Soundproofing:I can hear my neighbours.

bobbysands81 said:

Yup, they should. This is still ongoing but seems to now be quite close to being sorted.

Not bad eh? Only took them 2 years to admit there was a fault and to fix it.

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That's great that you go it fixed. I logged this as a seperate thread not thinking it would be a common problem.

I'm having a problem too - I'm unsure to contact the builders and get them to do a sound test as it has been a year and a half since I moved in - or have my own done and contact building control i.e. local authority?

I've heard from a diff builder that there's very little that can be done when after construction. I've even heard of someone having the builder come and do remedial work. The person moved out of the house for the duration of the work and when they came back it wasn't much better. That's why I've been reluctant. But as I listen to the family next door have dinner and my neighbour listening to techno music I think I'm going to have to do something.

AKA said:

That's great that you go it fixed. I logged this as a seperate thread not thinking it would be a common problem.

I'm having a problem too - I'm unsure to contact the builders and get them to do a sound test as it has been a year and a half since I moved in - or have my own done and contact building control i.e. local authority?

I've heard from a diff builder that there's very little that can be done when after construction. I've even heard of someone having the builder come and do remedial work. The person moved out of the house for the duration of the work and when they came back it wasn't much better. That's why I've been reluctant. But as I listen to the family next door have dinner and my neighbour listening to techno music I think I'm going to have to do something.

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Only seeing your post now pal, apologies.

Have you complained to the builders at all? Do you know if other people have? Are the builders completely off-site? What area do you live in? The reason I ask that is that each Local Authority has Building Control Officers in their functional area. If you complain to them about what's happening then they might direct the builders to carry out a sound test on your behalf. I would be wary about this though. My builders got a sound test done which showed up as hitting all minimum standards... but they wouldn't give me a copy of it even though they had agreed to previously. When I kept pushing them on it they completely changed their minds and said that it had failed to comply with Minimum Standards.

I got my own test done, it failed, and that was the catalyst to getting this whole thing sorted. However, this is expensive. Do you live in a development that has a Management Co? Have they received any complaints? As they might still be directed by the Developers they mightn't be the most trustworthy so take any negative answer with a pinch of salt. If there is a Resident's Committee then ask them have people been complaining about noise. If the AGM of your Management Co is coming up then that would be an ideal time to raise this issue too.

As for there being very little the builders can do, if they have built your unit to a standard that does not comply with minimum regs then quite simply you can sue them. If you can hear your neighbours having dinner then I would immediately guess that there is something wrong and I would get a sound test carried out. It'll cost you but if you're right then it's well worth it. If the test fails then really the builders should sit up and take note and sort it immediately once you let them know that you are more than willing to go down the legal route.

Sound test - what to look out for / ref to the latest regulations/certified engineer

Getting a sound test carried out this week. Had a look at Building Regs 1997 Part E which doesn't contain any db levels etc. Is there any newer legislation?

What should I be looking out for to ensure the test is being carried out correctly, requesting - e.g. a report is a suggestion on another thread.

When you go through the local authority's Enforcement section - the builder is asked to arrange a sound test - he then arranges the sound engineer - sounds a bit

Does anyone know if there is any way of knowing if the person sent out to to the test is certified?

Thanks.

sound proofing

Hi all,
Yes I can certainly understand all your frustration regarding the very poor sound proofing in so called modern dwellings.
I moved into an apartment in Newbridge in September 2008 and for the first 12 months it was nice and peaceful but as soon as the apartments either side of me were rented ( could not sell) out by the builder BARRICK HOMES
" BUILT FOR BETTER LIVING" what a joke!!! These are very poor quality buildings thrown up in a hurry and the sound proofing is disgraceful, these guys walked away from my apartment complex without finishing off the wiring for the fire equipment in the common areas and to date will not finish it. Anyway a side issue.

For the last six months now the guy next to me who's main bedroom wall backs to mine snores very loudly, bangs his way around late into the night which is a big problem, I'm going to do time for this lad soon if I can't sort out this noisy issue, hope all your suggestions work!!!

Try QuietRock. I have a friend who used it and is very happy. It was reasonably priced and also cuts out most of the noise. Not trying to advertise here, as I know the rules of the forum. Just recommending from my buddy's experience.

i haves same issues in mid terrace house in galway-so i have it both sides-one side is fine the other side dont talk to each other they shout and ow they have a goat!(dont get me started on that,still waiting for mgmt to sort that out)The house is 8 years old i bought it two years ago-are there grants you can get for sound insulation?