Home › Forums › Open Discussion › The LOUD Family Living Behind Us
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
May 21, 2009 at 1:25 am #590960
jwwsParticipantWe have lived in our house for 20+ years and the last 6-7 years there has been a family with loud, yelling children and adults living behind us. i think the configuration of the yards makes it worse for the noise level, but my husband and I are both self employed and work from a home office and the noise is quite disrupting when trying to work/talk to clients – their children’s screams when on the playground equipment in their backyard comes right through the house even when windows are closed, so it is EXTREMELY disrupting. We have tried talking to them, calling SPD (when this goes on after 10:00 p.m. – and in the summer it does) all to none avail – I’m here now trying to work – the skylights are open and I feel like the kids on the trampoline are in the next room.. How does one stop a loud family that should be living on 5+ acres in Monroe rather than the city learn to be considerate of their very close neighbors?????
May 21, 2009 at 2:36 am #667278
christopherboffoliParticipantjwws: I feel your pain. Not only do you have to live with the frustration of the disruption and the real detrimental effects of the noise, but also the frustration of living in close proximity to selfish, boorish people who don’t care about anyone but themselves.
The City of Seattle has excellent noise ordinances but SPD has higher priorities so it is very difficult to get anyone from the City or the police to help with issues like these. But neighbor disputes over noise are very common so don’t let anyone minimize the problem by telling you that you are being unreasonable or that you live in a city and should just suck it up. The easiest and best way to solve the problem is to work with your neighbors. But too often the people causing the problem have no interest at all in modifying their behavior.
I think part of the issue is that Seattle is getting increasingly more densely populated but people are not adjusting their behavior accordingly. But it is also a larger cultural issue. We live in a loud society where people create a lot of noise with impunity. And in our current culture people are quick to expound on their rights without even thinking about what their responsibilities are to others around them.
You could contact the neighbors again to work something out. You can continue to have the police respond and hope that you’re eventually able to get an officer who is willing to cite them if the noise is excessive. An extreme solution would be to threaten a nuisance lawsuit which would be sort of the nuclear option. But the best solution might be to move to a quieter house. Best of luck to you.
May 21, 2009 at 5:55 am #667279
ellenaterMemberThat does sound awful. And it does sound like you’ve tried to work it out respectfully. I agree with christopherboffoli, in that you don’t have much recourse. Maybe you can adjust your work hours since you are self employed? The kids should be in school sometimes? That really sucks! Good luck…
May 21, 2009 at 2:10 pm #667280
Mike D.ParticipantMay 21, 2009 at 2:29 pm #667281
nuniMemberI can’t wait for somebody to say “you should just move” or “welcome to city life”.
May 21, 2009 at 3:08 pm #667282
Dalamar437Memberjwws: That sucks and I’d be mad if I were in your shoes for sure! This is just a totally off-the-wall suggestion. Have you thought about getting windows in your home that are more sound proof? Now let me qualify that by saying I think it’s ridiculous that you’d have to make those expensive changes just to live in peace and quiet in your own home. But considering your income and livelihood are on the line, would it be an investment that is worthwhile?
May 21, 2009 at 3:12 pm #667283
jwwsParticipantD.437,
All windows are fairly new since we just remodeled in 2002 and they are good quality. I must say the hose worked quite well last night after 5+ hours of screaming!
May 21, 2009 at 3:23 pm #667284
Dalamar437MemberLOL that is awesome and just gave me a really cool idea. You should install some high powered sprinkler system that you can control by remote or possibly motion sensor?
Hopefully your neighbors wouldn’t adapt by playing in rain gear.
May 21, 2009 at 3:57 pm #667285
christopherboffoliParticipantAlong the same line as the sprinklers, why not install loudspeakers and broadcast that infamous “mosquito” sound that is too high-pitched for adults to hear but that sounds horribly annoying to people under 18.
May 21, 2009 at 5:07 pm #667286
Dalamar437MemberThis sounds like a effective yet messy and self sacrificing solution to your problem?
http://virtualcyclingla.com/beat.htm
“It turned out that this same vibration frequency was used by crowd control police at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago to disperse the angry crowds. They used fire hoses that spewed high velocity water at the same anal sphincter relaxation frequency and the people in the crowds would lose their rebellious energy after a crowd-wide bowel movement. But there was a problem with this approach. Not only did this work on the angry crowd, it also worked on the police and firemen who were manning the hoses. “
May 21, 2009 at 5:36 pm #667287
swimcatMemberWhen I saw this post I thought you might be a neighbor of mine! The family next to me is pretty bad too- older kids and the parents, all making noise. They have yappy dogs that bark all day and night, and now the kids are throwing ridiculous parties that last until 4am. They honk their horns at 6am on the weekends so the kids will hurry up and get in the car so they can get to wherever they are going… they are nice people, but I think they all need their hearing checked. I try my best to be patient with it, but I’d love to have consistent peace and quiet while at home.
May 21, 2009 at 6:22 pm #667288
jwwsParticipantm,
Sorry not my LOUD family (kids still a little too young for those types of parties – guess we have that to look forward to!) – but noise at 4 and 6 a.m. is in violation of Seattle noise ordinance so you could call those parties in. ChrisB and Dalamar, I did have an air horn that my hubby got me for an xmas joke gift a year or so ago but alas the canister was empty when I pulled it out last evening hence the “errant” garden watering!
May 22, 2009 at 1:32 am #667289
bird87MemberAs i feel for your situation, please don’t push families out of seattle and into culturally insensitive redneck backwards towns such as Monroe. We want all people from all backgrounds enjoying the beauties of seattle and specifically west seattle. I thnik the hose idea should work ;)
May 22, 2009 at 1:54 am #667290
CaitParticipantBird – ALL backgrounds? Including those backwoods rednecks you mention then, yes?
May 22, 2009 at 4:15 am #667291
HunterGParticipantjwws,
I know this is childish, but the old saying “turnabout is fair play” comes to mind.
With my experience in dealing with people who do not have any consideration for others, you have to play their game and beat them at it. I don’t know how many times I have shooed away parked cars blaring horrible rap music on Alki by blaring Pink Floyd louder!
It will not make you the better person by any means – but hey, at least they will get the point and maybe curb their annoying behaviors to curb yours.
Confer with other neighbors and see if they are experiencing the same issues with this family so you have a support system. THEN start experimenting with different things…mow the lawn at 5:30 am, play really annoying music – if you know what genre they listen to play the exact opposite…learn to play the bagpipes in the backyard, research the law, and if they violate ANY noise ordinances – even by a minute call the police.
Hopefully after multiple visits by our friendly police officers they’ll get the hint. GOOD LUCK!
May 22, 2009 at 6:06 am #667292
r26MemberI can understand your frustration (I lived in a LOUD apt building once) and I don’t think you should have to suffer financially – but why not offer to see a mediator? Seems like a better solution and well worth some money to work out an agreement about those within the law but still loud times.
I would also go back to talk to them again – with specific requests.
Use non-emergency for those out of control times (4 am party & the like).
If you sprayed my family I would be so pissed – I go out of my way to make your life H&!! – and I am usually a really nice person! Be careful if you go that route.
May 22, 2009 at 2:03 pm #667293
Dalamar437MemberR26, I think the difference here is you sound like a reasonable person that would make a change if you were alerted that you family was creating a disturbance.
I understand jwws’s issue to be that they’re dealing with an unreasonable family and civil responses don’t seem to be helping.
jww, have you tried talking to other neighbors? Have you guys all tried ganging up on the noisy ones so-to-speak ?
P.S.
I’m still in favor of the “vibration frequency” method.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.