Engineers report: problems with sound

T

the.man1

Guest
I am buying a house (semi-detached) and my engineers report raises concerns over problems with sound from the neighbours as he says the walls are thin.
The building is structurally sound but I am just worried that I will have problems if I ever sell the house in the future.
Any comments?
 
You might have problems just living in it, if the neighbours are noisy.

I would have thought you'd have a lot of choice in the market now. Whats the rush?
 
I think you have a problem with the Engineer's report.

What exactly is a "thin" wall?

Is it not 215mm solid blockwork?

Is it not taken to the underside of the roof covering and sealed both there and at the eaves boxing to prevent passage of fire from one attic to another?

What is this "thin" business?

LOL!

Or is it a timber framed house with separate party leaves [slight contraditciton in terms there] which may not be properly firestopped?

Where is the house?

If its in Meath, there is a very pro-active Building Control Officer you can contact.

ONQ
 
I agree with ONQ.
Can you define "thin"?
A 225mm soild block wall, is standard in concrete block semi-detached houses.
Timber frame construction is different but both types of construction must meet certain sound insulating building regulations.
How old is the house? If it was build before 1992 it is exempt from Building Control.
 
Does he have to define "thin"? If the engineer was checking the house and he heard alot of noise from the neighbours house then I would be happy that he made it known to the potential purchaser. I would say that 90% of the time an engineer would just check for structual issues and not be bothered of he heard excesive noise or not from the adjoining property.

I know people who bought newly built houses and they have since moved becuase of the level of noise comming from the neighbours house and by noise we are talking about normal level conversation etc..We all know that all the new builds meet the building regulations but we also know that those regulations meant practically nothing over the last 5-10 years when houses were thrown together.

I would be happy that the engineer happened to be inspecting the house at a time when there was activity in the neighbouring house and that he actually bothered his This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language telling me. I would walk away.
 
Of course he has to define thin. Building regs state a minimum thickness of party wall for fire regs, you can not have a thinner wall than this, normally 225mm+

If by thin he refers to sound transmitted by vibration through tied structures he is not an engineer. Thin is not a definition it is an adjective, these do not belong in an engineer's report which should be a statement of fact.
 
RKQ said:
<snip>
If it was build before 1992 it is exempt from Building Control.
Click to expand...

<nods>

IIRC the operative date was June 1st 1992, but I may stand corrected on this.

However the house may have been subject to Building Bye Laws.

Again, where is the house?

:)

ONQ
 
I get what you are saying and I agree that an engineers report should of course be a statement of fact. However, how can an engineer gather the information on party wall construction on a site visit?

We could argue about facts and figures, regulations and bye laws all day long but that won't stop the strees and frustration the buyer may feel if he moves into a house and can hear people walking up and down strairs and putting the kettle on next door. The potential buyer will be in the house long after this thread has finished.
 
Valhalla said:
Does he have to define "thin"? If the engineer was checking the house and he heard alot of noise from the neighbours house then I would be happy that he made it known to the potential purchaser. I would say that 90% of the time an engineer would just check for structual issues and not be bothered of he heard excesive noise or not from the adjoining property.

I know people who bought newly built houses and they have since moved becuase of the level of noise comming from the neighbours house and by noise we are talking about normal level conversation etc..We all know that all the new builds meet the building regulations but we also know that those regulations meant practically nothing over the last 5-10 years when houses were thrown together.

I would be happy that the engineer happened to be inspecting the house at a time when there was activity in the neighbouring house and that he actually bothered his This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language telling me. I would walk away.
Click to expand...

+1

I've been in the unfortunate situation of living in one of these house with thin walls, with the tv down you could take part in a conversation with your neighbours not talking about other things you hear ..........

Sold it within 6 months of moving in, couldn't put up with the noise (lovely neighbours though) but always made sure when I was viewing a prospective home going forward I ensured it was after 6pm when families were at home in the adjoining house.
 
You shouldn't care whether the wall is thin, thick, according to building regulations or not. Your engineer has told you there is a sound problem and you need to walk away. There is an abundance of property out there. Check out the many posts on AAM with people complaining about how their lives are made a living hell by noise from neighbours.
 
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