Why are semis not built opposite
Discussion
95% of semi-detatched properties ive seen all have the master bedroom and lounge room on the adjoining wall to the neighbour.
We would be gutted to move into a semi-detatched property and find out we lived next to a noisy neighbour, so we are trying to find ones that have the room on the opposite side, yet just not finding any, detatched houses come with a premium we cant really afford.
Is there a reason they are built like this? Is there anything that can be done to know how thin the walls are before moving in? Or is there anything that can be put on the wall to prevent noise transfer.
We would be gutted to move into a semi-detatched property and find out we lived next to a noisy neighbour, so we are trying to find ones that have the room on the opposite side, yet just not finding any, detatched houses come with a premium we cant really afford.
Is there a reason they are built like this? Is there anything that can be done to know how thin the walls are before moving in? Or is there anything that can be put on the wall to prevent noise transfer.
It's a funny one all right but there are "halls adjoining" semis out there. I used to live in one. It was built in 1910, but it was a pair of semis built by an individual developer, not part of an estate or whole street, one of the houses being for himself. So it was built with this exact problem in mind I suppose.
I expect the fella above is right that it was cheaper to build them "rooms adjoining" for chimney reasons. Maybe you're going to need to search for more modern properties which didn't have chimneys, as well as period properties.
I expect the fella above is right that it was cheaper to build them "rooms adjoining" for chimney reasons. Maybe you're going to need to search for more modern properties which didn't have chimneys, as well as period properties.
"Halls adjoining" semis exist in small numbers and as you might expect it's a bit of a selling point.
A lot of Britain's housing stock pre dates central heating so putting the receptions together made sense for insulation, also they didn't have noisy audio/visual systems especially todays sub woofers etc, and also kids were told to be quiet or go outside to let off steam rather than today's "stamping and screaming for hours on end is expressing themselves" form of parenting.
A lot of Britain's housing stock pre dates central heating so putting the receptions together made sense for insulation, also they didn't have noisy audio/visual systems especially todays sub woofers etc, and also kids were told to be quiet or go outside to let off steam rather than today's "stamping and screaming for hours on end is expressing themselves" form of parenting.
We've just moved into a new build that is exactly as you want:
Staircases are on the shared wall and all rooms apart from the kitchen, downstairs loo and 4th bedroom (office) are on the opposite side of the house
http://www.croudacehomes.co.uk/new-homes/hampshire...
Staircases are on the shared wall and all rooms apart from the kitchen, downstairs loo and 4th bedroom (office) are on the opposite side of the house
http://www.croudacehomes.co.uk/new-homes/hampshire...
Teddy Lop said:
A lot of Britain's housing stock pre dates central heating so putting the receptions together made sense for insulation, also they didn't have noisy audio/visual systems especially todays sub woofers etc, and also kids were told to be quiet or go outside to let off steam rather than today's "stamping and screaming for hours on end is expressing themselves" form of parenting.
Quite so - and much predates electric lighting as well, when people tended to go to bed earlier.I'm in a 50s ex-MOD house and it is partly like this - the staircase, dining room and 2nd bedrooms are adjacent, the kitchen/bathroom/living rooms are on the opposite sides of the house. I only really use those rooms so it's nice and quiet, despite a noisy family living next door. Regarding chimneys - it does have two chimney stacks, the main one is pretty large unfortunately.
metal batten sat off the wall (Gyprock Acoustud, for example (looks like a greek E in section), insulated between with a dense batt insulation (Gyprock Isover or similar), overboarded with either 1 or 2 layers of Gyprock soundbloc wallboard (the purple one), seal the abutments to floor, walls, and ceiling with acoustic sealant, and jobs a good'un, ish. You will still have potential sound leakage points through where the floor abuts the wall, but you could always lift the boards and install some dense batt insulation.
It will never be perfect, but it's a starter for 10.
From memory, without looking at the Whitebook, with two layers of soundbloc you can reduce noise levels by 60dB? With one it's more like 40.
It will never be perfect, but it's a starter for 10.
From memory, without looking at the Whitebook, with two layers of soundbloc you can reduce noise levels by 60dB? With one it's more like 40.
Edited by Triumph Man on Friday 5th July 13:58
I've always thought halls together was a good idea. You can share a porch. 
Handy it if you want to borrow a cup of sugar, hammer drill, condom, spliff, line of coke or something.
Eta
Terraces are usually halls together, so look for an end of terrace.
Handy it if you want to borrow a cup of sugar, hammer drill, condom, spliff, line of coke or something.
Eta
Terraces are usually halls together, so look for an end of terrace.
Edited by PositronicRay on Friday 5th July 14:39
Triumph Man said:
metal batten sat off the wall (Gyprock Acoustud, for example (looks like a greek E in section), insulated between with a dense batt insulation (Gyprock Isover or similar), overboarded with either 1 or 2 layers of Gyprock soundbloc wallboard (the purple one), seal the abutments to floor, walls, and ceiling with acoustic sealant, and jobs a good'un, ish. You will still have potential sound leakage points through where the floor abuts the wall, but you could always lift the boards and install some dense batt insulation.
It will never be perfect, but it's a starter for 10.
From memory, without looking at the Whitebook, with two layers of soundbloc you can reduce noise levels by 60dB? With one it's more like 40.
I'm thinking about SM20 sheets + 2x layers of sound bloc as I've bought a new home and i am quite frankly sick to the tits of hearing next doors 2 year old constantly scream the house down at every opportunity. It will never be perfect, but it's a starter for 10.
From memory, without looking at the Whitebook, with two layers of soundbloc you can reduce noise levels by 60dB? With one it's more like 40.
Edited by Triumph Man on Friday 5th July 13:58
Any idea how effective that is?
Never thought about this.... My semi.. Built in '61 is halls / stairs adjoining.... It was built old school... So entirely brick built and solid floor boards etc...
Has never been any noise issues until next door took their stair carpet up... Now sounds like their kids are permanently wearing clogs....
That said it doesn't even register as annoying just got used to it...
Has never been any noise issues until next door took their stair carpet up... Now sounds like their kids are permanently wearing clogs....
That said it doesn't even register as annoying just got used to it...
Used to live in a stairs together. Strangely the one annoying noise was someone in teh adjacent property going up or down stairs at night - sound must have travelled / amplified under the boards. 1980s Wimpey build with tissue paper for floorboards.
Not the worst noise though. Next door had wooden flooring over the boards. The "rather weighty" people that lived there, one of them wore stillettos all the time when indoors!!!!
Mind, then they moved out and failed to rent the house for a year. Noticed our heating bill go up in the winter and our stairs never heated up (they'd totally turn all their services off, inc electric)!
Not the worst noise though. Next door had wooden flooring over the boards. The "rather weighty" people that lived there, one of them wore stillettos all the time when indoors!!!!
Mind, then they moved out and failed to rent the house for a year. Noticed our heating bill go up in the winter and our stairs never heated up (they'd totally turn all their services off, inc electric)!
I think it depends on the age of the house as well
Just left a new build which was halls ajoining, however the walls were so bad we heard everything anyway, it was a bit of a nightmare. Moved to a 1930's semi with Lounge ajoining and I'd struggle to tell anyone lived next door. I checked with my neighbour after one drunken night of quite a loud film and he hadn't heard a peep
Just left a new build which was halls ajoining, however the walls were so bad we heard everything anyway, it was a bit of a nightmare. Moved to a 1930's semi with Lounge ajoining and I'd struggle to tell anyone lived next door. I checked with my neighbour after one drunken night of quite a loud film and he hadn't heard a peep
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