Q. I’ve lived in a pre-war NYC studio co-op for almost 40 years. While the apartment walls are well insulated against adjacent apartment sound, the floor and subfloor, being constructed entirely of wood, barely provide any sound insulatio…
Tag: Noise
Do you remember when you were a kid and the closest thing you had to a cell phone at the time was two cups with a string attached between them? You pulled the string taut, spoke into one cup, and hoped your friend holding the other would he…
Q. Five years ago, my husband and I bought an apartment with a small deck, which is located on top of my building’s parking garage. The prospect of a little outdoor space is what sold us on this place. For about eight months a year, it’s …
Noise is an acknowledged part of urban life - particularly apartment living. Some of it - traffic, garbage collection, people shouting on the street - is external, and is controlled (theoretically, anyway) by zoning laws and noise ordinanc…
In a city like New York, no one—including co-op and condo owners—is immune from the sounds of noisy construction work. With such things as loud jackhammers and buzzing saws going on, it's enough to drive anyone mad. Whether the construction…
You’re sitting in your living room. It’s a beautiful spring Sunday. You’ve just come home from a two-hour bike ride and you’re ready for a shower and a nap. You clean up and lie down. The breeze is coming in through the window and caress…
During a recent news conference about noise pollution, Michael Horodniceanu—the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s president of capital construction—had to shout in order to be heard while speaking at a Second Avenue construction proje…
Q “When I purchased my apartment in Brooklyn, noise was a concern of mine. I was told by the sales team and the builders that noise was not a problem. But now with people moving in, I hear closet and kitchen doors closing, people wal…
Q I am a shareholder at a 49-unit co-op in Manhattan. For the past five years we’ve had a vacant unit on the third floor as a result of excessive noise emanating from the apartment above. The past and present boards have not initiated an…
We all have nightmares. Whether it's hungry sharks nipping at our feet or shadowy figures lurking in the woods, there will always be things that wake us in the middle of the night. If you're a co-op or condo owner, manager or board membe…