Why wouldn't I want to stop the noise of my neighbour's lawn mower, or the garbage truck very slowly passing by at 7:30 when I should be sound asleep, or the washing machine furiously spinning, or my visiting inlaws cooking in the kitchen when I want to get an afternoon nap ? These sh*tty houses let all noises through.

Off-Topic, but not really: Mack’s Ultra Soft earplugs

I'd rather not. I expect more from a modern house.

I identify with that frustration more than most!

But, how many additional decades will you expect it for,

without giving your nervous system the rest it’s asking you for?

My plan is threefold:

1) move to a very quiet neighbourhood that's far from downtown (DONE). My wife doesn't like the commute but we'll live with it for the moment.

2) get my startup going so that I can afford to buy a house and spend the ~1-2M required to renovate it Euro-style. Hopefully within 3-4 years. That way I'll be able to live basically in downtown (Midwest) but still have a comfortable house.

3) move back to Europe as soon as possible

P.s. I found Mack earplugs not that good. Honeywell Laser Lite are much better.

Thanks! :]