Down sizing

slowmart

The decision has been made to downsize the family home.

So other than growing up I've always lived in detached houses but I've always admired older victorian properties due to their solid build aspects, high ceilings, large windows and well proportioned rooms. A terrace or semi purchase brings distinct advantages but I'd like to hear from owners about pitfalls, noise transfer from neighbours etc. When i go back to my moms you can hear next doors phone ring and the occasional door slam.

Thanks in advance

jeatsy

For older terraces, there are two things I can think of.

First is that there might be a right of way through your garden so that next door can get to their garden from the street.

Second is that the attics are often separated with a bit of plywood, if that.

FishFish

Speaking from experience - a semi has the obvious constraint and add parking issues.

pblakeney

Good neighbours are a godsend, bad neighbours will have you contacting estate agents again.

rjsterry

I own a '30s terraced house but spend a large part of my working life dealing with Victorian houses. Firstly, don't assume that old equates to well built or well maintained. The build quality is as varied as houses from any other era. Also after 150 years, they can need a lot of looking after especially if previous owners have slacked off on maintenence. They can be a bit of a money pit. The acoustic separation between houses can be addressed, particularly as part of a wider refurbishment. Two other problems are heating and damp. They were built to be very well ventilated, with an open hearth in every room, loose fitting single glazed sash windows, drafty attics and suspended ground floors with gappy floorboards. This can make them difficult to heat comfortably, or if you upgrade the windows, insulate the floor and roof, and cap off the chimneys, you can get problems with damp due to the reduced ventilation. It's all solvable, but at a cost. Hope I haven't scared you off. There are lots of good books on owning and maintaining Victorian properties which will cover the above in much more detail. If you've got any more specific questions let me know.

slowmart

rjsterry wrote:

I own a '30s terraced house but spend a large part of my working life dealing with Victorian houses. Firstly, don't assume that old equates to well built or well maintained. The build quality is as varied as houses from any other era. Also after 150 years, they can need a lot of looking after especially if previous owners have slacked off on maintenence. They can be a bit of a money pit. The acoustic separation between houses can be addressed, particularly as part of a wider refurbishment. Two other problems are heating and damp. They were built to be very well ventilated, with an open hearth in every room, loose fitting single glazed sash windows, drafty attics and suspended ground floors with gappy floorboards. This can make them difficult to heat comfortably, or if you upgrade the windows, insulate the floor and roof, and cap off the chimneys, you can get problems with damp due to the reduced ventilation. It's all solvable, but at a cost. Hope I haven't scared you off. There are lots of good books on owning and maintaining Victorian properties which will cover the above in much more detail. If you've got any more specific questions let me know.

Thanks for this and your kind offer of further advice. We've owned older properties previously and became aware we had to let the house "breathe" and whilst we've enjoyed the new home option as well it's the older properties which appeal more.

Are there any industry standards for acoustic separation?

rjsterry

Slowmart wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I own a '30s terraced house but spend a large part of my working life dealing with Victorian houses. Firstly, don't assume that old equates to well built or well maintained. The build quality is as varied as houses from any other era. Also after 150 years, they can need a lot of looking after especially if previous owners have slacked off on maintenence. They can be a bit of a money pit. The acoustic separation between houses can be addressed, particularly as part of a wider refurbishment. Two other problems are heating and damp. They were built to be very well ventilated, with an open hearth in every room, loose fitting single glazed sash windows, drafty attics and suspended ground floors with gappy floorboards. This can make them difficult to heat comfortably, or if you upgrade the windows, insulate the floor and roof, and cap off the chimneys, you can get problems with damp due to the reduced ventilation. It's all solvable, but at a cost. Hope I haven't scared you off. There are lots of good books on owning and maintaining Victorian properties which will cover the above in much more detail. If you've got any more specific questions let me know.

Thanks for this and your kind offer of further advice. We've owned older properties previously and became aware we had to let the house "breathe" and whilst we've enjoyed the new home option as well it's the older properties which appeal more.

Are there any industry standards for acoustic separation?

Yes, but only for new builds and conversions. If you have a look at Approved Document E of the Building Regulations that will give you those standards. For what you can actually do to a building, have a look at some of the manufacturers' websites.

https://www.hushacoustics.co.uk/
https://www.trimacoustics.co.uk/
http://www.cellecta.co.uk/acoustic-insu ... ors-walls/

There are two types of noise - airborne and impact. The former is a bit like water: if there is a gap in the wall or floor, the sound will leak through, but can be stopped by blocking up any gaps and filling voids. Impact sound is transmitted through the building structure so if your neighbour slams a door that impact is transferred into the wall studs, down into the floor joists and through the party wall into your floor structure into your floor and wall linings. To combat this you need to isolate wall and floor linings from the transmitting structure and add mass (weight) to the linings. There are various composite boards that can be fixed directly or via intermediate framing to a party wall, but you also need to pay particular attention to the edges/junctions with intermediate walls and floors or sound will be able to bypass all the expensive materials you have installed. Companies will have their own typical construction details for these junctions showing what ancillary products are required.