Noise problem in new semi!

[Vizsla]

Good evening all hope you don't mind me dropping in to pick your brains!
I brought a brand new 3 bed semi 6 months ago and were having noise issues, long story but hear goes when our neighboors moved in we could here every foot step, mainly upstairs every door window etc being closed the washing machine anything being dropped etc, I'm well aware of what to expect in a semi so I called in the builders, two managers went in a house each and spoke on the phone whilst making noises, I could hear the phone call and at one point he said yes I can hear that sounds like stomping and the chap replied I'm just walking lightly across the lounge! Anyway the builders acnolidged there is clearly a issue and got a sound man in, I got talking to the sound man who said this is a waste of time as your problem is impact noise and all I am here to test is airbourne, so I mentioned this to the builder and told him I hope your not gona get your pass for airbourne and brush it under the carpet, " no no we wouldn't do that" low and behould they did.
I'm in the building trade myself so have a fair idea regards the building but I'm trying to work out what could be causing the noise, oh also nearly every other semi on the estate have complained, the dividing wall is 100mm insulated cavity with concrete block and finished with dot and dab, the house is on a hill so ours is sleightly lower than next door, the floor joists go into the dividing wall and seem well fitted with no gaps and iv added acoustic mastic, I read a nhbc article regards incorrect dot and dab making noise worse by creating a drumming affect so I checked mine and it's not good no solid ribbon top and bottom and few dabs, it sound very hollow compared to what I'm use to on site, apparently the only difference between our homes and ones on previous sites with no problems is they used a parge coat and no insulation in the cavity were as our has no parge but insulation, it's with labc rather than nhbc, hope iv remembered everything but I can help more if you need any more info, oh the noise is apparently worse on our side. Thanks

 

[tony1851]

Were you off school when they did punctuation?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Vizsla - your post is far too hard to read.

If you don't believe that, print it out, and give it to someone to read to you out loud, with no studying it first and without pausing anywhere except where you have commas, full stops or exclamation marks, and see how it sounds.

 

[mfarrow]

I have to say your problem sounds unusual if it's built to the standard you say it is, I know people in new houses who fail to hear crying babies, let along footsteps!

I would point towards your hollow plasterboard and suggest it might be an idea to inject something into and behind the plasterboard to replicate the dabs. Perhaps some mastic/filler?

 

[jeds]

Your post is quite difficult to read. If I understand correctly the developer carried out an airborne test, that passed, but didn't carry out an impact test. Why is that? Impact tests aren't unusual. Any bona fide sound tester should be able to carry one out.

The question really though is how was part E satisfied under the original build and regulations application? You need to find this out? Was it satisfied by testing or by robust detail? Also, is this a one off development of a couple of houses or is it part of a large estate?

 

[limerockconstruction]

Your post is quite difficult to read. If I understand correctly the developer carried out an airborne test, that passed, but didn't carry out an impact test. Why is that? Impact tests aren't unusual. Any bona fide sound tester should be able to carry one out.

+1 - never heard of some one being able to carry out one and not the other test!

As for the robust details, they're worthless unless the workmanship is up to scratch, a lot of them only just sneak under the tolerances.

Just to add, i'd be chasing this like a dog with a bone - it will be covered under the warrantee - you could get an independent sound test done and take it to the company.

 

[Vizsla]

Oops sorry about that iv just read it! Typing and getting a baby to sleep after digging the garden are a bad mix.
Here's a bit more info, it's built to robust details, as our house wasn't tested before completion the builders got the sound man in which all semp quite promising, he did the airbourne which is the only requirement for a semi but he also ran a tapping machine for impact noise but he said there's no pass figure for semi detached so it was just to try and get an idea of the problem which I understood, they then went away for a couple of weeks leaving me expecting a phone call to say here's the problem this is what we will do but instead I got a letter saying we have received the test results for your property and it has passed so we are not prepared to do anything else!
As you can imagine I was rather angry, I then rang LABC and as soon as I said the town and it's regarding noise problems they new which estate it was as they've had other complaints, after a few more weeks of waiting a labc chap had a meeting with the builders and assured us that they are meeting all standards, they then recommended we put in a labc warranty claim which is were we are at now, I just don't feel confident about the situation, they Are a very large building company building in there home town were they are based and yet they disregarded us and other people on the same estate without a care, which makes me think they no there's little we can do,
Any help is hugely apretiated

 

[jeds]

There are dozens of variations of robust details. Ask for details of the exact one that was used in your construction. Party wall construction (including loft) and method of fixing floor joists and all junctions with the party wall are the most important. The builder should know precisely which was used. NHBC should also know. When you have that you need to check that the house was actually built to that specification.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's about time they ended the exemption for houses from the Sale of Goods Act...

 

[Vizsla]

Totally agree, I think the only other legal act is if you can have them done for selling a house not fit for purpose, but I'd rather steer clear of the whole legal route, thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yo.

It's times like this you wish you could afford a rottweiler solicitor to hit them between the eyes with a claim.

 

[Vizsla]

Ye that would be nice
I'm just hoping someone here might have some ideas as to what the problem might be or if I'm likely to get anywhere

 

[jeds]

Ye that would be nice
I'm just hoping someone here might have some ideas as to what the problem might be or if I'm likely to get anywhere

What steps have you taken to pursue the ideas so far?

 

[Vizsla]

Hi iv had the floor up to check we're joists enter the wall, checked plasterboard and found it's not dot and dabbed as should be, spoke to other people on the estate but most have gave up chasing it now, got I touch with labc(local authority budding control) iv now filed a warranty claim which I'm waiting to here back on.
Iv spent that many hours researching and looking into things that at one point I had to draw a line under it for a few weeks as it was sending me crazy, being lied to by the developers and feeling useless

 

[Vizsla]

I'm also waiting to find out which set of robust details they worked to, I just want to feel I'm gona get somewhere and I'm not just wasting my time, it's been nearly 7months now