Street noise soundproofing

Ted White

http://www.soundproofingcompany.com/...fing_ceilings/

SM05

SteelToes, we have a basement footprint of our living room with a tiny window at the ground level facing the busy/noisy street.

Ladigit

SM05... Thanks. I'll be interested to see how happy you are with them. Who are you using to do the installation? We're looking to do some price, shopping at this point. We also got the 6-8 weeks manufacturing time estimate from TheWindowMan.

SM05

Ladigit, will let you know. I'm letting TheWindowMan install them for me as well. They don't wanna have anything to do with the prep of my old/original door stoop though. So I'm thinking I'm gonna order the storm door from them and have another contractor, one I meat with today, install it for me.

Ladigit

Any update on this install? Wondering about the difference and Windowman install. Thanks!

SM05

No so far. Called in a couple of days ago and was told windows were in (why hadn't I been called instead?, anyways...). Most likely will have them installed first week of March. BTW, found a local guy to take down old windows for about half of what WindowMan was offering.

SM05

Finally had the new storm windows installed last morning. I still need to take care of the main entry door on the 1st floor, so I'm ignoring the results in that room for now.

The room above it, facing the same busy street, is the one that got both windows taken care of. I had the old storm windows taken out the day before and there were no storm windows here of any kind for close to a day. I totally hated it. It felt like I was sitting on the street with cars passing by right next to me. When the new storm windows got installed, I can't no longer hear the regular traffic, I can hear the loud idling cars, can hear the bus stop by and leave (they do generate a lot more low frequency too). The best way to describe the change is that sound is sort muffled. Some of it is still there but it just doesn't bother me anymore. Individual words in the conversation taking place outside my front door for instance are no longer distinguishable either.

I also suspect that some of the sound bleeding into this room comes from the room below where the front door is. So, that needs to be dealt with, which should make this room a bit quieter too. And also there is a small attic space accessible from this room, which I assume bleeds some noise too.

All in all, I think it's a nice perceivable improvement though. Our original windows got left unchanged, new ones seem to do their job and look great too. I also find that the bedroom where we got just the regular storm windows installed, ie w/o the 1/4 laminated glass, had gotten less drafty and better maintains the temperature. That was always the hottest & coldest room in the house (depending on the season). I always had to crank up A/C in the summer to make it manageable for the night. So, looking forward to that room staying cooler.

And lastly, the installers, while had barely spoken any English, were very efficient and professional. They didn't take any breaks, arrived on time, took special care not to damage the windows or my property, covered work area on the patio, and cleaned up after themselves when they were done. Could've not asked for more than that.

So, hope this lengthy reply helps.

rightit

You may already have done this, but as a temporary fix to the front door, I would put in new weather stripping (doesn't have to be expensive or difficult for temporary) and a door sweep (if necessary) and if there are any other 'leaks', plug them up with something dense (like rubatex or something similar that might help cut back on the noise leaks).

Mark

pyper

The STC rating of trees and shrubs is essentially 0. According to DOT, a 100 foot buffer of very dense shrubbery can reduce sound 3 dB.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/audible/al4.htm

If you need a temporary sealant, this stuff goes on and comes off easy:

http://www.dap.com/product_details.a...=19&SubcatID=4

Or at least it did when I used it a decade and a half ago. Better test it first, but I just sprayed a bead around the edge of the door, waited for it to cure, and closed the door onto it. When it was time to move, I just took a dry scrub brush to it and it came right off. It's not like Great Stuff foam. It says flexible and crumbly.

NDW

SM05, just want to say thanks for this information. I'm in Takoma Park and also thinking about adding some acoustic storm windows. The sound drives me crazy but does not bother my wife in the least.

Just curious--now that you've lived with the Mon-Rays for a while, would you do it again? Or if you do it again would you try to go for all new windows?

NDW

Ladigit--just curious as to what you ended up doing with your windows. I'm also in TKPK, near Piney Branch Road, and I'm trying to learn about my options for sound abatement for traffic noise. I had the Window Man in here earlier with the Mon-Ray storms, but I'm considering trying to get approval for new windows. Just wondering what your experience was.

rebelranger

How serious are you about sound proofing? Windows are only a start. Sealing all gaps is very important too. If you are serious and have the money I would say do these steps (1) remove existing drywall. (2) Install Roxul sound proofing insulation -->http://www.roxul.com/residential/cre...%E2%80%99sound (This lowers R value though), (3) Install Quiet Rock -->http://www.quietrock.com/, (4) repaint.

Want really serious? Additional steps (a) Have closed foam cell insulation sprayed, (b) Install green glue http://www.greengluecompany.com/, between two layers of drywall/quiet rock, (c) Install thick window drapes and soft wall coverings.

*Sidenote - QuietRock is about $47 for a 4'x8' whereas drywall is about $6 for a 4'x8' sheet. Green glue is about $12 a tube and two tubes are recommend per 4'x8' sheet. Closed cell spray foam is about $1.5 to $2 per sqft....depending on thickness. Roxul safe in sound varies based on location IE check local Lowes. Labor varies to much to guess but you can hang the drywall and finish yourself. Curtains, for high quality, can cost up to $100 per.

Ted White

Can't say I'd agree with much of that

rebelranger

@Ted - Why do you not agree with the above? Which method? All methods? Against it due to cost?

Ted White

Geez, sorry. I had my forums mixed up. I thought I had just commented on a lot of that and now see that was another thread on another forum.

Depending on the degree of isolation wanted, I would remove the drywall as you say.

Install R13 fiberglass. It's cheaper and works same or better.

I would then install EITHER clips & channels or a second stud wall to decouple.

Then a lot of mass. Double 5/8" drywall. You want the heaviest solution. Lighter weight panels will never make up for the lost mass, no matter how much they cost. The 5/8" drywall from Lowers / HD is super mass, super cheap.

Then field install a damping layer between those two sheets of 5/8"

This same strategy holds for floors and ceilings as well.