By Teri Silver
Building a new home takes ingenuity, vision, professional expertise, and a flexible bank account. Noise control in home design is just as important, because the last thing you want is “audio intrusion” in your dream house.
Before digging the foundation or planning a home renovation, it’s a good idea to learn exactly what sound is and how it works. Then discuss noise control solutions with your construction team.
Sound 101
When it comes to sound, all materials have some type of reverberation or absorption. Surfaces (like ceilings, walls, and floors) could vibrate or become soundboards that echo. The more noise in the environment, the harder it is to hear what’s going on around you.
For example, crowded restaurants with the sounds of breaking dishes, clinking silverware, ringing phones, and people’s voices can be hard to hear in without being acoustically protected. Some eateries try to lessen noise with panels, perforated wood, carpeting, and cork—just to name a few.
Using logarithms, the decibel scale (dB) measures sound intensity. Soft sounds (like whispers) measure around 30 dB, normal conversation at 60 dB, and very loud sounds (like jet engines and trains) can be as high as 140 dB. Individual sensitivity and environment each play a part as to how loud something seems to be.
Buffer Zones
Usually defined as acres of lawns or tree lines to keep areas quiet between adjacent properties, buffer zones also help to absorb sounds and deflect noise in places of a house or building (such as storage rooms, closets, and hallways). Landscaping for noise reduction cuts back on unwanted sounds flowing from the outdoors to the indoors. Thick layers of trees and shrubs create attractive green spaces that also cut down on noise pollution.
Soundproofing
If you’ve ever been in a recording studio, you may have noticed foamy material on the walls, placed there to absorb unwanted sound. Called acoustical foam, products like Sonex reduce noise and echoing. Acoustical foam is used in churches, offices, studios, and other buildings.
Soundproofing houses with acoustical foam or regular insulation cuts down on the noise, especially helpful if you have children playing at home. Besides special designed acoustical foam, soundproofing materials like mineral wool, fiberglass, and insulation foam are inserted into ceilings, walls, and floors. Layered drywall adds to the protection.
Windows and Doors
Noise-proof, energy-efficient windows and doors are now a standard for many new home builds. For houses that need a window upgrade, homeowners have a variety of options for replacing the glass. Soundproofed windows have two or three layers of glass panes and heavy seals. Not only do they reduce outside noise, but multi-paned windows keep heat inside or outside the house, reducing your utility bills.
Interior
The more stuff you have inside a house, the more it will absorb sound. Got kids? Cut back on the noise level in their playroom and your living space with couches, bookshelves, tables, carpeting or rugs, heavy draperies, and wall coverings. Fabric panels, wall dividers, and tapestries absorb sound, too. Much like wall foam, acoustic ceiling tiles absorb sound, especially in open-area lofts and offices.
Walls and Floors
It may get expensive, but heavily constructed walls with brick, cement, insulation, wood, and multiple layers of drywall cut down noise level from room to room. Wooden floors are nice, but heavy walking is noisy; lay carpet or large area rugs to cut down on the sound.
Sound Masking
Covering up loudness with white noise is a way to blur the two together so that they produce a soothing sound. White noise blends frequencies together, turning it into “broadband noise”—much like the “fuzzy” static sound of an untuned radio station. In sound masking, noise is balanced through specially designed and strategically placed speakers.
Building a new house is a major endeavor—it’s easy to overlook something like soundproofing and noise control. Traditional materials—insulation, drywall, and wood—are affordable for cutting back the noise, but acoustic panels, soundproof windows, and thick, well-sealed doors do a better job in reducing sounds indoors and outdoors. When getting ready to design your home, consider the cost, effectiveness, and installation of noise-reducing products that work in today’s modern architecture.
Teri Silver is a journalist and outdoor enthusiast. She and her husband live on 5 acres with a vast lawn, three gardens, a farm, a pond, many trees, and a lot of yard work! The best parts of the year are summer and fall when home-grown veggies are on the dinner table.