Potential for too much noise.

[?hum H]

well, i have an opportunity to move my office to a new location that's less then a mile from where i am now. i LOVE the new location. the building is newly renovated and is in a great location. there is a salon connected to the building and also a nail tech in the building both of whom have already mentioned how great it would be to have me in the building. the space is a bit smaller than where i'm at now (good thing) and the rent is a bit cheaper than where i'm at now (great thing!). the one thing i'm concerned about is the potential for noise in the new space. in my treatment room i will share a wall with a deli that is moving in. the wall we share is about 14ft long and it is the kitchen side of the deli. the deli hasn't moved in yet so it's really difficult to tell how much noise it will create.

i'm just a little nervous to accept the space because of the unknown. but i'm also nervous to turn it down because i really like everything else about it.

have any of you ever moved and regretted it? or ever moved and knew you made the right decision? what kind of noise issues have you had to overcome before? i don't know what to do!! :?

 

[SneakersPeepers]

Ooooh boy!! If I were you, I would wait until the deli is moved in and then re-evaluate the noise level. I would worry about the workers in the deli blasting a radio or ratling around pots and pans. Not to mention voices...

If you decide to go ahead with it anyway, you could do to the whole wall what I I did to my door. Cover the wall with foam, for your wall I would use the two inch stuff (for my door I used 1.5 inch), it can be found in 4x8 sheets in a building supply center. I believe these sheets will run you about $15 a piece. Since this is a large project, I would have them drilled right onto the walls by finding the studs and attatching them with screws. For my door, I used double faced tape.

You will need fabric to cover the foam. I bought some neutral colored fabric for $1 per yard at walmart. How much fabric you need depends on how you are going to hang it. Attatch the fabric to the foam with quilters T pins. Fold fabric ends so you have a clean seam. A hot glue gun would also be handy.

My door looks great and it didnt require any sewing at all. One of these days, I will have to put up a picture.

Christine

 

[gaiagurl]

BTW, it's not legal or safe to use the foam that way on an interior wall. It is a fire hazard. While difficult to ignite, once started it burns ferociously and releases toxic gases. It must be covered with 1/2 gypsum board or other code approved fire barrier.

In cold climates the building code may require a vapor barrier on the interior surface to prevent moisture from condensing on the exterior surface of the foam eventually leading to mold, rot and damage.

 

[Mabelline]

yeah, I would definitely wait... It will be good for foot traffic but not for noise...

 

[WTFYW?LDG!]

I left a salon to go to another one which was a better opportunity for me to build my business for many reasons. The owner I was leaving asked me what changes they could make so they could keep an MT renting there. I told her the main points (noise and space issues) and she ended up knocking down a wall between to small rooms and she had someone come in to make it sound-proof. There were other good reasons for me leaving, but when she did that I kind of felt regretful that I didn't just say those things when I was there to make my situation there better. I don't regret it enough to want to change anything (I'm out of the salons now).

But would you be able to request that the room be made sound-proof?

 

[Martha S.]

Not that your situation with the deli would be the same but I had a space in a building that was connected to a very lovely, small restaurant.

Issues that cropped up for me:
1. restaurant employees taking breaks and littering common area with junk and cigarette butts (I was constantly cleaning this up, even after complaining about it...the cigarette butts smelled up the whole entry way to my space, yuck!)
2. restaurant employees taking breaks and just hanging around, loitering
3. delicious food smells
4. parking conflicts with the restaurant (we all shared the spaces, for some reason the restaurant claimed ownership of them)

 

[Jassy]

interesting points here and i thank you all. kindredspirits, what a bummer with employees loitering, littering and smoking. yucky. that's actually one of the complaints of my current situation ~ an impolite smoker. there is a lady in the building (not sure who exactly but i've got a good idea) walks through the building with a lit cigarette and uses the restroom and then goes outside to finish! man this really gets to me. it's actually illegal to smoke inside buildings where i'm at. in fact, they passed a law that states you must be within so many feet of the building. of course it's an old lady who doesn't give a crap. then the entire building wreaks of smoke. especially the restroom. i'm in a really old building with a really tiny bathroom and it doesn't get any fresh air in there so that smell lingers for an eternity.

one good thing is that the deli is pretty small. i'm not too concerned with parking 'cause there seems to be plenty of it. i also think the hours of the deli are limited. i think they are planning on closing at 4pm or so (i'm currently checking into that). and they pretty much serve sandwiches and cold salads and they serve them in throw away trays. i think most of their prep time will be early in the morning and it's only salads and sandwiches. actually, their kitchen is quite small. no dishwasher even. hooray!

the location is in an area of town called old village. people love the area and are very familiar with everything around it. it's kind of a small town feel in a pretty large city. i'm currently in the downtown area which is also very nice. the guy who owns the building seems to be very understanding and willing to do things to help me out. i'm not sure what it takes to make a room "sound proof" but i should look into that. this particular suite is still unfinished so maybe that will make it even easier to "sound proof".

on the point of waiting 'till it opens. i've thought of this but run into a bit of a time concern. if they open in a month, that doesn't leave me much time to give my current landlord notice of leaving. and what if someone else comes to see that space and takes it? : of course i know what they say, "if it wasn't meant to be...". they have one other space available to i don't like it. too much $$ and too big.

thanks again everyone. keep the comments rolling in. still unsure of what to do. :?

 

[cocoa butter]

Here's a thought...go buy a little fire extinguisher. The next time she runs into the building with her lit ciggie, yell REALLY LOUD "FIRE!!!" and spray her ciggie out. Hopefully, she'll give a crap then!

NOTE: This post contains a dangerous level of sarcasm. The poster is a trained professional. Please do NOT try this at home.

This post is for entertainment purposes only and does not reflect the true opinions of the poster or of management. Neither the poster nor management accept any liability should anyone take this post as actual "advice." Proceed at your own risk and please, don't drink and drive, buckle up for safety and remember...s/he who smelt it, dealt it.

LOL...I LIKE IT!! :

P.S. I wanted to add, too, as I'm remembering more, that my place had a front and back entrance, so there was always the possibility of clients getting a nice view (and smell) of the trash the restaurant generated.

I was thinking - if you haven't already done this - maybe go and check the area out during the busiest part of the day to see what all is going on.