ᐅ Sound insulation; mid-terrace house on the street-facing side, room-in-room construction method
Created on: 23 Mar 2012 18:18
K
Kai-UweHello everyone!
We are currently in the process of moving the bedroom from the attic to the first floor because the noise from the nearby street and highway is quite noticeable in the attic.
Since we live in a mid-terrace house, I want to insulate the wall to the neighbor as effectively as possible against sound.
My approach: 95mm (3.7 inches) thick Sonorock acoustic panels will be laid on the floor, with a gap to the walls. On top of these, chipboard panels will be installed, followed by impact sound insulation. On this newly constructed floor, new walls will be built in a stud frame construction using drywall ("Die Blaue") and again Sonorock acoustic material, so that the new walls do not touch the existing walls.
My questions: Is this approach suitable? Should I build a full room-within-a-room, including suspending the ceiling? The room has one door and one window — should the room-within-a-room have a second door and second window as well?
I look forward to your answers!
We are currently in the process of moving the bedroom from the attic to the first floor because the noise from the nearby street and highway is quite noticeable in the attic.
Since we live in a mid-terrace house, I want to insulate the wall to the neighbor as effectively as possible against sound.
My approach: 95mm (3.7 inches) thick Sonorock acoustic panels will be laid on the floor, with a gap to the walls. On top of these, chipboard panels will be installed, followed by impact sound insulation. On this newly constructed floor, new walls will be built in a stud frame construction using drywall ("Die Blaue") and again Sonorock acoustic material, so that the new walls do not touch the existing walls.
My questions: Is this approach suitable? Should I build a full room-within-a-room, including suspending the ceiling? The room has one door and one window — should the room-within-a-room have a second door and second window as well?
I look forward to your answers!
Hello!
You should definitely seek professional advice to build some basic knowledge.
I don’t know much about terraced houses, but
- You won’t have a shared floor slab on the upper floor
- If you do have a shared concrete ceiling (does fire protection even allow that?), you won’t have a common screed layer
- Sound insulation is achieved through decoupling; just a few millimeters (inches) and mass are enough; stone wool of that thickness on the floor is completely pointless
- Structurally, this won’t work anyway; the studs need to be anchored in the screed or concrete floor
- Very important: such a construction can cause serious mold problems! Read up on the dew point topic
- Since the window opens inward, a so-called box window is hard to realize; a different glazing would be easier, e.g. 6+3 and 4 mm (inches)
- The door situation is the only simple part – we even have a tiny extra hallway in front of the bedroom
- A suspended ceiling improves room acoustics – it will probably also provide some sound insulation (though it’s rather unnecessary with a concrete ceiling)
- One effective and low-cost measure: carpet flooring. Laminate would be a clear step in the wrong direction
So: don’t just start – plan carefully first!
Best regards, TomTom1
You should definitely seek professional advice to build some basic knowledge.
I don’t know much about terraced houses, but
- You won’t have a shared floor slab on the upper floor
- If you do have a shared concrete ceiling (does fire protection even allow that?), you won’t have a common screed layer
- Sound insulation is achieved through decoupling; just a few millimeters (inches) and mass are enough; stone wool of that thickness on the floor is completely pointless
- Structurally, this won’t work anyway; the studs need to be anchored in the screed or concrete floor
- Very important: such a construction can cause serious mold problems! Read up on the dew point topic
- Since the window opens inward, a so-called box window is hard to realize; a different glazing would be easier, e.g. 6+3 and 4 mm (inches)
- The door situation is the only simple part – we even have a tiny extra hallway in front of the bedroom
- A suspended ceiling improves room acoustics – it will probably also provide some sound insulation (though it’s rather unnecessary with a concrete ceiling)
- One effective and low-cost measure: carpet flooring. Laminate would be a clear step in the wrong direction
So: don’t just start – plan carefully first!
Best regards, TomTom1
I have an on-site meeting with a drywall installer tomorrow, but I’ve already started making some of my own plans!
So you’re suggesting that it would be enough to add a drywall partition (38cm (15 inches) thick but really noisy!) with a stud wall and to insulate the floor with, say, 45mm (1.8 inches) Rockwool, chipboard, impact sound insulation, laminate flooring (we have cats, so full carpet is not an option), and a thick rug on top?
I know that interior insulation on an external wall can be problematic — but an exterior insulation system will be added within the next two years at the latest. Alternatively, I requested a quote for a new window: soundproof glass with 37 dB insulation and an external roller blind to replace the double glazing from 1992.
(Just to clarify: I was imagining a completely decoupled room-in-room construction; and the studs, drywall panels, and insulation are not heavy enough to cause structural issues if everything rests on the floor structure, right?)
Addendum Regarding the “floor slab,” you’re absolutely right! However, we have a shared screed, as can be seen in the construction photos from 1952/1953... End of addendum
So you’re suggesting that it would be enough to add a drywall partition (38cm (15 inches) thick but really noisy!) with a stud wall and to insulate the floor with, say, 45mm (1.8 inches) Rockwool, chipboard, impact sound insulation, laminate flooring (we have cats, so full carpet is not an option), and a thick rug on top?
I know that interior insulation on an external wall can be problematic — but an exterior insulation system will be added within the next two years at the latest. Alternatively, I requested a quote for a new window: soundproof glass with 37 dB insulation and an external roller blind to replace the double glazing from 1992.
(Just to clarify: I was imagining a completely decoupled room-in-room construction; and the studs, drywall panels, and insulation are not heavy enough to cause structural issues if everything rests on the floor structure, right?)
Addendum Regarding the “floor slab,” you’re absolutely right! However, we have a shared screed, as can be seen in the construction photos from 1952/1953... End of addendum
Hello!
No, it’s not a question of weight. You can’t just lay mineral wool insulation on the floor, place an OSB board on top, and then mount walls on it!
And the screed can’t continue through—unless the walls were built exactly as you planned.
Regarding the risk of mold—unfortunately, with external insulation (probably still polystyrene?), this issue might get worse.
If I remember correctly, 37 dB is not much sound insulation (4 + 6 mm?), our “standard” windows had 34 dB. In the bedroom, we had 44 or 45 dB—but that doesn’t help much if ventilation isn’t ensured by other means.
A 38 cm (15 inch) wall should generally be sufficient—are there wastewater pipes running inside the wall?
Best regards,
TomTom1
No, it’s not a question of weight. You can’t just lay mineral wool insulation on the floor, place an OSB board on top, and then mount walls on it!
And the screed can’t continue through—unless the walls were built exactly as you planned.
Regarding the risk of mold—unfortunately, with external insulation (probably still polystyrene?), this issue might get worse.
If I remember correctly, 37 dB is not much sound insulation (4 + 6 mm?), our “standard” windows had 34 dB. In the bedroom, we had 44 or 45 dB—but that doesn’t help much if ventilation isn’t ensured by other means.
A 38 cm (15 inch) wall should generally be sufficient—are there wastewater pipes running inside the wall?
Best regards,
TomTom1
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