Reducing Noise in Residential Buildings
We often get asked how noise can be reduced in residential buildings such as apartments or terrace houses. One of the most common problems is noise transmission through the floor and ceiling assemblies in flats and through the wall partitions in houses. The usual noise problems range from airborne noise transmission from voices TVs and music to footfall impact noise caused by high heels on wooden/tiled floors.
In most cases for newer residential units many of the problems could have been prevented in the first place, if more attention had been paid to noise control during the design and construction process. If the acoustic design has not been taken into account from the off-set of the project, then it becomes far more problematic and costly if noise problems are discovered and the partitions fail the sound insulation testing during the per-completion testing.
If you are contemplating the purchase of a unit, do not be afraid to question the contractor and the real estate agents about the sound insulation results for the unit. Ask if any of the units failed during the precompletion testing. In some cases just because a sample of the units had been tested during prior to handover doesn’t mean unit has been sound tested.
If you are not happy with the sound insulation properties of your unit then you may have a case to demand corrective action at the expense of others. If you have a noise problem that is not resolved and you go to sell your unit, you may be compelled to reveal the deficiency to a prospective buyer which may have an impact on the selling price.
If you need acoustic advice on your project, please don’t hesitate to contact us no at: info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call me direct on 07775623464.