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Understanding Construction Basics: Why You Can Hear Your Neighbors

Understanding Construction Basics: Why You Can Hear Your Neighbors

Understanding Construction Basics: Why You Can Hear Your Neighbors

Even if your neighbors are thoughtful and tip-toe across their floor, play their television and music quietly, and abstain from wild parties, you're still possibly plagued with the noises that accompany their everyday life. Sound control is one of the most neglected considerations when looking for an apartment.

According to our experts on apartments in Cayce, SC, if your apartment's construction has any of the following issues, it might be why you can hear the people upstairs, next door, and beyond.

Low-Density Materials

In general, the denser the materials, the better the sound barrier, so for the best sound control, you need:

  • Solid wood doors, not plywood with hollow cores
  • Thick walls with good insulation
  • Noise-reducing windows rated by their sound transmission class (STC). The higher the barrier's STC number, the fewer noises will be heard. While other factors affect noise control in windows, insulated glass panes, like dual-pane or triple-pane, deliver much greater sound control than single-pane windows. Nevertheless, since better-rated windows can be particularly pricey, they can be rare in many rentals.

Single-layer walls

A single-skin wall has one layer. Builders occasionally use it because it's less costly than its cousin, a cavity wall. In addition, unlike dental cavities, wall cavities are suitable.

With cavity-wall construction, two walls parallel each other with a space between them. Generally, the greater the distance between wall surfaces, the better the system can reduce noise transfer.

There are additional factors, like the types of materials between the wall and how those materials are attached to the structure, but this gives you an excellent start.

Lacking acoustic insulation

With double-skin barriers, builders can add insulation, but they may select it for its thermal qualities, not its power to lock out undesired sounds. Fiberglass and mineral wool insulation help well to keep noise away.

Cracks and gaps

Cracks and gaps in a facility's construction can add to noise levels. For example, there could be gaps around inadequately sealed doors and windows. Your landlord may use weather stripping to minimize their effect. Also, you might discover cracks in walls, ceilings, and floors, which can be patched.

Even electrical fittings can supply a path through which sound can journey, especially if holes are near them. An oversized plate can help lower the noise that seeps through.

Squeaky floors

Sometimes creaking floors are enough to wake you up at night even though your upstairs neighbor walks as quietly as possible across the floor for a night journey to the bathroom.

It may be because floorboards are not well connected to the floor joists or a wood floor is chafing against a plywood subfloor, which are problems a reliable landlord should be able to repair.

Hard, non-noise surfaces

If you've ever visited a cave or canyon, you understand how sound echoes on its unforgiving surface. Essentially, the sound bounces at you from the hard surface, just like a racquetball bounces around on the hardened surface of a racquetball court.

These are just a few reasons you may hear your neighbors. Contact us today for apartments in Cayce, SC. We want to be your next home.

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