New Build party wall noise issue

shadow_1

Hi,

Hope anybody can provide any helpful suggestions.

Myself and my partner bought a new build house from Barratt Homes in 2017. We are having difficulties trying to resolve our terrible noise issue through the party wall, Barratt Homes and NHBC are not willing to help any further since we’ve followed the right processes of complaining.

The noises we are experiencing from the neighbour is hearing urinating, toilet being flushed, footsteps, running upstairs, closure of doors, word to word conversations coming through our living room, upstairs bedroom which is above our living room and the upstairs hallway which is against the party wall. Please see URL image of the both downstairs house layouts illustrating the party wall construction, imgur.com/PY4Pkii

It feels like we are living next door to a 24/7 playground. People across the road in the same house types, do not have any noise issues which we are experiencing, surely this shows there is something wrong with the party wall?

Barratt Homes came in and drilled a small hole behind the plug socket on the party wall and stuck a camera inside to show there is insulation. Apparently this confirms the party wall has been built to standards by looking in a 5cm area of the wall.

NHBC conducted a sound test however they weren’t able to perform a sound test in the living room or anywhere else in the house apart from the kitchen because apparently you’ve meant to have ‘habitable’ rooms on either side. Our living room is adjoining onto their toilet and storage room which is classed as inhabitable. They conducted the sound test in our kitchen because they have their living room opposite. We were fuming over this because this has been going on for a year and have access to the house plans to see how they are laid out, instead rather waste our time agreeing this will be resolved. Of course the sound test passed because we cannot hear them in our kitchen, only place in the house that is acceptable with noise tolerance.

Is there anyone out there who has any experiencing of these new build issues to advise us what we could do towards Barratt Homes or any ideas on sound proofing but can’t take up too much room because the rooms are already small. Barratt Homes and NHBC are not willing to help any further because the kitchen sound test has closed the case, when this has nothing to do with the areas we are being affected by.

Cheers.

stator

stator

I would say your next step is to get an expert in to find the problem, then go back to Barratt and ask them to solve the problem.
Unfortunately you will have to pay for the expert out of your own money and then if you can prove it is there fault, try and claim it back. But you might not get it back.

robatwork

I have no experience of this kind of problem and can sympathise.

I do have experience of Barratt Homes, and can really sympathise.

In my awful one and only experience of a new house many years ago, I ended up with the Barratt's regional director at my shyteshow of a property as I had to complain so much. Aim high.

shadow_1

stator wrote: »

I would say your next step is to get an expert in to find the problem, then go back to Barratt and ask them to solve the problem.
Unfortunately you will have to pay for the expert out of your own money and then if you can prove it is there fault, try and claim it back. But you might not get it back.

Thanks for posting the image

Yeah had a feeling I need to go down the expert route but its finding the correct person. When a sound 'expert' from the NHBC say they cannot do any tests in the required rooms then who else can inspect the walls? Hmmm

shadow_1

robatwork wrote: »

I have no experience of this kind of problem and can sympathise.

I do have experience of Barratt Homes, and can really sympathise.

In my awful one and only experience of a new house many years ago, I ended up with the Barratt's regional director at my shyteshow of a property as I had to complain so much. Aim high.

I've contacted the director's PA but still waiting to hear anything. Head of Customer care doesn't want to deal with it any further because NHBC has confirmed it meets the standards when I'm still trying to tell convince myself how it does.

Mistral001

Some "insulation" materials will have good heat insulation properties but very little sound insulation, so the type of insulation will need to be investigated. Also insulation installed incorrectly with gaps between sheets could affect its sound insulation properties.

As has been said you will need to get an expert in to inspect the cavity and take samples of the insulation. It will be expensive to do this as the expert might have to come from quite a distance and as well as the inspection and report, you will have to pay for laboratory tests and a builder to do the opening up works to take samples.

A visual inspection can usually me done by endoscope survey which will involve drilling holes in the wall at intervals and inserting an endoscope into the holes. Such endoscopes used to be very specialist and expensive as they involved specialist video cameras and monitors, but now are relatively inexpensive as small video cameras are inexpensive now and a laptop can be used instead of a video monitor. The expense will be the cost of the time spent by the expert travelling to your house, doing the survey and preparing the report and any lab. tests and builder attendances as mentioned above.

shadow_1

Mistral001 wrote: »

Some "insulation" materials will have good heat insulation properties but very little sound insulation, so the type of insulation will need to be investigated. Also insulation installed incorrectly with gaps between sheets could affect its sound insulation properties.

As has been said you will need to get an expert in to inspect the cavity and take samples of the insulation. It will be expensive to do this as the expert might have to come from quite a distance and as well as the inspection and report, you will have to pay for laboratory tests and a builder to do the opening up works to take samples.

A visual inspection can usually me done by endoscope survey which will involve drilling holes in the wall at intervals and inserting an endoscope into the holes. Such endoscopes used to be very specialist and expensive as they involved specialist video cameras and monitors, but now are relatively inexpensive as small video cameras are inexpensive now and a laptop can be used instead of a video monitor. The expense will be the cost of the time spent by the expert travelling to your house, doing the survey and preparing the report and any lab. tests and builder attendances as mentioned above.

Thank you. I will have a look into a endoscope survey. Barratt Homes have said verbally the cavity is filled with sound insulation. I have said many times to them there could be gaps within the insulation but they won't respond to this query.

Oxid8uk

shadow_1 wrote: »

Thanks for posting the image

Yeah had a feeling I need to go down the expert route but its finding the correct person. When a sound 'expert' from the NHBC say they cannot do any tests in the required rooms then who else can inspect the walls? Hmmm

Look for an ANC Accredited Sound Insulation Tester on the following website:


http://www.association-of-noise-consultants.co.uk/


Find someone who is accredited for Residential PCT testing (within the service 'Sound Insulation Testing'). Give them a call and they can advise whether further sound testing could be undertaken. I used to do it years ago but cannot remember the testing requirements when habitable rooms are next to non-habitable rooms.


You're best finding a one-man band consultant/very small company as they will charge much less than the big companies.

PhilE

The builder of the property, didn't consider sound proofing in order to cut costs.

Some semis and terraced properties, are exactly the same. However, you'd expect more from a modern property.

If there's no way of getting the original builder to sort it out and you've explored every route, perhaps legal, the only solution would be to get your home soundproofed.

From what I've read, if its done properly with the spaces under the floorboards sound insulated also, you'll improve the situation. You'll never be free of loud bass or banging doors though. But maybe most of the issue will be rectified.

If you do find out more, be interested to know.

shadow_1

Thank you for all of your replies. I'm glad I posted this, all of you have given me ideas to go ahead with.

I've contacted many legal teams but want a lot of money! Scared to go ahead with this idea and not win.