Soundproofing the walls because of neighbours noisy baby!

[flashnazia]

My neighbours have a baby who cries most of its waking life. Far from getting an asbo slapped on it or calling social services (of course this will do nothing to block the domestic disagreement and the love making noises that I am also subjected to) I thought I light find out about any other options.

Is there a way of soundproofing the walls to absorb the din?
My home is stone 1900s. The walls are quite thick so I don't understand why I can here every sound my neighbours make!

Assistance will be greatly appreciated as noise from nextdoor drives me nutty.....

 

[sm1thson]

are your lofts seperated correctly (or at all)?

 

[Sandy Beech]

Our current house is circa 1880 and solidly built. However the loft space is common so any noise that our neigbours generate enters the roof space and is then heard in our house as well and visa versa. Thankfully they are not too noisy. Noise can also enter via any gaps that may have been left when the floor/ceiling joists were built in. I think I am correct in saying that at that period builders were not too concerned as to whether they isolated the individual dwelling fully.

So if it were me I would first check the items above. Cladding added to the walls can help but sealing any potential noise paths will pay dividends before getting into this area.

Check for advice on the net as there are a number of sites that discuss sound insulation including the Audio ones (HiFi).

Best of luck

 

[flashnazia]

Hmm,

The lofts are not separated at all. I have often felt this was a security concern so I secured the hatch ensuring that no one can gain access through the loft.

But if it is the loft that allows the sound through what about the sounds that come through the living room wall on the ground floor?

And should I need to brick the loft up shouldn't the neighbour have to bear half of the costs?

Thanks for all the help and advice.

 

[sm1thson]

I have often felt this was a security concern

i think its a fire hazzard also (as in if there was a fire it would spread to/from neighboring properties. -that might help sway your neighbours in the argument as to who pays (as yes the wall will be owned by both parties).

 

[gcol]

Take your pick.
1. Drink plenty of cider and wear earplugs.
2. Shoot the neighbours (you can also utilise the earplugs with this option).
3. Move house (the earplugs are of no use in this option).

 

[Deluks]

Having a solid wall by itself is no guarantee of a quiet life, the sound can still transmit through at certain frequencies.
The loft space needn't have to be bricked up, a simple stud wall with a couple of layers of 12.5 will be fine for both sound and fire (and cheaper).
Are there any other ways the sound could be getting in? Noise is usually a result of either flimsy walls or gaps. Open windows and air vents are weak spots to look out for. Once gaps have been investigated and dealt with the next best thing is to lose at least 4 inches of room and put a partition wall right up against the party wall, this is a bit of a drastic measure though.
I'd be inclined to shoot the neighbours meself

 

[^woody^]

... and the love making noises that I am also subjected to .....

Subjected?

 

[jeds]

There are plenty of sound systems you could install but there are also plenty of ways that sound can transmit from one side to the other. You must prioritise the transmission routes and tackle them in balance. Otherwise you might concentrate too much on one area and that would be a waste of time and money.

The loft is an obvious one. Also check your floor joists to see which way they run. If they are built into the party wall make sure the pockets are fully filled and sealed. Also check below the ground floor to make sure there are no direct routes through the party wall there. Next would be transmission through the wall itself. There are several systems. A standard self-build one is to install a stud wall against the existing wall (but not touching - leave a 10mm gap) fill the studs with a dense mineral wool and finish with 2 layers of 15mm soundcheck plasterboard.

 

[Deluks]

Spot on Jeds, especially the bit about NO, WAIT...SOUNDCHECK PLASTERBOARD!!!


Great marketing idea, make it slightly thicker and of slightly denser gypsum and call it soundproof. Ok, it might offer slightly better performance than standard stuff but at about 3 times the cost???

2 layers of standard housebashing 12.5mm will easily outperform a single sheet of soundbloc/soundcheck at two thirds of the cost. (and 3 will outperform 2 at half the cost etc..)

Save it for specialist areas like the loft where loading might be an issue.

 

[jeds]

a 70mm stud with 2 layers 12.5 wallboard gives a sound reduction index of 36dB. The same construction with Lafarge dbcheck gives a reduction of 40dB.

Consider the mass law which says that the sound reduction index of a single panel increases by 6dB for each doubling of the surface mass and this gives some indication as to how good a 4dB improvement is.

 

[skybluescooby]

Produce a baby of your own to block out the noise from next door,
There, sorted.
Next................

 

[king2001]

hi flashnazia, any update on your situation?

we are experiencing exactly the same problem in our terraced house and really don't know the best way forward

 

[selmanj]

Has anyone heard of a new soundproofing product which is a high density mat/membrane? Apparently it is 'a compounded and processed mixture of thermoplastic organic polymers, phthalate esters, mineral fillers,
stabilisers and pigmentation.' It is glued to the party wall with 2 layers of plasterboard on top and helps reduce noise from neighbours. Anyone know if it works?

 

[jeds]

Best thing to do is identify a product and then ask the manufacturer to provide sound reduction figures. All decent manufacturers will have tested their products for a range of situations so should have these figures available.

To make sense of the figures just compare them with current building regulations. For airborne sound through walls and floors a system should ideally achieve a minimum of 43dB sound reduction. For impact sound through floors the system should ideally achieve a maximum of 64dB.

It will be difficult to achieve these as actual figures in a remedial situation but at least it gives a good notional comparison between different options.

A system I have used a lot and know to be very succesful is E-cousti quilt.

http://www.e-cousti.co.uk/