robertvr in Toronto

AVOID JAD Soundproofing at all costs. In late 2023, my partner and I hired Jake to soundproof a wall between two rental units and a ceiling between a rental bedroom and our upstairs living room in our Cabbagetown triplex. The experience was a complete nightmare. During the pre-construction test, Jake played Pink Noise at an overwhelming 90 decibels from a speaker in our rental unit - it was like a hurricane in our house. However, when the work was completed, we noticed no improvement in sound transmission... Jake returned for a post-construction test, but this time, the Pink Noise was just a distant hum... Suspicious, we followed him outside the house and into our rental unit to inspect his speaker setup and discovered that the volume was set 30 decibels lower than the pre-test. Jake's post-construction test was a blatant manipulation designed to fool us into believing there was a significant improvement in sound reduction. Catching him in this act was not only shocking but deeply uncomfortable. Why was there no improvement? We hired an acoustical engineer who confirmed that Jake failed to treat our entire ceiling, leaving the lowered bulkhead untouched (see attached screenshots from report). The engineer stated that failing to treat the entire ceiling renders the soundproofing "completely ineffective." Our contract was for the entire ceiling - Jake NEVER consulted us about only addressing part of the ceiling. Additionally, on the wall between rental units, he failed to seal a portion of the side of the wall, as well as the bulkhead, allowing sound to easily bypass the treated areas. Despite multiple requests, Jake refuses to provide the test results and a refund for his grossly inadequate work, showing a complete lack of professional integrity. For anyone seeking proper soundproofing, consider hiring an acoustical engineer and having competent drywallers follow their instructions. Be sure to have the engineer monitor and inspect their work. This approach is likely cheaper and will yield better results. If you've already worked with Jake and are left with subpar results, DEMAND to see the test results and hire an expert to assess his work. And don't let him ever tell you that soundproofing is an "iterative process" - that's a deceitful tactic to squeeze more money out of you to fix his own mistakes. Proper soundproofing is done right the first time, not through a series of costly revisions.