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Killester House - Noise Insulation

  • 19-12-2021 4:38pm
    #1
    Paul_C_
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭


    Hi,

    Question about noise insulation between houses located in the Killester area - in the vicinity of the Ramble Inn.

    We got a survey done on a mid-terrace house and the surveyor noted that there was a considerable amount of noise coming from one of the adjoining properties.

    It's difficult to know if it's the surveyor covering their back side after hearing a small noise, or whether it's a genuine reason for concern.

    Any input / experience valued.

    Regards



Comments

  • #2
    Emma2019
    Registered Users Posts: 414 ✭✭Emma2019


    When was the house built?

    My house was built in 1940 and I can hear everything that goes on in the house next door. Someone else on the street is the same with their neighbours. Mine got a kitchen recently installed and I'm assuming drilled into the party wall so now I can hear even more.

    My parents house is 2km up the road and was built in 1960 and you can't hear anything between the houses.

    It really comes down to the nuances of the build and whether any work has been done on the party wall.

    I'm now looking at getting proper soundproofing done and it's going to be about 7k give or take a grand or two. I am personally very sensitive to noise though, plus I want to be able to have people over late without worrying. I'm sure many people in my situation wouldn't bother with it.

    If he heard a good bit of noise I'd probably believe him. Ask for another viewing at a time neighbours are likely to be home and try listen at the walls to see how much you're hearing.

    Personally its driven me mad, and my neighbours are lovely and quiet people.



  • #3
    Paul_C_
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭Paul_C_


    Hi and thanks for the input,

    We have estimated that it is some time around the 50s. It is just around the corner from the pubs and shops. Are you local yourself?

    We are currently living in an owned apartment in Clontarf and it is a nightmare being surrounded by thin walls - the new property needs plenty of work which is fine, but in a terrace the hardest thing to control is noise, so for it to be brought up in the report was the one thing we dreaded.

    The walls are very sturdy which we foolishly equated to meaning noise would be OK. I was brought up 3-4km from the area in a Semi-D (60/70s) and could never hear a thing from next door so was hoping that buying a similar aged property would yield a similar outcome but that doesn't seem to be the case today.

    Going to see it today, hopefully the neighbours are in 😀



  • #4
    Jmc25
    Registered Users Posts: 298 ✭✭Jmc25


    If the surveyor actually noted it then it must be beyond the "normal" level to be expected in a terraced/semi detached house.

    If you're worried you could look into having a sound test done, but you'd need vendor and neighbour permission for that.

    Be careful though, I've bought and sold a property which had noise issues and fixes can be expensive and (even worse from my point of view), not absolutely guaranteed to work.



  • #5
    houseyhouse
    Registered Users Posts: 686 ✭✭✭houseyhouse


    I previously lived in a mid terrace house from the 40s/50s and there was a lot of noise transfer. My neighbour on one side was a quiet single person and family on the other side had installed sound proofing so we didn’t hear that much. We could hear the family using their stairs even though they were on the far side of the house to us and occasionally talking sounds. Nothing that would bother me too much. However, the single woman next door was driven demented by noise from our kids. In particular she hated the sound of them using the stairs, scraping chairs in and out, and any noise from the bathroom which seemed to have the most sound transfer. At one point she asked me not to let my kids use the bathroom after 7pm. My kids are normal, not quiet but not particularly loud.

    Currently live in a semi-d in an estate built in the late 60s/early 70s. I can hear my neighbours play guitar, laughing loudly when they have people over, sometimes even cough or sneeze. The sounds don’t bother me too much but I hate the feeling that people can hear everything that happens in our house. I’m aware of it every time the kids get a bit loud, whether it’s high jinks or a tantrum.

    So… I suppose my point is that era of build is not always a predictor and also to consider how you feel about being overheard as much as how you feel about overhearing others.



  • #6
    Emma2019
    Registered Users Posts: 414 ✭✭Emma2019


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118350871#Comment_118350871

    I had also thought sturdy solid concrete walls would mean limited noise but I was very wrong. There's also a chance that the houses might share joists which can make sound transfer worse but I havent confirmed whether that's the case for my own property yet so not sure how common it is.

    I'm not in killester but I'm guessing they're ex-council houses so they're the same as any other ex-council houses built at the same time.

    Sound tests are around €100 quid from memory but as mentioned you'd need access to the neighbours house. Another option is to just knock on a few doors in the area and say you're buying nearby and do they find there's much noise transfer.

    My surveyor didn't note any issues with sound transfer. But as I said, my neighbours are quite quiet. If your surveyor pointed it out I would think it means there will be a sound transfer issue, but also that your neighbours may not be as quiet.

    From memory my survey did give the year it was built btw, or possibly it was my valuation report.



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  • #7
    houseyhouse
    Registered Users Posts: 686 ✭✭✭houseyhouse


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118352728#Comment_118352728

    Yes, our previous home was the same - a former council house and made of concrete. I believe poured concrete? Our neighbour did tell us this type of house is particularly bad for impact sounds (stairs, doors closing, chairs scraping etc.). In our case I think the attic was also not fully closed off between the two houses.



  • #8
    Paul_C_
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭Paul_C_


    We decided to withdraw our offer. We went to view the property but couldn't hear any talking, although we could hear doors closing / chairs moving but nothing major


    We felt that if the surveyor recommended that insulation was necessary, then we would be foolish to not take that on board.


    Thanks to everyone for the input



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