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Q&As
Building Regs Requirements Help
I’ve just bought a flat in a property which was recently converted from a single unit Edwardian house into two flats. I had a full survey done, but the survey missed that the wall which separates my property from my neighbour (they have the upstairs and some rooms on the ground floor) is a thin plasterboard wall. The surveyor is telling me that this is ok, but I find it hard to believe that my neighbour’s should easily be able to gain access to my property, should they so wish to do so. There is also no sound insulation in the wall and we can here most of what the neighbour is saying. I also have concerns about the fire safety of this wall. Apart from the problem with this wall, none of the ceilings seem to have been sound tested or had insulation installed (he noise from upstairs is terrible) and a building regulations certificate seems to have been issued. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do retrospectively to follow up these issues? Thanks
Asked by LPB_241
One Answer
Acoustic insulation in flat conversions is a perennial problem. If a building control certificate has been issued and the surveyor is saying that it’s ok as well, it probably has just scraped through the minimum standards, although it’s not nearly as good as you expect it to be. It does seem strange that there is just a single sheet of plasterboard between you and your neighbour but I’d be surprised if they decided to break into your property as a result. If you think about it, anyone can get into most properties simply by breaking a window so I wouldn’t worry on that score.
However, to make the property more acoustically comfortable, there are steps you can take on your side of the property. You can fit acoustic plasterboard or simply double skin the standard plasterboard on the internal walls to improve the density which is needed to attenuate noise and will also improve fire protection properties. There are also products that can be installed to reduce ceiling noise transmitted from above. Have a word with a specialist acoustic insulation company like Cellecta to see what they can offer.
Mike Hardwick (Build It expert)