lease does not permit wood floor, is this a good way round?

[monty82]

Hi

I was wondering what advice any of you might have.

I just purchased a flat recently (leasehold and share of freehold), and I want to put wood flooring yet the lease says that I am required to "fully cover and keep covered the floors of the premises with carpet and underlay". I understand this is to prevent sound affecting the neighbours below. The current carpets and underlay do transmit quite a lot of sound anyway (I can also hear the footsteps and radio from upstairs), so I am thinking, to ensure that I do not disturb the neighbours while still abiding by the lease to install the following:

1. Carpet tiles directly onto the floorboards (cheap, thin, hard as they have rubber backing, and provide some sound insulation) and I abide by the lease requirement of having "carpet"

2. Tredaire Technics 5 underlay (very expensive, excellent sound insulation) and I abide by the lease requirement of having underlay

3. Engineered click-system wood floor as a floating floor

Now I think the carpet tiles are not really 'spring' enough to create the 'bounce' effect, and the underlay is one of the best for sound absorption and surely will all these layers, the sound reduction is better than the cheap underlay/carpet that is currently in place?

Its expensive, but I don't want to annoy my neighbours, and I don't want to breach the lease. What do you guys think in terms of installation, how it will feel, and sound-insulation-wise?

 

[Ionkontrol]

If the lease says no wood floor. That's it.
Having lived under someone who had a wood floor. It is a f**ing nightmare.
Dont try and bend the rules, they are there for a reason.
If you need wooden floors, move.

 

[big-all]

heeelllooo and welcome monty82

you will get the same several negative answers that we gave you in another place

it specificly says the top layer must be carpet

how many times do you need a no before you get the hint

 

[mac391]

You might find that "keeping the sub-floor in tact with underlay and carpet indirectley means "don't remove it" It doesn't mean you can't replace it with similar sound proofing..

By adding a suitable underlay and an engineered woodfloor you may get around this if you can show that the new underlay and flooring meets the permitted sound resistance (which is all ****** by the way)..

New underlay has sound absorbtion numbers which are quite well regulated and these numbers will tell you if it's possible. Go to a local supplier and see!!

If there is a restriction to what you want to achieve there will be numbers accordingly, ask the powers that be, what the restrictions are. I wish i could be more techno on these numbers, but they do exist for a reason..

Good luck

 

[IJWS15]

If you take the above advise and end up laying the floor you want don't get too upset if the neighbours complain and you are forced to take it all up again.

Your choice.

 

[mac391]

Building Reg's part E (sound proofing) states that....

This applies to the levels of airborne and impact sound that are permissible to transfer between walls and floors of adjoining dwellings in rooms that are defined for residential purposes: including hotels, hostels, boarding houses, residential homes and apartments. Whilst this is not a new stipulation, Part E outlines that standards in all buildings must be improved for airborne and impact sound insulation to 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr for airborne sound on floors and walls and 64 dB L’nT,w for impact sound on floors for conversions and 45 dB DnT,w+Ctr for airborne sound on floors and walls and 62 dB L’nT,w for impact sound on floors for new-build projects.

In every case, the builder is responsible for making sure the sound insulation meets the above requirements and has options in terms of meeting the specified standards. He can either, subject his new-build construction to a Pre-Completion Test (PCT) or he can develop the building using a Robust Construction which is identified as a tried and tested detail which if registered with Robust Details Ltd does not require PCT. All conversions are subject to PCT because it is impossible to adopt a Robust Construction whilst utilising parts of the existing structure because their composition and condition can vary which in turn can alter the acoustic performance.

Above are the numbers i was on about. Although it looks complicated, it's a simple matter of finding out what numbers corresponde to your current carpet underlay to see if they match or even improve with a wood floor and underlay. The remainder has undergone a PCT test.

 

[radharding]

As a professional landlord as my day job, take the advice above and don't lay wood floors. Despite any advice above regarding regulations etc, any enforcement under the lease will generally focus on the literal interpretation of the lease - and yours is very clear in that regard. I've been through this three times on behalf of affected leaseholders, and each time their lawyers have advised their clients to lay carpet and not waste their funds pursuing wooden floors any further - and most of these people could afford to pursue it.