ᐅ Wall Construction – Balancing Sound Insulation, Thermal Insulation, and Cost Efficiency
Created on: 26 Dec 2014 02:35
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barcardiHello,
I am planning to build a single-family house next year. The house is currently designed as a KfW 70 house with 17.5 cm (7 inches) Poroton hollow brick T18 and 18 cm (7 inches) EPS insulation.
The house will be located on a hilltop, about 80 meters (260 feet) from a lightly trafficked country road and 750 meters (820 yards) from a two-lane highway in a valley. The noise level feels low in the open area when there is no wind.
Nevertheless, I wonder if the T18 with 17.5 cm (7 inches) and a sound reduction index (RDK) of 0.8 is sufficient for exterior sound insulation? The rated sound insulation index is only 43 dB.
I read that the exterior sound insulation for single-family houses should be at least 44 dB, preferably 47 dB. I have used 47 dB as a reference point.
The builder suggested simply upgrading to 24 cm (9.5 inches) T18 (46 dB). However, this would reduce interior space if the exterior dimensions remain the same.
My considerations are as follows:
Option 1: 17.5 cm (7 inches) sand-lime brick with RDK 1.4 (48 dB) plus 18 cm (7 inches) Neopor for insulation. An advantage would also be good internal sound insulation, as nearly all walls are 17.5 cm (7 inches). Additional costs would be around €6,000 according to the builder, since the interior walls would also be made of sand-lime brick.
Option 2: 24 cm (9.5 inches) Poroton T with RDK 0.9 as external wall plus 18 cm (7 inches) Neopor (46 dB), approximately €3,000 extra cost for the bricks only. Interior walls mostly 17.5 cm (7 inches) (44 dB).
Which construction method makes more sense? Are there any other reasonable alternatives?
Best regards
barcardi
I am planning to build a single-family house next year. The house is currently designed as a KfW 70 house with 17.5 cm (7 inches) Poroton hollow brick T18 and 18 cm (7 inches) EPS insulation.
The house will be located on a hilltop, about 80 meters (260 feet) from a lightly trafficked country road and 750 meters (820 yards) from a two-lane highway in a valley. The noise level feels low in the open area when there is no wind.
Nevertheless, I wonder if the T18 with 17.5 cm (7 inches) and a sound reduction index (RDK) of 0.8 is sufficient for exterior sound insulation? The rated sound insulation index is only 43 dB.
I read that the exterior sound insulation for single-family houses should be at least 44 dB, preferably 47 dB. I have used 47 dB as a reference point.
The builder suggested simply upgrading to 24 cm (9.5 inches) T18 (46 dB). However, this would reduce interior space if the exterior dimensions remain the same.
My considerations are as follows:
Option 1: 17.5 cm (7 inches) sand-lime brick with RDK 1.4 (48 dB) plus 18 cm (7 inches) Neopor for insulation. An advantage would also be good internal sound insulation, as nearly all walls are 17.5 cm (7 inches). Additional costs would be around €6,000 according to the builder, since the interior walls would also be made of sand-lime brick.
Option 2: 24 cm (9.5 inches) Poroton T with RDK 0.9 as external wall plus 18 cm (7 inches) Neopor (46 dB), approximately €3,000 extra cost for the bricks only. Interior walls mostly 17.5 cm (7 inches) (44 dB).
Which construction method makes more sense? Are there any other reasonable alternatives?
Best regards
barcardi
Thank you for your responses, that already helps me a bit.
Cladding with facing brick would probably be one of the best solutions for sound insulation but is ruled out for financial reasons. Aerated concrete is generally not an option for me.
T8 with 42.5 (cm) looks interesting, although it is likely more expensive than the sand-lime brick solution and has a higher U-value.
Currently, the best option for me seems to be sand-lime brick plus Neopor. There is no loss of space compared to the wall structure planned by the builder (17.5cm (7 inches) T18, 18cm (7 inches) EPS 035), significantly improved sound insulation, which can be further increased by elastifying the external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). There is only a slight deterioration in the U-value compared to the originally planned wall structure. Additionally, we benefit from better sound insulation throughout the house, since almost all interior walls are 17.5cm (7 inches) thick.
What are the advantages of the T8 solution compared to the sand-lime brick construction?
Cladding with facing brick would probably be one of the best solutions for sound insulation but is ruled out for financial reasons. Aerated concrete is generally not an option for me.
T8 with 42.5 (cm) looks interesting, although it is likely more expensive than the sand-lime brick solution and has a higher U-value.
Currently, the best option for me seems to be sand-lime brick plus Neopor. There is no loss of space compared to the wall structure planned by the builder (17.5cm (7 inches) T18, 18cm (7 inches) EPS 035), significantly improved sound insulation, which can be further increased by elastifying the external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). There is only a slight deterioration in the U-value compared to the originally planned wall structure. Additionally, we benefit from better sound insulation throughout the house, since almost all interior walls are 17.5cm (7 inches) thick.
What are the advantages of the T8 solution compared to the sand-lime brick construction?
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