This dang light outside!!

My husband and I chose our lot because it backs up to a live in center for kids. We don't have back neighbors per se and it was lovely for two years. Last week the center put up BIG flood lights in front of each little house. One conveniently shines towards our house and I this thing is way brighter than a street light, it is like daylight back there. What should we do? Black out curtains? Letter to the center? Buy more light blocking blinds? Get eye covers? I am a heavy sleeper but for the last week it has been hard to go to sleep. I was used to a very dark room, I cannot blame them for wanting security at the center but I want my darkness again. :o

I am thinking curtains, anyone know good ones that don't look to institutional?

There's a good chance they could have the light aimed a bit differently, it won't help a ton but it should help some.

I would include this link in my letter, if I sent it by email :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMjgHBnpeV0

I have been tempted to shoot out a streetlight with a pellet gun, only problem is they'd be able to tell where the shot came from. Dang.

There are ordinances about causing a nuisance on other people's property, too. Before I wrote the letter, I'd find out if there were one in your neck o'the woods. It would change how I approach it, for sure.

If there is an ordinance, I would ask them to do something about it, and then if they didn't cite the ordinance in my next letter. (Don't lead with the ordinance--it will sound like a threat.) In fact, a phone call to the right person may be just the thing--like meet with the maintenance man or the director of the physical plant or someone. It may be just that simple.

If there is no ordinance, then I'd appeal to common decency, tell them what YOU are doing to help them reach the solution of having good security on their property, that you understand why they put the lights up, and that you are doing what you can to keep the light out of your house--but that it's not enough and they need to do something, too.

Good luck!

Karen

There is a streetlight in front of my house that has never worked since I moved here. I will not complain about it. If they ever put a new bulb in, I'll be tempted to shoot it out in the middle of the night, too.

Karen

I would contact them too. It's not healthy for the kids who live there, either. Cite them some studies about the importance of natural light cycles to child behavior (and adult health too).

Some of the streetlights on our street have one side of the globe painted black. Maybe that would help. One of these days I'm going to climb up there and black out the globes where they point at our house! It'll be a while before the trees fill back in to the shade we had before CharleyFrancesJeanne.

babies denied true darkness during their first 2 years of life develop myopia.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

babies denied true darkness during their first 2 years of life develop myopia.

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Maybe that's what happened to me.

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Originally Posted by Pax

There's a good chance they could have the light aimed a bit differently, it won't help a ton but it should help some.

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+ 1

I live across from a church with a huge security light on their empty-at-night parking lot.
That BB gun idea has crossed my mind more than once.

Start with a friendly phone call.

I'm never that friendly rational person, but sometimes I can pretend that I am.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will see if I can find a number to call. This place is a center for kids with behavioral/emotional issues. We had a friend that interned there and she said occassionally the kids have a "jail break" and they catch them on the nearby highway. I get the reason for the light completely and the center does a world of good. Even if the light annoys me and the 5:00 am shift change where someone REALLY likes their bass disturbs my slumber. :) Still much better than apartment life was, got to remember that when I get my panties in a wad. LOL. We are both out of city limits and our county has very little ordinances but I can check. The center did oppose the 10 lane toll road that was supposed to slice through my 'hood I shouldn't complain about them too much.

DH told me to quit my fussing and also told me he wouldn't shoot out the light because he might accidentally shoot a window and then hit a kiddo. :rolleyes: What is funny is there are 5-6 little houses backing up to my street so I am sure my neighbors are annoyed since all the master bedrooms are in the back in our floorplans.

If you think other neighbors are annoyed, you might want to talk to them and approach the center together. They may be more likely to take it seriously if they realize it's a problem for multiple people.

CA

Let us know what happens. I have a neighbor who leaves two outside lights on every night and they shine right at my house twords my bedroom window as well. I have mentioned it to her before and she said she would turn them off. But now she works till 11:30 at night and I think she is so dead tired (recently divorced and 3 kids,teenager's) that she forgets to turn them off. I don't want to bug her about them but I sleep super light and swear I have thin skin on my eyelids and light wakes me up. Thank god we have fairly good blinds. But light still streams through them.

where I live it is still light out when i go to bed for a few weeks. You need heavy (or double) shades/curtains in your sleeping area otherwise, it's really hard to go to sleep!

Aggie_Ama - and Brandi!

Can both of you not suggest to have the lights controlled by motion detectors to your neighbors?

Not only will only the occasional raccoon activate them (unless you have none) - or cat - also, they would save tons of energy.

And as a communication strategy, I would talk before mailing a letter.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

DH told me to quit my fussing and also told me he wouldn't shoot out the light because he might accidentally shoot a window and then hit a kiddo.

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...and we all know that DH is correct on this...;)

I think that they can accomplish the security/lighting objectives without making it hard on you.

The lights can be ground mounted pointing up from the property line back toward the building. The motion detector idea is good, but I assure you that the on/off will be more distracting than the constant on

Maybe you should invite the director to visit your house in the evening so they can experience what you do.

Motion detectors are a good idea. We have one on the side of our house, and yes it's annoying when it goes off, but that's only every 3-4 months.

The trouble with sealing out outside light at night, is that you also seal out the dawn light. Being able to wake to natural sunlight is as important for health as having darkness at night.

The light that was disturbing my bedroom is mysteriously repositioned. My guess is the people next door with two kiddos didn't take as long to contact the center. There is still one blaring in my kitchen from another house at the center but I don't sleep in the kitchen so who cares? At least I know what to do if the light starts bugging me in my bedroom. Now if I could have them change the shift to end at 6:00 when I am already up so bass lover didn't bug me (truly I should be getting up is why I hear it). :rolleyes:

Amanda,
My neighbors leave their massive (beacon to Mars) floods on all night. We finally bought Roman shades from Domestications. They have an insulating backing to save money in summer and winter. It is pitch black now in our bedroom. And, they were VERY easy to install.
Mistie

Actually Mistie Roman Shades would be nice since the windows face west. And although we very much like natural light, we aren't in the bedroom much during the day.

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

Now if I could have them change the shift to end at 6:00 when I am already up so bass lover didn't bug me (truly I should be getting up is why I hear it). :rolleyes:

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Why don't you find out the noise laws in your community? Many have them about car stereos.

Also, that center needs to be a good neighbor. Just contact them and ask them to ask the staff to be respectful of the neighbors, particularly at that hour. It's not that big a deal. Every business near residences should be a good neighbor.

http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do

I would think that if they're running a residental shelter for troubled kiddos, the last thing they'd want to do is attract unwanted neighborhood attention. Seems like they'd go out of their way to be good neighbors. So if a staff member likes to blast their music, maybe this needs to be brought up to the center as well.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Motion detectors are a good idea. We have one on the side of our house, and yes it's annoying when it goes off, but that's only every 3-4 months.

The trouble with sealing out outside light at night, is that you also seal out the dawn light. Being able to wake to natural sunlight is as important for health as having darkness at night.

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Really? I thought the blacked-out room was a good idea. :(

Irulan- Neat site, maybe we should move out to Fort Davis, they have a strict light pollution ordinance so the McDonald Observatory can conduct world class research. :)

I have to get up before daylight, I get my morning sunshine on the drive to work. I wonder if they have rotating shifts or I am only noticing bass lover since the light was making me a lighter sleeper? I used to hear them leaving at another time, they also rev their engine can't be pleasing for those kiddos? Either way I think I will place a nice call to the center. The worst thing is the bass person comes in about the time I am retiring to bed and leaves just before I want to get up! Disturbs me coming and going. My thought is they don't realize the road they exit on is very close to our fence. Since I don't have trees in the back (YET!) there is no noise break. My neighbors picked up on that too but none of us have ever done anything. I am wondering if our HOA/Management Company would be a better advocate? Probably not.

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Originally Posted by alpinerabbit

Aggie_Ama - and Brandi!

Can both of you not suggest to have the lights controlled by motion detectors to your neighbors?

Not only will only the occasional raccoon activate them (unless you have none) - or cat - also, they would save tons of energy.

And as a communication strategy, I would talk before mailing a letter.

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Well I would except for it is a rental. And the guy who owns it doesn't want to put any money into it. And it is two seperate lights. One in the driveway and the other at the front door. I guess I could ask him but something tells me he won't do it.