New housing developments are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. 😉
After a month here at the location, we’re a bit annoyed by the noise level. It’s nothing to really complain about. It’s Saturday noon, and if the neighbor wants to play moderately loud music in the garden, that’s probably within their rights. Unfortunately, it’s just 3 meters (10 feet) in a straight line from our office and children’s room, wakes my sleeping baby, and personally really gets on my nerves. You can’t recognize the songs, but you hear thumping bass lines through the wall/windows for hours. I’m quite sensitive to that, and it’s annoying me.
On another property, someone has moved in who so far seems to combine the intelligence of a houseplant with the humor of a certain comedian. They often blast poor punk music late into the night and then drunkenly shout nonsense across the street when you want to let the cat out. Hooray. 🙄
We had actually hoped that people like that wouldn’t have the money for a house. Either way, these were just first impressions, maybe it will improve.
But regarding the music noise during the day, we would like to do something about it. I don’t want to approach the neighbors about it—they are very nice and I don’t believe they’re doing anything wrong. These are just sounds you have to expect, and the fact that they bother me is my problem.
Do you have any ideas on the best way to block sound?
We already agreed with them and planted a hedge along the boundary. If we now put up a wall or fence on our side of the property, would that be a problem, or can we just do it? What offers the best noise protection, especially against bass? Is there anything we can do to the house itself to prevent the sound from coming inside?
After a month here at the location, we’re a bit annoyed by the noise level. It’s nothing to really complain about. It’s Saturday noon, and if the neighbor wants to play moderately loud music in the garden, that’s probably within their rights. Unfortunately, it’s just 3 meters (10 feet) in a straight line from our office and children’s room, wakes my sleeping baby, and personally really gets on my nerves. You can’t recognize the songs, but you hear thumping bass lines through the wall/windows for hours. I’m quite sensitive to that, and it’s annoying me.
On another property, someone has moved in who so far seems to combine the intelligence of a houseplant with the humor of a certain comedian. They often blast poor punk music late into the night and then drunkenly shout nonsense across the street when you want to let the cat out. Hooray. 🙄
We had actually hoped that people like that wouldn’t have the money for a house. Either way, these were just first impressions, maybe it will improve.
But regarding the music noise during the day, we would like to do something about it. I don’t want to approach the neighbors about it—they are very nice and I don’t believe they’re doing anything wrong. These are just sounds you have to expect, and the fact that they bother me is my problem.
Do you have any ideas on the best way to block sound?
We already agreed with them and planted a hedge along the boundary. If we now put up a wall or fence on our side of the property, would that be a problem, or can we just do it? What offers the best noise protection, especially against bass? Is there anything we can do to the house itself to prevent the sound from coming inside?
KingJulien8 Nov 2020 12:39Bookstar schrieb:
Residential areaThat's right, I was actually referring more to the "city" now.
I can still imagine that, besides above-average sensitivity, the issue might actually be caused by standing waves or room modes. It could be that the wavelength of the radio’s lower cutoff frequency (or a level peak in the frequency response) is in an unfavorable ratio to the room dimensions of the affected rooms.
My suggestion would be as follows:
1. Talk to your neighbor and make it clear right away that you don’t see them as the problem, but rather yourself, and ask if they would be willing to help you find a solution that does not restrict them or only minimally affects them.
2. Have the radio placed at a different spot in the garden (changing the distance to the affected rooms; strangely, being closer can sometimes help as well). However, it’s possible that the problem will then occur in the other half of the house.
3. a) If this doesn’t help, try temporarily placing something sound-absorbing against the house wall (like a mattress).
3. b) If that helps (even just a little), then a sound barrier fence or wall will probably work better in the medium term.
4. Use a sound level meter to identify the frequency that is excessively excited in the rooms, and have a Helmholtz resonator built for these frequencies. These then need to be installed inside the rooms in suitable positions. Unfortunately, some experience is needed for this, which I don’t have in detail. I only know that room modes and standing waves often cause major problems with bass perception. An acoustician can help here (for a relatively high fee). Whether such treatment is more efficient, I can’t say.
I definitely hope you manage to get the problem under control. I know from personal experience how such disturbances can even make you physically ill, although in my case the neighbor was definitely to blame.
My suggestion would be as follows:
1. Talk to your neighbor and make it clear right away that you don’t see them as the problem, but rather yourself, and ask if they would be willing to help you find a solution that does not restrict them or only minimally affects them.
2. Have the radio placed at a different spot in the garden (changing the distance to the affected rooms; strangely, being closer can sometimes help as well). However, it’s possible that the problem will then occur in the other half of the house.
3. a) If this doesn’t help, try temporarily placing something sound-absorbing against the house wall (like a mattress).
3. b) If that helps (even just a little), then a sound barrier fence or wall will probably work better in the medium term.
4. Use a sound level meter to identify the frequency that is excessively excited in the rooms, and have a Helmholtz resonator built for these frequencies. These then need to be installed inside the rooms in suitable positions. Unfortunately, some experience is needed for this, which I don’t have in detail. I only know that room modes and standing waves often cause major problems with bass perception. An acoustician can help here (for a relatively high fee). Whether such treatment is more efficient, I can’t say.
I definitely hope you manage to get the problem under control. I know from personal experience how such disturbances can even make you physically ill, although in my case the neighbor was definitely to blame.
I’m glad I built with noise insulation in mind and not just focusing on U-values. As a result, the house is soundproof, and the best part is that at 3 p.m. today, Berlin-Tegel airport was closed—no more planes. Anyone building in a new development should pay more attention to soundproofing since noise is more annoying in the long run than lowering heating costs by a few cents.
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Pinkiponk8 Nov 2020 17:35KingJulien schrieb:
But it’s not quieter in the city either. On the contrary. More people, more traffic = more noise. In my opinion, the difference is made by the bass. Murmurs of voices or background noise from cars are much more pleasant and not disturbing compared to bass sounds. I can’t explain it very well, but bass “thumps in the brain,” for me somehow like a heart beating too loudly and out of rhythm inside the head. The original poster expressed this much better.
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Pinkiponk8 Nov 2020 17:43Tolentino schrieb:
2. Simply try placing a radio in a different spot in the garden (changing the distance to the affected rooms; strangely, sometimes being closer helps).Is it possible to position a radio so that the bass frequencies “flow” or radiate in a desired direction—towards your own house rather than towards the thread starter’s house? It would be great if you could just turn the radio around or place it in front of one of its open doors or windows. 🙂