ᐅ Prefabricated house, poor sound insulation / high noise transmission

theo1988 schrieb:


For example, if you press your ear against the wall, you can hear people talking on the street outside.

There is no mention of construction defects here...
The original poster pressed their ear against the wall and found it to be sound-transmitting. Now they are replacing the windows with higher sound insulation class (SSK). If the noise was coming from the wall, it will still be loud afterwards. If it came from the 32 dB window, it should now be quieter (or less noisy).

I am only familiar with brick construction, where the manufacturers specify the sound insulation rating. So I can check whether a 70 dB noise is reduced by the specified 40 dB or not.
If it isn’t, something is wrong and I need to keep investigating.

Hello Theo,
there has been a lot of speculation here, very good advice given, and causes explored. Of course, you can investigate yourself and replace windows or panes. If the house was built in ’17, it should still be under the warranty period. Before experimenting by trial and error, I would recommend hiring an expert assessor. The fee is usually fixed in advance. And as @Scout already mentioned, the relevant regulation is DIN 4109. If the assessor confirms compliance with this standard, your chances are slim; if not, you are entitled to rectification, whatever form that may take.

Vicky Pedia schrieb:

Hello Theo,
there has been a lot of speculation here, very good advice given, and possible causes explored. Of course, you can investigate yourself and replace windows or panes. If the house was built in 2017, it should still be under warranty. Before experimenting with a try-and-error approach, I would recommend hiring an expert. The fee is fixed in advance. And as @Scout already mentioned, the relevant regulation is DIN 4109. If the expert confirms that this standard is met, chances are slim for a claim; if not, then you have the right to request remedial work, whatever form that might take.

He can save his money. DIN 4109 is a joke, and if the house didn’t even meet that standard, the OP would definitely have noticed something seriously wrong.

Since he is smart and aware of this, he is first replacing a window and then will reconsider. That is cheaper than paying for an expert opinion against pointless DIN requirements that are so low any flimsy structure would meet them.

I understand everyone’s desire for a logical procedure with an expert report. Unfortunately, the legal obstacles placed in the homebuyer’s way make logic ineffective in many cases.

Have you ever read the DIN standard about how uneven interior plaster is allowed to be? I don’t need an expert report for that — as a homeowner, I know I am at a disadvantage. So I save the money on an expert and invest it instead in repairs by another craftsman.

But that depends on the individual case.

I agree with Snowy. Inspectors are extremely expensive and often don’t add much value. The money is better spent on immediate defect repair. In this case, it’s easier to identify the defects yourself or at least start by checking the obvious issues.

If you get stuck, you can always hire an inspector later. By the way, their report usually holds little weight in court if it ever comes to that.

Bookstar schrieb:

Experts are extremely expensive and often don’t deliver much value.
If you get stuck, you can always hire an expert later. By the way, their opinion usually holds little weight in court if it comes to that.

I would be interested to know how many expert reports you commissioned last year. But in the end, everyone has to decide for themselves whether to tackle the problem at its root or to fumble around as a layperson.

I consider this a practical approach. Hire another tradesperson and ask them what their experience suggests. Replacing a glass unit is cheaper than bringing in an expert to assess the situation.