK building regs going back some 20 years ...

So it must be hell for anyone in the UK staying in a building constructed before 1994, hmm?

Can't say I'm bothered by noise from residents above or adjacent to me or walking about in the hallways in my building. Undoubtedly cheap construction has its consequences, but then that should be the sort of thing one investigates before buying or renting.

Pointless and inconsiderate noise is indeed the single biggest problem with Thailand,

The single biggest problem? I guess that puts things in perspective.

The few times I've been bothered by noise it's inevitably been caused by short-term renters, aka foreign tourists, here for a good time without regard for anyone else. Fortunately the units in my building are increasingly occupied by long-term residents, both farang and Thai, many of whom are co-owners, so things are pretty tranquil even in the midst of Pattaya. And in those few cases, a word to management has brought about a quick resolution to the problem. I guess it's partly a matter of luck, but also the sort of thing that needs to be looked into before buying or renting.

Some people seem to think buying or renting a house solves the problem, but you're just as likely to end up with noisy neighbors there too.

[fosseway]

Dear Suradit69,

Sorry for the misleading info. previously posted, I believe I said UK building regs going back some 20 years. I was just thinking back to around the time I was in the construction industry, and just remember this reg. putting some expensive upgrade costs to my project in 2003, so my memory was not absolutely spot on re the date, however, to just to put your mind at rest, please see the link re; Building Regulations Part 'E' 2003 "http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADE_2003.pdf

It was also not, quote, "Hell for anyone staying in a building constructed before 1994" as there were some Building Control soundproofing regs. way before that, but not as strict as the 2003 Part 'E' act.

I do hope this helps, and goes some of the way to clarify things for you.

All the best, fosseway.

[fosseway]

I am sorry to have mislead members with my previous post referring to UK building regs of around 20 years ago, my memory was not spot on re the date, but I do remember the new 'E' regs costing me quite a lot more in conforming to them with a

construction project I had at the time.

It was also not, Quote "Hell to live in a building prior to 1994" as there were Building Control regs in place way before then, although not as comprehensive as the 2003 act. as set out in the link below.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADE_2003.pdf

[OnMyWay2]

I don't hear any noise probably because the building is mostly unoccupied. And the Rooms are too small to be moving furniture around.

Move to Pratt where most of the units are people's second homes that just sit empty.

Edited November 16, 2014 by OnMyWay2

[KittenKong]

Pointless and inconsiderate noise is indeed the single biggest problem with Thailand,

The single biggest problem? I guess that puts things in perspective.

The few times I've been bothered by noise it's inevitably been caused by short-term renters, aka foreign tourists, here for a good time without regard for anyone else. Fortunately the units in my building are increasingly occupied by long-term residents, both farang and Thai, many of whom are co-owners, so things are pretty tranquil even in the midst of Pattaya. And in those few cases, a word to management has brought about a quick resolution to the problem. I guess it's partly a matter of luck, but also the sort of thing that needs to be looked into before buying or renting.

Some people seem to think buying or renting a house solves the problem, but you're just as likely to end up with noisy neighbors there too.

The noisy Russians who live above my friend own their unit. That doesn't make them less noisy at all. In fact I think that noisy renters are probably easier to deal with than noisy owners. It does all boil down to luck as you mention, and no matter how much checking you do before moving in you never know who is going to move in nearby next week.

Certainly moving into a house wont guarantee any measure of quiet as most houses here seem to have nearby dogs, which at least are one thing you never get in a (properly run) condo.

But no matter where I go in Thailand (or most of the rest of SEAsia) there always seems to be someone making some sort of pointless noise, just to remind themselves that they are awake. The only Asian country I know of where people are quiet by nature is Japan.

[Tolley]

My tip is if you find a quiet place in pattaya never move and count your blessings.

I live in a very quiet place thankfully. I really would like to move into a bigger place but the location and the noise issue put me off taking the risk.

[joepattaya1961]

The biggest problem is, that most if not all Thai and some lo-so foreigners have no clue about their environment and who is part of that environment.

Slamming doors, moving furniture without lifting it, loud music, loud discussions, playing kids, etc...............most noise can't be stopped.

Complaining to any management will result in a "If you don't like it here, move!"

[thaibeachlovers]

If you have lived here for any amount of time you would know that Thai people like noise, the more the better, loud is good. This suggestion of yours will just sound crazy to them

A myth, Thais hate noise as much as anyone, they are just not up to complaining about it for fear or retribution.

Not in my experience. They like making noise anyway, whether or not there are times they themselves don't like noise. At public events they seem to prefer the amplification on setting 11, and sometimes the speakers are so loud my ears actually hurt.

Also, a pleasant evening at a park can often be ruined when a car full of drinkers turns up and opens the car doors so they can hear the ( very ) loud music.

On the occasional time my wife can drag me to a Thai restaurant with a live band, I have to use ear plugs to tolerate it.