ᐅ Is it possible to have a quiet home despite an uncontrolled railroad crossing (train horns)?
Created on: 24 Feb 2021 21:22
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JamaikaJoe
Hello,
as a backup option, we were able to reserve a plot of land in a new development area within the Nuremberg metropolitan region.
Everything fits well there except for one issue that concerns me: next to the development area (about 150m (490 feet) from our potential plot), a regional train passes over ungated level crossings and sounds its horn before each one. I am worried that the horn will be audible inside the house and disturb sleep.
The neighbors we spoke to, who have lived there for a long time, said they don’t notice the horn at all. They looked at us incredulously when we asked about it :-) The noise assessment assumes there is no significant noise emission from the railway line. However, I think this refers to the train noise itself, which is actually almost imperceptible, and not the horn.
During the day, I don’t find the horn disturbing. It fits the rural setting. But my wish is to have the house as a retreat, completely quiet from outside noises, including the horn.
Do you have experience whether such train horns can be “blocked out” by appropriate wall construction, a centralized mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, and soundproof windows? Or is the horn too loud for these measures to effectively reduce the noise?
Thank you very much for your opinions
Jo
as a backup option, we were able to reserve a plot of land in a new development area within the Nuremberg metropolitan region.
Everything fits well there except for one issue that concerns me: next to the development area (about 150m (490 feet) from our potential plot), a regional train passes over ungated level crossings and sounds its horn before each one. I am worried that the horn will be audible inside the house and disturb sleep.
The neighbors we spoke to, who have lived there for a long time, said they don’t notice the horn at all. They looked at us incredulously when we asked about it :-) The noise assessment assumes there is no significant noise emission from the railway line. However, I think this refers to the train noise itself, which is actually almost imperceptible, and not the horn.
During the day, I don’t find the horn disturbing. It fits the rural setting. But my wish is to have the house as a retreat, completely quiet from outside noises, including the horn.
Do you have experience whether such train horns can be “blocked out” by appropriate wall construction, a centralized mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, and soundproof windows? Or is the horn too loud for these measures to effectively reduce the noise?
Thank you very much for your opinions
Jo
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Alessandro25 Feb 2021 11:41That’s pointless because he will actively wait for it and consciously notice the sounds, which is not how everyday life works.
When you sit in front of the computer and focus on the sound of the fan, you notice it strongly. However, in everyday life, the brain usually filters it out.
When you sit in front of the computer and focus on the sound of the fan, you notice it strongly. However, in everyday life, the brain usually filters it out.
Gille D schrieb:
On the contrary, it calms him down a lot since there are probably very few people who receive help faster in an emergency. I guess you shouldn’t point out to him that a rescue helicopter is unlikely to ever come to his location... and sometimes the shortest route takes the longest time 😉
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pagoni202025 Feb 2021 11:58In the end, everyone has something nearby. Sometimes it’s the highway (motorway/freeway), the railway, the fire station, a manufacturing plant, a farm, poultry farming, well-behaved groups of children, barking dogs, annoying neighbors, kindergartens, schools, sports fields, or churches.
If you want to hear absolutely nothing, you have to go to the desert.
Anyone who has actually experienced complete silence, without even the sound of small animals, buzzing, chirping, or similar noises, realizes how much background noise we already consider normal.
Hearing truly nothing can be almost unsettling.
@JamaikaJoe if you are really that fixated on the train horn and can’t let it go, I would personally avoid buying any property and consider renting instead, so you can stay flexible and react if needed.
From my perspective, as someone not affected in this way, this sounds more like a luxury problem, since I wouldn’t worry about it so much or might be more sensitive to other types of environments or human activity.
If you want to hear absolutely nothing, you have to go to the desert.
Anyone who has actually experienced complete silence, without even the sound of small animals, buzzing, chirping, or similar noises, realizes how much background noise we already consider normal.
Hearing truly nothing can be almost unsettling.
@JamaikaJoe if you are really that fixated on the train horn and can’t let it go, I would personally avoid buying any property and consider renting instead, so you can stay flexible and react if needed.
From my perspective, as someone not affected in this way, this sounds more like a luxury problem, since I wouldn’t worry about it so much or might be more sensitive to other types of environments or human activity.
There is also a difference depending on the source of the noise. For example, things that no one can do anything about anyway, like trains, highways, or even airports, are different from a neighbor who turns up their stereo with loud, bad pop music at 2:00 AM.
That affects you mentally in a completely different way...
You tend to block out sounds, even noise, that are considered "naturally occurring."
That affects you mentally in a completely different way...
You tend to block out sounds, even noise, that are considered "naturally occurring."
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nordanney25 Feb 2021 12:16Tolentino schrieb:
turning up bad Schlager music full blast.Is there such a thing as good Schlager that isn’t annoying? 😱A
Alessandro25 Feb 2021 12:34I just wanted to ask if there is also good Schlager music :p