Heard a contractor in line at the hardware store say 'we never insulate interior walls', and it got me worried.

He was telling his buddy it saves money and time, but that's a huge red flag for sound control between rooms. My architect specifically called for sound batts in all non-load bearing walls on our Denver plan. Has anyone else had to push back on a crew skipping this spec?

3 comments

3 Comments

brown.gavin2mo ago

Honestly depends on the house. Most people don't care about noise between bedrooms and a living room.

rubyk862mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal for most folks? In my own house, you can hear the TV from the other room, but we got used to it. That contractor might be cutting corners, but maybe he builds basic homes where buyers don't ask for quiet. If your plan says to use sound batts, you should definitely hold them to it. You're paying for those specs. Just know that a lot of builders see it as an extra cost they can skip.

aaronclark1mo ago

That contractor's take is pretty wild to me. Sound control is a basic quality of life thing, not some fancy upgrade. Getting used to hearing everything through the walls just means you settled for a poorly built house. Your architect put it in the plans for a reason, and you should absolutely make them follow it. Skipping insulation inside walls is a major corner to cut.