Noisy Neighbors
Of all the types of noise problems we deal with, noisy neighbors can be the most delicate situation to handle.
Commercial "Neighbors"
In a city with so many mixed-use buildings, your "neighbor" may be a commercial enterprise: A retail store with music, a gym or dance studio, a supermarket with a noisy loading dock, a parking garage or most often, a restaurant or bar. In commercial buildings one business may disturb another.
The most efficient way to deal with such problems is with the cooperation of all parties, the residents, the business(es) and the building management. But this is not always possible. In cases where there is no cooperation and the noise occurs at unpredictable times, we can install a
Long-Term Calibrated Audio Recorder in your location to document the disturbance.
See Long Term Recording & Monitoring
Is "bass" or "vibration" your problem? The DEP's simple "dBA-only" meters won't measure that kind of noise adequately.
Click for more details.
first. Your neighbor may not even know that he is bothering you. In many buildings one occupant may hear a disturbing level of noise without any unreasonable activity on the part of anyone else. Children playing, people walking, watching TV and exercise equipment may be enough to make life miserable in some buildings.
We can measure the noise transmission from one space to another in order to make recommendations to improve it. We also have special equipment to measure standard Building Code parameters such as:
- Impact Noise using the standard Tapping Machine test (FIIC Field Impact Insulation Class and INR, Impact Noise Reduction)
- Airborne Noise (FSTC, Field Sound Transmission Class)
- Reverberation Time (T60)
- Bass measurement (Octave band or One Third Octave Band Spectrum Analysis)
- Vibration Measurement
- Audio Recordings
Many coops and condos are being renovated, and the neighbors don’t want to hear unreasonable construction noise. We can set up a system to monitor contractor compliance with reasonable noise abatement agreements.
Of course there are also people who make truly unreasonable noise. Loud stereos or home theatre systems played at all hours, drum sets, shouting matches and children whose activities go unchecked by their parents can dramatically affect the quality of life of the people who live nearby. Worse yet are people who use noise deliberately to harass their neighbors. In the past it was often difficult to catch these people in the act. We have developed a unique tamper-proof system to make full-fidelity calibrated recordings for several days at a time. This system is perfectly suited to document a recurring pattern of nuisance, which can make or break your case.
See: Pildes v. Restaurant Daniel, a case in which another consultant failed to demonstrate a pattern of nuisance, and The Nuisance of Nuisance, an article written by Real Estate Attorneys, which describes the importance of demonstrating a recurring pattern.
Noise Demonstrations: Courtroom Playback
Not only can we print out graphs of the noise levels, these recordings can be also played back accurately in court. We have another system which does not record actual sounds, but only the sound level data, which is good where privacy issues are concerned. We have had great success with these recordings.
See Expert Witness Testimony and Long Term Noise Recordings
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