Problem: Kitchen, bathroom and entertainment noises are clearly audible in the "quiet" areas of home or a neighboring apartment
Cause: Poor layout: Noisy rooms are beside quiet rooms.
Solutions:
- Install rubber or felt bumpers to cushion the impact of slamming kitchen cabinet doors and drawers.
- Check for obvious leaks or flanking paths. "Flanking" refers to transmission around a barrier: Sound is conducted by structural materials or cavities that bypass the barrier intended to separate rooms and spaces. Such alternative paths increase the amount of sound transmission in buildings, even if there is a good design and construction. For example, running a plywood sub-floor under a costly double-stud party wall can reduce sound blockage from outstanding to unacceptable.
- Have the designer plan apartments that place rooms with similar noise levels against both sides or the party wall.