How to Soundproof Your Home and Garden

Noise is the number one reason why people are unhappy in their homes, whether it be from neighbours or traffic, and it is often the main reason why they choose to move.

People move to a new home in the hope of escaping nuisance noise only to discover that they can hear the neighbours’ TV or that the traffic noise from the road is far more noticeable than they thought it would be.

Sadly, almost nowhere is immune to some level of disturbance, and whilst wearing noise-canceling headphones is a simple and instant solution, it is not a practical long-term solution.

Equally, you cannot keep moving home to escape the noise, so you either have to learn to live with the disturbance or do something to reduce its adverse impact on your quality of life.

On the other hand, it may be that you are a really considerate neighbour and want to shield your other neighbours from a noisy hobby or because you are hard of hearing and need the TV up loud.

So what can you do to reduce the noise levels in your home created by either yourself or your neighbours?

Soundproofing is often a good value for money, as well as an effective way, to block out unwanted noise from entering your home.

Whilst you will not create a totally silent environment in your home, in this week’s home moving blog we look at ways to soundproof party walls, reduce outside noise, and even how to soundproof a garden.

You may like to read: Where are the Most Peaceful Places to Live in the UK? Find out region by region where the most peaceful place to live in the UK is based on the number of official noise complaints, the population density, and readers surveys.

How Does Sound Travel?

You may not really care how sound travels as long as you find a way to stop it from disrupting your life.

But once you understand how sound travels it makes it far easier to defend your home from unwanted noise.

In simple terms, this is how outside noise can be heard inside:

• Noise is vibration
• It travels through the air
• Passes through your walls and windows, which causes them to vibrate
• The waves then exit as sound which carries on vibrating through the air, and into your ears

These vibrations can pass through solid objects, but will also find the smallest of gaps to enter your home through.

Therefore you will need to approach the problem from a couple of angles, stopping the noise from entering your home directly through gaps around windows for example, creating a noise dampener on walls, or even creating a room inside a room in some cases.

Whilst that may sound complicated and costly, in most cases, it really is not.

Read on to discover how to soundproof a room yourself.

(Whilst we will use the term soundproofing throughout this guide, it would be more accurate to say sound dampening or sound-absorbing. Unless you wish to invest huge sums of money in the finest soundproofing you will never create a silent environment within your home. What you will achieve however is a substantial reduction in noise entering or exiting your home).

How to Soundproof a Room Cheaply

Now that we know that sound can enter a room through the smallest of gaps, we need to plug those gaps.

Be mindful that buildings need to breathe, especially older homes, but by plugging any gaps you find around the home you will not only reduce the noise but make your home more energy-efficient.

Here are some cheap soundproofing ideas to help reduce noise entering your home by direct means.

• Caulk around the window frames
• Ensure that the windows close properly and that the seals are in good shape
• Hang heavy curtains at the windows to help absorb echoes within the room
• Ensure doors fit snugly
• Have a wall-mounted letterbox and seal the letterbox on your front door
• Put draught excluder around the door frames
• Hang drapes across the door frame
• If you have unused chimneys block them (NOTE: See the section on stopping traffic noise before thinking of doing this)
• Check that pipes or cables that run into or out of walls or window frames are caulked

Once you have stopped any direct noise from entering your home you can now consider how to dampen the noise that enters your home through the walls.

These solutions will work well when you are looking for the cheapest way to soundproof a party wall. The idea is to use furniture and soft furnishings to absorb the sound vibrations.

• Place full-wall-sized bookshelves against the wall
• Multiple shelves of books will help absorb the sound waves
• Hang tapestries or decorative fabric wall-hangings
• Place rugs on wooden floors (if your floorboards run through to the next door this will help reduce the vibration of footsteps for example)
• Place foam or acoustic underlay beneath rugs to absorb even more sound
• Place wardrobes against the party wall
• Fabric sofas and lots of cushions will help dampen any noise
• Large, dense houseplants may help absorb sound
• Experiment with the layout of your furniture to find the most effective layout for noise reduction

If the sounds you are trying to block out still penetrate your home then you may need to read our next section which suggests some more expensive, but highly effective ways, of soundproofing your home.

Must do: If you are thinking of moving around heavy and large pieces of furniture in your home it is safest to use professional furniture movers. You can get a quote from professional local removal firms in just a few minutes here.

How to Block Out Noise from Next-door Neighbours

Whether the level of disturbance you are experiencing is due to the way your home is constructed or you have inconsiderate neighbours, and the methods above have not got the noise down to an acceptable level, then you may want to consider these additional soundproofing options.

Although more expensive, these soundproofing ideas are far more effective at reducing noise pollution.

When used in conjunction with the methods described to reduce traffic or outside noise in a later section of this guide, you should have solved your noise problems.

• Fill cavity walls with foam insulation. Not only will this help reduce noise transfer but will lower your heating bills. You may even qualify for a grant to get this done.
• Add acoustic soundboards to the walls. Available online, these boards fix directly onto your existing walls and absorb sound before it bounces around your home.
• Add plasterboard to existing walls. Fix plasterboard panels to your existing walls to help absorb noise. To be even more effective sandwich something like Rockwool acoustic insulation between two sheets of plasterboard.
• Create a room within a room. Not your average DIY job but highly effective. A room is built within a room, the walls are constructed slightly away from the current walls creating a sound break between you and next door.
• Don’t forget the Loft. It is especially effective to sound insulate the floor of your loft or any party walls you have in the loft, with the added benefit that you will also save money on your heating bills come winter.

You may also like to read: Should you Move Because of Bad Neighbours? Bad neighbours can make even the most idyllic locations a nightmare. Here we suggest what you can do about bad neighbours, how to spot bad neighbours when looking for a new home, and how to become a good neighbour yourself.

How to Block Noise from a Neighbours Flat

Living in a flat you may have noise coming at you from all angles.

You can use the methods described in the previous sections to help dampen the sounds that come through the walls and windows, but you will additionally need to add soundproofing to the floors and ceilings.

Carpets with good thick acoustic underlay, or heavy rugs with acoustic mats underneath work really well in absorbing sound from your neighbours below.

The most effective way to stop noise from upstairs neighbours is to create a suspended ceiling in your flat.

Acoustic hangers, to which you attach acoustic plasterboard, are an effective solution. This creates a buffer between the existing ceiling constructions and absorbs the sound that is transmitted through the joists.

Another option is to attach acoustic plasterboard or pads directly to the existing ceiling joists to increase mass which will absorb the majority of the noise from upstairs.

The last option, which is the most effective, but also most expensive, is to install a completely new ceiling beneath the existing one.

This will require a professional tradesperson to install as independent joists will need installing. Note that you will lose about 6 inches of height off of each room if you go this route.

You may also like to read: Moving from a Flat to a House. Is it a Good Idea? Will moving to a house solve all the problems associated with living in a flat? In this guide, we look at the reality of moving from a flat into a house for the first time.

Can You Soundproof a Garden?

Road traffic noise or noisy neighbours in their garden is a surefire way to ruin a nice relaxing day in your garden.

Whilst you will never stop all the noise, there are things you can do to reduce it, and the type of noise and the distance from your garden that it is generated from, will all factor into your noise defence plans.

Traffic or street noise is the easiest to deal with, whilst noisy neighbours will be the most difficult as the sound is closer.

The task is to create a sound-blocking or absorbing barrier, or multiple barriers, in the direction that the noise is coming from.

Here are some of the best ways to reduce the noise you can hear from the neighbours or from the street outside your home.

• Plant a Hedge. A tall thick hedge is very effective in reducing the level of noise that you can hear, especially from road traffic. It will not block noise entirely but will help soften it. The downside of course is that hedges take years to grow.
• Grow Bushes. Strategically placed large bushes dotted around the garden will also help absorb sound.
• Plant Bamboo. Bamboo grows incredibly quickly and will form a nice dense sound barrier in no time. Just be careful of the variety you choose as bamboo can soon take over your whole garden.
• Build a brick wall. A solid wall around your garden will help deflect noise, but it will need to be tall, especially if you are trying to block traffic noise.
• Install Acoustic Barrier Fences. You can even buy fences for your garden which are designed to absorb noise. You will find companies that sell such panels in the useful contact list at the end of this guide.
• Erect Tall, Dense Fencing. The taller and denser a fence is, the more sound it will deflect away from your garden.
• Lower Your Patio. It is not always easy or practical to install high fencing or walls. Another solution is to lower your seating area so that the noise travels over your head. This could mean dropping your patio or decking lower but will be particularly effective in reducing traffic noise.
• Add Soundproofing to Existing Fencing. You can buy what is known as mass-loaded vinyl on a roll from online stores. This attaches directly to your existing fence and will help stop noise from passing through your fence. The taller your fence is the more effective the soundproofing will be. You can then plant bushes, a hedge, or even add another layer of wood paneling to hide the soundproofing.
• Install a Waterfall. If you are trying to mask the sound of distant traffic then this is a great solution. A waterfall or fountain will obviously not stop the transmission of sound but will be far more pleasant to listen to than lorries.
• Build a Sanctuary. The final suggestion is expensive, takes up space in your garden, but could offer you a place of relative peace and tranquility. Build a summer house. You can then soundproof this as you would your home. In conjunction with the other garden soundproofing methods, you should block out the majority of the noise. 

You may have to employ all or a combination of the above suggestions to get to an acceptable noise level, but unfortunately, you will need to be realistic, you will never block all the outside noise, especially from noisy neighbours who play blaring music. Conversation noise you will be able to reduce significantly though.

You may like to read: The Pros and Cons of Buying a House With a Garden. Having a garden is a wish for many people looking to move home. But what is the reality of having the responsibility of a garden, will it truly enrich your life or just add to the never-ending list of jobs you already have to do?

How to Block the Sound of Traffic From Your Home and Garden

Blocking the noise of traffic or just general street noise from your home and garden may require a combination of all the previously suggested solutions, it will depend upon how far away the source of the noise is.

• Install triple glazing on all windows
• Hang soundproofing or very heavy curtains at all windows and doors
• Install soundproof external doors
• Install solid internal doors rather than hollow ones
• Block the letter flap on your front door and use a wall-mounted letterbox
• Seal up unused chimneys*
• Fit soundproof wall panels
• Grow dense hedges around the perimeter of the property
• Build a wall around your garden
• Install dense fencing around the perimeter of your property

*Sealing up a chimney. Always seek professional advice when sealing up an unused chimney. This can be extremely dangerous as the soot releases gases which could escape into your home and secondly, condensation can form in the chimney flue which can cause damage to your chimney and walls.

You may also like to read: What to Do When You Regret Moving Home. Many people have moved home only to discover that it was not the right thing to do or that they are missing their old home or neighbourhood. In this guide, we look at practical steps to help you overcome this stage of the home-moving process.

Useful Soundproofing Contacts

Soundproofing your home can be an expensive and complicated process.

In the first instance, it is always worth trying the cheap soundproofing suggestions we made earlier.

If they do not solve the problem then you may need to spend some money to get to the desired reduction in noise.

Here is a list of some of the best soundproofing companies and advice in the UK:

• Noise Stop Systems
• Sound Stop
• Soundproofing UK
• Sound Insulation Store
• Soundproofing Store
• Trust a Trader

We hope that you found this guide useful and if you have any further soundproofing solutions that you think others would find useful please leave them in the comments below.