Is this garage far enough from the apartment homes?

grayfox_one

Junior Member
Hi everyone,

I'm thinking of getting an apartment with optional garages across the street, especially to be able to play the drums. But I'm skeptical about the distance. I used to play in a basement and it was totally fine with close neighbors. But as you can see, this is not in a basement. It seems pretty far from apartments, though :) So, I would like to know if you think that the distance is sufficient to kill most of the noise?

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Congrats Fox, maybe the biggest photo I've seen posted on this site :)

I'm skeptical about the distance. ... It seems pretty far from apartments, though :) So, I would like to know if you think that the distance is sufficient to kill most of the noise?

Wishful thinking. The garages are right across the road and there's mostly air inbetween. Are the garage doors metal? A fair bit of sound can carry through those.

Hopefully the neighbours are nice but you may need to make sure you don't play too loud.
 
no.

groovy location, but not sufficient for your needs.
 
It would work fine for an electronic kit, but acoustic drums will definitely get complaints unless all your neighbors are super cool.
 
People can speculate but without taking accurate sound pressure readings and knowing more details, there is no real way to know. It might even be possible to alleviate some of the sound from exiting the building. It's all difficult to tell without being there. Does anyone know exactly what the noise ordinances are in that area of the city?

Dennis
 
@Anon La Ply: I didn't check what kind of doors it was.

@Dr_Watso: With an electronic set, I wouldn't even bother taking a garage, I would just play in the apartment. But I really want to play acoustic on a regular basis (no third-party studio), one way or another.

@audiotech: I think it is just the usual ordinance prohibiting excessive noise after 10pm. And I don't plan to play after 10pm ever.

@GRUNTERSDAD: The problem is that they wouldn't know what to expect. I guess they would imagine a lot of things and get scared. And since I do not rent for now, I cannot "do a test".
 
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in fact, it's not even far enough from the other garage doors. it's the irate person getting out of their car after a hard day's work that you have to worry about.

add band and stir (up trouble) to perfection.

you need a house that is isolated enough from neighbors as to be negligible. this can be as little as 30-40 ft. with windows closed and cool neighbors at appropriate times.
 
in fact, it's not even far enough from the other garage doors. it's the irate person getting out of their car after a hard day's work that you have to worry about.

I don't think that I should plan my whole life according to some guy who will walk a few seconds in front of some door. And I will also come from a hard day's work everyday, so I think that if some guy is gonna mess with me, he's better but well prepared...

add band and stir (up trouble) to perfection.

That will never happen, I can to go a studio for band rehearsals. But I don't see myself commuting everyday from work, then to the studio to practice alone and then back home.

you need a house that is isolated enough from neighbors as to be negligible

There is no such thing in my area.


Overall, you guys suggest that it is not worth moving there just because of the garages? You think I might as well just move-in anywhere and directly play in the apartment, with a schedule-based agreement with the neighbors or something? (It may even be better for the drum set to be inside, because I plan to buy a good one, like $5,000 or something).
 
Could you do any kind of sound proofing/ absorption that would help?

That's a good question. Since I can only rent for at least a few years (it's my first job and I am a non-resident), I can't really do any kind of work in the apartment. However, if some non-destructive / non-permanent solutions exist, I am really interested. I was actually thinking about it today.
 
Overall, you guys suggest that it is not worth moving there just because of the garages? You think I might as well just move-in anywhere and directly play in the apartment, with a schedule-based agreement with the neighbors or something? (It may even be better for the drum set to be inside, because I plan to buy a good one, like $5,000 or something).

Is the garage climate controlled and well secured? I know wouldn't be comfortable leaving a $5,000 kit in it. Besides potential dameage from the heat and or cold, everybody within hearing distance would know there's a set of drums in there and could make for easy pickin's.
 
Is the garage climate controlled and well secured? I know wouldn't be comfortable leaving a $5,000 kit in it. Besides potential dameage from the heat and or cold, everybody within hearing distance would know there's a set of drums in there and could make for easy pickin's.

As of today, I have decided to stay in my student room for the summer and postpone my apartment search to the end of August. So, I didn't look for further details about the garage itself but I don't think it would feature anything fancy. I have always had my drumset in my parents' basement/garage for years, though. And it was extremely cold during winters, unlike here in California, so I don't worry so much about that. As for theft, a drum set isn't something easy to carry. Plus, this is an amazingly secure area. That being said, if I had the opportunity to have it somewhere "inside", I would still take it.
 
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