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Buying your first home comes with a lot of surprises, and sometimes the biggest ones live next door.

One homeowner and her partner were surprised when their new neighbors issued a noise complaint, claiming they could hear their kitchen cabinets through a shared bedroom wall.

The homeowners wanted to get off on the right foot, so they promised to fix it. They bought soft-close attachments and were mindful about how they closed the doors.

But before the attachments even arrived, a second complaint came as a note written in pink marker, taped to their door.

Now the homeowners start to feel like they can’t do anything right.

Keep reading for the full story.

Noise complaint on kitchen use

My partner and I, both females in our late 20s, just bought a townhome this summer.

Our neighbors have been friendly up to this point. They are both early to mid 50s, M/F.

Soon the neighbors come to them with a complaint.

They approached us while we were at our car on October 26 to tell us that they can hear us closing our kitchen cabinets, as their bedroom shares a wall with our kitchen.

They said there was one night it was midnight and it woke them up.

At first, the neighbors seemed totally reasonable about all this, so the homeowners were quick to apologize.

They told us they knew it wasn’t our fault, it was poorly designed, and they could hear the previous owner making smoothies at 6 a.m., which would wake them up.

We apologized and said we had no idea their bedroom shared a wall with our kitchen and said we would buy soft-close cabinet attachments.

The homeowners followed through on their word and earnestly tried to adjust their behavior.

We ordered them the same day, but they took a while to be delivered, so we hadn’t installed them by the time we received another complaint (more details below), though we were mindful to close our cabinets softer.

Soon the neighbors took notice.

We woke up to this note the next week, taped to our door.

We are baffled on how to respond to this. We both own our homes.

By the homeowners’ account, they had tried their best to keep the noise down.

All we did the night they are referring to is clean up from dinner (my partner had to work late) around 9:30 p.m., take the dogs on a walk from 10:11-10:21 p.m. (we confirmed this from our doorbell camera), then go to bed.

But their neighbors had this to say in response:

The note reads (all written in pink marker):

Hey,

Last night was a bit loud until 10:30, making for a challenging sleep.

Your kitchen (sink, cabinets, etc.) backs up to our bedroom. Pretty please with sugary candies on top, can you keep the energy and noise in your kitchen to a minimal on weekdays after 9:30 p.m.

Thanks from,
[Names]

Now the homeowners are at a loss for what to do next.

We are weighing our options. Do we just ignore it and continue on with our lives?

Do we leave a note back establishing boundaries? Do we reach out to our HOA to protect ourselves if this escalates?

Do we be quieter at night or purchase more to dampen our noise?

Dealing with neighbors can be one of the most challenging parts of homeownership.

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Redditors chime in.

These neighbors need to become more resourceful problem solvers.

These homeowners have already done everything they reasonably could.

With a shared wall, some noise is to be expected.

Some people just try to pass off all their problems onto other people.

“Pretty please with sugary candies on top” is a lot of sweetness for a note that essentially asks two homeowners to stop living in their kitchen after 9:30 pm.

Throughout all the passive aggressiveness, these homeowners were polite; they invested money in a solution, and they genuinely tried to be accommodating.

If all of that still isn’t enough for these neighbors, then they’re SOL.

You can’t optimize your way out of paper-thin walls.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.