Hello dear community,
Since we have been waiting for the new housing development for quite some time now—it has been delayed for 1.5 years (!)—because the city cannot agree on a project developer, we are currently looking for alternatives. We prefer small farms where, if a stable is approved, we could also keep horses. We have now focused on two properties. One of them is being sold through a bidding process, and we are currently in third place, so we probably won’t get it. The other is much nicer but has a significant disadvantage: the plot borders directly on a country road (see macro and micro locations in the pictures). During rush hour, about 1–2 cars pass per minute; it is quiet in the evenings. The road is about 20 meters (65 feet) from the house and one of the terraces. According to the Lower Saxony building code, fences up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high can be built in rural areas without a permit. I was thinking of around 2.5 meters (8 feet) and would then submit a building application. The bedrooms face the back or side; only the guest room faces the road side.
Now there is the idea of building a noise barrier along the road. I have the following questions:
1. Does anyone have experience with this and has either built a noise barrier themselves or lives behind one that was built at external expense? If yes, what material was used, how high was it, and how noticeable was the improvement?
2. I know the wall is supposed to be built quite close to the noise source. However, the effectiveness of such a wall also decreases the further it is from the house/terrace. Where would you position the wall?
3. What material would be best? I was thinking of a stone wall for mass, possibly with plants in front to break up the noise. The wall would mainly reflect the sound. On the other side of the road, there is nothing to reflect the sound back. The gate to the driveway would also need to be quite solid.
It would be great to hear your opinions and/or experiences =)
Since we have been waiting for the new housing development for quite some time now—it has been delayed for 1.5 years (!)—because the city cannot agree on a project developer, we are currently looking for alternatives. We prefer small farms where, if a stable is approved, we could also keep horses. We have now focused on two properties. One of them is being sold through a bidding process, and we are currently in third place, so we probably won’t get it. The other is much nicer but has a significant disadvantage: the plot borders directly on a country road (see macro and micro locations in the pictures). During rush hour, about 1–2 cars pass per minute; it is quiet in the evenings. The road is about 20 meters (65 feet) from the house and one of the terraces. According to the Lower Saxony building code, fences up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) high can be built in rural areas without a permit. I was thinking of around 2.5 meters (8 feet) and would then submit a building application. The bedrooms face the back or side; only the guest room faces the road side.
Now there is the idea of building a noise barrier along the road. I have the following questions:
1. Does anyone have experience with this and has either built a noise barrier themselves or lives behind one that was built at external expense? If yes, what material was used, how high was it, and how noticeable was the improvement?
2. I know the wall is supposed to be built quite close to the noise source. However, the effectiveness of such a wall also decreases the further it is from the house/terrace. Where would you position the wall?
3. What material would be best? I was thinking of a stone wall for mass, possibly with plants in front to break up the noise. The wall would mainly reflect the sound. On the other side of the road, there is nothing to reflect the sound back. The gate to the driveway would also need to be quite solid.
It would be great to hear your opinions and/or experiences =)
Just found a calculation model online. With our parameters and the noise barrier wall directly at the street, about 25 dBA. If the wall is placed further into the garden and not at the street, only 14 dBA. This clearly supports building the noise barrier as close to the property line as possible.
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HilfeHilfe30 May 2019 15:27Yes, but won't the sound be deflected and fall downwards?
Winniefred30 May 2019 17:481-2 cars per minute at peak times is nothing, really. If that little noise bothers you so much, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
@Winniefred Fred, I actually had to read that twice. I was just thinking, aren’t we already married? We currently live in Bremen, very centrally located, but it’s actually really quiet with lots of birdsong. So we’re not used to car noise. A friend grew up in a house like this, and according to her, she didn’t notice the traffic at all back then. But when she visits her parents and sleeps there now, she definitely notices it. The question is: 1. How quickly do you get used to it, and 2. Does your subconscious still perceive it as disturbing?
That’s why I’d at least like to reduce the noise. Ideally, I would, of course, buy another house where everything is perfect, but the market is completely picked over—even in rural areas =/ We’ve been searching for about two years, but very intensively for the past year.
@HilfeHilfe What exactly do you mean by “falling down”? I’m a bit lost here.
That’s why I’d at least like to reduce the noise. Ideally, I would, of course, buy another house where everything is perfect, but the market is completely picked over—even in rural areas =/ We’ve been searching for about two years, but very intensively for the past year.
@HilfeHilfe What exactly do you mean by “falling down”? I’m a bit lost here.
Winniefred30 May 2019 18:47And I had to think twice about what you meant, but of course, the wedding as a marriage ceremony and the wedding party^^.
I just counted cars for fun during dinner. Holiday on the outskirts of a city with 600,000 inhabitants: within 5 minutes, 1-5 cars per minute, which I find very quiet – during rush hour it’s significantly more, and at night there is almost nothing. However, this is obviously not a country road with trucks and agricultural machinery.
If everything else fits, this wouldn’t be a reason to hold me back. I think a wall and vegetation combined with good windows is completely sufficient. I would suggest contacting the local building authority / planning office informally, either in person or by phone, to find out what might be possible. Absolute silence you won’t get, no matter what measures you take, so in your place I would first consider whether you can live with some country road traffic or not, and then build accordingly what’s feasible. Also keep in mind the costs, especially for a wall.
I just counted cars for fun during dinner. Holiday on the outskirts of a city with 600,000 inhabitants: within 5 minutes, 1-5 cars per minute, which I find very quiet – during rush hour it’s significantly more, and at night there is almost nothing. However, this is obviously not a country road with trucks and agricultural machinery.
If everything else fits, this wouldn’t be a reason to hold me back. I think a wall and vegetation combined with good windows is completely sufficient. I would suggest contacting the local building authority / planning office informally, either in person or by phone, to find out what might be possible. Absolute silence you won’t get, no matter what measures you take, so in your place I would first consider whether you can live with some country road traffic or not, and then build accordingly what’s feasible. Also keep in mind the costs, especially for a wall.
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