Source
r/Bangkok•
Bean86

Noise consulting company for insulating a room in condo

question

Hello everyone

it's a long shot but maybe someone knows a good consulting company to test and recommend solutions for insulating a bedroom or two in a condo?

Unfortunately we have to deal with a lot of impact noise and vibrations from our upstairs neighbour (he was on vacation when we moved in and knows about the noise but habits die hard).
There's false ceilings throughout the condo but it's only cosmetic (no decoupling and no insulation).
I'm aware fixing it won't be cheap hence why I'm looking for a consulting firm that has the necessary equipment, knowledge and experience to test the current situation and tell if it's worth to try and fixing it.

We like the condo a lot and would very much prefer not to move (we did go and looked at other places but none ticked anywhere close the same amount of boxes compared to the current one), after all there's no guarantee the next place won't have any surprises.

Kind regards

Posted Nov 5, 2022, 4:55 AM UTC

1327
phasefournow•

The poured concrete floors in most buildings here are like a drum head, they distribute noise with very little volume lost along the way. Somebody can be using one of those horrible impact drills 2 floors up and five units down and it will still sound like it's next door.

A friend who was obsessive about noise had an older condo in Bangkok and spent a lot of money having sound deadening panels installed on walls and ceilings but it never killed the noise entirely. He finally gave-up, sold the place at a loss and moved back to the states.

7
Bean86OP•

I've noticed that, strangely enough the only issue I have is the neighbour right above me. The neighbours next to me and below me both play the electric guitar and I can't hear a thing from them. Hence why I'm looking for a specialist to evaluate the situation and elaborate the options and potential success rates.

Moving abroad is not an option due to work and I'm not looking to change job/company. I'm still keeping my eyes open for other places but like I said nothing so far came close to the place I have right now.

3
[deleted]•

Mass air mass. Probably need to make a room inside a room. Try to find a recording studio designer. Is SAE still in bkk? Call them and ask for recommendations

4
Bean86OP•

This thought crossed my mind, it would probably be the most effective way but not sure on costs (I'm not expecting a cheap solution but there's limits), as it's also the most complex solution (doors, window, plugs, AC and so forth). I will keep it in mind and see if I can find SAE as a last resort solution if I can find a consultant.

2
Koetjeka•

Construction engineer here. I was wondering if the noise you experience is largely high or low frequency sounds?

3
Bean86OP•

It's mainly impact noise (low frequency). The two major noises that are coming through is foot steps (they are mainly heel walkers) and the vibrations emitted from moving some furniture (chair or table).

We can deal with these noises most of the time but when they occur on a Saturday or Sunday at 6 AM robbing us from sleep it's problematic. We got used to the occasional loud motorcycle/TukTuk but as been mentioned here for some reason this noises are transmitted so clearly as if the were in the same room and I would even go as far as to say they sound louder (resonance?).

4
prospero021•

Heel walkers are worse than Hitler. Especially at 6AM on a weekend or holiday.

Architect chiming in. Best way to get rid of sound transmission through structure is by isolating the room. Basically building a box inside the box without the inner box touching the outer box. You'd be basically building a recording studio at this point.

A cheap way is to dampen the wall and ceiling with mass loaded vinyl. But this won't get rid of the thumps, just dampen them by a bit.

And always speak with the management before doing anything to the unit, assuming you own it.

3
Bean86OP•

If the dampening is decent enough not to wake up from it, I'd consider it a win. Management already knows about the situation. They can't do anything to convince the neighbour to be more respectful (which I totally understand), hence why we are exploring this route.

Still hopeful to get a recommendation for an expert service to evaluate the current situation. I don't understand enough about the existing construction but I have a feeling that the cosmetic drop ceiling currently acts like a speaker box exaggerating the noises passed through the concrete. As far as I can tell with my very basic knowledge I could not see any decoupling and certainly no insulation. Also the material looks like your run of the mill cheap gipsum boards, so not helping at all.

2
prospero021•

Here's a few companies from a quick google:

http://www.getbestsound.com/

https://www.zen-acoustic.com/

3
TheZarg•

If sleep is your main issue, I solved this issue in my building by making a 10 hour sound track from two recordings I borrowed from some online sources (youtube and some opensource online sound recording sites).

For me the two sounds were very heavy rain drops, and a species of frog that chirps at a low frequency. I used Audacity to mix these together at random intervals so that my brain wouldn't notice a sound "loop" every so often. You can find many "relax" videos on youtube with various nature sounds like rain, etc.

Works fantastic in my situation. I play it through some inexpensive bookshelf speakers can have enough power to play some bass. The sound of the heavy rain and frogs does a great job of masking sounds from upstairs and nextdoor neighbors.

Your mileage may vary. It could be that this works for me because as a kid I lived in a rural setting and heard a lot of rain and frogs at night so it seems natural to my sleeping brain.

Otherwise, as others have said, muffling low frequency sound can be very hard. I spent a lot of time looking at options before just doing the audio recording thing... but I never went as far as hiring an acoustic engineer. Good luck. I know it can be frustrating.

1
strike_it_soon•

There's very little you can do. Sound isolation against low frequency in a building is not easy.

my recommendation is to get a pair of ear plugs. and go to bed earlier so you dont rely on being asleep at 6am

3
jandetlefsen•

There is a german company that sell sound reducing ceilings. Not sure if they do consulting.

https://knauf.co.th/index.php?lang=en

2
andrewfenn•

Looks like they're just a gypsum supplier. Anything in particular that makes them stand out from a local company?

1
jandetlefsen•

They have some specific sound dampening products and maybe a chance that they have deeper knowledge or work with consultants that do compared to base line suppliers.

1
andrewfenn•

I don't quite understand still sorry. Like there are some sound absorbing products locally for example..

https://www.siamgypsum.com/en_ex/solutions/partition-system/sound-insulation-wall-system.html

So just wondering. Is it that the local products aren't as good quality or something? Just looking for some comparison.

1
jandetlefsen•

"A Company of Knauf Group." lol

1
Bean86OP•

Thanks I'll look into them though it seems they are more specialized in sound absorption (think sound panels/walls for movie theaters) than insulation and decoupling.

1
jandetlefsen•

Yeah it's not 100% what you are looking for. Sometimes it works to find a high quality supplier first and see who they work with on the engineering/architecture side and get some leads that way. Hit and miss though.

2
QryptoQid•

In fortune, on the top floor of the mall there's some music, stereo, microphone and speaker shops. I wonder if you went around asking, one of them might know somebody who does high end sound insulation stuff.

2
AutoModeratorMOD•

Welcome to r/bangkok!

Please remember there are real people on the other side of the monitor and to be kind.

Report comments that break the rules and don't respond to negativity with negativity!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1
Moosehagger•

Just a thought. There are some free decibel meter apps in the App Store. Try those first and save yourself some money on a consultation. FYI I work in health and safety so I know about the subject (just wrote a paper on it actually). Constant noise over 85dB(A) over an 8 hour period (time weighted average) will lead to noise induced hearing loss. There is also a Thai law which you can download in English (linked below). Note too that the condominium society will have rules about working weekends and after 5pm. https://old.ieat.go.th/handbook/Program_IEAT/pdf/laws/en/SHE010.pdf

1
Bean86OP•

I don't have an issue of constant loud noise. I did use apps like that before, mainly to compare sound lowering measures on my server but it's not helping in my current case as they aren't able to pinpoint weak spots. As an example when I lived in another country I used a thermal camera to find spots where cold air would sneak in. So I need something more specialized and someone knowledgeable about potential outcomes. I'm not going to spend a lot of money on product x fitted to spot y if it's not going to change for the better.

2
Moosehagger•

Are you the tenant or the owner?

1
BeKind-always•

Is she onboard with this?

1
Similar_Past•

Try good quality earplugs, cheap and portable solution.

0