[lxmoss]

I lived in Matrix on the 33rd floor (one of the 'penthouse' floors) and it had terrible sound proofing. I live in Spire now, and it has fantastic soundproofing. It comes down to the builder. I wouldn't live in another Concord building, ever.

 

[AKS]

I lived in Matrix on the 33rd floor (one of the 'penthouse' floors) and it had terrible sound proofing. I live in Spire now, and it has fantastic soundproofing. It comes down to the builder. I wouldn't live in another Concord building, ever.

You're also comparing a newer building to an older building. Their age difference is around 10 years or so. Technology changes within 10 years. If you compared a new building to another new building or an old building with an old building that's another story. Older buildings are cheaper and has larger space as well compared to the new buildings with higher prices and smaller living space.

 

[TheKingEast]

You're also comparing a newer building to an older building. Their age difference is around 10 years or so. Technology changes within 10 years. If you compared a new building to another new building or an old building with an old building that's another story. Older buildings are cheaper and has larger space as well compared to the new buildings with higher prices and smaller living space.

Disagree. I'd say newer buildings probably have worse soundproofing than older ones. Concorde just does not build solid buildings, period.

I'd love to hear how technology has changed over the last 10 years. Adding hardwood floors (instead of carpeting) and concrete ceilings (instead of drywall) to condos has worsened soundproofing.

 

[TheKingEast]

It's not....it should have a layer of cork, rubber or foam under it.

I just don't understand why it's not part of the building code. All of these new condos with hardwood floors suck. The floors amplify sound.

 

[AKS]

Disagree. I'd say newer buildings probably have worse soundproofing than older ones. Concorde just does not build solid buildings, period.

I'd love to hear how technology has changed over the last 10 years. Adding hardwood floors (instead of carpeting) and concrete ceilings (instead of drywall) to condos has worsened soundproofing.

I'm not sure if the drywall helps sound proof the unit, but I hear more muffled sounds from units beside me than above me. As for hardwood floors, it depends on the thickness of the under lay under the hardwood. When I went to the home depot tutorial for hardwood floor installation, they said if you use a thicker underlayment, it will muffle sounds. Of course, the builder probably won't use thicker underlayment probably since it will increase costs. I'm just saying having hardwood floors doesn't necessarily mean it worsens soundproofing.

And regarding the Matrix building, the sound proofing isn't their fault if it's above. The older buildings don't have hardwood floors. They are carpeted. The owners probably removed the carpet and added in hardwood floors but didn't sound proof it with a good underlayment. That isn't the builder's fault if that's the case. I know West One, a newer building than Matrix was only given carpet throughout except the foyer, kitchen and washroom. A lot of the owners ripped out the carpet and put in hardwood floors themselves. If a newer building than Matrix was given carpet, I doubt Matrix was offered hardwood.

Also to make another note. There were some issues with the hose at West One because the plastic part was wearing out with use which caused leaks. But as noted with the inspector, it wasn't because the hoses they used were cheap. It just wasn't designed well but it was a standard used at that period. The same thing could be said about the glass falling off buildings. It wasn't because the glass was cheap. It was because the glass had a defect which caused it to explode. If that is the problem that if things break, the builder is bad. That mean all builders in Toronto are bad because there are different issues in different buildings. At least glass hasn't fallen off the newer buildings yet in the concord buildings. Only the older ones fell (probably due to aging. Some glass age better than others).

 

[TheKingEast]

I'm not sure if the drywall helps sound proof the unit, but I hear more muffled sounds from units beside me than above me. As for hardwood floors, it depends on the thickness of the under lay under the hardwood. When I went to the home depot tutorial for hardwood floor installation, they said if you use a thicker underlayment, it will muffle sounds. Of course, the builder probably won't use thicker underlayment probably since it will increase costs. I'm just saying having hardwood floors doesn't necessarily mean it worsens soundproofing.

And regarding the Matrix building, the sound proofing isn't their fault if it's above. The older buildings don't have hardwood floors. They are carpeted. The owners probably removed the carpet and added in hardwood floors but didn't sound proof it with a good underlayment. That isn't the builder's fault if that's the case. I know West One, a newer building than Matrix was only given carpet throughout except the foyer, kitchen and washroom. A lot of the owners ripped out the carpet and put in hardwood floors themselves. If a newer building than Matrix was given carpet, I doubt Matrix was offered hardwood.

Also to make another note. There were some issues with the hose at West One because the plastic part was wearing out with use which caused leaks. But as noted with the inspector, it wasn't because the hoses they used were cheap. It just wasn't designed well but it was a standard used at that period. The same thing could be said about the glass falling off buildings. It wasn't because the glass was cheap. It was because the glass had a defect which caused it to explode. If that is the problem that if things break, the builder is bad. That mean all builders in Toronto are bad because there are different issues in different buildings. At least glass hasn't fallen off the newer buildings yet in the concord buildings. Only the older ones fell (probably due to aging. Some glass age better than others).

Some builders just use a thin sheet of paper under the hardwood. It's the same thickness of 1 sheet of lined paper. I remember seeing it at my condo and couldn't understand why they'd do this. There doesn't seem to be anything in the code (for new construction) that requires a thicker piece of insulation. I already spoke to my builder about this since the neighbor above me sounded like a gorilla every time he walked.

With regards to older units ripping up carpet and adding hardwood, you can actually complain about this. Some condo rules actually require more than what the building code does. So if a neighbor installs flooring that is not up to the condo rules, you can have them torn out and redone.

I still think Concorde is a poor builder and has done a poor job in many of their condos. There are other bad builders, but Concorde is on another level IMO.

 

[AKS]

Some builders just use a thin sheet of paper under the hardwood. It's the same thickness of 1 sheet of lined paper. I remember seeing it at my condo and couldn't understand why they'd do this. There doesn't seem to be anything in the code (for new construction) that requires a thicker piece of insulation. I already spoke to my builder about this since the neighbor above me sounded like a gorilla every time he walked.

With regards to older units ripping up carpet and adding hardwood, you can actually complain about this. Some condo rules actually require more than what the building code does. So if a neighbor installs flooring that is not up to the condo rules, you can have them torn out and redone.

I still think Concorde is a poor builder and has done a poor job in many of their condos. There are other bad builders, but Concorde is on another level IMO.

It depends, if the owner ripped up the carpet after moving in and before a board of directors is established, condo rules might not be so strict. Also, unless you report about sound problems and get management to check it out, management might not know the owner installed hardwood if the owner didn't ask management about it. I think in general, many condos might not require more than what the building code requires unless there were complains about noise issues.

I wouldn't know if Concord is so bad. I think other builders are just as bad. In general they're not great but I don't think they're too bad. I went inside infinity condo built by Conservative and I thought their design was bad. The elevator was cramped (similar to other older condos I've been to) and there wasn't enough lighting in the pool area. At least Concord took into consideration lighting, spaciousness and wider elevators. Their craftsmanship isn't great but in general the newer buildings look pretty modern and nice. I haven't looked at other condos closely enough by other builders to notice their craftsmanship. I did find the flooring in the meeting room area at the Element pretty cheesy. They used vinyl flooring.

 

[Tuscani01]

It depends, if the owner ripped up the carpet after moving in and before a board of directors is established, condo rules might not be so strict. Also, unless you report about sound problems and get management to check it out, management might not know the owner installed hardwood if the owner didn't ask management about it. I think in general, many condos might not require more than what the building code requires unless there were complains about noise issues.

I wouldn't know if Concord is so bad. I think other builders are just as bad. In general they're not great but I don't think they're too bad. I went inside infinity condo built by Conservative and I thought their design was bad. The elevator was cramped (similar to other older condos I've been to) and there wasn't enough lighting in the pool area. At least Concord took into consideration lighting, spaciousness and wider elevators. Their craftsmanship isn't great but in general the newer buildings look pretty modern and nice. I haven't looked at other condos closely enough by other builders to notice their craftsmanship. I did find the flooring in the meeting room area at the Element pretty cheesy. They used vinyl flooring.

I lived in Luna at CityPlace for 2 years and had no major issues with noise. I could hear sound from one of the units next to me at times, but absolutely nothing from the other side... even when they had parties. Sound from above was never an issue either. I also faced the railway, and the windows were pretty good because I never really noticed that I lived next to the railway. (Unless an Ontario Northland train came by, but the government shut it down so thats no longer a problem!)

Like many have said, it depends on the building.