![]() If this is not repeated in the field during actual construction, sound leakage can and far too often, will occur. Close inspection of the acoustical test data is bound to reveal that in the test chamber the wall was caulked into the test opening to prevent any sound leakage. ![]() ![]() The wall selected from the gypsum drywall design guide to achieving a 60 STC was selected from the gypsum manufacturer’s design guide based on actual acoustical laboratory tests. Any voids at the floor line must be caulked. While there is nothing wrong with this practice, far too often it will leave a void at the floor line, which will eventually be hidden by the baseboard. The wall may have been designed for a 60 STC value but when installing drywall installs the gypsum board, many of them will jack the gypsum board up tight to the ceiling to ensure a nice clean and tight joint at the ceiling line. Very few, if any inspection agencies actually check the quality of construction from a sound isolation perspective and too few building contractors are really conversant with good acoustic considerations design.Īs a typical example of what can go wrong, take a party wall between two alongside units. If you have a noise problem that is not resolved and you go to sell your unit, you may be compelled to reveal the deficiency to a prospective buyer which can have an impact on the selling price. Purchasing a condo or townhouse may be one of the most significant expenditures you will undertake therefore you have every reason to expect answers with respect to your privacy needs and freedom from intrusive noise from your neighbors. Do not be left holding the bag moreover, a certificate of occupancy by local building inspection departments implies that the structure has been built to minimum code standards. If they do not, you may have a case to demand corrective action at the expense of others. Just because they say that the units have been built to code requirements does not mean that they meet the minimum code requirements. If your residential dwelling is relatively new or if you are contemplating the purchase of a unit, do not be afraid to question the contractor and the real estate agents about the sound isolation characteristics of the unit. Unfortunately, what is specified by architectural sound design and what is subsequently built do not always coincide if proper attention and inspection oversight are not implemented. They rely instead on the architect’s specification and acoustic design recommendation and the expectation that their specified designs will result in the minimum sound isolation construction between adjacent units. While some community building inspection departments require field-testing to be conducted before a certificate of occupancy is issued, many, if not most, do not. The Building Codes also state that validation of the minimum noise criteria can be field measured and the field measurements shall not be less than a 45 FSTC or a 45 FIIC. The Building Codes specify a minimum architectural design standard of privacy of 50 STC (Sound Transmission Class) and a 50 IIC (Impact Isolation Class). After the fact, when the noise problems are discovered, solutions can be very difficult and expensive to resolve and in most cases, there is no easy solution.įor newer or remodeled multi-family dwelling units, the various Building Codes throughout the United States require a measure of sound insulation between floors of multi-family dwellings. Sad to say, for newer residential units many of the problems could have been prevented in the first place if good acoustic design principles had been followed during the design and construction process. The noise control problems associated with floors and ceilings range from airborne noise transmission from voices TVs and music to footfall impact noise and from plumbing noise. ![]() The problems range from noise transmission by noisy upstairs neighbors, through adjacent party walls between neighboring units or through windows. Not the least of these inquiries have been from owners or renters in apartment complexes, townhouses, apartments, and offices. We are overwhelmed with questions about noise and acoustical problems. Noise control in residential buildings is one of the most common inquiries we get in our website’s “What’s Your Problem?” feature. ![]()
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