By George L Hinkhouse
You will want your new home to be quiet and relaxing. This article offers tips and suggestions for keeping the noise inside your home to a minimum and especially preventing outside noise coming inside.
Insulation. Probably the most efficient way to reduce noise is the use of insulation, both for exterior walls and interior walls. If road traffic noise is bad, you might want to consider going with 2×8 framing instead of 2×6 on that side of the house. The cost will be a bit more but may be worth it.
For inside noise from toilets and washer/dryer, insulation in the walls around them would cut down the noise. You might even want to consider insulating all the interior walls including the middle floor. It is surprising how quiet it can get!
Windows. If you live near a freeway or outside noise of any kind, you may want to consider Milgard Quiet Line insulated windows which can cut down at least 30% of noise. The big drawbacks for these windows are that they are very expensive and are not recommended on the coastline.
Another possibility is to consider triple-pane windows which are energy efficient and should cut down some noise. These windows offer an extra barrier and also allow another surface to be given a Low-E coating. Again, the big drawback is that triple-pane windows are very expensive but are something to consider.
Plumbing. One of the worst noises in house walls is the drain between floors. To minimize this noise, cast iron pipe should be used. For the water line, pex line should be used instead of copper. Pex water line is designed to reduce noise and does not break when subjected to freezing. For the toilet flush noise, it is suggested to use lowboy toilets that are quieter. However, lowboy toilets may not flush as well as the standard toilets.
Exhaust system. For the bathroom, get the quietest and the best ventilation fan that you can get for the size of your bathroom. In other words, don’t skimp on this. And be sure to vent it to outside, not to the attic. Fan noise is rated by sones which is a scale that provides degrees of noise. A rating of 1.0 sones means the fan is very quiet, 2.0 is very good, and 4.0 is noisy.
As for the kitchen range hood, most of the noise comes from the blower motor and the rush of air through the duct system. It can get worse if it is not properly installed. For example, using a 6″ duct for the hood that requires 8″ or when there are too many 90 degree duct bends. Just make sure your hood has enough power to do the job. It may make sense to buy more power than you need and run it at lower speed. This can reduce the noise quite a bit.
Landscaping. If a buffer of trees and shrubs is done properly, it can reduce noise up to 50%. Evergreen varieties that retain their leaves throughout the year are recommended. To pick the best species for your area to offset the noise, you may want to secure the service of a landscaping expert who can help you make a design.
Taking steps to reduce noise whenever you can is a worthwhile effort. Coming home to peace and quiet from the noisy world is good for your well-being.
About the Author: George Hinkhouse is an experienced home builder having built over 150 custom homes and 16 condos. For instant access to a free 4-page report of “Great Tips Building Your Own Home”, go to http://www.tipsbuildingyourhome.com.
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