help with sound insulation in victorian terrace

[jadebarton]

hi there wondering if anyone can help me and recommend products ( in lamens terms as i dont speak builder)

I live in a rented housing association victorian terraced house. Having always lived in modern properties before this i wasnt aware of any potential sound issues.

since moving in it has become apparent that it is like me and my neighbours are living in the same house.
I have usual type of walls for this time period. each room has a chimney breast and alcoves on one side and flat on the other.

one neighbour is quite quiet so only hear him sometimes when on the phone or playing music. my other though it was being rented out and it seemed pot luck and the feeling of who are we going to get this time. when i first moved in i could hear the renter call her childrens names clearly.
the original owner has now moved back into the house and is unfortunately staying for good.
the thing is everything about her is loud. she seems nice enough when i have spoken to her but. i can hear conversations, music like its being played in my own living room, everything. it is really getting me down as its like i really have no privacy or peace.

I have approached the HA but they have said they dont do sound insulation work on their propertys that it meets standard levels for the period and it is too costly and ineffective.

The place is not huge so wondered whether there was any inexpensive sound insulation methods that we could use.

im assuming the alcoves are the thinner walls as chimney breast will be very thick.

I did think of seeing if building built in bookcases with something behind them downstairs and built in wardrobes in the bedrooms upstairs would help.?

as for the other side. i wondered whether there was anything quite thin i could put on the wall then paint over to dampen a little.

any suggestions? i cant move but the sound of the womans voice all the time is driving me mad.

 

[jeds]

You really need to know exactly how the sound is travelling and then target the worst areas. Yes a certain amount of sound will come directly through brick walls but it could also travel under the floor or via adjoining (flanking) walls or via the first floor. The primary route for sound is gaps and voids (the rule of thumb is; 90% of sound will travel through 10% of gaps) so blocking voids is essential. You might spend money on wall boards and it will be completely useless if there are floor voids.! As a minimum I would lift floorboards (ground and first floor) and check to make sure there are no voids in the party wall. Also don't rule out the chimney. The wall between the backs of the two chimney openings may well be the thinnest part of the wall anywhere.

 

[jadebarton]

hi there,

thanks for your reply. i think i would hear the sound differently if coming from somewhere other then walls. i can definetly hear it most when near alcoves and also i tried putting my ear to the wall when i first heard it and can hear through the walls.
everything is carpeted etc so i dont think i could really pull everything up to have a look re floor.

 

[jeds]

There are no magic materials. You need both high and low density materials to attenuate the full range of frequencies. High density reduces low frequency sound and low density reduces high frequency! Cheapest option is a 100mm stud wall built with a 20mm clear gap off of the brick wall. Don't fix the stud to the wall in any way - it is free standing. Infill with 50mm acoustic mineral wool (Rockwool Flexi or similar) and then board with 2 layers of 15mm soundchaeck board with staggered joints. Seal edges with acoustic sealant. That will reduce most 'normal' sound coming through the side walls.