Originally Posted by Hondaracer
(Post 8618075)
Do not move into a wood frame multi-family, period.
in the last 6 years my company has built roughly 400 multifamily units, majority being townhouses with buildings ranging from 2-12 units in 1 building. As well, we also built 2 low rise wood frame buildings, both 4 storey in different configurations.
me and my parents bought 2 units in the first wood 4 storey as an investment 7 years ago. Every single renter we have has complained about noise from adjoining units and it was so bad 2 years ago with super rowdy partying drug dealers that cops were getting called nightly and our tentants moved out in the middle of the month. Any sort of music/noise/talking during the night when its otherwise "quiet" can be easilly heard. While we were building these units cars would drive by with their systems bumping and it would shake the structure of the unit i was working in.
The townhouses we built are no better. So say you live in a unit in the middle of the building with a unit on either side. Typically, and this is somthing no one really clues into, at LEAST one of the adjoining bed rooms is overlapping into your unit. so the layout switches from unit to unit and typically the master bed room floor is overlapping into YOUR living room ceiling, it's just to expand the space and keep a building square with the feeling like your living space isnt just a box.
In all these units the divider is a double 2x4 interior wall, a batt of insulation in either side of the stud space, and a single sheet of 1'2" drywall on both interior walls.
This may sound like it would provide a noise barrier.. and "technically" it meets spec, but it does not block -anything-
When building the townhouses i often do a little test, I have the small job site makita radio, listening to AM radio, litterally no vocal or bass sounds i'll leave it in one finished unit, go out the deck, and go into the neighboring unit closing each patio door. Without any other sound around the voice of the radio is clearly audible through the wall.
Crying baby? Parties? Stereos with Subs?
lol..
Honestly, from what i know, have heard, and have seen, you couldnt pay me to live in a wood frame building. I'd prefer to rent a basement suite and risk dealing with the 1 home owner than roll the dice and have 1-6 adjoining neighbors and pray to jesus that they are "good" neighbors.
In comparison, and as others have echoed, me and le GF now own in a complete concrete high rise. This building was built in 1988, which is a benefit because structurally, this building has more concrete in it than most new buildings twice the height. I've been trying to get info on the thickness of the slabs and walls but it's hard to track down.
Anyways, our direct neighbor down the hall has 2 kids who are under 6, sometimes when you come home at night the kids are fucking SCREAMING, very audible in the hallway. Go into our unit with a steel fire door, close the door with a tight sweep on it, which is litterally 6 feet away from their door, 95% of sound eliminated.
Walk another 10 feet down the hall into my office, zero sound, -ever-
our bed rooms, living room, and kitchen? We've never heard noise from surrounding neighbors once. Yea, of course if somone like drops somthing heavy etc you'll hear a thud, but often when i'm just relaxing, reading etc. not once does the thought of neighbors cross my mind.
Weigh your options, but like i said, for me, never, ever. |