4 ms·

My 2 cents on codes. As far as I'm concerned, every new shared dwelling should be required to construct for noise control. My understanding is that substantia

My 2 cents on codes. As far as I'm concerned, every new shared dwelling should be required to construct for noise control. My understanding is that substantial improvements in this regard can be achieved for 10% or less additional cost. And the resulting livability and healthiness (stress reduction) of the the dwelling is greatly improved. Having had more than my share of crap neighbors. Please.

wyager 10y ago
> My understanding is that substantial improvements in this regard can be achieved for 10% or less additional cost. Are you serious? That is an insane cost increase. If you're willing to pay an extra $200-300/mo (at NYC or SF rents), you can already spend that much more money and find an apartment with thicker walls. Why do you feel the need to foist this (trivial) concern on other people? I'm sure most people in the world would happily take a ~10% reduction in rent in exchange for slightly noisier neighbors.
- pasbesoin 10y ago
  A lot of the gain can be achieved for 1% - 2% increase, if designed and engineered in from the start -- is my admittedly second-hand understanding from people who know. Personally, I've been careful when searching for places, and I've still ended up screwed. Noise is one of the biggest complaints I've heard over the years from friends and colleagues. People worry over "sprawl" in this country incessantly. Yet one of the simplest solutions is to make shared living spaces (apartments, condos) more comfortable. Stress greatly, negatively impacts productivity. And unwelcome, persistent noise is one of the greatest sources in day-to-day life. So, engineer it out. People who don't mind noise can live in the crackerbox housing stock that became more prevalent post World War II, that still persists. Noise is finally being designated the pollutant that it is. Building codes can and should address this, especially when remediation is available and -- my understanding -- not that expensive. Require it, and economies of scale will bring the cost down further. In the U.S., individuals such as myself, plenty productive but requiring a quiet environment, are left to suss out individual circumstances. I've had enough, and I want to make life easier for the next person like me. So, I will continue to advocate for noise ordinances (that actually get enforced), improved building codes, and the like. All the noisy people who want to live on the cheap while making my life miserable? Well, after 5 decades of persistently trying to be the nice guy and politely gain their cooperation: Screw them. They can pay the cost to physically limit their noise, given that they are unwilling to cooperate in terms of polite behavior.

wyager 10y ago

> My understanding is that substantial improvements in this regard can be achieved for 10% or less additional cost. Are you serious? That is an insane cost increase. If you're willing to pay an extra $200-300/mo (at NYC or SF rents), you can already spend that much more money and find an apartment with thicker walls. Why do you feel the need to foist this (trivial) concern on other people? I'm sure most people in the world would happily take a ~10% reduction in rent in exchange for slightly noisier neighbors.

pasbesoin 10y ago
A lot of the gain can be achieved for 1% - 2% increase, if designed and engineered in from the start -- is my admittedly second-hand understanding from people who know. Personally, I've been careful when searching for places, and I've still ended up screwed. Noise is one of the biggest complaints I've heard over the years from friends and colleagues. People worry over "sprawl" in this country incessantly. Yet one of the simplest solutions is to make shared living spaces (apartments, condos) more comfortable. Stress greatly, negatively impacts productivity. And unwelcome, persistent noise is one of the greatest sources in day-to-day life. So, engineer it out. People who don't mind noise can live in the crackerbox housing stock that became more prevalent post World War II, that still persists. Noise is finally being designated the pollutant that it is. Building codes can and should address this, especially when remediation is available and -- my understanding -- not that expensive. Require it, and economies of scale will bring the cost down further. In the U.S., individuals such as myself, plenty productive but requiring a quiet environment, are left to suss out individual circumstances. I've had enough, and I want to make life easier for the next person like me. So, I will continue to advocate for noise ordinances (that actually get enforced), improved building codes, and the like. All the noisy people who want to live on the cheap while making my life miserable? Well, after 5 decades of persistently trying to be the nice guy and politely gain their cooperation: Screw them. They can pay the cost to physically limit their noise, given that they are unwilling to cooperate in terms of polite behavior.