Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 14, 2008 9:07 pm Hi,
I am in the midst of desiging a new house, and the architect has been trying to convince us that not having a concrete slab for the second floor is the way to go (not sure what the term is for the alternative ... sorry, very new at this whole building business). My main issues are with noise. As my daughter has quite severe dust mite allergy we are considering putting floorboards all through upstairs (though we are still investigating options). The architect tells us that with the new materials and insulation we will not hear the thumping of feet etc. I am petrified that if we go down this option, it will be to the death of me everytime I hear the kids walking around upstairs. I have asked the architect to prove this to me, by taking me to a home that doesn't have a second storey concrete slab. Would love some feedback on experiences. Thanks in advance. Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 2Nov 14, 2008 9:14 pm I'm having a similar argument with the designers and architects. I'm building an upside down house so to me it was a no brainer to have a 2nd story slab as downstairs is all bedrooms.
I keep on getting told about the sound insulation nowadays etc but it'll likely come down to cost. At the moment they are still doing the figures but I've be warned to expect a high one. I have a feeling its coz its a pain in the butt to do. Building Upside down house in Wantirna VIC Current Stage: Procrastination... it's just all too hard.... Blog: http://thereluctantbuilder.blogspot.com/ re 3Nov 14, 2008 10:11 pm I don't know if this is what you mean,but the house we live in has some concrete to the balcony and when someone is up there you can hear them stomping their feet and all.
I'm not sure if i helped you. Sorry if i didn't Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 4Nov 14, 2008 10:36 pm My design has a concrete floor to the second level. I'm mainly doing for good thermal performance. Concrete beneath, concrete above and double brick walls. No shortage of thermal mass here.
It will cost more up front, but I think in the long run it will be cheaper. Not sure of concrete is quieter or noisier than a wooden frame floor. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 5Nov 15, 2008 7:19 am Casa2 My design has a concrete floor to the second level. I'm mainly doing for good thermal performance. Concrete beneath, concrete above and double brick walls. No shortage of thermal mass here. It will cost more up front, but I think in the long run it will be cheaper. Not sure of concrete is quieter or noisier than a wooden frame floor. Your going to find your house is very very cold in winter but fine in summer. Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 6Nov 15, 2008 9:42 am Quote: Your going to find your house is very very cold in winter but fine in summer Not if you use double glazed PVCu or IV68 timber windows and the insulation is important (but on the outside not the inside !!) Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 7Nov 15, 2008 10:00 am There may be ways of doing the sound insulation better than we have, but I am a bit disappointed with the sound transmission from our top floor to the ground floor. Our top floor is a timber bearer, joist construction and we installed sound insulation in the ground floor ceiling cavity before the actual ceiling went up. It is fine where we have carpet on the top floor, but in the areas where we have floorboards the sound is still easily heard. Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 8Nov 15, 2008 11:37 am ok180 Casa2 My design has a concrete floor to the second level. I'm mainly doing for good thermal performance. Concrete beneath, concrete above and double brick walls. No shortage of thermal mass here. It will cost more up front, but I think in the long run it will be cheaper. Not sure of concrete is quieter or noisier than a wooden frame floor. Your going to find your house is very very cold in winter but fine in summer. I'll give you the bigger picture. Double glazed windows throughout. Lots of north facing glazing and, the piece de résistance, 16 m2 of hot water panels mounted on the northernmost wall. 4 m2 for domestic hot water and the remaing 12 m2 for hydronic in-slab heating. I think I'll be fine in winter but fine in summer Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Concrete slab for second floor? 9Nov 16, 2008 4:53 pm Would love to hear of more experiences with what they have used for the second floor and how effective it was with noise and heating insulation.
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