Selection Stone New Single-Family House Construction

Good morning forum community,

I registered here because I hope to get some support for my construction project. I have already read quite a bit here. Unfortunately, I am still ultimately undecided regarding the choice of bricks for our new residential building. We are building a 1.5-story bungalow with about 140 m2 of living space. We have essentially decided on a wall thickness of 36.5 cm. We do not require KFW funding, etc., and are thus only trying to build towards an efficiency house 40 standard. We will have a brine heat pump, and the brine pipes are already installed. We definitely want to build monolithically, i.e., no ETICS if possible. Sound insulation is also important to us, both from the outside and from the inside. We will do all the work ourselves and can do so without any problems. Now there are plenty of brick systems. Somehow, I had already settled on a Poroton with a filling of 36.5 cm and also obtained the first offers. Those prices are quite high nowadays. But that's how it is. Now I am wondering if there are other options that might be somewhat cheaper? Stone is not an option for us for various reasons. Does anyone have experience specifically regarding sound insulation that they would like to share with me? Our consideration process so far has been as follows; 1. 36.5 cm Poroton filled with EPS successor or wood, interior walls made of sand-lime brick. There are apparently problems at the interfaces of the building materials. 2. 36.5 cm Poroton filled with EPS successor or wood, interior walls made of Poroton soundproof bricks backfilled... still in the running 3. 36.5 cm Poroton filled with EPS successor or wood, interior walls made of drywall. Also still in the running 4. KLB climate lightweight block I generally find very interesting and am trying to get an offer for it. I think it is even better than Poroton in terms of sound insulation 5. Old-school sand-lime brick would actually always have been my favorite. But unfortunately, that only works with ETICS.

It feels like there are a thousand Poroton brick manufacturers and all are great. At least in their presentations on the website. For example, I have not really been able to find a sound insulation report for any brick so far. Therefore, I also do not know how the manufacturers come up with any dB values?

So, in summary, we actually want to realize the best combination in price-performance-sound insulation somehow as masonry. We are not finally decided yet, although already leaning towards Poroton.

If anyone has experience, whether positive or negative, they are welcome to share it here with me.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Regards

5. Oldschool in sand-lime brick would actually always have been my favorite. But unfortunately, it only works with ETICS.

Where is the difference in insulation (regardless of the material) between sand-lime brick and the facing brick shell (which is actually the usual construction method with sand-lime brick) and a brick filled with insulation material? If you are opposed to ETICS, build with aerated concrete. If you do not exclude insulation, it does not matter.

So, in summary, we actually want to somehow realize the best combination of price-performance-sound insulation as masonry.

You could also simply ask your architect...

So, in summary, we actually want to somehow realize the best combination of price-performance-sound insulation as masonry.

Why and for what? Define your requirements for us. Airport flight path, next to the highway, purely residential area and you just have concerns, etc. What special sound insulation for inside and why? For which floor plan?

Where is the difference in insulation (regardless of the material) between KS and the brick veneer (which is actually the usual construction method with KS) and a brick filled with insulation material? If you are opposed to ETICS, build with aerated concrete. If you don't exclude insulation, it doesn't matter.

We don't want bricks and neither aerated concrete.

You could also simply ask your architect...

We already did. Poroton filled or unfilled!

Why and for what? Define your requirements for us. Flight path near an airport, next to the highway, purely residential area and you just have worries, etc. What special soundproofing for the interior and why? With which floor plan?

535 m as the crow flies to the highway. Actually not that disturbing. The worst thing is the morning rush hour and the approximately 1000 roosters crowing from 4:00 a.m. in the immediate neighborhood. For my light sleep, only earplugs help already. Inside actually quite normal. The bedrooms and my study should definitely be well isolated from the rest.

As the crow flies, 535 m to the highway. Actually not that disturbing. The worst is the morning rush hour traffic and the roughly 1000 roosters crowing from 4:00 a.m. in the immediate neighborhood. For my light sleep, only earplugs help now.
Inside, actually quite normal. The bedrooms and my study should be well insulated from the rest.

So actually no special requirements. Take any stone. Inside, you can also achieve great values with drywall construction (especially doable in DIY). BUT: Please coordinate everything with the architect. You cannot just build any walls as drywall. Even non-load-bearing walls could be bracing (and therefore necessarily solid).

We already have. Poroton filled or unfilled!

Filled or unfilled probably results in different wall thicknesses and therefore either affects the floor plan (cm go inward) or changes the external dimensions (cm go outward).

Actually, no special requirements. Take any stone. Inside, you can also achieve great values with drywall construction (especially good for DIY). BUT: Please coordinate everything with the architect. You can't just build any walls as drywall. Even non-load-bearing walls can be bracing (and therefore necessarily solid).

We will definitely coordinate this with the architect. It will also be included in the architectural planning.

Filled or unfilled might result in different wall thicknesses and thus either influence the floor plan (cm go inward) or change the external dimensions (cm go outward).

Yes, exactly. We are aware of that. But thanks for the info. We will take it into account.

If the topic of sound is significant, you should not only think about the exterior wall. I almost believe that there are quite different "weak points" where sound can penetrate the house. Besides, there is not just ONE kind of sound.
I am not an expert, but for example, with us there are roosters crowing in groups of three from 4 a.m., and then only closing the windows helps.
During the day, there is often noise from farmers next door, mowing the lawn, etc., and again – windows closed. Since we have air conditioning, that is not a problem in summer.
In addition, we have an exposed roof structure with insulation above the rafters, underneath PIR elements. This insulation is quite strong with 24 cm and optimally suitable against cold/heat, but less so against sound. We should have added a layer of wood fiber in between. Another weak point was the eaves connection, which we later reworked with blown-in insulation.
In the living area, despite high, open rooms, we have no sound problems at all; we could have done without the acoustic filling in the wall mural.
What I mean is: Sound is so diverse and everyone reacts differently to different things; some people are bothered by the controlled residential ventilation, others by the audible water pipe... sound inside the house can also be important.
To align the wall only for sound insulation can be far too short-sighted, as there are many more entry points. Find out exactly what will bother you and then address that specifically. Otherwise, there is a risk that you spend a lot of money on a "special" brick and then lack it where you might actually need it (doors, windows, insulation...).

It actually does not bother that much. The worst is the morning rush hour and the apparently 1000 roosters crowing from 4:00 a.m. in the immediate neighborhood.

Location of the bedroom, windows with soundproofing

The bedrooms and my study should be well isolated from the rest.

Here as well, including interior doors with enhanced sound insulation