Night Owl Neighbors

Hello! I am a night owl myself...but I stay inside and mostly no one notices. However, several of my neighbors and their young children are night owls and they go for walks at 9 and 10 pm with motorized kid cars and stay outside talking and hanging out with each other until after midnight out front on our street. Like for instance , they are out there now and it's pretty late. They do it on a regular basis, and I wouldn't care if my 2 young daughters bedrooms didn't face the street...
Ugh. I don't mean to complain- I just find it so odd that there are like 5 families on my very small street that make so much noise each night in front of the houses.
They are all very cordial and I like them all, but don't know them well enough to ask them to keep it down without feeling like I am alienating them. What should I do?
(I feel like I just wrote a letter to Dear Abby...)

 

I think explaining as you just did above to the neighbors that as parents they would certainly understand! Alternatively, if you are reluctant to say anything, chances are this routine will change once school starts. Good luck!

 

At least they were not the same neighbors who had (and we counted)12 kids splashing around and screaming in their pool until 11:30pm!

 

My view on these types of things is to address them the FIRST time it ever happens. That way they know the rules and realize that they are indeed bothering a neighbor. I usually go out and talk to the kids/people and get to know them a bit and then let them know that their voices carry very well into our house and that we have young kids that are trying to sleep..,...blah blah blah. I do it very cordially the first time. This helps and they usually take it inside or move to another area farther down the street.
If it happens again, I go out and let them know that Im starting to get a little miffed about it and make it clear w/out being rude, that the way things are, will not work between us.
After that, then i call those who serve and protect and keep the peace from being disturbed and tell them to address it.



DwArFlOrD

 

Sunny,

Which section of Broadlands?

 

Does anyone even know what the noise law is in Loudoun? I thought it was pretty liberal/open?

 

Thank you so much for your responses. The Miss Manners in me is admonishing myself for ever having written about the noise in the first place. After all, if I was living in the city there would be nothing I could do. And the fact is- my kids don't seem to mind it as much as I do! I just hear them so loudly and think "If they wake that baby up I'm gonna freak out!" Lack of sleep, you know
I live in Southern Walk.

 

From personal experience with an inconsiderate, clueless, neighbor. Loudoun county laws are still in the dark ages. Noise law is no limit on noise until 11:00 PM. After 11PM you can call 5-0.

Obviously, this is a throw back to the rural days. When houses are this close together people really need to have respect for each other. Side note the HOA does have noise rules. That's how I got my problem solved.

 

Wasn't this back in thread somewhere where VACLIFF responded the HOA is not really able to handle these kinds of issues?

 

They can and have. My neighbor had a full on electric guitar band on easter sunday in his back yard. The HOA stopped it from happening again. There is quiet enjoyment clause. You may be able to use it if it gets really bad or is grossly loud.

 

I have to take a time out and comment on how lucky we are to have such great neighbors. Sure; sometimes they may be out later than usual and we hear them but then again, we have been too at times. In fact, coincidence or not, most of us on our court are from different countries so we have been enjoying getting together and having our "culture night" where we share food and experiences from our respective countries. I'm really happy that we have chosen to live in Broadlands.

 

MMMM! Culture.

 

Carol-
You point out one of the things that is so interesting and refreshing about living here....the diversity of our population.
My wife and I joke how when we walk into our kid's classrooms it's like walking into a junior UN meeting!
Our children are growing up in an evvironment where racism and bigotry are essentially unknown concepts.

 

I don't think the Broadlands is _that_ diverse...

http://houseandhome.msn.com/pickapl...unty=Loudoun&State=VA&sRegion=m:201410&src=nf

*these boards break links, I don't know why*

"A private island off the coast of Maine; a restored colonial village in the Berkshires; fenced-in horse farms in Leesburg, VA; or manicured gardens in Carmel by the Sea. These are Country Squires neighborhoods where the wealthy live in rustic luxury."

 

There were three demographic groups listed for Ashburn, you picked the first. I think the second applies more to Broadlands:

"Young, college-educated, computer-literate, dual-income, frequent-flying executives and professionals describe those in "Upward Bound. Most of this group is married, with pre- and school-aged children, and live in new, owner-occupied single-family homes. "

 

I agree with you as far as the diversity and specifically in this area. In our general area of Broadlands, we have families from Turkey, India, Israel, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, South Africa, Ghana and of course, homegrown USA!

Sadly though there are the isolated moments of racism or bigotry due to lack of understanding but that can happen anywhere.

I've lived in so many different countries that the key aspect is to begin with focusing on the similarities and not the differences and use that as the basis for communicating.

 

I just tried the link and it comes up as info unavailable for the request.

 

okay...I finally got to the link. Very interesting...I think Broadlands is a combo of the three profiles cited for zip code 20148 but also combines a higher percentage of culture diversity as well...just my humble opinion here. []

 

Let's look at the lifestyle described in that article:
Take 2+ foreign trips (is that per year? I make it in the last decade...)
Play tennis - nope
Serve as non-political volunteer -- Yes
Own mutual funds $10k+ -- maybe as part of my 401K
Use financial planning services -- nope
Own a Volvo -- nope
Own a piano -- does a $50 keyboard count?
Own a $1,000+ computer system -- guilty.
Own a gas grill -- no. Charcoal only (let's start another religious war!)
Own a Honda -- not any more
Watch The Learning Channel -- guilty
Watch Prime Time Live -- no
Read Boating -- I assume that's a magazine, since it's hard to read a sport
Read Ladies Home Journal -- no.

SO, I guess I'm not the exhurb elite. Shucks.

 

FWIW .. there is a rule in the Declaration for Broadlands about noise:

8.2d - Noise. No Person shall cause any unreasonably loud noise (except for security devices) anywhere on the Property, nor shall any Person permit or engage in any activity, practice, or behavior for the purpose of causing annoyance, discomfort or disturbance to any Person lawfully present on any portion of the Property.

Property is defined as:

"at any given time, the real estate then subject to the Declaration (including Lots and Common Areas) and includes all improvements and appurtenances thereto now or hereafter existing"





Neil Z.
Resident since 1999