Page 1 of Aaargh!!!!....the curse of modern houses.

What a complete and utter git!

Three weeks ago I split with my fiancee (which was bad enough) and had to find somewhere to live (it was her house so I got/get nowt!) Having called one of my best mates, he agreed that having lived at his parents since the year dot it would be a good idea if we rented a flat together. After searching we came across a maisonette that overlooked one of our favourite drinking establishments and didn`t have any neighbours (it was built like a brick sh*thouse too). So, I went ahead and bought myself a brand spanking new surround amp and speakers (retail therapy after split and visions of loud special effects etc...nice). Unfortunately we weren`t quick enough getting a deposit so we lost that one. Found a nice two year old apartment a little further away which `seemed` as solid as a rock. Moved in, set everything up...before we even had a fridge...and sat back to enjoy Dog Soldiers. Half an hour later, boom boom from the flat below...bugger. The `retired` couple below can hear everything we do, even if we just walk into the kitchen!, so know I have an expensive set-up that I can`t use above the level of a whisper. Damn timber framed houses...I mean who in their right mind makes a purpose built block of flats without adequate insulation?

lol
I had the same problem when i rented my sisters new maisonette all the walls are plasterboard filled with minimal sound insulation
back then i was a part time dj and used to practice all the time but very often the neighbour would come around and say he could hear everything
funny thing was when i went to bed i could hear him going for a p*** and then flushing the chain
there are a few ways to get over this problem
1.hang heavy blankets on the walls in the room you want to make all the noise in as these will absorb the sound heavier and thicker the blankets the better ( tried and tested )
2. strip off the plasterboard panels from the wall and fill the wall with high-density rockwooll slabs unfortunately this can be quiet expensive
i build partition walls for a living and rockwool slab is the best for sound insulation
hope this helps you

"Found a nice two year old apartment a little further away which `seemed` as solid as a rock. Moved in, set everything up...before we even had a fridge...and sat back to enjoy Dog Soldiers. Half an hour later, boom boom from the flat below...bugger. The `retired` couple below can hear everything we do, even if we just walk into the kitchen!, so know I have an expensive set-up that I can`t use above the level of a whisper."

Seems you have the plot for a new movie!! :)

Perhaps with constant playing of loud DD5.1/DTS tracks the `retired couple` maybe driven out. Hang on....it`s my parents!

You could always try lining your wall with Lafarge Soundcheck. Basically, it`s Gyproc with a small layer of polystyrine attached.

Personally, I have it the other way around. Many`s the time I`ve been woken at 8 in the morning by the 15-year-old slapper 2 floors down playing the same Gareth Gates track over, and over, and over again.

Then there`s the woman across the hall with the 2 kids who spit and p*** in the lift, who she`s terrified of....

FV<k, I need to move.....

In the Seventies and early Eighties my beloved and I lived in a flat where you could hear someone`s alarm clock going off two floors above, and anytime the couple above us got frisky we could hear every sound from the clothes coming off ( sometimes being ripped off ), through ALL the sounds till the climax as it where.
We`re quite convinced that our daughter was conceived as a result of this. ( a bit like a blind man watching a porno movie ) ;-))
But the final straw which forced us to buy a house earlier than we had planned, was when the shag*ers moved and our new upstairs neighbour turned out to be a piano teacher with a lot of young pupils.
We fought back by putting loudspeakers up near the ceiling and playing loud ( very loud )music
But it was unfair to the poor old woman who lived below us so we moved to a town house with very solid walls and now I play my music and movies as loud as the wife will let me.
Bliss ;-))
P./

What was that film that had Micheal Keaton in (the guy in batman..well one of them) as a bastard of a neighbour.

He moved downstairs and took the place apart.


Bear

"What was that film that had Micheal Keaton in (the guy in batman..well one of them) as a bastard of a neighbour."

Pacific Heights.

Ste

I work is this very industry and have a few comments:

1. The UK Building Regulations regarding sound are inadequate and I wouldn`t be surprised if the party walls of the flat in question actually meet the minimum requirements.

2. If it`s a blockwork party wall, best improvements can be gained by:

i) remove the plasterboard wall lining;
ii) install independent 92mm metal studs, with 20mm space between stud and blockwork;
iii) install 100mm (min. 32kg/m3) mineral wool in cavity;
iv) install 2 layers 15mm Fire Rated plasterboard on studs. Fire Rated plasterboard has a higher density than standard plasterboard and is much cheaper than the "acoustic" plasterboard manufacturers market - i.e Lafarge Soundcheck.

Yep, sounds like a Pacific Heights type scenario (top movie!)

This item was edited on Friday, 7th March 2003, 09:12