Modern "Luxury" Townhouse Noise Isolation.

[Zee09]

I know very little about townhouses but seen some that were very nice except for tons of steps.
I named dropped luxury only to exempt cheaply built units with all vinyl siding to the lowest price point.
Exteriors in stone or brick etc. I know it will be specific to a builder but anybody have experience and how well is the noise abated?
Seen some very well built 4 story units in a country setting.

I didn't see this as a DIY category post.

 

[opus1]

Like so many things in life, it depends.

I think the noise abatement is also part of the fire-resistance they build into the units. In my personal experience, my town house had the standard 2x4 studs and drywall on the inside of the unit, then fire-retardant sheetrock on the other side of that wall, and an air gap. I don't remember how big but it was at least 2". Then the other unit's fire-retardant sheetrock started, the 2x4 stud, and their interior drywall. For the most part I didn't have a noise problem. The neighbor on one side shared the front walk to the door so I'd occasionally hear their door slam. The neighbor on the other side put in a surround-sound system in one of the bedrooms that, fortunately, backed up to the bedroom I was using as an office so I'd get a little noise there, but nothing obnoxious. Right before I moved out, one of the buildings had a unit catch fire so there was an example that the fire-resistance between units worked. The townhouse was part of the development that was all 2-story units so I only shared neighbors from side-to-side, not upstairs/downstairs. When I was looking, other developments had upstairs/downstairs units and the lower unit was very noisy from the activity of people upstairs.

My townhouse was one of the cheaper units, there was brick on the front, but that was decorative. Side and back was vinyl siding.

I'm in a single-family house now and even that's not completely free of sounds from the neighbors.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I know very little about townhouses but seen some that were very nice except for tons of steps.
I named dropped luxury only to exempt cheaply built units with all vinyl siding to the lowest price point.
Exteriors in stone or brick etc. I know it will be specific to a builder but anybody have experience and how well is the noise abated?
Seen some very well built 4 story units in a country setting.

I didn't see this as a DIY category post.

I live in a non-luxury townhome.

The party wall between me and my neighbor is comprised of ~3 inch thick fire rated gypsum (sheetrock) with R13 batt insulation in the stud-bays on both sides. I've lived here for 24 yrs and can count on one hand the number of times I've heard my neighbor.

 

[DriveHard]

I would assume it was just built to code...probably not much above.

 

[Passport1]

I've found, when possible the best noise insulation is distance from the creating source.

 

[Zee09]

Here is one...a bunch of steps though. Probably not for dog owners or small children obviously.

 

[GON]

My Wife has a girlfriend that lives in a townhome. The owner next to her unit put in a surround sound, and watches movies reportedly nightly. The noise from the surround sound drives my wife's girlfriend batty, she can't enjoy any peace or tranquility in the evenings at her townhome.

 

[GMFan]

Usually something like national gypsum shaft liner exp in steel channel tied to the slab which runs from slab to roof (fire protection), an air gap for noise dampening and then standard framing on either side with drywall. Insulation depends on builder and what was specified.

I live in a townhome from 2001. There is no fiberglass insulation in the party wall. Just studs, air gap and the shaft liner. I can sometimes hear my neighbor barking. Luxury spec homes go up like non-luxury homes - only different is fancier finishes. It’s all the same construction.

 

[Hermann]

I know very little about townhouses but seen some that were very nice except for tons of steps.
I named dropped luxury only to exempt cheaply built units with all vinyl siding to the lowest price point.
Exteriors in stone or brick etc. I know it will be specific to a builder but anybody have experience and how well is the noise abated?
Seen some very well built 4 story units in a country setting.

I didn't see this as a DIY category post.

Have lived in a side by side Duplex built in 1996. Have had 5 different sets of neighbors and rarely hear anything that is distrurbing in nature. Most of my noise comes from neighborhood dogs and lawn mowers. Trains go by a lot but I feel them more than hear them. But the 30 year old windows are the most likely the source of noise coming from outside.