Poor sound insulation to the outside in thermal insulation bricks

...and such a thing is sold to an ignorant builder as solid construction

Yes, air is sold at a decent price

v.g.

Our new house (built in 2011) was constructed with thermal insulation bricks. Inside and outside, it was plastered with a breathable render. We now have a very good indoor climate and good thermal insulation, but unfortunately, we have to shockingly determine that our exterior walls hardly dampen external noise. Especially the gable walls, which stand perpendicular to the street, seem to catch the outside noise and then amplify it almost like a resonance body. If you press an ear against such an exterior wall when a car passes by, it feels as if the car is DRIVING INSIDE the wall. We have contacted the brick manufacturer about this problem. Such a soundproofing issue is not yet known there. Has anyone had similar experiences with thermal insulation bricks? What have you done to subsequently improve sound insulation? We would be very grateful for tips.

Hello!

What a mess! And the posts are getting more and more helpful.

Hans_Meier pretty much hit the nail on the head. Defects can of course never be ruled out, but I see no indication of that.

Sound is dampened by means of mass or decoupling. If you exclude the unaffordable measures (drywall) and those not recommended due to expected problems with vapor diffusion, in my opinion only adding mass remains, e.g. applying gypsum boards (inside). There are apparently also special insulation boards, but how these behave in the area of exterior walls is unknown to me.

Here it is really necessary, in order not to make the problem worse by "improving" it, to get professional advice. Whether an expert on building defects will ultimately be worth the money here, I would doubt.

Best regards,
Tomtom.

Hello,

Here it is really necessary, in order not to make the problem worse by well-meaning but misguided attempts, to seek professional advice. Whether a surveyor for construction defects will ultimately be worth the money here, I would doubt.

And where should he get professional advice from, if not for example from an "Expert in Insulation Technology (thermal, cold, sound insulation)" or an "Expert in Noise Protection"? There are experts and specialist assessors almost like sand on the sea; unfortunately, this also shows in what a (often) customer-distant world we live.

All the "tinkering" with the possible cause here in the forum is pointless. There are many possibilities, therefore an on-site assessment is the right way to obtain effective solution proposals.

Kind regards

Hello!

To be clear: He is supposed to seek professional advice - but not for a questionable court case against the BU, rather for a remedy.

I see neither a defect here nor too many related possibilities (and certainly not in the area of the screed).

A wall must fulfill 3 requirements: statics, sound insulation, and thermal insulation. In monolithic construction (so to speak the "jack of all trades"), good values cannot be achieved in all areas.

Best regards,
Tomtom.

Thank you very much for the contributions. I have absolutely no intention of suing anyone. I also do not want to have expensive expert reports made, which would not improve the situation anyway. I turned to the forum 1. to possibly find others suffering from the same issue. Because according to the architect and brick manufacturer, our problem is completely unknown so far. Apparently, no one before us has complained about the poor sound insulation properties of our brick. 2. to get tips for improvement. We already had a big meeting consisting of an architect, a structural engineer, a shell builder, and the brick manufacturer. The gentlemen were quiet for about one second and then assured each other that they could not hear any outside noises. No wonder, the outside noises are not that loud to drown out a conversation among so many people. From this committee, we received as good advice as to hang heavy fabrics on the outer wall and/or set up an aquarium so that the outside noises are drowned out. But under no circumstances should we install a soundproof wall with a vapor barrier inside, because then our wonderful indoor climate would be destroyed. So you see, we urgently need real tips. To what kind of specialist should we turn now? And what about the gypsum boards, can they be glued directly from the inside to the outer wall without a vapor barrier?

Hi!

I would have thought an architect was expert enough - after the tips described, I'm no longer sure.

The gypsum (plasterboard or fiber) boards can be glued directly (with gypsum) without a vapor barrier; a problem would only occur with a vapor barrier.

This would only be less than optimal if you also want to screw on additional boards - which I would recommend.

A battens structure would have the necessary load-bearing capacity and would provide some decoupling. On the other hand, the screws would be sound bridges. But my main concern would be a shift of the dew point - and that is really a matter for experts.

Best regards,
Tomtom.