People Share The Strangest Things They Weren't Supposed To Hear But Did Because Of Thin Walls

If you have ever lived in an apartment building, chances are you have heard more than you wanted to on more than one occasion. Whether it was a fight between the couple next door, an angry phone call to someone’s parent, too many details about your upstairs neighbor’s love life, or a pet who just won’t shut up in the middle of night, it’s never fun to be reminded that you share a space with many other people. Our homes should be our sanctuaries. But unfortunately, just because there are walls in between you and your fellow tenants does not mean you don’t know what movies they are watching, what music they listen to, and the current state of their marriage.

But if you are living in a paper thin apartment building and just want some relief from the constant fear that your neighbors can hear you and the perpetual annoyance of knowing way too much about them, there are certain tactics you can employ to gain a bit more privacy. According to Thomas Bruhl, creator of the blog A Soundproof House, you can even make your home much more soundproof without having to embark on any complicated construction projects.  

If thin walls in your building are affecting your quality of life or quality of sleep, Thomas first recommends investing in soundproof blankets to place on the weakest points of a wall. He explains that sound does not equally travel through every part of a wall, so it is best to try to pinpoint the places that let the most noise through first. Then start hanging those blankets! The name is pretty self explanatory, but Thomas notes that soundproof blankets are designed to block and dampen sound and have been proven to reduce noise by up to 50%. There are a variety of them available, so you can choose the aesthetic that matches your space the best and rest easy knowing that you won’t have to pretend you did not know that your neighbor and her husband were separating.

Next, Thomas suggests sealing off any cracks and holes in your walls with green glue. “Much of the airborne noise enters your apartment through cracks and holes in the wall,” he explains. “And unfortunately, even if you’ve just moved in, there might still be small holes or gaps in your walls.” These small holes might not seem like a big deal, but they can amplify your neighbors’ conversations more than you may realize. Sealing them up will be one more way to bring your home a bit more privacy.

Another method that might sound drastic but can make a huge difference is rearranging your furniture to place large pieces in front of the noisiest walls. “Airborne sounds – clinking dishes, conversations, neighbor’s alarm clock, muffled music – travel through the air. If you put obstacles on the sound’s path, you will dampen it and reduce its impact,” Thomas explains. Artwork, bookshelves, wardrobes, sofas, dressers and more can be the perfect barriers to make your space a bit quieter. Plus, it’s a great excuse to make your home cozier as well.

Thomas’ next tip is to add foam panels or acoustic wall tiles to your home to help soundproof it. These work well to block outside noise but also to keep your own sounds in. As much as you do not want to know what your neighbors are discussing all the time, I’m sure you also don’t want them knowing all the details of your private life either. These panels can act like wallpaper as well, adding an interesting aesthetic element to any space, and they are guaranteed to reduce outside noise from creeping in through your walls. 

When it comes to why thin walls are such an issue in apartment buildings, the answer likely comes down to companies trying to cut costs. But there are also a wide variety of regulations, or lack thereof, when it comes to noise levels, depending on where a building is located. 

In the United Kingdom, for example, the internal airborne sound resistance inside any apartment must be a minimum of 40dB. This not only applies to walls but also upper floors between bedrooms and other rooms. Interestingly enough, however, any wall that has a door in it or is connected to an en suite bathroom does not need to meet the same standards. When it comes to impact sounds, such as footsteps, jumping and dropping objects, a “maximum impact sound transmittance level” of 62dB is permitted for floors and stairs in new buildings, while 64dB is the limit for converted spaces.    

When building a space, architects must keep many factors in mind for where sound is most likely to travel. Some of the most common pathways for noise to take are through chimneys, service entry holes for plumbing or wiring, places where there are back to back electrical sockets on walls, un-pointed mortar joints with gaps and holes, when there is not enough isolating void between ceilings and floors and hard floor coverings without an isolation material between them and the floorboards. Noise is sneaky, and if it’s given a route to take, it will hop on the first train into or out of your apartment.   

There is no question that soundproofing a building makes the tenants more comfortable, but there are benefits for landlords as well. According to Soundproof Cow, “Soundproofing materials absorb energy, including heat. By limiting the amount of noise that escapes an apartment, you’ll also limit the amount of heat that escapes, allowing tenants to make the most of their energy consumption.” Keeping sound out is a win win for everyone. If your apartment is properly insulated, you’ll no longer need to sit around with blankets whispering so that your neighbors don’t hear you complain about how cold it is in there!

A lot of the stories on this list are a matter of overhearing a conversation or situation because it was imposed onto a tenant by nature of their thin walls. However, listening to other people’s conversations is not a new guilty pleasure for many people. Eavesdropping has been around since the dawn of time, and it is one of my personal favorite pastimes. When my life is not filled with drama, intrigue or suspense, I can’t help but listen to the woman next to me at the coffee shop detail the rollercoaster of her love life. Eavesdropping is live entertainment, and although I’m sure the tenants on this list attempted ear plug, headphones, and white noise, I’m sure many of them also enjoyed the overhearing at times too.