Any advise - Boy with autism 4 and noise from other flats

johnny1977

Hello everyone. Hope you're well. I'm living in a ground floor flat rented from our local council. Here living with my partner and son who is 4 and as autism. 

We love the flat/area and 100% don't want to move. My partner also as multiple sclerosis so being on one floor and the ground floor is perfect. 

The only problem is noise from the other flats flats. It's not really bad anti social noise like loud music. It's just upstairs their is an old woman and we can hear all her phone conversations, doors shutting, cabinets shutting which can be quite late past 11pm and its disturbed our sons sleep so much that now he permanently sleeps in a bed in our room(we've done this to be able to comfort him easily). 

The woman isn't really noisy(she as cancer and a very bad cough poor woman). I think maybe her flooring could be laminate/wooden but we have never raised the problem with her. She is quite a fussy woman and having just loved here for a year we really dont want to be causing her aggro and don't think really it's her fault. We can hear the other neighbours too as it's a block of fours maisonettes and we share a wall. 

Does anyone know if it would be possible for us to get any grant to make soundproofing better? Or any other advise?

At the moment it's bearable but there is just one elderly "quiet" woman living there. We absolutely dread to think what would happen if anyone else moved on with kids/dogs/antisocial behaviour and maybe want to address the soundproofing problem now. 

Thanks for reading and sorry if long winded

Take care

John 

newborn

You sound like a lovely considerate neighbour.  For everyone's sake it would make sense to have sound insulation in flats.  (Easier to have it as building regulations but retrofitting sound and heat insulation is  not impossible. ) But the kitty is empty. Expect to pay yourself. Worth it because you have a home for life so you may as well get it right. They won't refuse you permission. For Equality law reasons and because it is better for their housing stock.

But do make sure you have a written record of your currentproblems and future fears. Keep recordings of the noise and make it clear you are not complaining about the neighbour, only the lack of  soundproofing so that ordinary life at ordinary volume from ordinary considerate occupants is transmitting to everyone else.

By the way, the usual response is to instruct people to use carpets. This is not a good solution because they will 'off-gas' chemicals, which are a hazard to some physical conditions. They are also completely impractical for people who often spill things or drop things or have dust allergies. (If you were the upstairs neighbour, for instance,  and if you had a child who herself was noisy, there are ways to help a lot: It is possible to lift the boards, use joist insulation, then a sound absorbing layer before nailing the boards back, then  use thick rubber underlay, with  hardboard over the top, to form the basis for a lino or other hard floor.  Even then, noise will transmit, a bit.)

For the downstairs people, and if you assume your old lady neighbour would not want to be disturbed or to afford to make changes, there are some ways to D.I.Y. retrofit. The building trade uses standard sheets of what look like plasterboard, but they are good to line walls and ceilings against sound. (They are heavy though) They are much dearer than a standard plasterboard but not out-of - the-question expensive, if you consider it is a home for the whole of your life. Sofas and everything thick upholsered is sound absorbing, and thick lined curtains absorb both noise and intrusive heat or cold.  You too can use any underlay or work-round which will muffle the edge of intrusive sound-waves.    

 And do involve your MP and councillors. Ask that the housing mansgement records are clearly marked that the flats are not suited for anyone who will be noisy.  Not for anyone anyway, because the walls may as well be paper.  But especially after they have placed an autistic person there, whose mental health and welfare depends on being kept safe from sudden noise .  It has been one of my long campaigns that allocating noisy and quiet groups of housing makes good sense. If trains have quiet carriages, how much more important it is to have quiet housing.

Meanwhile, could you swap bedrooms with your son, because as he gets older and even after soundproofing, he will still need the quietest part of the flat as he grows up? People often don't know about using 4' beds, which are big enough for a couple as long as they are not too obese, and often make it possible for a couple to use a single bedroom. (Developers do know about 4' beds, and usually put them in show flats, to make rooms look bigger!)  

johnny1977

newborn said:

You sound like a lovely considerate neighbour.  For everyone's sake it would make sense to have sound insulation in flats.  (Easier to have it as building regulations but retrofitting sound and heat insulation is  not impossible. ) But the kitty is empty. Expect to pay yourself. Worth it because you have a home for life so you may as well get it right. They won't refuse you permission. For Equality law reasons and because it is better for their housing stock.

But do make sure you have a written record of your currentproblems and future fears. Keep recordings of the noise and make it clear you are not complaining about the neighbour, only the lack of  soundproofing so that ordinary life at ordinary volume from ordinary considerate occupants is transmitting to everyone else.

By the way, the usual response is to instruct people to use carpets. This is not a good solution because they will 'off-gas' chemicals, which are a hazard to some physical conditions. They are also completely impractical for people who often spill things or drop things or have dust allergies. (If you were the upstairs neighbour, for instance,  and if you had a child who herself was noisy, there are ways to help a lot: It is possible to lift the boards, use joist insulation, then a sound absorbing layer before nailing the boards back, then  use thick rubber underlay, with  hardboard over the top, to form the basis for a lino or other hard floor.  Even then, noise will transmit, a bit.)

For the downstairs people, and if you assume your old lady neighbour would not want to be disturbed or to afford to make changes, there are some ways to D.I.Y. retrofit. The building trade uses standard sheets of what look like plasterboard, but they are good to line walls and ceilings against sound. (They are heavy though) They are much dearer than a standard plasterboard but not out-of - the-question expensive, if you consider it is a home for the whole of your life. Sofas and everything thick upholsered is sound absorbing, and thick lined curtains absorb both noise and intrusive heat or cold.  You too can use any underlay or work-round which will muffle the edge of intrusive sound-waves.    

 And do involve your MP and councillors. Ask that the housing mansgement records are clearly marked that the flats are not suited for anyone who will be noisy.  Not for anyone anyway, because the walls may as well be paper.  But especially after they have placed an autistic person there, whose mental health and welfare depends on being kept safe from sudden noise .  It has been one of my long campaigns that allocating noisy and quiet groups of housing makes good sense. If trains have quiet carriages, how much more important it is to have quiet housing.

Meanwhile, could you swap bedrooms with your son, because as he gets older and even after soundproofing, he will still need the quietest part of the flat as he grows up? People often don't know about using 4' beds, which are big enough for a couple as long as they are not too obese, and often make it possible for a couple to use a single bedroom. (Developers do know about 4' beds, and usually put them in show flats, to make rooms look bigger!)  

Thanks for your detailed answer

Some great advise

We lived in a 2 bedroom flat before too, the council moved us because my partner was relapsing with her ms(had a stroke). They didn't take aydens autism into consideration and we was desperate to get this flat because nice area/close to work etc. 

There is two bedrooms one a little box room and the other about 4m * 3m. The noise is in all rooms because the flat is so small. We brought him into a small bed in our room simply to make our life easier. He wakes up with the noises a few times a night and to make our life easier and get him back to sleep quick we made the decision. We was starting to miss time off work through tiredness etc and starting to affect our parenting of our son being so tired. 

Great advise about keeping notes. Do you recommend going to the housing officer? 

The thing that really scares me is when/if someone new moves in. Given the old ladies health it might not be too far away

We do have a few thousand for our son I would be prepared to spend if 100% couldn't get funding. Any ideas where to go? My own DIY is pretty bad and I wouldn't want to cause a fire risk. 

Right now she is on the phone and we can hear every single word she says and her TV. I cannot imagine she is speaking that loud but it is annoying and are son is always asking "what is that" "stop talking" etc. 

Thanks for replying. Very helpful and anymore advise very appreciated