Bathroom Noise Insulation ??

[Dan]

I am planning to extend my house and have planned to relocate my bathroom. I am relocating it to a part of the house on the border of the next property. The next property is approximately 1.3m from my house, and there is a lounge room with a window.

I will be probably be placing the double storey extension on stumps.

The owners of the adjacent property have written to council requesting that for the proposal
1. the bathroom be insulated against noise,
2.that plumbing be concealed and insulated in the wall,
and 3. that ventilation will be noise dampened and shielded from view.

Is this really as much of an issue as they make out?
Are there alternatives to the above besides moving the bathroom?
Will this cost a lot more?
Will a slab or stumps be more appropriate, or no difference?

Thanks in advance...hope there are plumbers on the forum who have some ideas..

 

[Kristine..]

Dan

From the neighbour's point of view this is not an unreasonable request. After all, who wants to hear bathroom noises from the next door house, when you're sitting with visitors in your lounge room?

My study is in the laundry, and the downstairs loo is next door. I have a poster on the wall in there 'Please Do Not Use This Loo When Kristine Is On The Phone'. There have been times when I have had to assure callers that the flushing sound is not mine!

The ResCode and BCA requirements have all sorts of overlooking / overhearing restrictions now. While I can't quote you the audio requirements, the impact statement for a new dwelling or extension is that at 1.7m height, looking out the proposed window in a 55 degree arc, slewed 35 degrees either way, if an existing window to an habitable room in a neighbouring property is within 9 metres then the new window must be either relocated or raised to that it cannot be looked out of at that height and in that manner.

If it was the neighbours doing the extension, perhaps you would have required a similar condition.

Having been through the Tribunal this year for the medical centre application, and sat in the queue for more than four months, I'd be happy that the neighbour's were agreeable even with these conditions.

In the overall budget this soundproofing won't cost a lot more. And regarding the stumps v slab debate, it largely comes down to the issue of heating. If you plan on extending your existing (?) gas ducted heating system, go for stumps. If building the extension on a slab lowers your finished structural height (and if that is important) then go for a slab. If access to the space (bobcat / concrete pump) is a problem this may affect your decision. Cost wise both methods work out about the same on M class footings.

Cheers

Kristine

Have Laptop etc

 

[geoffw]

It gets worse in Switzerland- it used to be (not many years ago, and it may well still be the case) that in an apartment block, a man had to be seated for all ablutions after something like 10PM- so as not to make noises to disturb neighbours.

 

[bundy1964]

Totaly off topic almost

I have 5 aviaries that are 1m from the boundary with the back neighbour then a driveway. 5 pairs of parrots can put out a fair amount of noise when the want to Not to mention the other aviaries further away.

I have nothing closer than 12m to the house.....noise what noise

I havent had a complaint yet Just wait till I can have the chance to expand next door

bundy

 

[whitt]

i recently built a house in New Zealand and used noise control Gib on the bedrooms. I used a booklet supplied free by the manufacturers which had numerous specs and designs. It included plumbing , etc..