Ahh the feeling of being home. Of peace and quiet. But wait, noises from the outside are disturbing the tranquility you have come to enjoy - is there anything you can do about it? Road works happening near by, a party held by a neighbour, etc. in this post we share things you can do reduce noise from outside getting inside without having to make a “noise” complaint.

Firstly, let’s look at what ‘noise’ really is

Noise is simply airborne vibration. What we think of noise travelling through a wall is actually just sound wave causing the wall to vibrate, then the vibrating wall makes the air on its other side vibrate.Since that’s how we hear - through receiving vibration, and that’s how noise travels (primarily through the air) the best way to block it is to put something in it’s path.

1) A solid privacy fence

Your first line of defense is your outer wall or fence of your home and land. The most effective material to do this has to have three qualities it should be gapless (since sound can travel through even the smallest cracks and holes); it should have a lot of mass (so it’s less prone to vibrate and pass on to it’s other side); and lastly, it should help isolate the sound (so vibrations aren’t directly passed from one object or place to another.

2) Outdoor Garden

Plant lots of plants! Generally adding any type of plants to your outdoor garden will offer lots of irregular surfaces for sounds like traffic noises to bounce off. The more plants you introduce the more noise will absorbed and not reflected back onto other surfaces. If you plant different types of plants at different heights and structure types, noises will be reduced further as there will be lots of irregular surfaces.

3) Roof Insulations

It’s not just helpful in regulating your home to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer,  Blown-in cellulose fibre insulation can also help reduce noise levels.

4) Tighten up existing door and window openings

In some cases, even replacing doors and windows with more durable and thicker installations are a good idea - such as a solid-core door and windows with thicker glass and sturdy frames. Otherwise, you could also weatherstrip all four side of existing doors and windows.

5) Interior Designs

Adding soft furnishing to a space is probably the easiest way to reduce internal noise, especially for those who are renting. You can sound proof roofs by using heavy curtains, stuffed furniture and thick carpets. They make the room less echo-y and can slightly reduce the noise transmitted from other rooms. A wooden bookcase against a wall shared with another can help absorb some of the sound coming through the walls. Even better fill those bookshelves or cabinets with a lot of books, clothes, towels and/or linens, as each of these items are natural insulators against sound.