[A Guide to Living Alone] Ways to Avoid Dreadful Noise Issues

For residents of collective housing such as apartments, perhaps there is nothing more troublesome than the problem of “noise issues.” Unlike detached houses, apartments are made up of adjoining rooms; consequently, you may hear all the sounds of the people living in neighboring rooms.

To avoid such problems as much as possible, what kinds of rooms are the best to choose?

We’d like to talk about ways to avoid noise issues that you can start from now.

①Wooden Houses Produce More Echo

Structures of a building come in various types, such as steel structures and reinforced concrete structures. Among these, wooden structures are known to produce the most echo. As the name goes, they are mainly made of wood. Wooden structures are less dense than reinforced concrete structures, and have apartments of high sound transmission.

For this reason, it is recommended that you choose buildings of reinforced concrete structures or steel framed reinforced concrete structures, over wooden structure buildings.

②Is it Possible to Check the Neighbors While Viewing the House?

You would probably wonder what the people in the neighboring rooms are like. However, specific information about your neighbors are private information that management companies cannot inform you of.

Then, how can one check such information by themselves?

What should be noted is the common space. During a viewing, try to check the rooms on both sides of your room, as well as the floors above and under. Is the space in front of the door scattered? If so, then you must pay particular attention to these rooms and its residents.

Ordinary, you must not leave your personal belongings in the common space. There are various reasons for this; for instance, it is because any obstacles left in the area will get in the way of evacuation in cases of fires and earthquakes.

Needless to say, we cannot say that all obstacles will affect evacuation. Even so, residents who violate the rule and keep personal belongings in the common space, may also be a person that violates other rules―someone you should be careful with.

③If Possible, Try to Find a Top Floor, Corner Room

The most common cause of noise issues is the sound of everyday life.

There are all types of sounds in everyday life, for example, the sounds of a washing machine running late at night, or the sounds of a vacuum cleaner. These sounds are heard from the upper floors and neighboring rooms.

To avoid this risk, you would want a room with few rooms adjoining it. Corner rooms are at the ends of each floor, so they have fewer rooms adjacent to them. Also, the top floor will be free of noise from the upper floors. If you want to avoid noise issues as much as possible, a corner room on the top floor will suite you the best.

A corner room on the first floor may also be capable of avoiding noise issues, but in this case, you would need to give care to dampness and security.

[Notes from the writer]

Did you find this article to be informative?

Even if you are not troubled with noise issues now, as long as you are living in an apartment, it is possible for you to be involved in it in the future.

As described above, it is important to decide your room depending on its structure and the floor(place) it is located. However, being a resident of a collective housing, it is best preferred to live life with consideration for each other.