Usually, I just pay attention to them, find out when they usually sleep and then break out the collection of bagpipe music. If they really piss me off, it’s Pat Boone (I have to leave the apartment for that, though).
So, you’re suggesting fighting noise pollution with property damage? I believe that would carry a penalty in the area of a misdemeanor. And if it’s like my area, tampering with the splitter might mean having to access a locked box owned by the Cable company. Not a good idea.
LunaSea, maybe he’s retaliating to you mowing your grass during the day while he’s sleeping. Or maybe a project you got going on that’s keeping him awake during the day? Not everyone is on a 9 to 5 schedule. Maybe call him and try to resolve it before calling the authorities.
[QUOTE=slortar]
Usually, I just pay attention to them, find out when they usually sleep and then break out the collection of bagpipe music.
[QUOTE]
Dad, is that you? 
My father used to do exactly the same thing. I won’t because I have a neighbor on the other side, and children I’d like to not be deaf.
There also seems to be no rhyme or reason to when he does it either. The past week it’s been midnight til whenever. Two weeks ago it was the stereo at 7am on Saturday and Sunday.
I want to know when he sleeps. He’s had the tv on since last night. it finally became quieter (but still on) at 8am. He’s finally turned it off and left the house at 2pm. 
I lived in a college apartment complex filled with people who just moved out of the frat house.
The people above us would barbecue (on a wooden deck) and then dump the hot ashes onto our concrete patio. If we could barbecue (no wood) then they should be able to as well.
Then they decided to ‘get back at us’ for being able to barbecue, I guess. They went out Wednesday through Sunday nights. When they returned from the bars (usually around two am) they would stomp up the stairs and talk loudly in their apartment. This is no big deal, we had our share of parties and loudness, too.
Then came the Michael Jackson. They would play the song from Free Willy, on repeat, as loud as it would go and turn the speakers down so they were pointing toward our apartment. How do we know this? We asked them to turn it down and they turned the speakers down toward our ceiling.
We called the police every night for six months. Since we had people in our apartment that weren’t on the lease, we couldn’t call the managers lest we get evicted. :mad:
Most such townhouses have the electric meter on the outside wall. These meters are ‘secured’ only with a little wire tag. They are designed to just plug in. Or plug out. So unplug it (after 5pm on a Friday, when the electric company people have gone home for the weekend) and remove it.
Repeat as necessary.
But I would say you should first go the route of calling the police. What he is doing is illegal in most cities, and you have a right to have it stopped.
I don’t agree here.
Doing normal & customary activities (like lawnmowing) during daytime hours is standard behavior, and is not illegal (unlike what he is doing in the middle of the night). It’s the person with the odd schedule who needs to make his own adjustments to the rest of the world. He could buy earplugs, for example. I’ve worked night shift, and had early-bird neighbors next door, but always felt it was my problem to deal with, not theirs. They weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. And in fact, were very accomodating when I mentioned it to them. Even apologized profusely!
And even if this is the case, “retaliating” without first just explaining the situation and asking them to mow their lawn at another time is, as the OP said, asshole behavior.
hehe…
A man after my own heart. For revenge purposes, I like to use the old “turnabout is fair play” myself.
I like to kill them with kindness though. Usually (but not always sigh), these knuckle draggers will sleep later hours. That’s when you ring the doorbell, or call them to OH SO SWEETLY inquire about some inanity. And then, Oh gosh, were you asleep?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound as if the OP’s neighbor ever responds to the door.
I agree with the other folks here with the calling the police thing. And doesn’t your townhouse area have some sort of association or something?
Otherwise, I’m sorry that you’re missing your sleep. I’ve been there and feel for you.
I feel your pain. Literally - I still have a headache thanks to my noisy neighbours.
We live in an apartment building, and have been here for 2 years. We have been VERY patient, but today I finally snapped and called in a complaint to the super about them. Why? Because they HAMMER. And they DRILL. And they use an electric SANDER and Gods ony know what else! But this isn’t actual construction, it can’t be. This is apparently a hobby, because knowing the size of the apartment, no actual project should take 2 years to finish. And the noise is always from one spot, immediately above our living room, which leads me to conclude that these assmonkeys have a work bench in their apartment (6th floor of 10) and they have no issues WHATSOEVER with using their tools from 8am to any time at night (often about 9pm, sometimes as late as 11).
I have checked the by-laws, and while construction workers can make noise frm 7-7, and quiet hours are from 11pm to 7am, they can’t make construction noise later than 7pm. The thing is, they usually do this in the morning, but nextime they hammer at 8pm, thy cops are getting a call.
Anyways, I also checked out our lease, which has this nice handy clause:
So I reported them. They wake me up when I try to sleep past 8am (not that rare), I’m sure if there are kids in neighbouring apartments, they are disrupting their sleep/naps too. They give me headaches with their dilling and other power tools and hammering. I was on the edge of a migraine today. I pay too much rent to have to put up with this. The Super told me he’d look into it, and I haven’t heard from him and the noise hasn’t totally stopped, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. I think I’ll give it a couple of days, and then call again, because after two years, I just can’t stand it any more! I can’t believe there haven’t been other complaints. I’m actually wishing for an eviction of these assholes, but I’m sure that’s asking too much!
Sorry for the mini-hijack, but I have been so mad about this today, I just needed to vent!