Hole in the wall + noise issues = need yr repair advice
Hi all, While installing a new plumbing pipe in the party wall, our neighbor made a substantial hole in our wall. We were devastated to see the damage to our home but the good news is that he will make the repairs and, we hope, all will be amicably resolved. Meanwhile we can now hear…
Hi all, While installing a new plumbing pipe in the party wall, our neighbor made a substantial hole in our wall. We were devastated to see the damage to our home but the good news is that he will make the repairs and, we hope, all will be amicably resolved. Meanwhile we can now hear EVERYTHING on his side of the wall and he presumably can hear us. The adjacent rooms, btw, are our bedroom and his bathroom. He has closed up his side while ours is still open. We can actually see the back of the pipe he installed because our bricks were pushed out of place. Obviously the bricks will be reset and the wall will be replastered. But I have always understood that when a major barrier is broken/changed within or between houses (floors, walls etc), the sound proofing is lost. How do we recreate it? What additional steps beyond the repair I described above will be necessary? Any extra precautionary steps we should be taking? I’m very concerned that we could have a structurally and aesthetically sound repair but one that would nevertheless be compromised if we don’t address the sound issue as an integral part of the work.
Thanks, Eric. That’s exactly how our damage happened. Those party walls are not as thick as most people think. Just checked out your site. I could be calling you soon!
i had the same thing happen, neighbor blew out the wall in my living room while renovating a bathroom. the plumber was cutting the vent stack.
to soundproof, you need to completely seal the wall so that no air can travel from his side of the wall to yours. cement, plaster, structolite will do this.
i repaired our wall and have not had a problem with noise from the other side of the wall.
sound does travel thru solids as well as air, not wanting to start a whole acoustics arguement here, sealing the wall worked for me.
thx, eric. handymaneric.com
Thanks, Bruce. You’re correct that I don’t know if we will actually hvae a problem once the repair has been made. But my experience with these houses is to err on the side of caution. Because we still have the original ceiling moldings and baseboards, building out the wall with an extra layer (eg. homasote) isn’t feasible. But we could try to fill the wall cavity between our bricks and the neighbors. But I’ve read on this site that when the surface becomes continuous from one side to the other (ie. no gap) sound simply transfers through the layers. So is it really advisable to fill the cavity after all? Also, we won’t be using sheet rock for the repair, only plaster.
I dispute your contention, namely that some sort of previous sound barrier would be lost to a new repair.
New mortar and cement is stronger than old, but not enough to make difference. Nevertheless you may want to consider insulation in any unfille dspace, plus homasote flat on the outside. Old plaster was better than new sheet rock, homasote helps make up the difference.
Human nature will cause you to pay attention in a way that you previously ignored.
I dispute your contention, namely that some sort of previous sound barrier would be lost to a new repair.
New mortar and cement is stronger than old, but not enough to make difference. Nevertheless you may want to consider insulation in any unfille dspace, plus homasote flat on the outside. Old plaster was better than new sheet rock, homasote helps make up the difference.
Human nature will cause you to pay attention in a way that you previously ignored.