Factoring in good sound insulation

[flanagaj]

We are currently renting a Persimmon home and the sound insulation is absolutely atrocious.  You can hear the washing machine in the kitchen from most rooms in the house and same goes for the tumble dryer.   The plan for the new house has the utility room adjoined to the lounge.  We were planning on having block walls downstairs and using metal web joists upstairs, with a 25mm screed layer.

Are there any good resources which help explain how you can reduce sound transfer to the best ability, without employing ridiculous measures, that either cost a fortune or result in very think walls / ceilings.  Eg, I am looking for a pragmatic approach that will out perform standard stud wall / block wall.

[nod]

Hardly any of mass produced homes have sound insulation Other than the required pipe boxes and bath- toilet wall that connects to a living area 

Insulating between the floor and bedroom makes a little bit of difference and deadens the sound more than silence es it 

 

The only site that I do that really try is local Authority accommodation 

They tend to spec a MF gypliner ceiling  and sound block board below the GF ceilings which really makes a difference 

 

Weve enclosed our washer 

[flanagaj]

50 minutes ago, nod said:

Hardly any of mass produced homes have sound insulation Other than the required pipe boxes and bath- toilet wall that connects to a living area 

Insulating between the floor and bedroom makes a little bit of difference and deadens the sound more than silence es it 

 

The only site that I do that really try is local Authority accommodation 

They tend to spec a MF gypliner ceiling  and sound block board below the GF ceilings which really makes a difference 

 

Weve enclosed our washer 

Enclosing the washing machine is a good idea.  That is definitely something that we could also accomodate.

With regards to ceiling / floor insulation.  What is the general consensus to mitigate acoustic noise as best as possible.  I did consider a block / beam upper floor, but having MVHR in the void below the floor would eat too much into ceiling heights.  Therefore, it's posiweb joists.   Interested to see a schematic of a decent spec first floor, showing the different layers.

[Tony L]

Following this with interest as my design has washing m/c & dryer against the wall that will separate the utility room from our snug/TV room.

 

My number one strategy is to buy a Miele washing m/c.  My mum has one, & it's so much quieter than my Bosch.  The Miele dryers & dish washers are quiet too.

 

I may make the stud wall a little thicker, with offset suds (ie each upright is only connecting to the board on one side of the wall or the other) then the sound absorbing insulation snakes between the uprights.

 

[Nick Laslett]

Good sound proofing, is a bit like airtightness. The devil is in the detail. 
 

Types of transmission :

1.Airborne noise

Sound that uses the medium of air to travel through. Common example include talking, music and TV.

 

2.Impact noise

Sound generated by two materials coming into contact, sound vibrations travel through the materials. Common examples are footsteps and washing machines.

 

3.Flanking Transmission

When sound vibrations travel over, under or around a barrier. This could be using holes in walls made by light fixings, shelves or picture hooks. Another common example is pipe work which can vibrate with sound waves and travel between various rooms.

You need to cover how each one of these types of transmission will be reduced, with Decoupling, Insulation and Absorption.

 

Other simple wins:

 

Standard doors will undo a lot of the benefit from a solid wall. 
 

Sound transmission through down lights. 
 

The wrong type of MVHR configuration can also carry sound between rooms. 
 

Don’t have plug sockets and light switches back to back in a wall between two rooms. 
 

I quite like this YouTube channel. They have a website too.
 

http://www.youtube.com/@iKousticSoundproofing

 

This website has lots of guides. 
 

https://soundstop.co.uk/pages/soundproofing-guides

 

Edited Saturday at 15:50 by Nick Laslett