Advice on buying a brand new home > Snagging and defects

Sound insulation in Taylor Wimpey home

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Jasonis63:
We bought a terraced Taylor Wimpey home in November 2016 and we have been having some noise issues with one of our neighbours, but not through any fault of theirs.

What would be acceptable with regards to what we should and shouldn't be hearing?
We can constantly hear their children playing loudly and running around from our living room (although sounds like it is coming from their upstairs). We can also hear them telling their children off etc. so we can't hear low level talking as such but we can hear a lot.

The lady that lives on the other side has asked us before if we can hear her playing her music loudly and she says she has also been learning the trombone, but we have never heard anything from that side at all!

I have contacted Taylor Wimpey about this and they eventually arranged for their customer liaison manager to come and visit. Annoyingly, he was supposed to arrive at 9am but eventually turned up at 1pm (which is annoying because, has he arrived when he was supposed to, he would’ve heard the extent of the problem!).

When he did arrive, there was little to no activity from next door - only a few footsteps and a little bit of knocking about etc. He then went on to ask if I had lived in a semi or terraced house before, as "if it’s not something you’re used to, you might be a bit more sensitive to the normal amount of noise from adjoining properties than others", however we have lived in both a flat and a semi before and haven't had a problem!

After venting my frustrations slightly at him, he eventually agreed that they he would come back with a Taylor Wimpey operative and do a test on the wall, although he did try to make out that this was very intrusive and that they would need to drill my nice new walls in order to carry out the test - I have since received an email stating the following:


--- Quote --- "It’s a shame I wasn't able to hear the issue however I have now obtained the drawing and robust wall detail as mentioned.
 
Are you available  dd mmm at ##.##?
I have provisionally diarised this date and time to visit with a Taylor Wimpey operative. He will drill some small test holes and we can check/confirm the correct cavity insulation has been installed by using a borescope."
--- End quote ---

I am a little worried, as I felt I was being fobbed off before the problem had even been investigated. Does it sound like the testing is going to be extensive enough to actually conclude anything?
I'm also worried that maybe we are just "a little sensitive to the noise levels from adjoining homes".

I apologise if my rambling doesn't make any sense, I just thought I would try my luck and seek some advice on here.

Site carpenter:
Insulation does reduce noise, so good that this is being checked. However sound travels through wood (i presume you have timber framed house). There should be no wood connecting your stud wall to your neighbours, there should be a clear cavity between party walls to stop sound transfer. The cavity should be aprox 50mm. I recently worked on a multi occupancy building, the flats were separated by two stud petitions with a cavity between. Any physical connection between the two stud walls was not allowed. Hope this helps.

New Home Expert:
It dies seem strange that you can't hear a trombone from one neighbour but can hear children from the other side.
This would indicate there is some form of breach in the requirement of the Robust Details.

I too would conclude that you live in a timber frame house. I would guess that either:
1) sound insulation is missing or incomplete (quite common issue with Taylor Wimpey)
2) there is a connection of the two walls allowing sound passage
3) and/or there is a hole or gap that sound can transfer through.

One thing for sure is you are not being sensitive and it does look like you are being fobbed off by Taylor Wimpey.

If they are making a hole in the wall it will be for a boroscope camera to check the insulation or lack of and for any non compliance with the Robust details. A sound test should need a hole in a wall!  Following the testing, Taylor Wimpey are required to make good the hole and re decorate for you.

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