On 20/12/2010 14:36, BartC wrote:
I'm investigating noise from next door in my 1960s semidetached bungalow.

From external measurements, from the edge of my window, to the edge of my
neighbour's, is 103cm. Internally, there's 27.5cm from the edge of the
window, to the wallpaper on the party wall.

Assuming the same arrangements next door, there seem to be 48cm of wall and
plaster between my house and next door. And from inside the loft, the wall
appears to be built of breeze blocks.

Can a breeze-block wall really be that thick? (It would appear to need 4
courses of blocks.) Or is there likely to be a gap (of some 20cm?)?

Experience with how well builders follow plans suggests it is more
likely that the distance from wall to window is not the same in both
properties.

At the minute the wall might as well not be there...

What's the simplest DIY solution to largely drown out the sound of two dogs
barking next door?

Brick up the window. With only about a metre of separation, a lot of the
noise will be travelling out of his window and into yours. Otherwise you
should be looking for air gaps in the partition wall, for example around
floor or ceiling joists, and blocking them up with something heavy, like
soundproofing felt.

Colin Bignell