Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Jan 02, 2014 11:30 am Hi Can some one advise what I can do to make noise proof our house .We live close to the railway track & the train horn during the night & early morning this makes us all stay wake . Our house is a double storied & we thought of installing roller shutters to upstairs as all bed rooms upstairs . Can some one please advise what sort of materials & things we need to look for . Re: Making my home noise proof 2Jan 02, 2014 12:46 pm Double-glazing is regarded as an effective treatment. It is probably more effective to replace the windows, although there are retrofit solutions. E.g. http://www.magnetite.com.au/default.aspx You can also apply seals to door jambs. http://www.raven.com.au/domino/raven/ravenweb.nsf/html-v/RavenDoorandWindowSeals Build thread: here Land Nov 12, Contract 6/07/13, Consent 15/08/13, Start 20/09/13, Slab 25/09/13, Frame 4/10/13, Brick 21/10/13, Roof 2/11/13, Lock-up 17/12/13, Handover 3/3/14 Re: Making my home noise proof 3Jan 22, 2014 10:34 pm I built a brick veneer house some time ago as an owner builder. The house was next to the M4 in Sydney but the block was cheap. I looked into sound insulation very carefully, and built a house that is so quiet you can almost lie in bed and hear your heart beating. I used thick rock wool insulation above the ceiling and in the wall spaces as well as sarking. I had no windows on the side of the house facing the M4, or any openings at all in this wall. I used thicker than normal plasterboard wherever possible. In living areas I used secondary windows. That is, one window a few inches from another window. I chose double hung windows as I thought they would seal better. I even installed a venetian blind between these windows as they don't need much cleaning when used this way. I think the secondary windows gave the greatest reduction of noise. In the kitchen, bathroom and laundry I used ordinary windows and you can hear the difference in these rooms. If you have already the windows in place, I think you could look around for some sort of secondary windows, maybe made removable of sheets of perspex. I would not rely on shutters. Now I am getting a new house built by a project home builder and have to take what is provided. However it is not being built next to a motorway, but it is a short distance from a main road. My main concern is to conserve energy rather than reducing noise. I have asked for thicker ceiling insulation and sarking in the walls and ceiling. I also have asked for laminated glass in all windows. I am getting insulated roller shutters on all windows facing west, but that is to reduce the heat absorbed, but on the bedroom wall which faces in the direction of the main road. The roller shutter manufacturers say their shutter will stop 50% of the noise, and that will be sufficient for this site. Re: Making my home noise proof 4Jan 23, 2014 8:10 am Just be carefall in this area when manufactures and suppliers starts quoting noise. When it comes to sound you really need to consider the frequency of the noise you are trying to eliminate. If it is deep bass noise even double glazing is goign to stgruggle unless there is a large gap between the glass planes. Re: Making my home noise proof 5Jan 23, 2014 9:26 am Double glazing may be the answer - but can be costly. My son had a similar problem - on a busy road. I went to Bunnings and got this "rubber" sealer to put around the frame of the windows. It comes in a few sizes so check the gaps. It cut the noise by 60-70% imo. Glazing would be better but may not cut it much more. HOWEVER, it does mean he doesn't open this window anymore. Re: Making my home noise proof 6Jan 23, 2014 2:09 pm This definitely wouldn't qualify as a practical solution but can I ask how long you've been living in the house? If it's a matter of weeks/months then you might find that your reaction to the noise reduces over time. I know it's easy to say that and you might not want to have to get used to the noise, but having lived for 22 years next to the Great Eastern Highway in Perth and having hundred of trucks roll past our house daily, we honestly found that our reactions to the noise - even though we still heard it - was greatly diminished. Re: Making my home noise proof 7Jan 24, 2014 7:28 am upforgrabs This definitely wouldn't qualify as a practical solution but can I ask how long you've been living in the house? If it's a matter of weeks/months then you might find that your reaction to the noise reduces over time. I know it's easy to say that and you might not want to have to get used to the noise, but having lived for 22 years next to the Great Eastern Highway in Perth and having hundred of trucks roll past our house daily, we honestly found that our reactions to the noise - even though we still heard it - was greatly diminished. This is true. The surf can be the same. Never stops - and can be VERY loud. Re: Making my home noise proof 8Mar 28, 2014 7:48 am I think you need to consider all of the above I Goggled train horn noise and found this site http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0599 tells you that train noise from a horn is pretty loud. 1. what is the construction of the house / bedroom. put your ear to the wall and listen for the sound and feel the vibration. Compare this to the window. This will tell you the weakest link and starting point but also identify that you may need to treat both the wall and window to get the best results. get on a ladder and put your ear to the ceiling and compare. Now figure out where to start. 2. Spot on that secondary glazing will provide the best results for the windows and you need to ensure your first window and secondary window have good seals. you may also consider thicker glazing in the secondary window to stop the move vibration but air gap is the most important aspect - bigger is better 3.often a double storey home has the top storey with a lighter construction which means less soundproof. Just because you have insulation in the walls doesn't mean it is acoustic insulation. Newbuilderbill has it right with denser insulation and thicker gyprock. this can be retrofitted by removing the existing gyprock and reinsulating 4. If you ceiling needs insulation I think this is relatively easy. Not sure about retrofitting sarking but a roofer could probably let you know or somewhere on this forum take it one step at a time until you are comfortable. good luck Upgrading your windows to soundproof ones, like triple-glazed, can make a significant difference. While changing window… 4 11634 Have look at your house plans and you will probably find that brick articulation joint has been missed. Maximum allowable spacing is 6M or 5.5M for a wall with window… 17 20559 Hi We have a road close to our place and only an old flimsy wooden fence between us and the Neighbour closest to the road. Any ideas on a sound proof modular fence. Like… 0 7458 |