On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 04:19:33 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

Decoupled floor and ceilings (better noise insulation between floors)

That will make an enormous difference if you can afford the height.
Chunks of our former telephone exchange have a gap of about 18 inches
between the upstairs floor and the ceiling below, and the lack of noise
there, compared with the other bits, when our two little monsters charge
around is phenomenal.
--
On-line canal route planner: http://www.canalplan.org.uk

(Waterways World site of the month, April 2001)