Who do I consult about soundproofing my condo?

Question

I need someone to come into my place and analyze what can be done to reduce the noise from my neighbors, either with flooring or adding drywall to the existing wall. I may make these alterations since I own it, but I need to know what type of contractor to consult. Does anyone know?

Answer 1

I assume you want to insulate your floors and walls from neighbors below and/or next to you.  Dealing with acoustic problems is a specialty.  The best and most unbias answers would come from an architect or engineer familiar with reducing sound transmission in buildings.  First I'll say that there's no such thing as "sound-proofing" - emphisis on "proofing".  However, one can reduce sound transmisssion.  Another key factor is the frequency of the sound you want to control i.e. base drums or violin music.

Bottom Line:  Doesn't the Condo Association have rules about these problems ?    FLOORS:  Carpet store sell special padding for carpet that has a lower acoustic transmission  factor than regular padding.  Carpet is also good because it absorbs sound waves in the room and doesn't reflect them back into the room.  If you have bare wood floors and want to keep them that way, you're pretty much stuck unless you pay lots of money to replace them with a special acoustic floor system.  WALLS: Adding gypsum board to your walls will not help.  Adding low-density materials such a wood fiber board or foam board insulation will help, together with an air space, but they need to be covered by other "finish" materials to protect and fire-proof them.  BASIC'S:  A wall finish that's separtate, loose or flexable from the basic wall behind it reduces the transfer of sound.  Plastic films reflect high frequencies; a lead sheet reduces the transmission of "base" sounds.   Gypsum board can be bought with a lead sheet adhered to the back of the panel - they use it around xray rooms.  None of this is cheap and you'll have to put up with a mess during construction.

Answer 2

Could you put additional insulation in the wall between you and your neighbors?  In this month's Good Housekeeping magazine, they have some "go green" recommendations and that was one of them.  We live in a hot climate and it is supposed to help cool the house.  When I started researching it, soundproofing was listed as one of the benefits.   Just a thought.