Hello everyone.
We met with our architect yesterday, and he said that, cost-wise, there is no difference in constructing the ground floor ceiling as a concrete slab.
Until now, I thought that a wooden beam ceiling was the more affordable option...
(It was our first meeting)
Just an initial introduction.
Can anyone share their experience with this or have faced the same decision?
The reason is that we plan to convert the attic.
It will include a children’s room, a shower bathroom, and a guest room, and I have concerns about sound insulation and overall noise transmission.
Thank you very much.
Good luck.
We met with our architect yesterday, and he said that, cost-wise, there is no difference in constructing the ground floor ceiling as a concrete slab.
Until now, I thought that a wooden beam ceiling was the more affordable option...
(It was our first meeting)
Just an initial introduction.
Can anyone share their experience with this or have faced the same decision?
The reason is that we plan to convert the attic.
It will include a children’s room, a shower bathroom, and a guest room, and I have concerns about sound insulation and overall noise transmission.
Thank you very much.
Good luck.
S
Sebastian796 Feb 2016 07:36You want to have a gable roof house built with a ground floor and an upper floor with sloping ceilings, and above that there is usually also the attic.
Is that correct?
It would be quite unusual to construct the ground floor ceiling as a wooden beam ceiling. And yes, acoustically that is more problematic due to the lack of mass.
Is that correct?
It would be quite unusual to construct the ground floor ceiling as a wooden beam ceiling. And yes, acoustically that is more problematic due to the lack of mass.
Is a well-constructed wooden beam ceiling really that much worse for sound insulation compared to a prefabricated concrete slab? Here, terraced houses are built with wooden beam ceilings – both on the ground floor and the top floor. In our apartment, we hear thumping and chairs being dragged even through the concrete ceiling.
Hello BeHaElja,
I’m not sure what’s better either. In our current rental apartment, we have a wooden beam ceiling (which dates back to 1940), and we can definitely hear our upstairs neighbors (especially when they argue).
In this green forum, the majority tended to favor a concrete ceiling (at least in posts from around 12 years ago).
However, I can also imagine that sound might be avoided through the multi-layered structure of the wooden beam ceiling (vapor barrier – wooden beam ceiling – insulation & possibly OSB or other wooden board).
It would be annoying to hear the shower upstairs while relaxing with my wife downstairs.
The advantage of a concrete ceiling is that it allows for underfloor heating to be installed right away. The lower supply temperature also supports the use of underfloor heating – so that speaks in favor of a concrete ceiling.
With a wooden construction, you’ll likely have to use radiators, which take up space and limit furniture placement.
I was just surprised when the architect said that the cost difference isn’t significant. I didn’t expect that.
Good luck.
I’m not sure what’s better either. In our current rental apartment, we have a wooden beam ceiling (which dates back to 1940), and we can definitely hear our upstairs neighbors (especially when they argue).
In this green forum, the majority tended to favor a concrete ceiling (at least in posts from around 12 years ago).
However, I can also imagine that sound might be avoided through the multi-layered structure of the wooden beam ceiling (vapor barrier – wooden beam ceiling – insulation & possibly OSB or other wooden board).
It would be annoying to hear the shower upstairs while relaxing with my wife downstairs.
The advantage of a concrete ceiling is that it allows for underfloor heating to be installed right away. The lower supply temperature also supports the use of underfloor heating – so that speaks in favor of a concrete ceiling.
With a wooden construction, you’ll likely have to use radiators, which take up space and limit furniture placement.
I was just surprised when the architect said that the cost difference isn’t significant. I didn’t expect that.
Good luck.
I
Irgendwoabaier6 Feb 2016 20:42I would guess: it depends...
Disputing upstairs neighbors or flying plates can also be heard through the concrete ceiling. And if there is a chimney running through, even better. You can definitely do something about impact noise; above the exposed wooden ceiling (which was important to us), we added a loose fill insulation layer, on top of which the upper floor structure was built. And of course, with underfloor heating—also upstairs. What should be against that?
That’s just a matter of planning. You wouldn’t place the living or bedroom beneath the upstairs bathroom—or would you want to run the wastewater pipes past the sofa on the way down?
Regards,
I.
Disputing upstairs neighbors or flying plates can also be heard through the concrete ceiling. And if there is a chimney running through, even better. You can definitely do something about impact noise; above the exposed wooden ceiling (which was important to us), we added a loose fill insulation layer, on top of which the upper floor structure was built. And of course, with underfloor heating—also upstairs. What should be against that?
Punica schrieb:
It would be annoying to hear the shower upstairs while you’re getting cozy with your partner downstairs…
That’s just a matter of planning. You wouldn’t place the living or bedroom beneath the upstairs bathroom—or would you want to run the wastewater pipes past the sofa on the way down?
Regards,
I.
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