What is a Sound Test?

A sound test is used to identify how much noise comes through a party wall between your house or apartment and the house next door. Sound tests can also be carried out through floors of neighbouring apartments

Why would I get a sound test?

Under Technical Guidance Document – E (Sound), of the current building regulations, a minimum sound resistance must be achieved between party walls and internal floors. Impact tests are also required between party floors. These regulations were introduced in 2014 to reduce noise interference between adjacent dwelling structures.

What is the process of carrying out a sound test?

An airborne sound test is carried out by creating a loud noise using a prominent speaker on one side of the wall and recording how much of that noise comes through the wall using a sound level meter. The same method applies to testing through floors. To carry out a sound test, the tester will need access to the two dwellings being tested, and the houses need to be unoccupied.

If a sound test fails what should I do?

If the sound test fails to achieve the minimum rating, there may be an apparent cause, such as vents too close together or holes in the party walls/floors. A failure will result from insufficient density in the wall/floor or inconsistency in the building fabric. However, noise transfer can be very complicated, and an acoustic engineer usually requires a design solution. The engineer will design a solution based on the results from the sound test.