If you’re building a new house or doing a big renovation, this is the perfect time to think about soundproofing. With some attention to detail and only a small extra cost, you can make your home noticeably quieter and more enjoyable to live in.
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I will outline the main points to making your new house quiet and enjoyable.
Soundproofing your house - house layout
The way a house is laid out significantly influences how sound travels within it. If your goal is to achieve meaningful sound isolation, highly open interior layouts are generally not suitable. Large, open-plan spaces lack the partitions required to block or absorb sound, allowing noise to travel freely between rooms and floors.
A typical example is the home theatre located in an open basement with no doors and an open staircase leading to the upper levels. In this configuration, there is effectively a direct acoustic path from the theatre to the rest of the house. Under such conditions, it is unrealistic to expect sound from the theatre to remain contained; it will be audible upstairs and throughout adjacent spaces.
To control noise, physical separation and proper partitioning are essential. Open layouts and open vertical spaces (such as stairwells) significantly reduce the achievable level of sound isolation.
To achieve a reasonable level of acoustic separation between different areas of the home, the following design principles should be incorporated during planning and construction.
Soundproofing doors
Key elements of door soundproofing:
Soundproofing interior walls
All interior partition walls—both those separating rooms and those separating rooms from hallways or other shared spaces—should have their stud cavities filled with sound-absorbing insulation. Mineral wool (rock wool) provides the best performance due to its higher density and superior acoustic absorption, but standard fiberglass batt insulation offers nearly as much benefit and is typically more economical.
Installing insulation in a standard stud wall increases its Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating by approximately 2–3 points compared to an empty (uninsulated) stud cavity. In practical terms, this improvement corresponds to a noticeable but modest reduction in transmitted noise—roughly equivalent to about a 10% perceived decrease in loudness. While this measure alone does not create a fully “soundproof” wall, it is a cost-effective baseline treatment that should be applied to all interior partitions in a quiet home.
Soundproofing ceilings
Ceilings should also be constructed to provide better sound isolation than the common practice of fastening a single layer of drywall directly to the joists. At a minimum, install resilient channels between the joists and the drywall to decouple the ceiling surface from the structure. Using two layers of drywall on the resilient channels further improves performance by increasing mass. In addition, always install insulation in the joist cavities; mineral wool is optimal, though fibreglass is also effective.
This combination increases airborne sound attenuation through the ceiling–floor assembly and also reduces the transmission of impact noise, such as footsteps from the floor above. While these measures do not eliminate noise, they significantly reduce sound levels between floors and form the foundation of a quiet multi-storey home.
Soundproofing air distribution
Supply and return air ducts can serve as unintended pathways for sound transmission between rooms, including spaces that are not adjacent. This issue is frequently overlooked during design and installation, but it can significantly undermine the acoustic separation achieved through wall and ceiling construction. To control noise transfer through the HVAC system, ducts should be equipped with appropriately sized silencers (sound attenuators) or constructed with acoustically lined duct sections. These treatments reduce the ability of the ductwork to carry voices, music, and mechanical noise from one part of the house to another.
Soundproofing plumbing
Many people assume that noise from toilet flushing and running water is unavoidable. However, with proper detailing during construction, these sounds can be substantially reduced. Drain pipes should be wrapped with sound-attenuating pipe wrap or mineral wool, and then enclosed within an insulated wall assembly. Water supply lines should be secured to framing using rubber or vibration-isolating mounts rather than rigid fasteners. These measures prevent the pipes from transmitting vibration into the structure, resulting in noticeably quieter bathrooms and kitchens.
Soundproofing exterior noise
To reduce exterior and traffic noise, select high-quality windows with published acoustic performance ratings (for example, STC or OITC ratings). Windows are often the weakest point in the building envelope, so their acoustic properties have a significant effect on indoor sound levels.
For homes located in high-noise areas, the construction of the exterior walls is even more critical. Heavy, dense wall assemblies provide far better sound isolation than lightweight ones. Brick or masonry veneer over a properly insulated wall assembly offers substantially better noise attenuation than thin stucco systems applied over foam sheathing. The additional mass of brick reduces the transmission of low-frequency noise, such as traffic and aircraft noise, much more effectively.
Special soundproofing situations
Certain situations during new construction or renovation require specialized acoustic expertise to achieve acceptable results. This is particularly true for home theatres, music practice rooms, and any space where high sound levels are generated or where strong sound isolation is required. These projects should not be undertaken without the involvement of a building acoustics professional.
It is common to see well-intentioned contractors attempt these rooms using standard construction methods, only to produce inadequate sound isolation. Correcting these deficiencies after the fact is typically far more difficult and expensive than designing and building the assemblies correctly from the outset. Engaging qualified acoustic expertise early in the project ensures that performance expectations are met and costly remedial work is avoided.
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