Soundproofing advice

Windsorcastle

We live in a first floor flat in an Edwardian conversion. We have wood parquet floors throughout so don't want to carpet over them, but we have put down rugs and runners in areas of most footfall to try and minimise our clopping about over the neighbours downstairs.

The ground floor flat built a new living room/kitchen extension earlier this year, where they now seem to spend most of their time and it is directly under our bedroom. They are a young family, and naturally make some noise but they are just living their lives, not being inconsiderate. They do, however, entertain friends and family a lot
at weekends until past midnight and we are being kept awake by the drone of conversations, children shrieking etc. directly below our bedroom. It is not nearly as bad in the other rooms, but in the bedroom, it is intolerable. This morning, I could hear every clatter of crockery being taken out for breakfast and every bit of family chatter at the table.

Is there a cheap and easy solution we could try to reduce this problem? I was wondering about just putting a roll of rubber underlay down over the bedroom floor. Would that absorb the noise coming up? It would look horrible but the noise is really getting us down.

Can anyone suggest a simple solution that might help?

Aylesbury_Duck

Why not have a polite chat with the neighbour? Do you know them? You could frame it in a way that isn't too awkward, for example, by saying that you can hear the content of their conversations. That way, they might make a bit more of an effort to keep the noise down.

Other than that, the only options I can think of is the one you've suggested or persuading the neighbour to insulate their ceiling.

Windsorcastle

We are actually the freeholders of the building. We don't particularly know the leaseholders downstairs, we have had coffee with them once. My partner did go down and speak to them a couple of weekends ago when they were playing music early on a Sunday morning - their response was that we needed to soundproof the whole building if the noise was that bad.

The thing is, I don't think they are being excessively noisy, and I don't think it's fair of us to ask them to shut their children up or not have conversations with their friends... I am sure that they do hear us walking about etc if we can hear them. But there are only the 2 of us up here, we don't have children and we generally live very quietly.

lauraland

I'm in a similar position. I live in an end terrace house and can hear the neighbours fairly clearly at times. Most of the time it is just normal living sounds and voices, though sometimes it is excessive such as when they have the surround sound on, or loud music (with bass!) They also seem to like to shout 'woohoo' alot and seem to be constantly moving furniture or whatever results in loud thumping noises?

Anyway, the noise, excessive or not, was really affecting my ability to fall asleep so I ended up buying some laser lite earplugs to try and they worked a treat! I wear them every night now and haven't had any problems dropping off.

I will look into proper soundproofing in the future when funds allow (although I'll probably be old and hard of hearing by then anyway), but these do the trick for now .

chappers

probably nothing cheap and easy you can do, you need to create separation and as a retro fit that is probably best tackled from their flat.
they have essentially hit the nail on the head, particularly if the conversion is old... and it's not a n easy job, would involve having floors up ceilings down etc.

ComicGeek

If you're the freeholder of the building then was there any discussion when you authorised the extension in the flat below? There would normally be sound proofing requirements as part of the Building Regs for this, was this done? An extension of less than 1 year old below an existing habitable room should have this.

If it hasn't been done, then you may have a legal route as freeholder to force them to do it. Not that I imagine it would be an easy process.

Windsorcastle

ComicGeek wrote: »

If you're the freeholder of the building then was there any discussion when you authorised the extension in the flat below? There would normally be sound proofing requirements as part of the Building Regs for this, was this done? An extension of less than 1 year old below an existing habitable room should have this.

Thanks for this - I will look into this.

lauraland

you're welcome

Zither

Lol - I second Lauraland's laserlight earplugs idea - best earplugs going and you can buy hundreds off ebay for pennies... much cheaper than Boots!

However, I also empathise. I moved into a house recently and the older lady next door listens to the TV really loud - I can hear it clearly through the party wall at night and it bugs the hell out of me. When she has friends over I can pretty much hear the entire conversation. I don't think she's doing it maliciously - just the party wall between us has really bad soundproofing - I keep meaning to put a dedicated thread on here about it (and I don't want to derail your thread).

But just so you know you're not alone - it seems like alot of housing is built with shoddy soundproofing so it's not just your flat.

Norman_Castle

Windsorcastle wrote: »

My partner did go down and speak to them a couple of weekends ago when they were playing music early on a Sunday morning - their response was that we needed to soundproof the whole building if the noise was that bad.

Thats a very selfish response. Fitting extra underlay on your floor will benefit them but not you.

Icecannon

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Thats a very selfish response. Fitting extra underlay on your floor will benefit them but not you.

How is that a selfish response?

If they are making normal amounts of noise, which the op says is the case then yes the answer is more soundproofing.

The noise from walking on wooden floors can be a nightmare, I bet the downstairs can here every foot step, the odd rug on the floor does not do it.

Sounds to me there is next to no sound proofing at all, add in the fact no underlay or carpet on the OP’s floor hence the problem.

There is no easy or cheap fix, underlay and carpet will help a little for the OP (mush more for the downstairs) but will not fix the issue if the OP can here every word etc as they say.

It really needs the floorboard lifted and stuffed with soundproofing material and also underlay and carpet if that doesn’t do it.