Paddy

Even more reason! Watch him, learn his habits, hopes and fears and manipulate them to become his best fwend.

Just imagine, in a couple of years time after a trip to his solicitor, you could be knocking that bedroom wall down and doubling the size of your house!

Bencat

I have been reading through the above threads with interest and although the threads are quite old, thought I would add to it because there is a lot of mis-conception on the best way to soundproof party walls. Many people want to add the thinnest solution possible with the best results but the two just don't go together. To achieve the best soundproofing results an independent soundproofed stud wall should be built about 25mm away from the existing wall. Also, eggbox type foam was mentioned as a possible solution but because eggbox profiled foam is a sound absorber, not a sound barrier, it will make little or no difference to reducing noise coming through the wall. And, depending on the age of the property, flanking noise around the wall can seriously reduce the benefits of any soundproofing applied to any wall as has already been mentioned concerning the floor joists. Basically, the older the house the easier it is to soundproof a party wall because flanking noise is less likely through the solid external structural walls. With modern, lightweight cavity walls, flanking noise is more easily transmitted through them.

I have found a Wall Soundproofing article on the web site of Sound Service that clearly explains this along with what to look for and how to address the possibility of flanking noise. It also goes on to explain the best way to soundproof the wall after flanking noise has been taken care of from the thinnest to the thickest, most effective solution. Interestingly enough, the thickest, most efficient system is also one of the cheapest. To view the article go to their web site www.soundservice.co.uk and on there, they also list a choice of soundproofing products that can be used for any noise problem including walls.