Building insulation requirements

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hi all,

Is anyone aware of any building insulation requirements that need to be met for buildings in Switzerland??

Our walls are made of paper, we can hear everything and of course everybody can hear us. I'm not talking about loud music, barking dogs, walking in heels:.: just chatting in the livingroom or opening/closing of doors/drawers.

Help!!!!

Thanks

2
Is it a new building or a very old one?

3
Old I guess....

Helppp!!!

4
I get that you're frustrated, but there is probably not a lot you can do if the building is old.

5
We had this issue. We lived in a 2005 built building where the floors were horribly insulated yet everyone expected not to hear a peep. If anyone complains about your noise, make sure you complain about their noise just as much. Many people here seem to live in a fantasy world where 6 unit buildings, all close together, filled with kids, are somehow magically supposed to be library quiet. In the meantime, construction is getting cheaper as builders want to make every penny they can.

Good luck.

Dan

6
I live in a converted factory building where the walls are between 15cm and 30cm thick -I never heard a neighbour. If you want to live normally at night then look for something similar.

7
I live in a newish (2011) "high-rise" (by Swiss standards), and the only thing I can hear is the Australian elephants who recently moved in on the 10th floor. It's incredible how loudly they walk (definitely heel-toe rather than toe-heel!). That said, I only hear that because it's direct impact with the floor - I had one other noise complaint with an Italian neighbor who thought it would be a good idea to point his subwoofer at full volume directly at my bedroom. Otherwise, I can't hear anything that's going on anywhere else in the building, e.g. voices, TV, whatever. I've tested by standing just outside my door in the hallway, and it's as close to noise-proof as anywhere I've ever lived.

I suggest looking for something newly constructed, and make a point of asking just how much concrete is between each floor. That can make a significant difference.

8
Thanks everyone for your suggestions, unfortunately I have JUST moved into this flat so moving to somewhere new is not an option if I'm honest, at least not in the mid term

9
Read this; sorry it's in french, but there's a link to the same article in german, top-left.

http://www.stauffer-schallschutz.ch/...ns-le-batiment

There are strict norms about all aspects of building, but owners/builders will usually only pay for the absolute minimum they can get away with (no matter what the architect has specified in the original plans), as it's the look of their finished building they really care about, not the hidden details

.... and occasionally mistakes happen as well.

Extra thick concrete floors for example won't help one jot if the separation joint is missing between the floor and the walls. Same with pipework and ventilation tubes, both are excellent carriers of noise if they're not properly separated from the body of the building.

Your townhall should be able to point you towards a copy of local requirements as they do vary slightly from area to area, and ask your neighbours if they're having similar problems (several renters complaining about the same problem will clearly carry significantly more weight than just one). Then join ASLOCA for advice about how to proceed.

Find your local branch here;

http://www.asloca.ch/

10
Hi all,

We moved into a new apartment block at the beginning of last year on the second floor, towards the end of the year a gym opened on the 1st floor below us.

Before we moved in the verbally assured us the building was well insulated and not a problem.

In the evening time our son has trouble sleeping when the muscle men are in slamming the weights, this goes on until 10PM.

We discussed with the gym management and they made a few superficial changes but did not really help.

I am in discussions now with the building management but not getting much help. Their solution is to move us to another apartment if one becomes free but that is madness.

Any suggestions, should I contact a lawyer, town hall?

11
Unless the space is not properly zoned for commercial use, i don't think there is a lot you can do about it. The noise is within the normal hours, and reasonable limits.

It might help your case if you got the sound measured.

And as for 'waking small babies' there may be lots of other things you can try to help your baby to sleep through background noise (and in fact learning to sleep through noise/interruptions is a skill that is very useful in life). The frequently waking baby may have very little to do with the background noise....

I actually think that the offer to move you to another apartment, is not madness at all.... Surely inconvenient, but assuming you are planning to rent long-term, it would probably be a very wise idea....

On the other hand, the muscle men downstairs are unlikely to complain when your child starts running up and down th corridor, throwing tantrums, chucking their toys around...your child is likely to get noisier as life goes on!

12
Stick empty egg cartons to the wall, to reduce the noise ...... at least with all the eggs you'll have to consume, to get the empty boxes, you'll probably end up drowning out any neighbours' noise, anyway.