Is Double Glazing for zero noise possible??

Oxid8uk

Acoustic consultant here.

It is unlikely that you would completely block out noise from the road but high specification glazing can certainly decrease the level of noise internally.

The key is air gap - the bigger the better therefore secondary glazing is usually the way forward if noise levels are high. Triple glazing isn't ideal. With that you would just block out more of the higher frequency noise therefore making the lower frequency noise appear more prominent.

But without knowing the noise level experienced at the house it is difficult to determine the best solution. A higher specification of double-glazing could be sufficient.

As pp have said, the real issue will be in the summer months when you want to ventilate your bedrooms at night. As soon as you open a window it doesn't matter what specification of glazing you install.

phoebe1989seb

G_M wrote: »

Triple glazing, with secondary glazing behind.

But you do realise you'll get 'rumble noise' vibrating through the walls/floor....??

My mum's house is on a busy road (i wasn't when she bought it!), and in the front bedroom, the entire room seems to shake when buses/lorries go past. New windows won't help that.

Our last house was on a rural A-road with a 30 mph limit (not that many drivers observed it ) and the year before we sold we had double-glazing with acoustic glass fitted. Trouble was, although the house wasn't listed, it was a character property and we wanted windows that were in keeping with this so we chose painted hardwood sashes. These looked lovely, but really imho did very little to improve noise reduction indoors.

Worst of all though, were the vibrations caused whenever a bus or lorry went past. It was a three-storey stone house with 18" thick walks and the whole place shook from top to bottom......awful and I'm soooo glad we've sold it

Admittedly it wasn't 50' back from the road like the property the OP is considering, but nonetheless I'd think twice if I were him/her.

Davesnave

Oxid8uk wrote: »

Acoustic consultant here......


.....As pp have said, the real issue will be in the summer months when you want to ventilate your bedrooms at night. As soon as you open a window it doesn't matter what specification of glazing you install.

Surely an air conditioning consultant could solve that.

nobblyned

We used double glazing followed by secondary glazing with acoustic glass and a bigger air gap. Reduced the noise a lot but did not eliminate.

Things to consider, the walls transmit sound as well, will the rooms have more than one external wall, ie on corner, or are you terraced? For viewings remember the sound is a lot worse when road is wet. Also there is the impact on your usage of outdoor space, even in the back garden noise maybe high. Also consider pollution from the road, even if you are not fussed a future purchaser might be. Roads are also very dirty, the front of your house, parked car on the drive etc etc will get dirty v fast. Also consider the state of the road surface, a pothole nearby would drive you mad, biggest improvement that happened for us was when the road was resurfaced with low noise Tarmac and all the small holes filled in.

edinburgher

Good discussion and tips here, thanks all.

I also agree with theEnd, we recently laid laminate and acoustic underlay in our living room. Not only did it block out the noise from the downstairs neighbours, but low frequency noises from traffic etc. definitely seem a bit more muffled.

We live in an older flat, the whole building can resonate depending on who's idling where with their bin lorry

Definitely wouldn't do it just to try and help with noise, but if you're in the market for some new flooring, don't skimp on the underlay etc.

EKI

Thank you for all of the advice & tips.

We are planning on doing a second viewing. The house seems perfect for us apart from the road noise.

The garden is huge & I don't think the road noise will bother us there. We can listen to some music when in the garden. I think our main concern is the noise when sleeping. It would be good to view someone's house who has this specialised glazing!