Renting a place for the first time

[JamesKurtovich]

The place is the size of a shoebox, really. The living room/HT is actually going to be one of the bedrooms. Which is good, because it makes for a great HT.

I can't wait to turn my stuff on. Since living in an apartment, I've never really experienced my set-up. Just hope it isn't too loud for my neighbor next door!

Question, is it okay to put nails in the walls if you're renting? Or should I look into shelves instead? Speaker stands (I have a 7.1)?

Thanks.

[FlipperWasIrish]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

The place is the size of a shoebox, really. The living room/HT is actually going to be one of the bedrooms. Which is good, because it makes for a great HT.

I can't wait to turn my stuff on. Since living in an apartment, I've never really experienced my set-up. Just hope it isn't too loud for my neighbor next door!

Question, is it okay to put nails in the walls if you're renting? Or should I look into shelves instead? Speaker stands (I have a 7.1)?

Thanks.

Talk to your landlord about nails in the walls. DO NOT assume anything, or else it could cost you down the road.

[Sith]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

The place is the size of a shoebox, really. The living room/HT is actually going to be one of the bedrooms. Which is good, because it makes for a great HT.

I can't wait to turn my stuff on. Since living in an apartment, I've never really experienced my set-up. Just hope it isn't too loud for my neighbor next door!

Question, is it okay to put nails in the walls if you're renting? Or should I look into shelves instead? Speaker stands (I have a 7.1)?

Thanks.

Since it's illegal for a landlord to come in your place unless it's an emergency, as long as you can putty the wall up and paint it out nice you shouldn't worry about it. But if you leave it f'ed up when you leave you could lose
some of your security deposit..

[Beta Man]

Just like going camping........... just leave the place the same way you found it....... a little putty/paint goes a long way.

[un4gvn94538]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Just like going camping........... just leave the place the same way you found it....... a little putty/paint goes a long way.

especially if you accidentally put your fist through the wall... may need some newspaper then too.

[kman]

Originally Posted by Sith

Since it's illegal for a landlord to come in your place unless it's an emergency, as long as you can putty the wall up and paint it out nice you shouldn't worry about it. But if you leave it f'ed up when you leave you could lose
some of your security deposit..

Its only illegal if it says so in the lease. When I was in college so many landlords had the worst possible leases. I had to amend almost every single one.

To be safe I would look at the lease and see what it says. If its not in there I would ask the landlord but if you do go with nails get some white paste toothpaste and put it in the holes when you leave. Its like the hole was never there.

Oh and also, post pictures when its set up

[stroudenov]

Ask me anything. It's what I do.

My answer would be to consider the type of holes you'd be making. If it requires weight bearing, anchors, etc. you'd be better off with stands. Simply because the repair investment. The key to "no damage charges" is knowing what is expected in your lease agreement. Specifically, the Move In/Out inspection form. Many companies outline repair costs on the form. Treat your move out as if you were the next person "moving in"

[JJ]

Heck, I rent. But I've been here for 2 1/2 years and now know* the landlord very well, so I get my own say in pretty much everything I do in the house - since I'll be living here for at least another 1 1/2.

[bc4dvd]

Originally Posted by Sith

Since it's illegal for a landlord to come in your place unless it's an emergency, as long as you can putty the wall up and paint it out nice you shouldn't worry about it. But if you leave it f'ed up when you leave you could lose
some of your security deposit..

As a landlord I can tell you it's not illegal for me to enter my property. As long as adequate notice is given to the tenant a landlord is allowed to inspect their property at any time.

As far as nails in the wall, that's just part of making it a home and I certainly have no problems with it.

[jomari]

its a grey area, as mentioned earlier, double check and see your contract, and work from there.

this is one reason i also take before and after pictures, just to make sure that i document as much as possible.

[JamesKurtovich]

Thanks for your advice guys. Really helps me out a lot.

Any ideas on how to help with soundproofing? I have no idea how loud I can make it without bugging the guy who lives next door and I was wondering if there's anything I could do. I've seen people put foam on their wall but I think this is for a different purpose. Maybe I'm just being paranoid as I've lived in an 2nd floor apartment and I'm REALLY excited to finally hear what my system can do.

Thanks!

[stcurell]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

Any ideas on how to help with soundproofing? I have no idea how loud I can make it without bugging the guy who lives next door and I was wondering if there's anything I could do. I've seen people put foam on their wall but I think this is for a different purpose. Maybe I'm just being paranoid as I've lived in an 2nd floor apartment and I'm REALLY excited to finally hear what my system can do.

Carpet on the floor, lots of soft fluffy things in the room. We've got a quilt hanging on one wall to help. Any furniture or heavy curtains are working in your favor. You could put some foam on the wall if no one is going to object. I'm not an expert on room treatments though and I think this stuff is more for in-room acoustics. The biggest thing to do is probably close all the windows and doors if you want to turn it up loud.

Also, if you're in a small room, I wouldn't worry too much about neighbors because you won't have to crank the system as much to get loud volume at your ears, since you will be closer to the speakers (I am assuming.)

I would also suggest being friendly and social with your neighbor (offer a beer), a lot of problems will go away, they may not even care anymore if they hear some movie rumblings... however if you do other things to piss them off on a regular basis they will be more likely to get irritated and come bang on your door or slash your tires.

As far as speaker stands, they can be good because you can adjust speaker position easily; wall mount is more permanent and you don't want to be putting 4 or 5 holes in the wall until you are happy with speaker placement.

Acoustic foam:
http://www.thefoamfactory.com/acoust...usticfoam.html
$40 pair adjustable speaker stands:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=240-762

I have those stands and they are sturdy and unobtrusive, I like em. They have a heavy base and you can run wires through them. The only complaint I have is that I can't get the speaker perfectly level, its not that they are wobbly its just hard to get the thing straight. They're adjustable to that's the trade off I guess.

[wokkerk]

talk to you neighbors as well if you are concerned about noise. Its better to get a feel for the neighbors before they go to your landlord. If the neighbors are remotely nice and you tell them to just say something to you if its too loud, it will save you much trouble in the long run.

[Ted White]

You won't stop low frequencies without serious construction. Added mass is required and that's generally in the form of drywall

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

The place is the size of a shoebox, really. The living room/HT is actually going to be one of the bedrooms. Which is good, because it makes for a great HT.

I can't wait to turn my stuff on. Since living in an apartment, I've never really experienced my set-up. Just hope it isn't too loud for my neighbor next door!

Question, is it okay to put nails in the walls if you're renting? Or should I look into shelves instead? Speaker stands (I have a 7.1)?

Thanks.

I would say YES as long as when it came time to move, you could repair them.