Clients often contact us complaining of noise disturbance from adjoining properties. in many instances the noise problems could have been negated if careful planning had been undertaken at the design stage of the project and careful consideration had been given to reducing noise complaints by improving the floor layout.
Improve your Floor Layout to Reduce Noise Complaints
If you want to lower the chance of noise disturbance complaints it is essential that location and layout of rooms are taking into consideration from the design stage of the project. If ‘habitable’ rooms such as kitchens or living rooms are placed against bedrooms the occupiers of these properties are more likely to complain about noise.
Kitchen cupboards doors when closed usually transmit impact noise through the wall partition to the adjacent dwelling, if the room backing onto the kitchen is a bedroom this can lead to annoyance and frustration for the neighbour.
To reduce the chance of noise complaints, hallways/corridors should be placed alongside the adjacent property to reduce the chance of noise transference and reduce the risk of sound testing failure. Failing this a kitchen should be placed against a kitchen and bedrooms should back onto other bedrooms.
Planning for acoustics by floor layout
Planning a good acoustically favorable dwelling layout can help to reduce the number of noise problems that may occur, even if your building passes the Sound Insulation Testing. Also, if neighbours have varied working patterns, i.e. they work night shifts and arrive back in the early hours of the morning; the layout of the rooms will be of particular importance.
We can advise on the acoustic design for your walls and floors
We can advise on all types of acoustic design, whether it’s accomplished during initial construction or during a refurbishment/renovation project, we can provide telephone advice, quote to undertake an acoustic design review of your architect’s drawings to help the likelihood of passing the sound insulation test at the first attempt, reducing the risk of costly remedial works to your project prior to handover. If you require sound insulation testing to party walls, or you need an acoustic design review on your development, please contact us now or visit our acoustic design page. We are also a UKAS accredited sound testing, so you can be sure of a friendly and professional service providing a ‘one stop’ solution for all your acoustic requirements.
If you would like more information in regards to sound testing service and/or acoustic design services in London, please contact us on 01525 303905 or info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk, for more information please visit our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk or download our sound test checklist.