Noise Reduction techniques?

The_Bride_3

Hi,
I have just purchased a house and have noticed that the neighbours (its a semi) are a bit deaf - in that they listen to the TV REALLY loud, and talk LOUD! They are really nice in every respect - it's just that I can hear them, all the time! Does anyone have any techniques for sound reduction - i'm not talking about actual soundproofing, as this is quite expensive, but other things. For example will strategically placed furniture make any difference (we are doing it up and haven't moved all our gear in yet)? Is there any good underlay that you recommend (we haven't fitted carpets upstairs yet either!). Any other ideas gratefully received.

Cheers
Bride
p.s. they have a clock which chimes every 15 mins, all the time :rolleyes:

bockster

you'll do well to reduce noise with strategically placed pictures and chairs!!
i'm afraid you will have to do something more substantial than that. i recently sound 'reduced' between 2 upstairs bedrooms and found lots of useful info trawling through here; http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=172 , as a starting point. hope this helps.

frugglewump

We have sort of the same problem - our next door neighbours start praying/chanting really loudly at 8am on sunday mornings and other random days of the week. In the front room I have rearranged so that wall is covered in bookcases, which has worked really well. Unfortunately the wardrobes are fitted so we just have to put up with it in the bedroom.

Poppycat

Your better off having a quiet word with them, lol.

There inst a simply solution to noise, beleive me I tried and I got alot of noise from what was residential street to a urban motorway outside my door, and it drives in around the bend.

I have to wear earplugs on a evening as I cant sleep and often wear headphones during the day, I sometiems wish I was deaf.

You can get materials that are good for soundproffing but it isnt cheap.
http://www.soundreduction.co.uk/9.html

fattyamal

The only way I've heard of is the bizarre use of carpet.
Basically, carpet is a very good sound-proofer and the method I've been told about (but not used myself) is to line the walls with carpet (honest, I know this seems daft, but it's not a joke).

Not quite sure how you affix them to the wall, but you then cover the carpet up with plasterboard and re-decorate. (obviously) Depending on how many walls you have this might still be a little bit expensive, but you can get v.cheap carpet. It's the plasterboarding/plaster/decorating that could cost a little bit but still cheaper than real soundproofing materials.

Allegedly, this works well and will muffle the noise - but you might want to consult a real expert on the logistics of it. (But feel free to shoot me down in flames if anyone thinks it's daft - but a friend of mine did it!)

Mirage_2

We have exactly the same problem.Lovely neighbours,but hard of hearing.Consequently we can hear their tv over ours & hear their conversations too.

Before you do anything,how old is your house?I only ask,because ours is 1960's & has a cinderblock inner wall.I have done a fair bit of research & discovered that cinderblock is terrible at blocking sound-it travels through the wall,along the flanking walls & all around our house.Bizarrely enough,if I go & put my ear against the furthest wall on the opposite side of the house,I can hear the sound travelling through,clear as anything.Due to the construction of our house,soundproofing won't help at all,the sound will just come through all the other walls.I will never buy a 1960's/70's house again.

If you are lucky & your walls are all brick,soundproofing will be far more effective.

I'm trying to pluck up the courage to speak to my neighbours about it-they are so nice that I feel awful about saying anything though.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do,

across

ive always fancied soundproofing!!!!!!!!!!! my neighbours think they are running a pub and rabbat on all night over drinking games with a crowd they go to sleep in day but cos we have two toddlers we have to try and sleep through the noise it makes your blood boil and i can even hear when someone is sick in the bathroom!! yuck! please any ideas would be appreciated!!!!!!!
mine is 1930s house!

The_Bride_3

Mirage wrote:

Before you do anything,how old is your house?I only ask,because ours is 1960's & has a cinderblock inner wall.I have done a fair bit of research & discovered that cinderblock is terrible at blocking sound-it travels through the wall,along the flanking walls & all around our house.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do,

Weeelll! Isn't that a thing! My house is 1960s too!! It seems like we have exactly the same issue! Luckily for me, despite their loud talk, it is all in Italian, so i can't actually listen into their conversations!
I'm hoping things will be better when we actually get underlay, carpets and furniture in, but we shall see. The ultimate plan has always been to do an extension and convert the attic into a fourth bedroom - which would solve the sound at night issues! But until then I think I will just have to cope. I know we should speak to them, BUT we have JUST bought it, we are doing it up (noisily!), and I don't see why, just because they are a bit deaf, they can't watch their TV!
Curse those 1960s house builders!

Katie_Bell

We've got a 1940s semi and have had to have the ajoining walls soundproofed. We paid someone to do it, but watching them, they effectively used loft insulation battoned in with metal battons. Then they put plasterboard over the top and plastered.

coolagarry

I know it's not dealing with the problem (which is almost impossible to sort because much of the noise travels through common components such as joists and walls) but as a shift worker I swear by earplugs. Ok, they are no good during the day because you want to hear your own tv but they are a godsend at night when you just want to get some sleep - I find that the wax ones are the best.

moneysaver

coolagarry wrote:

I know it's not dealing with the problem (which is almost impossible to sort because much of the noise travels through common components such as joists and walls) but as a shift worker I swear by earplugs. Ok, they are no good during the day because you want to hear your own tv but they are a godsend at night when you just want to get some sleep - I find that the wax ones are the best.

Where do you get them from? How long do they last if you are wearing them every night?

Thanks
Moneysaver