Need an Acoustic Engineer for hardwood flooring

Started by ButchC • 6 replies • 2303 views

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ButchC (California)
Posts: 1

Posted:

We just moved to a condo. We are on the second floor.
My wife has allergies. We want to install hardwood flooring.
HOA rules state that we need to have it certified by a licensed and insured Acoustic Engineer.
The FIIC rating needs to be at 70 or better.
Does anyone know of any acoustic engineers in the Bay Area? So far, I have not found any.
How much does it cost?
Is this an HOA requirement that's impossible to comply with?

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062

Posted:

Butch,

Do an internet search for acoustic engineers San Francisco.
It yielded over 10 pages of links to various firms and individual engineers. If you are having a company do the work, make sure that they know of this requirement and have it written into the contract. They will find the engineer for you. If you are doing this yourself, you will need to research the proper material for the subfloor or underlayment and hire an engineer to do the tests for you.

Being from VA, I have no idea what it will cost.

Associations, especially Condominiums, can have a good amount of authority on this issue.

JohnB26 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,001

Posted:

Is this an HOA requirement that's impossible to comply with?

Not impossible, merely cost prohibitive.

BUT

Absolutely enforceable!

Basically, in the case of 'engineered' or laminate wood, it involves the underlayment which you will find will be twice the price of the actual flooring in order to comply.

One option would be hypo-allergenic carpeting at $30-40 / yard installed.

Another would be 3/4" solid red oak installed on a single layer of 10# felt for about $10 / foot ($90 / yard).

If you did not want carpeting why did you purchase a carpeted home?

CAVEAT EMPTOR

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Welcome to the forum, Butch.

In our high rise, we require a DC (Impact Insulation Class or IIC) rating of 59 or higher. The hard surface material and underlayment combined produce this rating. The perimeter expansion gaps must be 1/4'-3/8' to also reduce noise transference.

We also have requirements for certain kinds of hardwood.

The leveling agent after jackhammering or grinding If it apples) also must meet certain requirements. So though your r requirements are stiffer than ours, HOAs do have the right to create and enforce them. Do not even think of trying to go around the process.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Butch

As said, do not even try and go around the rules/standards. There are many cases of a court ordering one to rip up what they did.

I suggest follow the way they want it done step by step and verify as you go. Not just inform them. Get in writing what you are going to do meets the standard and they approve. Even then, be aware the owner below could sue you if it is noisier then they think it should be.

An alternative might be to look at some of the newer, wood looking, shock absorbing, vinyl sheet flooring materials. My neighbor has such and I am quite impressed by it.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062

Posted:

You may want to ask the Association what engineer they recommend or what engineer others utilized to satisfy this requirement.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

I agree with JohnB, get written sign-offs every step of the way.

If like ours, your documents called CC&Rs might require your HOA to have an Architectural Committee. Even if not required, you HOA probably still has such a committee. It's the one that approves, or not, you request for your floors.

Tim's suggestion is a good one. Owners, for example, in our 211 condos still use the contractor who originally installed the hardwood floors, which only were a small part of each unit. One by one, owners wanted to do their entire units and I'd say 80% of the time use him. he know the building, he know our ARC Rules, etc. And he's been honest and fair with each owner. So, 14 years later...

We have different guidelines for other types or hard surface flooring.

By the way, how many units are in your HOA, Butch?

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