ᐅ Utility room next to the bedroom

Created on: 31 Dec 2019 08:33
S
Specki
Hello,

we are currently in the early stages of planning the layout of the individual rooms. As it stands, it seems practical to place the utility room next to two bedrooms.

I am wondering if this is a good idea or if the noise generated in the utility room will be too loud.

The planned equipment includes:
Water distribution
Inverter for the photovoltaic system
Heat pump (either air-to-water heat pump with a split unit or ground-source heat pump)
Controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
Storage space for miscellaneous items

This area is definitely planned to be constructed using a timber frame system. I am thinking it should definitely have double studs with mineral wool insulation in between. I would handle the interior construction (timber frame walls) myself. The door will certainly need a gap or similar for air exchange, and right next to it at a 90° angle will be the door to the bedroom.

What do you think? How loud is the noise level likely to be? Can it be insulated well enough to ensure good sleep?

Regards
Specki
Y
ypg
31 Dec 2019 11:01
Specki schrieb:

As it currently looks, it would make sense to place the utility room next to the two bedrooms.

Didn’t you plan to have the storage room, pantry, and workspace above and below the bedrooms?
kaho67431 Dec 2019 11:17
Specki schrieb:

We’re currently experimenting with Sweet Home 3D, but it’s not really impressive—especially when it comes to roof slopes.

The slopes are crucial in the attic. Here, using the tangent function in triangles is especially helpful for keeping track of heights, more so than any software. You should pay particular attention to the headroom at the staircase. I even marked the 2m (6 ft 7 in) clearance line. But that’s what the architect is there for later on.

For initial sketches, paper and pencil are enough.
S
Specki
31 Dec 2019 11:17
Yes, that was once a plan (I know it is still changing quite often), but we don’t need that much storage space, so we decided to add two full rooms above the utility room.

I think I will put the whole thing up for discussion here in the next few days, including all our desired requirements, room sizes, etc.
S
Specki
31 Dec 2019 11:18
kaho674 schrieb:

For initial sketches, paper and pen are sufficient

That’s exactly what we’re currently using for the upper floor as well, and we’re marking the 2m (6.6 feet) and 1.5m (4.9 feet) lines everywhere.
G
guckuck2
31 Dec 2019 11:41
allstar83 schrieb:

Are the noises from a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (Zehnder Q350 planned) comparable to those from a heat pump? We have a similar situation but only with mechanical ventilation (and district heating).
Personally, I had noted to consider a limestone wall or something similar here.

No, they are not comparable.
A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery sounds like airflow, drafts, more of a high-frequency whistling noise.
The heat pump compressor sounds like a loud refrigerator – low-frequency, pulsating, rattling. Additionally, there are circulation pumps, which sound somewhat similar to the mechanical ventilation system.
H
hampshire
31 Dec 2019 11:54
Specki schrieb:

What do you think? How loud is the noise? Can it be insulated well enough to sleep comfortably nearby?

In my experience, most utility rooms are noisy, and you can hear heat pumps and ventilation systems in almost every room of typical model homes.
Even if you can sleep through it, you are still exposed to noise, which has been proven to be unhealthy.
Having a utility room next to the sleeping area is, in my opinion, a design flaw—unless the noise and vibration insulation is properly addressed, which unfortunately can be quite expensive.