Problems with impact noise in a new condominium

Good day

We have been living in a new condominium for half a year. Classically built with concrete ceilings, formwork masonry with exterior insulation. We wonder if it is normal to hear the upstairs neighbors walking around, the water rushing, and the washing machine vibrating, etc. Shouldn't this be avoidable in a building from 2012 with today's measures?

According to the plan, the construction is as follows: 24 cm concrete ceiling, 4 cm insulation (of which 2 cm is impact sound insulation), 7 cm anhydrite mortar, and as a covering, tiles or parquet.

According to the plan, a Swedish cut was also made everywhere at ceiling/wall joints, and the walls rest on BASYDIL LDS sound insulation bearings.

We are now almost ready to conduct a sound measurement, as the general contractor and architect deny everything. They say it was built according to norm 181.

Can someone help me regarding similar experiences and perhaps recommend an acoustician in the Solothurn area?

Thank you very much

I have no experience, but it would also annoy me if it is that loud. It can't be that the architect then denies everything :( I'll have such a measurement done, and something different will probably come out, and then he has to fix it again.

There are already quite cheap devices where you can measure the noise yourself. Up to a certain level, you have to tolerate it, but I believe the maximum value is 65 db, which must not be (constantly) exceeded. There are surely also rulings about this, which you can look at to see what you can do. If the responsible parties do not move on the issue, you will have no other choice but to sue.

Hi Senni, well, I wouldn’t recommend the very cheap devices for just under 30 francs, and something better is already a few hundred francs expensive. It’s better to have a professional here, they have the pro devices, and what’s more important, you immediately have a report in hand that you can then throw at the architects :rolleyes:

Since she probably does not yet know exactly whether the noise is tolerable or not, such a cheap device would at least be a start. Then she would at least have a few reference points. If the value then clearly exceeds an allowable limit, a professional who can also produce an expert report is of course the right choice. But that also costs a lot of money. If the noise is not enough to get back at the architect, she will be left to bear the costs. I would always opt for the most cost-effective option first. Best regards Gerda

Hi Gerda, that's how it is with people, everyone has a different approach, I like to make definite decisions, what use is an approximate value to me, if it's too loud I still have to hire an expert, ergo paid twice. And the fact that it is too loud seems to be felt, because those who buy cheap buy twice, the saying is not without reason :)