Back in January, a reader expressed concern that timber ceilings in The Lofts at River East Art Center at 445 E Illinois St in Streeterville would be left “‘as is’–in other words, noisy.”
Sales agent Susan Devine says the units are actually quite quiet. Devine says there is an eight-inch floor assembly that includes three inches of lightweight concrete and a five-inch foam underlayment that help to muffle sounds from above, adding that there’s a double-thick drywall between units that also helps to keep it quiet.
Prices at The Lofts at River East start in the $430s for a 953 square-foot one-bedroom, and they range up to more than a $1 million.
Edit: Susan Devine is the director of marketing for MCL Companies, not a sales agent.
I would love to see a portion of the floor cut open to see the 8″ assembly. Also, ‘double thick drywall’ is a standard these days for unit demising walls. It’s not a bonus factor of this project alone. And two layers of drywall dosen’t really do much anyways in a timber building when the caulking can’t be done properly due to movement of the structure.
I too am skeptical of the sound reduction benefit here. Sure it’s better than nothing, but don’t think you’re going to move in here and not ever hear your neighbors.
I have a friend who lives in a project similar to this. The builder claims to have sound proofing equal to that of a concrete building. Total freaking farse. She hears everything except the developers’ response.
I think the look of a timber loft is definitely worth the sacrifice of complete silence.
But false claims have no place in advertising.
Timber lofts are likely among the worst offenders, but it seems to me that the majority of apartments, whether new or old, COMPLETELY SUCK from a soundproofing perspective. Old apartments I can understand, but for new construction there’s less of an excuse. There’s been technology out for years that can greatly help (rc-1 channels, sound insulating caulk, other stuff too) — are developers using any of this?!? I know that the rc-1’s effectiveness is highly dependent on proper installation, so maybe that’s the reason?
I would gladly pay a premium for an apartment that had a soundproofing certification of some kind backed up with measurements.
What’s the status on sales? I wonder if they sold enough units to get a loan. When the 7th and 8th floor addition was canceled, this project pretty much was dead.
Do you know of anyone who was duped by unscupulous claims of soundproofing Sean? Just curious. My friend says she got the shaft in a “new construction loft.” I don’t want to put her in the firing line of her developer. But he is a liar and a cheat, and I think that the headline in this little article begs the question of soundproofing.
Sean Lee:
The agent I spoke with, Susan Devine, told me that about 25 percent of units had been sold.
What do you mean this project was dead? It may have stalled for a bit when the developer scrapped original plans, but according to our records, it was then re-launched in November 2007.
UIC Student:
As far as I know, the units aren’t soundproof, and I don’t see anything in the headline that suggests otherwise. I was simply probing to find out whether any measures had been taken to muffle the sound traveling between units, because, as the reader comment from the January post indicated, some buyers had been led to believe that flooring would be left “as is.”
hello. developer promised delivery by summer of 2009. with only 25% sold, no way they will get the loan from the bank on time to finish the project by summer of 09. Majority of the units sold are south facing unit. North facing units will never be sold. My guess is that the project will be canceled, and more prople will be mad. I was a victim by false advertising by developer just like the one reader in January.
Did you get married, Sean? You’ve previously commented under the name of Sean Kim.
Here’s a little Real Estate 101:
– Not every project for every developer has a lender pre-sale requirement.
– The best units in a development generally sell first.
– Know your builder. MCL has a long, strong track record of successful projects.
And some Internet 101: don’t take at face value anything you read from an anonymous commenter.
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to “sound proof” (or at least “baffle”) is to install wall-to-wall carpeting and padding throughout the living space, except perhaps the kitchen and bath. But that’s just so unfashionable nowadays, isn’t it?