Nextdoor footsteps

Rosa_Damascena

spoovy said:

A big factor is whether the RSJ(s) run right through the building (so its the same beam in your neighbour's house as yours) or whether they terminate at the party wall. They transmit vibrations and therefore sound a lot. You can convert the former to the latter but its expensive and very unlikely to be worth it imo. 

I had no idea this was an approved construction method! 

casper_gutman

Rosa_Damascena said:

spoovy said:

A big factor is whether the RSJ(s) run right through the building (so its the same beam in your neighbour's house as yours) or whether they terminate at the party wall. They transmit vibrations and therefore sound a lot. You can convert the former to the latter but its expensive and very unlikely to be worth it imo. 

I had no idea this was an approved construction method! 

It might not be now, but it's definitely an arrangement that's been used on occasion in the past.

I agree somewhat with posters above who say this sort of noise is unavoidable. We used to live in a modern semi with halls (and stairs) adjoining on the party wall. Our neighbour was a petite woman police officer living alone. I don't think I noticed her have a visitor in the year we lived there. We heard her footsteps on the carpeted stairs every time.

We now live in an older semi with living rooms adjoining, and never hear a sound from the family with teenage sons who live there.

The way the noise travels between the properties depends to a great extent on the way they're designed and built. Structural noise like feet on the stairs can behave quite differently from airborne noise like speech.

Adding sound insulation behind studwork might help, but the most effective way to reduce the transmitted noise of feet on stairs would be to move the stairs to the other side. This isn't really practical though! Failing that, addressing the problem at source by making sure the stairs have carpet - and decent underlay - will help somewhat.

Woolsery

Rosa_Damascena said:

spoovy said:

A big factor is whether the RSJ(s) run right through the building (so its the same beam in your neighbour's house as yours) or whether they terminate at the party wall. They transmit vibrations and therefore sound a lot. You can convert the former to the latter but its expensive and very unlikely to be worth it imo. 

I had no idea this was an approved construction method! 

I don't think rigid steel joists were used much at all in house construction when the bulk of semis were built, just for adaptations afterwards. If people have physically handled an RSJ they'll know one reason why!

GDB2222

Woolsery said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

spoovy said:

A big factor is whether the RSJ(s) run right through the building (so its the same beam in your neighbour's house as yours) or whether they terminate at the party wall. They transmit vibrations and therefore sound a lot. You can convert the former to the latter but its expensive and very unlikely to be worth it imo. 

I had no idea this was an approved construction method! 

I don't think rigid steel joists were used much at all in house construction when the bulk of semis were built, just for adaptations afterwards. If people have physically handled an RSJ they'll know one reason why!

We had a fairly small RSJ put in above a bay window. Four hefty builders lined up. Two of them wore those belts that weightlifters use. There was much swearing, which apparently makes RSJs lighter.

Woolsery

GDB2222 said:

Woolsery said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

spoovy said:

A big factor is whether the RSJ(s) run right through the building (so its the same beam in your neighbour's house as yours) or whether they terminate at the party wall. They transmit vibrations and therefore sound a lot. You can convert the former to the latter but its expensive and very unlikely to be worth it imo. 

I had no idea this was an approved construction method! 

I don't think rigid steel joists were used much at all in house construction when the bulk of semis were built, just for adaptations afterwards. If people have physically handled an RSJ they'll know one reason why!

We had a fairly small RSJ put in above a bay window. Four hefty builders lined up. Two of them wore those belts that weightlifters use. There was much swearing, which apparently makes RSJs lighter.

We used a £50 bribe to a farmer with a telehandler, but ours has to hold up a gable end. He was here about 10 minutes.

diystarter7

What we have found is the newer the house/semi the more noise you will hear.
The older semis are more soil EG than those built in the 1930's to early 50's.
We lived in a 1930's semi/Eot and thankfully our stairs were on the outsdie wall and next doors stairs and front door was on the other side ie not connected to our party wall. The house we live in now is ok, mid-seventies but not as robust and one of my siblings lives in a 1980's semi, built like paper and another has a detached house from the year 2000 that build is even more paper like

diystarter7

Btw, you could add sound insulation to the walls but im even good stuff would need to be at least 3 inches thick and that makes a massive difference/reduction in stairs/landing widths and you still have the stairs connected to the walls so sound travels that way

Detached is the way to go and one I would like

desthemoaner

 I feel the pain of those who are forced to listen to other people's elephant-like stompings.

We bought our current detached bungalow in 2014, and we're just about to move to a semi. We both have mobility problems, and the disadvantages which have persuaded us to sell this detached will be resolved by the move. It's a more level site, smaller so easier to heat and maintain, has a garage and parking for about four cars and a more manageable garden. Its not an ideal solution because other people's noise ( OPN) really p£$£"*s me off and I've got used to being in a detached, but we were outbid on every detached property we went for and a semi was our only option. 

 If OPN makes it difficult to remain there long term, we'll look into moving on to another detached as soon as we've completed all the necessary refurbishments. However, I'm hoping that with these properties being 2 bed bungalows it will be a couple or a small family who live next door, so noise should be minimal. 

Rosa_Damascena

The OPN that would drive me nuts is footsteps from a flat above from an uncarpeted rental property.

One of my friends suffers this - it irritates me the minute I set foot in his flat - and they seem not to be too bothered by it. His home has other merits but the communal nature of living is not one. I have a rail line running along the bottom of the garden and have no difficulty with the rumbling of electric trains.

newbuild2020

So we are in a newbuild property built with a steel frame. We don’t hear sound but it’s the impact noise that is the problem. We have spoken to them before but the man is very aggressive and speaking to them actually made it worse

I’ve had a look under the upstairs floorboards and our joists run up to the brick separating the two houses, but we don’t share these joists. I do wonder if them touching the brick is what carries the noise? 

I am thinking of filling the upstairs floorboards with insulation and a few resilient bars just to try and minimise the noise. I think we’re a few years off a detached yet due to the price of them so want to try and find a way around it until we (or they…) move on. 

Thanks for everyone’s tips. Please keep adding bits, it’s nice to know we aren’t alone.