Garden Pictures Chat Corner

Have you ever had friends over and asked them if they hear anything or if it bothers them? Just to make the whole thing a bit more objective, if they also find it disturbing, you could maybe ask the neighbor if he would like to listen to it at your place sometime!? You have to keep in mind that you still have to/want to live next to each other and it can also be due to different sensitivities to noise. But for that reason, I would first see if friends/acquaintances also notice it as disturbing (without pointing it out to them beforehand).

Good idea, but in a social setting you yourself are louder and perceive noises differently.

Even if some find it childish, you seem to be too quiet.

Anyway, if you are looking for a conversation, pay attention to the wording. It would be nice, could, should, are soft formulations. That doesn’t always come across well to the other person. Be more assertive.
It would be nice if you could please turn the music down. We would like to drink coffee.
Or
We are drinking coffee right now, your music is disturbing. Please turn it down.
is better there.

Offer him headphones. He has the better sound, you have your peace.

Good idea, but in a social setting you yourself are louder and perceive noises differently.

Even if it seems childish to some, you all seem to be too quiet.

Anyway, if you are looking to start a conversation, pay attention to the phrasing. It would be nice, could, should are soft formulations. That doesn't always come across to the other person. Be more assertive.
It would be nice if you could please turn the music down. We would like to drink coffee.
Or
We are currently drinking coffee, your music is disturbing. Please turn it down.
is better at that.

Offer him headphones. He gets better sound, you get your peace.

I even already brought them headphones, for their home office work lately. How many headphones should I carry over there still? XD
I would even offer it to him if he would accept it. But it is also kind of annoying. I myself sometimes wear noise-canceling headphones when they are loud again and I want to work in the garden. But these are partly quite objective disturbances. When working in the garden you move around a lot, I constantly accidentally pull out the cable, or the phone from the pocket, which then falls on the ground, or I get tangled in the cable and stumble. I can’t stand in-ears, and buying the 300 euro wireless model hoping it bothers me less is, well... I don’t know? That would be an option, but wouldn’t it annoy you to sit in the garden with NC headphones on playing nothing, just so that it cancels the noise from next door? Then I also wouldn’t hear birds and rustling leaves anymore...

Accordingly, I don’t really know if he would accept it if I demand that he use headphones in the garden. You either need expensive ones with range, or you have an annoying cable on your leg, literally.

Okay really a terrible situation. If you are unlucky with your neighbors, then you have really drawn the short straw. Legal disputes in Germany you can completely forget about, you have no leverage there. You have to try to solve the problem yourself.

1) Talk to him. If that doesn't work, then
2) Build a soundproof wall 2m high (really massive).

But that would bother me a lot. Our neighbors also have music on from time to time. I think that's annoying, but it's rather rare, so I can put up with it. Noise in general annoys me too. I always jokingly say I should have built on a Hallig. But that's not just a joke...

After the description of the neighbors, I don't want to mess with them, sounds like trouble once you cross the line.
I don't have a concrete idea right now - well, actually I do. How about a small, nice seating area in front of the house? You have a wonderful view of your great front garden there, don't you?

So, if my neighbor, assuming I were often busy or loud outside in the garden, brought me headphones, then he’d have messed with me. But I would also react differently if someone said something to me about the volume. But at those few decibels....

"it's strange, we don't hear anything from you," and I just thought "no wonder, we’re not making any noise either," but I just didn’t say it.

That’s how I am too. Unfortunately. I think something that can be said. It’s nothing bad.

But every party somewhere uphill is noticed. Sounds as if they’re sitting on our terrace. We’re now having fun guessing who is celebrating. Depending on where you stand, it sounds different. So we try to make fun of it instead of getting annoyed.

That doesn’t bother me at all. I like the "distant partying," music, party, laughter. What bothers me is when I’m not happy myself, then I get jealous and disapproving because I don’t feel included.

Police because of noise complaint?

That would be an option, for example. After 10 p.m. ;)

But I also want to be in the garden on Sundays sometimes.

You can do that. It’s all in your head! Go outside and enjoy life, invite the neighbors once in a while – then the topic will come up on its own, but it shouldn’t be treated as a serious issue, rather one should try to see the neighbors as dear neighbors with whom you can have fun and to whom you can entrust your house key.