I am really starting to hate my next door neighbor...

[driver8]

The kid that lives next door to us has a drum kit set up in his garage. I live in Southern California and our houses are very close together. This kid likes to practice his drums at all hours -- 1:00pm, 9:00pm, midnight...it doesn't matter. Whenever he feels like playing, he does so.

The night he started playing at midnight I was so pissed I went out and beat on his garage door. He heard me in between drum solos and I heard him slink into his house. A few days later, he (and his shitty band) started rehearsing at 9:00pm. We have two small children who are asleep by 8:00pm and this fucker usually manages to wake them up.
My wife was furious and went over and pounded on the door and the kid says, "Ok, we're stopping." My wife asked him to come out and talk to her and he wouldn't.

Any suggestions short of killing this little bastard?!

[KitchenWitch]

1. Talk to his parents

if that does not work, talk to the housing association (if you have one) otherwise talk to the police. I am sure there are noise ordinances where you are.

[NMMNG]

2. A polite request not to play after 9pm

Along with the implication that further abuses will be reported to the HOA (if you have one), the police or whomever necessary to stop the disturbance of the peace.

Hopefully this will be enough to keep him under control.

[enigmatic]

3. I've got one:

Blast "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies at 6am next to his window every morning til he gets the hint:)

Seriously, talk to the parents; they've got to do something to take care of this. Good luck..

[radwriter0555]

4. In Los Angeles, any noise that reasonably distrurbs the peace and quiet

can be regulated.

You are entitled to ask them to restrict their playing to certain hours. I suggest a plate of cookies, a really nice request for a sit down chat with a suggestion for play time parameters.

This is just the business of being neighbors after all, and if you don't make your needs known, they won't know what the rules really are.

It's okay to be nice. They don't mean any harm. It's just rock n roll after all.