With you on all of that, Whale, but I think what Martin may be reaching for is some sort of objective test or rating that can be applied to buildings so that people know where they stand before they start ripping up carpets and laying down timber.
Is it beyond the abilities of our engineers and builders to come up with a formula based on the thickness of the slab and the composition of the concrete when it was poured that gives it a star rating such as:
- 1 star: You can only ever have carpet and underlay, no exceptions
- 2 stars: You could put down a hard floor but only with the very highest grade of insulation (and a commitment to moderate behaviour).
- 3 stars: Hard floors are likely to need less stringent rules on insulation and behaviour but highest grade materials are still recommended
This could be written into the specs for apartments when sold (or done retrospectively with core sampling) so everybody knew from day one what they could and couldn’t do in their apartments.
It would also make it easier to force the “my home is my castle” morons to rip up inadequate flooring and replace it with something that doesn’t drive their neighbours mad.