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Ceramic, Marble and Hardwood Resonate More than Style Floating Flooring System Muffles Sound Transmission
October, 2007
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Sidebar:
CONDO BUYERS RATE PERFORMANCE OF DEVELOPERS AND PROPERTY MANAGERS
Results from a survey of new condominium buyers suggest that the frequency and quality of communication between the builder and the condominium buyer has a strong impact on customer satisfaction. J.D. Power and Associates recently released its 2007 Canadian New Condominium Builder Customer Satisfaction StudySM based on the responses of 1,499 buyers within the Greater Toronto Area whose condominium homes registered in the calendar year 2006.
Overall responses in this second annual survey were more positive than last year's findings. "Condominium builders have made great strides in areas that matter most to buyers, such as increasing the ease of on-site move-in, improving the condition of the suite and building exterior at occupancy, and enhancing the usability and functionality of balconies and patios," says Darren Slind, Senior Director of the real estate and performance improvement practices at the Canadian office of J.D. Power and Associates. "One of the common strengths of the highest-ranking builders is that they are very proactive in communication with their customers. They don't wait for the homebuyer to call to ask for construction status updates or to report problems after they've moved in."
The study also finds that the need for proactive communication extends to the property management team. For example, nearly one of every two new condominium owners report that no formal introduction was made to the property management team, which has a negative impact on satisfaction. Similarly, the availability of the property management team and the timeliness of their communication with residents also have a strong impact on customer satisfaction.
Buyers were asked to evaluate their builder in nine factors: sales staff; design centre; home and building readiness; customer service; price/value; physical design; building features/amenities; home quality; and location. The GTA market average satisfaction score increased to 620 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2007 from 588 in 2006. The most notable gains are in three areas: home and building readiness, physical design and building features/amenities.
Tridel Corporation ranks highest in new-condominium buyer satisfaction in the GTA for a second consecutive year with an index score of 767. Daniels Corporation and Monarch Corporation follow Tridel in the rankings with scores of 712 and 682, respectively.
For more information, see the web site at www.jdpower.com/canada
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By Bob Rumbolt
The problem of sound transmission between floors is most obvious in hard floor areas, which are becoming an increasingly popular feature of condominiums. These areas are commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms, where ceramic tile or even marble is often the floor covering of choice, and in living rooms that have been upgraded to include hardwood floors. With no carpet or cushioned vinyl in these areas to mitigate noise transmission, the problem can become acute.
A new 336-unit, high-density condo building in Mississauga includes a flooring solution to diminish sound transmission between floors. The High Park project, developed by Mattamy Homes, is a townhouse-style, low-rise development comprising 23 three-storey buildings with individual condo suites on each level.
For this particular development, CGC Inc., a Canadian manufacturer and supplier of building materials, recommended Levelrock 2500 (LR2500) floor underlayment in combination with a sound reduction mat (SRM25). Laboratory tests show that the two combined effectively reduces sound transmission from one floor level to another by about 50%.
This meets or exceeds the new minimum International Building Code (IBC) criteria of 50 IIC and 50 STC. The sound reduction mat can reduce IIC values by 8-13 points and STC by 4-7 points. This is achieved because only 4.6% of the one-quarter-inch thick mat made of polypropylene with polyethylene cones comes into contact with the floor surface, providing greater acoustical isolation.
LR SRM 25 essentially decouples the floor, so that the ceramic tile or hardwood floor essentially floats on top of the flooring system underneath. Hence sound is deadened.
UNDERLAYMENT COUPLED WITH SOUND REDUCTION MAT
The High Park complex is the first high-volume use of the Levelrock floor underlayment with a sound reduction mat in Canada. It required the installation of 340,000 square feet of LR2500 on the second and third floor levels of the condo buildings and about 100,000 square feet of SRM25 under the hard floor areas in the kitchens, bathrooms and upgraded living rooms.
LR2500 is a fast-application gypsum cement formulated for use in multi-family, light commercial and other wood-frame construction buildings. It is a high-strength underlayment that can be poured before drywall installation. Formulated to provide typical compressive strengths of 2,500 to 3,200 psi at three-quarter-inch minimum thickness, it can be applied over plywood sub-flooring that meets the requirements for multi-family dwellings.
LR2500 is a lightweight floor underlayment with a smooth, monolithic surface. Mixed on site with sand and water, it provides an economical way to achieve a lightweight, fire resistant, sound-rated, leveling floor that is generally less labour-intensive than many comparable types of construction. LR2500 provides high fire ratings characteristic of gypsum systems. When used in combination with SRM25, it improves STC and IIC ratings.
Together these products provide the following benefits:
* Better sound attenuation.
* A true level floor, which enables the installation of the finished floor to be easier.
* Trades can be back on the floor within 24 to 48 hours, saving time and money, whereas with some other cementitious products it can be up to a week.
* Can be installed before the drywall.
* Exhibits excellent product integrity: doesn't crack, takes the wear and tear of a construction site environment.
* Over 50 fire-rated designs.
* Cost is not prohibitive, adding only a few dollars per sq. ft. to the cost of a condo while adding long-term value to the property.
INSTALLATION IN SYNC WITH CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
SRM 25 is a high-performance material, comprising a polyethylene core and polypropylene fabric that increases IIC and STC ratings in wood-joist and concrete floor systems. As only 4.6% of the mat is in contact with the floor surface, it promotes greater acoustical isolation. Using SRM25 can improve IIC values by as much as 13 points.
The licensed applicator, Concrete Floor Tek Inc. (CFT), installed the SRM25 in one to two days, depending on the size of the actual building, and poured the LR2500 floor underlayment the next day. Each section of the sound mat was cut to full length to minimize the number of seams.
The mat was then laid directly on the sub-floor, flat side facing up. The mat is not attached to the sub-floor as this would affect acoustical isolation. The edges of adjoining lengths of mat were then taped to ensure an integral surface with no gaps for flooring underlayment products to seep through. The sound mat at the sides of the room was also taped.
CFT poured on average a total of 15,000 square feet per week in two pours, each pour taking a day including set-up and cleaning. During the latter stages of the project when the building work was accelerating, CFT poured 30,000 square feet of Levelrock per week in two pours. Installation of the floor underlayment at this project started in April 2006 and was completed by the end of October 2006.
After the floor was poured, it was screeded and then sprayed with a surface enhancer. There were no problems with cracking or scraping, and other tradespeople could walk on the area within two to three hours of application. Within 24 hours they were working in these areas, speeding up construction time.
Tests undertaken by CGC in three different condos in Building 17 indicate that sound transmission levels reflect the results of similar lab tests. Mattamy Homes is very happy with the outcome of the project, where over 200 of the condo units were already occupied by the summer of 2007.
"During our 'Mattamy U' sessions, we explained to purchasers what we put into the construction of their homes to address the issue of noise transmission. With customer satisfaction a key focus for Mattamy, our aim is to provide good living environments, with floor installations surpassing the requirements of the OBC," says Bert Testaguzza, Vice President, Mattamy Homes - Peel Region.
The preceding article is reprinted from CondoBusiness, August 2007. Bob Rumbolt is with CGC Inc. For more information, see the web site at www.cgcinc.com.
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