HA Acoustics were engaged to provide technical advice on sound insulation between a ground floor and first floor flat, located within a Victorian two-storey house conversion in Putney.

Many people are bothered by neighbour noise. The problem can occur in any type of existing or new built house or flat where there is a common separating floor. Poor quality conversions or building work (flats, lofts, extensions etc.) frequently cause noise complaints from residents. In flats converted before June 1992 there may have been little or no sound insulation improvement undertaken on the floor. If this is the case, upgrading the floor is likely to lead to significant improvements.

For example, sound from the first floor flat may be travelling into the ground floor flat through a number of routes. It may be coming directly through the separating floor or it may be coming along another indirect route, called a flanking path.

Problems with airborne and structure borne sound are often associated both with direct transmission through a floor and flanking transmission via supporting walls and other associated structures.   HA Acoustics designed a separating floor to cut out this unwanted noise travelling along direct and flanking paths.