How to test sound insulation when you're looking for a terraced house

[SoonerthanIthought]

Inspired by comments on sound insulation in some new builds, in another current thread. If you're househunting in terraced houses (not necessarily new builds!), is there any way of assessing whether you'll be able to hear (and be heard by!) the neighbours?

(Short of asking if one of you can go next door and turn the tv on - obviously can't do that! but in fact it's quite an important thing to check out)

I suppose I’d be asking who lived next door, and if it was an elderly person (loud tv) or a young family (noisy kids), I’d time a second viewing accordingly to when they might make the most noise.
I feel for my neighbours, and the shit they must head.
I’m sure someone will have a better suggestion

Try and view in the evening if you can, so you can get a good idea of what noise can be heard. Or early morning when people are getting ready for work.

With terraces you have to be prepared for some noise, that’s just the nature of the houses. But it’s worth checking in case you have someone that likes listening to loud bass at bizarre hours of the day!

Thanks both, yes good idea to look round in the evening. I wondered if there was some clever technical thing you can look out for like how thick the party wall is, but even that is difficult to tell!

It’s always a risk and it’s not just a TV. Anything installed on the party wall can cause vibrations and we’ve had to endure a boiler installed causing low level nose and you won’t be aware of that until the heating is switched on.
I live in an older semi and can hear everything.My new neighbour is going for minimalist lifestyle so there’s nothing to dampen the noise from his house.echoey telephone conversations including being able to hear the person he is speaking to.I can hear him walking on his wooden floors and that sort of thing,not just the TV. He is currently installing an en suite bathroom even though I have told him I can hear EVERYTHING and that we will be in bed listening to him using the loo and having a shower.
It’s a misery but there absolutely nothing you can do about it and very difficult to ascertain the level of noise until you are actually living there.
I’m saving up to move to a detached place!

Might be worth checking if they have planning permission to extend/dig out a basement. I’m not sure if that would come up in legal searches. Builders noise can last a long time & be really disruptive.

Thanks all - good ideas!

Does anyone know if it's possible to retro fit soundproofing in a terraced house? Probably not, apart from velvet wall hangings on the party wall!

I would have to assume that as a terrace you would be able to hear next door

Yes I think that's right insancerre. I suppose it's a question of how much you can hear - gentle vague hum of people talking is ok, hearing what the person on the other end of the phone is saying a la celtic below, less so!

It certainly does seem to vary - I've been in terraces where you can hear very little. I suppose it can depend on the layout - open plan where there isn't a hall may be worse (because downstairs rooms are directly 'touching')?

Yes, you can get soundproofing done on the party walls of terraced houses. However, you will lose space - some people stick on acoustic boards which means you lose less space, but the more effective way is to build an independent cavity wall. We're having this done and after much research on beams, etc. we will be losing 11cm of living space as opposed to 15cm.
We're not having this done because of noisy neighbours, - we can't heard much from them , but because it is a building control requirement as we are converting two flats into one.
We are also required to have a sound insulation test once the sound insulation has been completed - so, if you are thinking of buying a terrace, you can request this be done? (Not sure what your sellers would think though).

The other thing I've noticed is that open fireplaces and wood burning stoves lend themselves to rooms being more prone to being able to hear the neighbours - this is only what I've noticed after talking to various people about the noise of their neighbours in terraces.

HTH

Thanks twoflats! Interesting about open fireplaces - yes I can see how that might make sound travel or echo more. (non expert opinion here!)

For the sound insulation test, do you need access to the neighbour's house to measure how much sound is going through? I can certainly see that it might be difficult to get their agreement (and the vendor's, as you say!)

Yes, I was told that 'ideally' you would have access to neighbour's to do the test, so maybe there is a way of doing it without access? I don't know, as we have very accommodating neighbours.
The vendor's might be up for it if they are confident that their property will pass the sound test, as I imagine it would be an asset for selling - bit like a certificate to prove they don't have any issues.

I can hear a lot through the wall in my Edwardian terrace. It's not about the thickness of the walls. It's about the quality of the walls. We suspect that there's losses of holes in the mortar. How I miss the soundproofing of my previous modern flat!

Gotta say, having lived in a succession of Victorian or Edwardian terraced houses, they are really very good soundproof side-to-side for day-to-day noise in my experience.

I mean, you'd hear a loud party with music, or loud DIY but everyday conversation and sounds I have never had a problem with in any of them.

I’m in a Victorian terrace and am moving because of the noise either side.
Nothing extreme but can hear conversation,coughing etc and it’s getting intrusive.

I’ve got thicker than average solid walls at 18inch party and 13inch internal. Externals walls are thicker again with a cavity. Blocks all sounds upto a certain point then the sound comes through like a knife through butter.
I think the wall acts like a speaker once it reaches it limit, very odd. For example I can set my tv at 55db I can hear nothing in the room next door or above - glass to the wall job(sound proofed the floors already) Turn upto 60db and I can hear - murmur at about 10db. 65db and you can hear it clearly. Same with the neighbours tv it transfers across the entire party wall as it’s attached to the wall i can tell as their hoover and google home can’t be heard across the entire wall just in the opposite room.

I’m going to sound proof the worst wall as a test. TwoFlatsasOne2019 please tell me what solutions you’re going to use which is 11cm. Best I can find is 14cm for separate wall or 9cm for a genie clip system with double board sandwiched between vinyl on the other side. I’d be very interested in your results before I go ripping out and matching original coving.... if I can up my soundproofing to increase my wall to 65db stc or atleast not to transfer it like a on off switch speaker at 65db I’d be so happy.

When viewing any potential houses if the vendor leaves the tv or radio on quite loud during the whole viewing that could be an indication they're trying to drown out some noise from next door.

(Speaking from experience)

THere are two many variables.

I’d say view several times, and as someone upthread said try to choose a time when the neighbours will be in.

I almost bought a terrace years ago, we were offer agreed and it was by chance I walked past at the weekend and could hear a live band playing next door.
“ oh it’s not a problem for us” it would be for me, so I pulled out.

Thanks all - this is all so helpful! Reassuring to know that if all else fails there are acoustic panels - though obviously reducing room sizes is an issue!

Live band playing! And I suppose it works the other way as well - eg if you want to play the piano or electric guitar you want to be sure you won't be infuriating your neighbours when you do it!

Depends on the house. How well and when they were built.

Many round here are 60's or 70's built, a row of three, and partly staggered, so only a small part of my house is attached to my elderly neighbour.

I hear nothing from her. Ever.

You just have to view at different times of the day.

My parents' neighbours removed all their internal walls downstairs and now my parents can hear absolutely everything. It sounds like the neighbours are in the same house. It was fine before they did that, so beware!