How can you tell if a house is well insulated/sound proofed?

Camel310

When viewing a property to rent (without having access to surveys) are there any tests you can do to determine whether a property is soundproofed and insulated to an ok level from neighbours?

We currently have a neighbour from hell situation so we are trying to be as diligent as possible when viewing properties we like so any tips you can share would be really appreciated. 

andy444

There's no one test you can try which can guarantee how good the sound proofing is unless you ask someone to go round the other side of the party wall, shout for a bit and see how well you can hear them.

But you can tap the party wall and if it sounds hollow then that means it's constructed from timber frame where the sound proofing probably isn't great and if it sounds solid then it's likely made from blockwork/brickwork and should in theory be better as it will be more dense.

andy444

Also, if you're looking at a house or former office space that has been converted into flats then the sound proofing in those flats is probably terrible.

movilogo

Insulation details found in EPC report.
Sound proof = you have to experience yourself.

actualspoon

What sort of property is it?

e.g. a house, a purpose-built flat, a converted flat?  If a flat, what floor and what's above/below?  How many walls join onto another building?

Can you get access to adjoining properties?  Probably not, but maybe just knocking on the door and very nicely introducing yourself if they're in?  You might well pick up some info that way even if they don't say yes come in and scream and we'll see if your partner can hear it next door!

As andy is suggesting, dense materials like concrete and brick are good for soundproofing generally, and I think converted Victorian flats are not good.  Having said that, I believe different materials block low and high pitched sounds differently, so acoustics people recommend a mix of materials?  This sort of thing can make a real difference - for example if the noise is people talking - e.g. female and male voices can transmit quite differently so you can end up hearing just one side of a conversation!

housebuyer143

I agree with the other poster that converted Victorian are not good.. My mate lived in one and you could hear everything next door. Also I do not believe new builds to be great either from experience. 

You want to knock it and it be dense like block or brick for your best chance. 

[Deleted User]

If it's not detached then assume that sound will travel through that wall, and if you don't want it to then budget for installation of soundproofing.

Most British houses are bad for this. Some council houses are good because some councils built to higher standards than private developers, but you will have to get to know the area to know if that is the case.

stuart45

It can also depend on the way the party wall was built. With 9 inch brickwork for example it makes a difference if the joints were all fully filled.
On some of the older council builds the Clerk of Works were really strict about larrying in the brickwork every course. It also made a difference if subbies were used instead of on the cards.

Woolsery

Camel310 said:

When viewing a property to rent (without having access to surveys) are there any tests you can do to determine whether a property is soundproofed and insulated to an ok level from neighbours?

We currently have a neighbour from hell situation so we are trying to be as diligent as possible when viewing properties we like so any tips you can share would be really appreciated. 

From the foregoing it should be clear you can't determine neighbour noise unless they're making it when you view. The most important factor will be the neighbour and after that matters like floor coverings, if it's a lower floor flat and the quality of the conversion if not purpose built, etc.

RelievedSheff

housebuyer143 said:

I agree with the other poster that converted Victorian are not good.. My mate lived in one and you could hear everything next door. Also I do not believe new builds to be great either from experience. 

You want to knock it and it be dense like block or brick for your best chance. 

It very much depends on the layout as well as the materials and build quality.

We lived in a rented semi detached Victorian villa and we never heard anything from the neighbours due to the house layout with large hallways on the party wall and living rooms and bedrooms on the external wall. Wouldn't fancy running that house now though with the cost of gas and electric.

The first house we bought was a 1930's ex local authority semi detached and the sound transmission was atrocious. You could hear everything from next door. It was on the verge of being unliveable. Sadly we got stuck there far longer than we would have liked due to house prices dropping and being in negative equity for a long time.

Our current house is a new build detached. We vowed never to live in an attached property again after the 30's semi. We love our current house it is so easy to live with and cheap to run compared to the previous two.