Building regulations Part E require that buildings are to be tested prior to completion in order to confirm they meet or exceed Part E standards. The person carrying out the building work should arrange for sound insulation testing to be carried out by a test body with approved qualifications and affiliations. All tests are at the Building Inspectors discretion. Failure in the test will result in the sound insulation needing to be improved and the construction type re-tested.
Do you need a sound test? Sound Tests are required for:
Buildings where there has been a change of use relating to conversions and refurbishments – Effective from 1st July 2003.
New build houses and flats – Effective from 1st January 2004. Domestic Extensions.
Approved Document E is split into eight sections. Sections E2 to E8 of the document gives examples of constructions which if built correctly should achieve the sound insulation values set out in Table 1a and Table 1b.
Call us on 020 8300 3092 or send an e mail to discuss your requirements. We offer free advice. See our Construction Guideline page for more information.
We offer comprehensive advice regarding sound testing. Our quoted fee is fixed to undertake the required sound tests and any further services required thereafter. We have more than ten years of experience in the field of sound testing and we provide a fast and reliable service to the large and small developers alike to satisfy that a site has achieved the required standard for compartment floor or party wall construction. Our onsite sound testing experience of measuring the sound insulation as per the current British and European Standards which requires that the construction that has been built to separate habitable spaces within the development meets with the requirements set out in Approved Document E of the Building Regulations. A summary of the required values are as follows:
Dwellings-houses and flats – performance standards for separating walls,
separating floors, and stairs that have a separating function.
| Description of Area | Airborne Sound Insulation DnT,w + Ctr dB (Minimum Values) |
Impact Sound Insulation L’nT,w dB (Maximum Values) |
| Purpose built dwelling-houses and flats Walls Floors and stairs |
45 45 |
– 62 |
| Dwelling-houses and flats formed by material change of use Walls Floors and stairs |
43 43 |
– 64 |
Rooms for residential purposes – performance standards for separating walls,
separating floors, and stairs that have a separating function.
| Description of Area | Airborne Sound Insulation DnT,w + Ctr dB (Minimum Values) |
Impact Sound Insulation L’nT,w dB (Maximum Values) |
| Purpose built dwelling-houses and flats Walls Floors and stairs |
43 45 |
– 62 |
| Dwelling-houses and flats formed by material change of use Walls Floors and stairs |
43 43 |
– 64 |
Our experienced engineer will undertake the required sound testing on a given site in accordance with the requirements as set out in the Approved Document Part E of the building regulation. Sound testing procedure is quite simple and our engineer will be happy to explain this on site. Essentially, for party walls there is one type of sound insulation test which is airborne sound test and for compartment floors there are two types of sound insulation tests which are airborne and impact sound insulation tests. The airborne sound insulation test is carried out by means of a loudspeaker emitting a steady source of noise on one side of the partition (wall or floor) to be measured. The corresponding sound level is measured on the other side of the partition. Impact sound insulation tests are carried out by means of a tapping machine placed on the floor sample to be measured and the noise measured in the room or space below. Calculations are done based on these measurement and the above mentioned parameters are calculated and compared to the Building Regulations Part E sound insulation requirements for the given type of the building. It is important that the building to be sound tested is completely finished and sealed with no sound leakage through doors and windows. Please see our check list for sound testing for more information.