Spending a quiet night at home just isn’t the same as it used to be. Maybe the neighbour is playing his trumpet, the kid in the next room has the television really loud, or the pub a few streets away has just become the live venue of choice.
The past few years have brought considerable change in our lifestyles and living habits. As a result, modern homes need to be designed differently to reflect these changes, especially when dealing with the effect unwanted noise can have on well-being and health.
If you are considering making some changes to your house to restrict noise levels, it is important to first work out what sort of noise you are dealing with. Training the kids to turn the television down could be less expensive than soundproofing their bedrooms, while placing sound batts in your roof will be more effective against aircraft noise than rugs on the floor.
Next, ascertain where the worst noise is coming from.
Interior noise can come from a number of sources, but is often simply a result of busier lifestyles, more people working or studying from home, children living at home to an older age, and an increase in entertainment systems (home theatres, computers, games etc.).
Exterior noise can often be attributed to the fact that homes are being built closer together, home entertainment equipment is much more powerful, and traffic is increasing.
Then, define your problems and needs:
- Is your home close to neighbours or exposed to a high level of traffic?
- What is the design of your home? 1-storey? 2 or more? Having different living spaces can be great, especially for a growing family; however it can be common for the spaces to end up competing to be heard.
- Do you work (or do the children study) at home? When you actually have to knuckle down and concentrate, a quiet work area can make a world of difference.
- Do you have children at home? If so, how old are they? This can directly affect the types of noise created around the home, and dictate specific problem times and areas.
- What kind of home entertainment system do you have? What areas of your home do you want the sound contained within?
Finally, work out how these problems can be overcome. For example, wooden floors in a multi-storey house might look good, but often are not practical. Your life could become instantly quieter with the addition of some floor rubber-backed floorcoverings.
Traffic and neighbourhood noise, on the other hand, can be muffled through insulation in the walls. You could also consider installing double glazing on external windows, or even thick curtains to draw at night.
Just as noise levels have increased, so has sound-proofing technology. There are plenty of certified soundproofing specialists to advise you, so once you have found the source of your problem, talk to an expert. And enjoy the peace and serenity of your own home once more.