Need Advice: Neighbors
Figured I could get some good advice from the blogosphere. Please feel free to leave in the comments or email me!
Here's the problem. Our neighbors on one side are, apparently a large and extended family that like to get together on their patio and talk till the wee hours of the morning when the weather is good (like, this night). The sound carries very well, we can hear every word of their convos in our bedroom, and we cannot sleep. Each time we manage to fall asleep, one of the neighbors says something funny to the rest of them, and they all bust out laughing, this of course wakes us up again! They only stayed out till midnight tonight, but usually they don't turn in till 2 or 3 in the morning. I have to get up at 6AM, 7AM when school's out and I don't appreciate that at all, neither do my kids!!!
They also have large speakers installed on their backyard, and very often in summer, they play music thru them. Now this one carries all the way down the street and to the other side. Unfortunately, we don't share their musical tastes (opera music, and easy listening). Why would anyone play music outside? What am I missing here? Can I play my music outside too? I like rap, hip-hop, and some punk rock. You think they will appreciate it?
This is a huge house (looks huge to me, anyway - 3000+ sq. ft) with a fenced-in backyard. It's a solid fence 7 or 8 ft tall. I cannot come into the back yard, and I don't want to ring the doorbell because the rest of the families (?) may be actually sleeping. All I can do is walk around their fence like a beggar or something, and maybe try talking to them thru the fence! That is very frustrating! I cannot even ask them to shut up, they can't see me and the odds are, they won't be able to hear me, either. Sometimes I squeak something thru the fence, they say sorry, we'll keep it down, and then five minutes later, they're talking on top of their lungs again. This is also the same family that used to spend 10K a year on the gardening service, so my guess is, we're not in the same weight category. Truth be told, I am feeling intimidated. They outnumber me, AND they're rich!
This has been going on since we moved in four years ago. At first there was just this old man living in the house alone, but, each time his kids would come to visit, we'd have to listen to a backyard party. I thought, okay, they're on their vacations and don't have to go to work tomorrow. But now they've all moved in and they stay out there almost every night, I don't get it! Either they can survive on three hours of sleep, or they don't work!
I do not know how to make it stop and I have very little support from Mr. Goldie. He cannot hear them from the master BR. I have to confess that I sleep in K9's room. He's afraid of spiders, ghosts and who knows what else and he cannot sleep alone. Mr. Goldie cannot hear them so he must think it's not a big deal, but, it is! He says to try talking to the neighbors and reasoning with them, and not bring the authorities into this cuz that would be tattling. Well I am afraid that since there are so many of them, they're wealthy, also they are born American and I am not, that I will say something to them that they will be able to use against me. For the same reason, I am also reluctant to write them a letter - I am afraid to give them something in writing that can be used against me. Granted I have never talked to them yet (tried a couple times last year - I ring the door bell, nobody answers, I go home), but don't you think that after four years, they could get the message?
Tomorrow I want to call our city and finally find out what the noise ordinances are. But where do I go from there? I need some advice really bad. Maxed Out Mama, SC&A, Vicki, Jen, Muzik, Mamacita, you have given me some great advice in the past and I need your help. Kim, you seem to live in our area, do you have any thoughts on this? Jay, you can make fun of my neighbors over at your blog but I need advice in exchange for that. To those that I haven't included on my list, it's not because I do not value your input, it's because it is 4-30 in the morning and I was woken up by a call from work and my brain is not awake yet. Please feel free to leave your advice here, our family really needs it! It's the fifth year and my patience is wearing thin! Thanks all!
Here's the problem. Our neighbors on one side are, apparently a large and extended family that like to get together on their patio and talk till the wee hours of the morning when the weather is good (like, this night). The sound carries very well, we can hear every word of their convos in our bedroom, and we cannot sleep. Each time we manage to fall asleep, one of the neighbors says something funny to the rest of them, and they all bust out laughing, this of course wakes us up again! They only stayed out till midnight tonight, but usually they don't turn in till 2 or 3 in the morning. I have to get up at 6AM, 7AM when school's out and I don't appreciate that at all, neither do my kids!!!
They also have large speakers installed on their backyard, and very often in summer, they play music thru them. Now this one carries all the way down the street and to the other side. Unfortunately, we don't share their musical tastes (opera music, and easy listening). Why would anyone play music outside? What am I missing here? Can I play my music outside too? I like rap, hip-hop, and some punk rock. You think they will appreciate it?
This is a huge house (looks huge to me, anyway - 3000+ sq. ft) with a fenced-in backyard. It's a solid fence 7 or 8 ft tall. I cannot come into the back yard, and I don't want to ring the doorbell because the rest of the families (?) may be actually sleeping. All I can do is walk around their fence like a beggar or something, and maybe try talking to them thru the fence! That is very frustrating! I cannot even ask them to shut up, they can't see me and the odds are, they won't be able to hear me, either. Sometimes I squeak something thru the fence, they say sorry, we'll keep it down, and then five minutes later, they're talking on top of their lungs again. This is also the same family that used to spend 10K a year on the gardening service, so my guess is, we're not in the same weight category. Truth be told, I am feeling intimidated. They outnumber me, AND they're rich!
This has been going on since we moved in four years ago. At first there was just this old man living in the house alone, but, each time his kids would come to visit, we'd have to listen to a backyard party. I thought, okay, they're on their vacations and don't have to go to work tomorrow. But now they've all moved in and they stay out there almost every night, I don't get it! Either they can survive on three hours of sleep, or they don't work!
I do not know how to make it stop and I have very little support from Mr. Goldie. He cannot hear them from the master BR. I have to confess that I sleep in K9's room. He's afraid of spiders, ghosts and who knows what else and he cannot sleep alone. Mr. Goldie cannot hear them so he must think it's not a big deal, but, it is! He says to try talking to the neighbors and reasoning with them, and not bring the authorities into this cuz that would be tattling. Well I am afraid that since there are so many of them, they're wealthy, also they are born American and I am not, that I will say something to them that they will be able to use against me. For the same reason, I am also reluctant to write them a letter - I am afraid to give them something in writing that can be used against me. Granted I have never talked to them yet (tried a couple times last year - I ring the door bell, nobody answers, I go home), but don't you think that after four years, they could get the message?
Tomorrow I want to call our city and finally find out what the noise ordinances are. But where do I go from there? I need some advice really bad. Maxed Out Mama, SC&A, Vicki, Jen, Muzik, Mamacita, you have given me some great advice in the past and I need your help. Kim, you seem to live in our area, do you have any thoughts on this? Jay, you can make fun of my neighbors over at your blog but I need advice in exchange for that. To those that I haven't included on my list, it's not because I do not value your input, it's because it is 4-30 in the morning and I was woken up by a call from work and my brain is not awake yet. Please feel free to leave your advice here, our family really needs it! It's the fifth year and my patience is wearing thin! Thanks all!
