Noise through dividing walls

Noise through dividing walls

Suffering excess noise through any dividing wall (party Wall) due to loud neighbours can be a problem and more so at night usually after 10pm when there is less background noise being generated within – or outside - the home.

Approved document E of Building Regulations stipulates a minimum soundproofing standard for all new flats and houses with shared walls as well as conversion projects where house have been converted into flats. Usually, in newly built homes, you shouldn’t suffer noise issues with neighbours unless they are creating very loud noise that is an environmental nuisance i.e. playing music at 90dB If your neighbours are extremely noisy and are creating a noise nuisance they should be reported to the local authority who have powers to stop it.

It does get more complicated in older houses and flats constructed prior to 2004, as the dwellings may have been created with separating walls that have little thought to the acoustic performance of the wall partition, so normal noise levels can more easily be heard from adjoining neighbours.

Unfortunately, in many cases neighbours do not always need to be loud to create a noise problem and so it is this type of standard noise that the new Approved Document E seeks to address. The most common noise from TV’s, radios and speech when played (or spoke) at normal levels shouldn’t be heard; however were this is not the case and you are currently suffering noise issues please contact us now.

Please give our team of friendly acoustic design consultants a call to discuss your project and let us take the stress out of soundproofing! We can undertake the initial acoustic design of your party walls and thereafter the sound testing to check the sound proofing of your party wall. For more information please email us at: info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or visit our website here. Alternatively please call us on 07775623464