<b><b>Although the proposed amendments to Building Regulations on sound insulation could influence floor construction, Andrew Leech finds that both timber and concrete are confident of a rosy future</b></b><br><b>A National Opinion Poll carried out on behalf of the home insurance company Zurich established that one in five UK home owners have reported problems with noisy neighbours. This is confirmed by DETR which quotes almost five million people being &amp;"bothered by noise&amp;" and around 10,000 of them each year suffering serious illness problems as a result.</b><br><b> What's more, the Building Research Establishment reckons that around 40% of new homes built do not meet current requirements. </b><br><b><br> <b>Nexfor's touch </b></b><br><b> Whether it is timber or concrete, Nexfor seems to have a timber floor decking product to add the finishing touch to either material. Technical manager, Jim Caldwell, says &amp;"We are seeing a gradual significant increase in the use of our floor decking materials mainly because of the push towards modularisation as a result of the Egan and Latham reports.&amp;" </b><br><b>Where timber constructions are concerned, Caldwell suggests that as timber decking has effectively the same moisture content as the beams, it forms a much more positive partnership to eliminate noise and reduce the transmission …