What I can live with: everything but the stomping. And I've tried earplugs, fans, white noise, tv - nothing works - that stomping cuts through everything and I just fixate on it!

Now, that makes me wonder what she can hear from me, if anything. Esp. I often have to get up early for work, and my alarm goes off at 4:45 - 5 am and I push snooze at least 4-5 times (mornings are tough for me).

Is there anyone out there who lives in a similar type building who could let me know what sounds transmit up?

I'd like to know for 1) if I can get a top-floor, what I could expect and
2) when I go talk to her, since she's basically nice, I'd like to be able to offer up any "if you stop this, I'll stop that" kind of option - and would like to be prepared for what that might be.

The property managers are a colorful older down-home couple who live in a basement unit (I have storage lockers under my apt). They are good hearted, but are real talkative and tell a lot of stories about the 40 years they lived here, and I feel they'd just be more of a headache than a help.

p.s. - she knows she's a stomper. the previous tenant was her best friend, who told her she had a heavy foot. When I first moved in, she told me this herself... " I hope I'm not too loud, so-n-so told me I was always stomping around"

Thanks for any advice, etc!

Living on the top floor is much more condusive to a restful night. On the down side, is the extra cost in utility bills.

At least for me, paying more in utility bills makes more sense than not sleeping.

As I get older, owning an RV is the "ideal home." If you don't like your next-door-neighbors, just put the automatic transmission in "drive" and move 1 mile, 10 miles, or a 1000 miles.

I guarantee you with an RV you will not hear stomping noises.

Gas bills of $100, though, may have you stomping.

The woman walks fairly reasonably, but the husband is a stomper. And having two people living above me in a studio apartment is annoying since it doubles the walking noises. I was hoping in a studio there would only be one person. Oh well. I didn't suspect the husband to be a stomper since he's somewhat short and not really a big guy. I think it has to do with the way he plants his foot firmly and stompingly on the ground. I guess he doesn't have much of the rolling heel-to-toe action but more of a directly down-like-an-elephant's-foot-on-the-floor action.

When I've gone to chat with them (they're always nice) I've noticed that they don't have any area rugs but have bare wood floors exposed everywhere. I actually looked at some other places in the area that were similar builds (wood floors, plaster, etc) and the landlords specified that if I moved in, I would need to put down area rugs (probably to combat the stomping noise problem). I wish my landlord here had said that to them since they don't have any arear rugs that I saw.

I'm just wondering if there is a way to suggest to them the purchasing of area rugs for their apartment? And do people know how much this would actually help? I'm not sure how to go about this and don't want to annoy them since I know they're not trying to be noisy and seem to be considerate.

As for the stomping, boy did you hit a nerve, the people next door to my bedroon, would get home at 10 pm every night stomp till 11:30. So yes, you will hear the footsteps. They would wake up before me and it would start in the morning as well. Then they started with Howard Stern on the radio, oh that was a joy, a deep voice thru the walls. That I did call LL and complain, and it did stop. It is worse when there is no carpeting, area rugs, curtains or drapes, because there is nothing to absorb sound. They didnht have any of it, and neither do I, so the echo would just kill ya....

But then I had payback time, because my kitchen was back to back with thier bedroom, so I installed speakers from the stereo in the living roon, and on the weekends, I knew they were sleepers cause I never heard them till 11am or so, I still get up early... I would pump the stereo at 8am, well, sucked to be them........(and when the windows were open, I guess it really sucked) LOL. After a while I think they got the message.......
Finally after 6and a half years they moved, and the new people, either have rugs or they float, cause I never hear them, unless its the dead of the night and they might bang somethin accidently. They are a joy and they are just as young as the couple before.
Its funny how some people are just plain noisy in whatever they do, while others are quiet.
I no longer have to pump the steroe, I walk in socks. I dont vacuum after 8 pm, It is an apt, you really do have to have some thought of the people around you.
I have an elderly couple living under me,(language barrier) and when I saw the daughter a while ago I appoligised for the noise when I had my floors re-sanded, she said to me, I dont even think my parents noticed.... How happy was I.

I was planning on using resilient channel and drywall for the same. Then I heard of this product called quietrock. I was told that with some quiet glue and a layer of quietrock I should get enough soundproofing.