The proposed revisions to Part E of the Building Regulations have major implications for housebuilders, with acoustic testing of homes prior to completion likely to result in costly failures.
This warning was issued by Nick Antonio, associate with Arup Acoustics at the Building Homes conference, The Future for Masonry-Built Homes, in Birmingham earlier this month.

Under the revised Part E, a sample of new homes on a site will be tested to ensure that they meet sound insulation requirements. In addition to the cost of designing and building homes to the higher standards of Part E, testing will bring housebuilders a host of other costs.

Housebuilders will have to pay for pre-completion testing - possibly around £600 per apartment. It is anticipated that 10% of homes on a site will have to be tested.

If a newly built home fails an acoustic test, its housebuilder will have to bring it, and possibly all other homes on a site up to standard, and in the worst failure cases that could mean removing kitchen and bathroom fittings to fit additional acoustic linings to walls. "It could take 150 mm off the size of the kitchen," said Antonio. "That could also have legal implications for buyers." Developers' insurance premiums are likely to rise because of the associated liabilities, predicted Antonio.

Some housebuilders could find adjusting to the proposed regime of acoustic testing painful. "For many the risk of failure is high," pointed out Antonio. "In Scotland testing showed that 60% of homes were not meeting the regulatory standard."

But there is an advantage. "Positive results could become a selling point for developers," Antonio added.

The proposed Part E will improve sound insulation between and within homes, and bring protection against external noise under Building Regulation control. It introduces pre-completion testing, and moves away from deemed-to-satisfy-construction to performance standards as a method of compliance.

But the latter has also led to some confusion, notably with beam and block party flooring no longer contained in the guidance. Its exclusion does not mean that beam and block party flooring is prohibited, but that it will have to meet the performance standard. John Duffy, chairman of the marketing committee of the Precast Flooring Federation, said: "Beam and block is a tried and tested form of construction that I believe will meet the required performance standard."

The consultation period for the Part E changes ended in April, and DTLR's target is to publish the revised regulations and approved document early next year.

Source

Building Homes