How to sound-proof window to stop sound leaving the room?

Hi Everyone,

I am building a new home. The long-term plan is that the home will in time be an investment for my 21-year-old son who has Autism to ensure he has a place to live or the money to pay for private care.

At this stage, I don't know which room would be his and the cost of double glazing windows for four bedrooms is not something I can invest in. I have already invested in upgrading the insulation for the external walls and also having insulation installed in the internal walls.

My son tends to rock back and forth whilst humming. His humming is very loud and the concern is this will disturb the neighbours due to how close the houses are.

Are there any soundproofing inserts?

I know soundproofing curtains are an option.

Any suggestions? would be great.

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Akanksha

Hello @Oberon70,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're delighted to have you here, and thank you for your question.

There are some great tips shared by our Workshop community members in this post titled How can you soundproof windows? that may help. You might also like to read this previous post on Options for soundproofing windows which are not double glazing.

Since you're building a new home, I also encourage you to check out this guide on How to soundproof your home that lists ways on how to soundproof different parts of your home.

Let me also tag the author of that guide, @Adam_W, as well as @TedBear, @EricL and @MitchellMc for their expert opinions and if they have any other suggestions.

Akanksha

Adam_W

Hey @Oberon70 & welcome!
Okay... double-glazing will always be the most effective choice but you are quite right, it's expensive and not something you want to do on every bedroom just in-case.
You'll find the options are covered off in my article but to summarise;

- Quality full-blockout curtains that run cornice to floor, not just window sized.
- Soundcheck type plasterboard (this is also much more resistant to damage). You could just use this on outward facing walls.
- Window film can have a minor sound reducing quality. Maybe talk with a film specialist about that.
- Make sure that everything is really well sealed around window frames both inside & out.

- Add dampening materials to boundary fences if they are tin fences. So attach timber screens or lattice. Planting helps too but not to any huge degree. It's a bit of a myth that plants block sound.

Hope this helps!

EricL

Hello @Oberon70

It's great that you've received excellent advice from my colleagues. I recommend using the Bastion 1200 x 600 x 50mm XPS Multi-Use Insulation Foam Board. You can easily trim this to the size of your window and push-fit it inside the window frame giving you immediate noise insulation. The drawback of course is that it will have to be manually put on and taken off. The only other method I can think of that will serve as noise insulation is installing EasyAS White Adjustable Plantation Shutters. These shutters can be ordered in custom size and should be easy to install.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

TedBear

Hi @Oberon70,

Like you, I was reluctant to go for double glazed windows due to the cost. I am now so glad that I reconsidered and got them. The benefits have been worth it. Since you are building new you have to pay for some sort of windows anyway, and anything we buy that doesn't deliver what we need is an absolute waste of money. In my case, an existing house, I had the added cost of getting windows removed too.... still worth every cent. You don't need to do the whole house, but bedrooms especially will benefit ,as will a lounge room if you can stretch that far. Less heat transfer in and out, saves money and less sound in and out will make for a more peaceful and cosy existence.

( If I were to build now, I wouldn't even consider single glass windows again.)

Much better result than hoping that curtains or similar will somehow absorb low frequency sounds (e.g. as emitted by rocking noises).

CSParnell

Hi @Oberon70,

I am not sure how roller shutters compare to double glasing pricing but I have had electric roller shutters on a previous house when I was doing night shifts full-time and they were fantastic for keeping out light and sound. It's another option to consider anyways.

Carl

Screenshot_20220804-181318_Bunnings Product Finder.jpg

There are a few options hop on the app and search roller shutter.

EricL

Hi @CSParnell

I suppose the advantage to having roller shutters is it doubles as a security feature. Definitely worth considering when you compare it to the price of a double-glazed window.

Eric

CSParnell

And a block out light as well.

Oberon70

Hi Everyone, thanks for the advice, and I am definitely looking at implementing a few of the ideas provided.

MitchellMc

It's great to hear the advice provided by our helpful members was useful @Oberon70.

Keep us updated, and please reach out again if you have further questions.

Mitchell

TedBear

Hi again @Oberon70 ,

I am not sure where people are getting their ideas about the costs of double glazing, but I paid a similar price to the quoted roller shutters but my costs also included 2 double windows in the mix and included costs of removing existing windows (which in a new build you wouldn't even have to pay. You should instead get a credit for the ordinary windows that you wouldn't be using). My message is to not assume that dble glazed windows are some exorbitant cost that is out of the reach of the ordinary person (which I am). The benefits (heat & sound transfer and security) are worth considering.

Remarka6le

I'm also not sure where people are getting their costs for double glazing, I've had friends get glass with double glazing at around $200 per m2 for their home. Adding the cost of a frame and installation still puts it well under roller shutters, especially if it's just for one room.

I'd consider double glazing the best option for sound, beating the Aussie summer heat and an added security measure. If you have the space outside, you can use plants and outdoor acoustic panels on the fence to also dampen the sound 🙂

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