Wednesday, July 04, 2012
- 87% of house hunters say noise levels are important in
purchasing decisions; 43% say they're very important;
- The trend towards wooden floors and open plan living is
increasing internal din;
- Research comes as insulation specialist Rockwool and The Noise
Abatement Society host roundtable discussions to address ways to
cut noise levels in building.
Noisy homes are now a major turn off for house hunters,
according to new research from insulation specialist Rockwool,
which found that 87% of buyers and tenants - equivalent to 41.2
million people - said noise levels are an important
consideration when they're looking to buy or rent, with almost half
(43%) saying they're very important.
The findings come as Rockwool and the Noise Abatement Society
host a major roundtable of property professionals and noise experts
to discuss how noise pollution in homes can be reduced to help
improve the living conditions of millions of Britons.
However, while house hunters place noise in a property as a top
consideration when choosing a new place to live, many home owners
and landlords are, in fact, increasing the levels of domestic din
within properties.
The Rockwool study found that Britain's interior design
revolution and thirst for open plan living could be having the
unwelcome side-effect of sharply increasing sound levels in
homes.
More than one in ten Britons, who have been disturbed by noise
in the past 12 months, complained about the din from neighbours
walking on wooden floors - rising to one in four of those living in
flats.
However, 2.9 million British householders say they have removed
carpet and installed wooden floors in the past three years, with
Rockwool warning that badly planned home improvements could be
storing up major problems for the future.
In addition, 650,000 homeowners say they have removed walls to
create an open plan space in the past three years, removing the
noise barriers that internal walls create.
Rockwool UK Managing Director, Thomas Heldgaard, stated:
"Noise is a major issue for householders across the UK and
noisy neighbours and surroundings can significantly impair people's
enjoyment of their home and have been shown to increase stress
levels which can, if action isn't taken , have a long-term impact
on individuals' health.
"While trends towards open plan living and wooden floors may
improve the aesthetic quality of homes, they also intensify the
level of noise transference within the building and can
significantly increase noise within flats, not only for the
occupants of the apartment in question but also for their
neighbours.
"We strongly encourage householders and tenants to speak to
builders, developers and landlords about noise insulation when they
are making home improvements. If insulation is being installed
anyway to improve energy efficiency and heat retention, it makes
sense to also ensure that it is improving the acoustic insulation
of the building and cutting noise pollution - something which many
insulation materials will do if properly specified and
installed."
The research also found that 6% of Britons have now looked at,
or installed, insulation in their homes specifically to reduce the
amount of noise in the property, but also revealed that Britons are
busily bringing more noise into the home, with one million
homeowners saying they have installed home entertainment areas such
as cinema rooms and music rooms in the past three years.
Lisa Lavia, Managing Director of the Noise Abatement Society,
said:"Noise is a major nuisance and problem for people across
the country and improving the quality of homes and the levels of
noise insulation within them is vital.
"It is no surprise that the majority of house hunters see
noise as an important consideration in choosing a house to buy or
rent, and sellers and landlords ignore this at their
peril."