Our family moved to Mexico from Canada almost 2 years ago in search of paradise away from Canada. Since arriving we have moved three times, all due to excess noise from neighbours, the busy highway, or dogs left on rooftops. Our latest move has us living in a Mexican style house on a 2000 m2 (1/2 acre) property. We have a lot of privacy from the high brick wall surrounding the property, but it isn’t enough to buffer us from the ongoing excessive noise. The house backs on to a busy street while the front of the house faces a family that runs a daycare…3 children of their own under the age of 4, and another 3 to 6 kids on any given day who have been given free range to scream incessantly, sometimes until after midnight. Had we known the neighbour ran a home daycare, we obviously would have steered clear of the house. Unfortunately, 6 days a week, 10 hours daily, we deal with screaming children and often very loud music. During national holidays, we are also subjected to the “Jesus Bombs’. For those unfamiliar with what a “Jesus Bomb” is, we’re referring to that loud bang that sounds like a canon blast that has you jumping out of your skin. When you share a wall and are within 20 meters of each other, it’s as if it is happening beside you. Here's a small sample of what we have to endure on a daily basis:
Here is a suggested list of how to deal with noise in Mexico and noisy neighbours and restore the peace:
REDUCING SOUND WITH FURNITURE, PLANTS, AND DECOR
Sometimes all it takes to drown out unpleasant sounds and loud neighbours are a few decorative tweaks and helpful tools. While they’re not always foolproof, they can provide some reprieve from “Sir Barks-a-lot” upstairs, or “wannabe Eddy Van Halen”, or even screaming kids.
1. Invest in a white noise machine and earplugs.
Noise-canceling headphones may come in handy in the office or while working from home, but you’re not going to wear those to bed. A white noise machine and soft squishy ear plugs are smarter options for helping you catch Zs when you have neighbours who never seem to go to bed before 2 a.m. We invested in one through Amazon and it was the best $30 investment we have made for our sleep.
2. Invest in some sound-reducing curtains. You may have heard of blackout curtains for light, but there are also drapes available that are designed to buffer exterior noise. While you’re reducing unwanted noise, you’ll also be blocking out unwanted light. This style of curtain also serves to keep hot or cold air from entering or leaving the room, making them a multi-functional purchase. A win-win-win! 3. Utilize a door draft stopper. While these handy tools are meant to prevent unwanted air and rain from making their way into your home, they also work well at buffering noise from beyond your door. Try placing one at your front door and one in front of your bedroom door to seal up any cracks that could let extra noise seep in. We invested in draft stoppers, and quickly realized they also work well keeping out unwanted critters such as, scorpions, spiders, mosquitos, and flies. 4. Plant trees or shrubs. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they can act as a buffer from the noise, like the way furniture mitigates the noise in your home. Since most of the noise comes from the daycare next door, we’re hopeful these newly planted additions will absorb a wee bit of the screaming. We also affixed artificial grass to the chain link fence and planted palms, banana, and bamboo trees. Bamboo trees can grow as much as a foot per day if you maintain them well. And once they achieve the desired height, keep them trimmed to your desired height and they will grow thicker and thicker, giving you that wonderful sound barrier. When we first arrived in this home, our neighbour was using ugly, torn-up black garbage bags on the fence as their privacy barrier. On my second day I took down the black garbage bags and added the artificial grass to the chain link fence. It quickly made a huge difference. Come rainy season, this area (shown below) will be all filled in with bamboo and banana trees, vines and Bugambilias, as they’re known in Mexico.
5. Invest in a good water fountain. We bought the one pictured below for the front of our house and it really does help in redirecting your focus away from any unwanted external noise.
TAKING LEGAL AND VERBAL ACTION 1. Speak with your neighbours. It can be a little intimidating stopping by to “kindly” ask your neighbour to keep it down. You’d be surprised to know that most people can be receptive to these requests and often don’t realize how loud they are. If you’re nervous about face-to-face meetings, leave a note on their door with your contact info. We became so frustrated that we made the mistake of losing our cool with our neighbours, more than once, and it only served to exacerbate the situation. 2. Talk to an on-site manager if you live in a shared living community or apartment/condo. Many apartments and condo complexes have on-site managers and leasing offices. Stop by and let them know you’re having issues with noisy neighbors and see what they suggest. They may be able to call or speak to the neighbor for you. Similarly, if you rent from a landlord, they may be able to communicate on your behalf to the building committee, other tenants, or with your neighbour. 3. File a noise complaint. If the noise pollution is egregious, filing a noise complaint with your municipality may be the only way to get the attention and consideration of your neighbours. Make sure you know the noise laws and don’t escalate the problem to this level until you’ve exhausted every other option available. HOW NOT TO DEAL WITH LOUD NEIGHBOURS In the heat of the moment, it may feel easiest to leave a note or yell back (guilty!), but there are a handful of things you should never resort to no matter how frustrated you become. 1. Do not leave passive-aggressive notes. As tempting as it is to write a snarky note and leave it on their door, it’s better to keep the sticky note wars for the movies. A handwritten letter with a name and number on it is okay, but not identifying yourself will only serve to aggravate. 2. Do not try to compete with their noise level. Turning your TV volume up ten notches higher or playing music to drown out the sound from next door might be a temporary fix, but there are a few issues with this method. For starters, you’re adding to the noise which defeats the purpose. And, while it may seem like you’re being nice by not complaining, you’re most likely annoying your neighbours which could escalate the situation. We tried to turn up my music in retaliation, only to have them play their music substantially louder. Never ever start a war you cannot win. 3. Do not confront them with anger. There is no doubt that noisy neighbours are absolutely infuriating. But spewing anger can lead to unnecessary drama, fear, and less of a chance that they’ll be accommodating. Although upsetting, try to regain your composure before broaching the subject. I speak from experience when I say, it only makes things worse. 4. Do not call the police for a noise complaint, ever. If you’re not in immediate danger, do not call the police. If you haven’t spoken to your neighbours in person, do not call the police. Calling the police is a drastic step that can have unforeseen consequences. Our rental manager had suggested filing a complaint with social services due of the excess noise from the daycare. We asked that she refrain since, a) they have a right to make $, and b) we did not want 10 families angry with us 😊. Now that we’ve reviewed the do's and don’ts on how to deal with a troublesome noisy neighbour in Mexico, if you find yourself in a similar situation, we encourage you to implement some of the aforementioned strategies to help improve your sleep, serenity, and peace of mind. Hasta luego. Louise & Geordie Nayarit Living www.NayaritLiving.com
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