Soundproofing a window

twopenny

Kwimp he could walk the 12mins to work. It would help him save money.
He could park a bit along the road.
Wyndham if he was hard working and trying to support himself I wouldn't mind but he doesn't and does nothing for his 70yr old mother because 'he doesn't like/want to do it. Her words.

Kwimp yes I tried practicing with sleep cycles but I have arthritis in several parts and unexpected movement wakes me and keeps me awake until I doze. It's not like when I could exercise to get really tired. 

I don't want to make permanent alterations because I'll have to move when I can and that will be costly now I can't do things for myself to a house or garden so I'm trying to find a way to live with it for the time I have to be here.
And I really don't want to move.

Myc I love the silence at night. That's why I moved here 7yrs ago to hear owls and the sea so another noise isn't . Until now my neighbours have had an unwritten rule that even if you're up and doing you don't make a noise till 9  o'clock as it's a retirement estate How lovely is that when you've been getting up at silly o'clock for 50 yrs. 🙂


Sounds pathetic I know but I've been battling with this for nearly a year and through the cold mornings of last winter and the heatwave so I thought I'd throw it out there. See if there was anything I haven't thought of.

grumpy_codger

Noise cancelling headphones work well when you go to bed and can sleep on the back, but early in the morning it's hardly an option.

I don't understand how an external wall can be plasterboard.

twopenny

Lol, I mean brick on the outside of course but I don't think the gap between wall and brick helps.
I know I can hear sounds outside from inside. Not huge but a surprise.

kimwp

It sounds like you are stuck with soundproofing then. Probably the cheapest option is thick curtains from a charity shop arranged around your bed to create a barrier between you and the walls to the outside and ceiling.

Section62

twopenny said:

...
Myc I love the silence at night. That's why I moved here 7yrs ago to hear owls and the sea so another noise isn't . Until now my neighbours have had an unwritten rule that even if you're up and doing you don't make a noise till 9  o'clock as it's a retirement estate How lovely is that when you've been getting up at silly o'clock for 50 yrs. 🙂
...

Is there anything in the deeds relevant to that?

Is his the white car and yours the silver one?  If so, perhaps if you parked a little further down the slope then your car might act as a barrier for some of the noise?

Noise problems are quite tricky to deal with as each of us have different perceptions and triggers... you really need to find out exactly what it is which disturbs your sleep and work out a way of dealing with that.  Unless you are very lucky applying a bit of general insulation in one place may have no effect whatsoever.

twopenny

Thanks Kwimp. 

There was a floor length curtain hung across the bay but I took it down and gave to charity!
It's a thought.

I have a tallboy there and tried opening a door against the bed. Might try it again but it didn't work great at the time in the morning.
Saw some curtains with wadding stitched in and wondered if someone else had the same problem 😐
I'll try a soundproofing panel + wadding maybe 😉

ButterCheese

Not much else you can do if the noisy neighbour is uncooperative.  Is that room designed to be a bedroom, or was it a lounge?  It's odd to have a bedroom right at thr front, as they are usually upstairs or at the back of a bungalow to avoid noise.  Maybe you could put a high fence up beside the garden so you block the sound path from the source?  

MyRealNameToo

Surprised the foam earplugs dont work but if your ears are really that weird then get some custom ones made. Not that expensive and will make the whole night quieter for you not just the neighbour going to work. 

twopenny

Nothing in the paperwork Section. Just lovely considerate neighbours. That's partly what kept me here.

Yes I've tried parking the car further down but then it's well below window level.

Yes, the bedroom has double built in wardrobes and an ensuite. The linked and semis are all the same.
Small bedroom next door other neighbours son has half moved in and slams his car doors after 9 till one day a picture came off the wall.

Yes there are underlying reasons. I lived before had 2 burglaries in 2 days, lived next to a family who walked around my house at night and damaged my car. Neighbour got altzimers and slammed doors through the night, new neighbours did 7 months of renovations every day and another had his broken down van return on a transporter at 1 am. The school had deliveries at 3am.
So I've previous 😉
That's why I moved here!

To move rooms I'm either half bed half office with built in furniture, half sitting room where I shower, use the toilet and dress.
Half sitting room half bedroom and no opening windows because they are patio doors.

It's just dealing with this until I've had the op. Perhaps I can find somewhere bigger with work done mostly.
But this tiny place has wildlife, sound of the sea, shooting stars at night. Sun streams in morning and afternoon.
View of the moors but 7mins from town.
Just tiny.

kimwp

twopenny said:

Thanks Kwimp. 

There was a floor length curtain hung across the bay but I took it down and gave to charity!
It's a thought.

I have a tallboy there and tried opening a door against the bed. Might try it again but it didn't work great at the time in the morning.
Saw some curtains with wadding stitched in and wondered if someone else had the same problem 😐
I'll try a soundproofing panel + wadding maybe 😉

Anything hard, I think won't do much to absorb the sound, but heavy, thick material like velvet should help. You only really need the sound insulation around your head, but sound does echo, so once it is in the room, it'll come from all directions. Personally I would try creating a sound fort around you with thick curtains draped over the tall boy and other furniture to dampen the noise and you could also try building up a  pillow/cushion sound barrier around your head. If you have space, you could try building an internal wall of cardboard boxes filled with soft things like clothes, cushions, spare bedding etc. A bookshelf of books is another option.

Wadding is probably more for heat insulation, but it might help for sound. 

I do feel for you. I don't yet have arthritis, but I have hypertension, which makes lying in one position too long very uncomfortable, so my sleep is hard-gained and precious, making disruptions very unwelcome.