New build Party wall issues - sound proofing?

[Maccapacca]

Ha sent him an email last night! just waiting for a reply. Thanks for searching though! Hopefully Simon will help.

If you message me your name I'll ask him to have a look, I'd hazard a guess he gets hundreds of emails filters by who he knows or has been recommended to and by.

 

[Christctc]

Did the poster of this message manage to resolve this. I am in a Barratt home in London and am having the same problem but between floors in my house.

 

[RodrigoFeijao]

After a few searches, I found this topic which is exactly the problem I'm having. Not with a Barrat building but still a new building in London.
@dave_1 did you managed to find a solution for this?
@Christctc how about you?

 

[DB_SamX]

Regarding drawings, if you're lucky, they will have been submitted to your local building control authority (otherwise private building control which will be difficult) . If it is the former, for an admin fee,byiu can go view them and make notes. No copying though due to copyright.

I did that for my new build and have plans for my whole flat and a few of my estate. I needed them to sort out site drainage issues and they were invaluable.

You can also try your local planning portal however any drawings on there are not necessarily accurate/up to date.

 

[Kayem]

Did anyone have any luck getting the developers to resolve this? If so, how? Or did anybody find a private sound proofing company who could remedy this type of noise transfer?
I have the same problem with noise transfer in a new build home. The developers are not helping any further as airborne sound tests they completed on the party wall meet (the woefully inadequate) regulations.

 

[flea.rider]

i find this really funny .. do you not know how a new build is built ? it's wood and Concrete blocks... are incredibly versatile, and can be used for anything from retaining walls to building security barriers. They are sturdy and simplify some building work by offering a tough, cost-effective solution to using bricks unnecessarily.
the only way your going to get rid of noise .. is to put 2 layers of real brick in there place ..
if buying a new build buy detached never a joining ..

 

[ChroniC]

From renting in a new build and watching them being built, I think it's hopeless. They are wooden frames with a layer of external insulation and a barrier brick wall.
The foot noises is just gona vibrate through the timber no matter what. Maybe some new soundproofing will stop the conversations but I personally think it could be an expensive waste of money.

New builds are ****

 

[BUDFORCE]

Myself and my partner bought a new build house from Barratt Homes in 2017.

Loooooooooool.

You'll never do that again.

 

[Kayem]

i find this really funny .. do you not know how a new build is built ? it's wood and Concrete blocks... are incredibly versatile, and can be used for anything from retaining walls to building security barriers. They are sturdy and simplify some building work by offering a tough, cost-effective solution to using bricks unnecessarily.
the only way your going to get rid of noise .. is to put 2 layers of real brick in there place ..
if buying a new build buy detached never a joining ..

We visited the terraced show homes and they were perfectly sound proofed and we visited the building site and saw other houses being constructed as a previous poster said: there is a wall of bricks, 10cm gap filled with insulation, another brick wall and dot and dab plaster board between any joins, which builder friends we know said would be more than adequate to withhold sound. In reality that is not the case or perhaps just our plot has been poorly constructed
You live and learn!

Has anyone had success with following this up via NHBC, or Building Control, or can recommend any lawyers who successfully got a developer to take action on this kind of issue?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Serious question (and one you will definitely need to know the answer to if your going down this route): How do you know the show home was perfectly sound proofed and how do you know the property has been co stricter incorrectly?

The neighbouring houses may have been empty or the people just not making a lot of noise at the time you visited. Your neighbours may just be incredibly loud.

In reality, your likely to hear your neighbours if you live in an attached property or flat in some capacity.

 

[watercooledman]

Been there the same as you it was terrible. It was a persimmon home terrible

 

[ChroniC]

Serious question (and one you will definitely need to know the answer to if your going down this route): How do you know the show home was perfectly sound proofed and how do you know the property has been co stricter incorrectly?

The neighbouring houses may have been empty or the people just not making a lot of noise at the time you visited. Your neighbours may just be incredibly loud.

In reality, your likely to hear your neighbours if you live in an attached property or flat in some capacity.

The one I had the neighbours weren't super loud, but a 5year old who's running up and down stairs, might as well have been right next to my head. Both stairwells are screwed to a single skin brick wall in the middle of the house. No insulation no air gap. Nothing. This is the problem with making houses easier and cheaper and not passing the cost on to lower the price of the house.
Expensive crap.

 

[Delvis]

You may have to commission your own report.

NHBC and the developer won't want to admit anything wrong.

There really shouldn't be any plug sockets in the party wall it ruins the sound insulation.

I mean....of that was the case I wouldn't have my TV on the party wall here They set it up to do this.

I have similar issues, but as bad...can't hear talking generally, usually people closing doors or going upstairs, first thing I hear when I wake up with my head on the pillow is the neighbours dog scratching it's head and hitting the floor with its leg

Edit: Goddammit! Old thread!

 

[2004typer]

The one I had the neighbours weren't super loud, but a 5year old who's running up and down stairs, might as well have been right next to my head. Both stairwells are screwed to a single skin brick wall in the middle of the house. No insulation no air gap. Nothing. This is the problem with making houses easier and cheaper and not passing the cost on to lower the price of the house.
Expensive crap.

That arrangement sounds non-compliant, Approved Document E, or Robust Details (if they went down this route) generally have a cavity wall on the party line with full debonding (so no connected parts), and generally sound insulated and lined with acoustic plasterboard. On completion the wall has to be proven to achieve a certain sound reduction level (or if Robust Details where pre-accredited), proven to have been built in accordance with the approved details.

Generally speaking - if built correctly the sound reduction across the wall should be reasonably good, and much better than an older property.

But - obviously if built on the cheap or non-compliant, the developer has questions to answer, and I'd be certainly questioning the inspection process from the Building Control provider.

**As below, also depends on age of house, the above is intended for properties from 2003>**

 

[b0rn2sk8]

It depends when it was built, the regs evolve over time. There’s no use looking at today’s regs if the house was built 100 years ago.

 

[2004typer]

It depends when it was built, the regs evolve over time. There’s no use looking at today’s regs if the house was built 100 years ago.

Yep - Part E was introduced in 2003, so anything pre-dating that would not need to comply.

 

[Kayem]

The building regs only cover noise transfer for airborne sound up to 45db which is loud conversation. For the issue of impact noise that only applies to ceilings and floors in flats. The regulations really need to be improved as this allows uninhabitable new build houses to be built and sold.

Has anyone had any luck getting a developer to improve the transfer of impact noise on a party wall? Or claim compensation for any private sound proofing work you’ve had to install? If so, how did you go about that please?
Has anyone actually successfully sound proofed a party wall from impact noise?

 

[BallistixOnZ490]

My semi was built in 2018 and the only sounds I do hear are running up stairs and doors closing (stairs are against the party wall). I dont hear any issues like bathroom or water noises, nor conversations.

Fortunately my second bedroom (and kitchen) do not have any shared walls, so I was able to set up all my noisy stuff / computer room there, and also had my shelves placed to insulate the wall against the hallway, and I haven't had any complaints.

I also tried a few tests with putting my phone on record in the hallway and using my stuff with the door closed, and very little sound even gets through the internal wall, and however much does would easily be stopped by the party wall, which definitely does have its 49db if not more of soundproofing.

Over 90% of my noise issues are all the crap I have to endure from outside coming through my trickle vents, going to look into DIY flling them with foam in my bedrooms and lounge - my kitchen and bathroom vents are always left open anyway.

 

[Delvis]

You know why houses have trickle vents?....

 

[BallistixOnZ490]

You know why houses have trickle vents?....

Yes but you dont actually need them in every single room. Also if / when you need ventilation you can always open a window. The trickle vents in my lounge / bedrooms have always been shut.