I’ve lived in several different cities at many different addresses and to be honest, no matter where I went, there always seemed to be a crazy or noisy neighbor in the vicinity. Every time I would relocate I would cross my fingers and hope that I wouldn’t end up next door, downstairs, or upstairs to that one crazy person or family that would make my life very difficult. However, crossing my fingers never worked because no matter where I went, the crazies would follow.
The Quiet Freak Next Door
One of the first places I lived was a side-by-side duplex with one bedroom on each side. At the time, I was in college working hard to earn a degree and so, obviously, I had a ton of homework. One of my favorite ways to do homework was in my living room to the tune of some great music. So, there I am, reading and writing away to some low volume music when there is a knock at my door. I answer it and find my next door neighbor there. She very harshly criticizes my music and asks my if I could please turn it down or off. I was shocked into silence for a moment because, honestly, my music wasn’t too loud at all. All I could do the rest of the time I lived there was tip-toe around and try to be as quiet as a mouse.
The Elephant Stompers Upstairs
There was one place that I lived that was really wonderful and roomy. There was a huge kitchen, a large backyard, and perhaps the best selling point was the fact that the upper was vacant and had been for a while. Of course, though, after moving in, the landlord came over to inform me that he had rented out the upper and the couple would be moving in with their two large dogs the next month. Now, if there’s anything worse than living underneath two large dogs on hardwood floors, it could definitely be living underneath two large dogs on hardwood floors with a couple that stomps around constantly like elephants. To make matters worse, after complaining to the landlord about them, they vandalized my washer and dryer in the shared basement and then moved.
The Downstairs Peeper
The creepiest story about neighbors would have to be the downstairs peeper. In this house, there were shared air ducts where you could see into the apartment above you. The person living downstairs was caught, more than once, looking through one of these ducts into my room. After informing the landlord, this person was forcibly removed from the apartment he was living in.
It seems that no matter where I go, the crazies are determined to be my neighbors. However, I haven’t had an incident where I’m living now, but I definitely still have my fingers crossed.
Peter Wendt is a freelance article writer living in the Austin TX area. He has moved around quite often and likes to write about his experiences, especially with his noisy neighbors. If you are having noise problems from your neighbors, don’t worry, solid wood doors should do the trick.