This type of property is useful for transport links, shops and the workplace, however; the traffic is only going to end up following you from the doorstep to your living and bedroom if there are nothing effective in place to silence them. Property is not made on an equal playing field, as one type of remedy will be unsuitable for another property. There is no property that will not at some point be affected by the traffic and have noise passing through their window, window reveals, doors, external wall construction, roof structures and ventilation systems. The ultimate method often comes from pinpointing which elements provide the weakest point and working through improving the points in some order.

Start by finding where the noise is entering

Before you open your wallet, take up a position in the room in question when traffic is moving and listen very closely to the windows, doors, and wall penetrations. Often the noisest defect isn’t the glass, but a small crack around a frame or a degraded weatherstripping on an old door. Draught sealing can help both noise and infiltration, and it is a practical first step for older houses.

Soft furnishings help with the sound inside the room

Rugs, curtains, upholstery and fabric wall coverings won’t block the traffic sound but will absorb hard reflections and make room less resonant sounding.

A sparsely furnished room with solid floors and walls generally sounds significantly louder than a furnished one when the outside noise is equivalent.

Upgrade windows strategically

If the highest levels of sound come through a window onto a street a focused improvement to the opening could produce a bigger than expected result. Options vary from greater levels of sealing, through thicker window coverings to secondary glazing and specialized acoustic glazing. Which option to choose will depend on the type of frame in the property, finance and the severity of the noise problem.

External coverings can add another layer

Some homeowners also use external shutters because they want a combination of privacy, light control and an additional physical layer over the window. They should not be treated as a substitute for purpose-designed acoustic glazing when serious noise reduction is required, but they can form part of a broader approach to the window area.

Looking through examples from businesses such as Roller Shutter People can be helpful when considering how an external shutter may fit with the appearance and daily use of a residential property.

Reconsider how rooms are used

Cheap improvements: changing the layout. Beds, desks and sitting areas should be moved as far as possible from the noisiest external wall.

Building wardrobes or cupboards in on a street-facing wall would also serve to increase the mass on that side of the room. In the context of refurbishment it may even be worth putting utility and storage areas on the road side, and bedroom areas further back.

Do not overlook doors and ventilation gaps

A sturdy front door with adequate perimeter seals will have a significant impact if the incoming sound comes in through the front door. Some sound enters through ventilation registers and air conditioning penetrations, and they will also provide a direct line into the space. You must not go and simply seal them off, without first determining the role they serve, though in any modifications to ventilation, you still need to insure that you do have safe air flow in the space.

Aim for a quieter overall environment

In the case of homes situated along busy roads it’s often best to take an unblissfully realistic aim of simply turning those offensive noise peaks into quiet rooms rather than zero all disturbance. Step-by-step It can be helpful to begin with filling gaps in around windows and doors then turn attention to specific doors and windows that carry more noise, as well as building upon the structural reforms by using softer, quieter fabrics to dress rooms and simply having well considered space allocation. Many of these smaller targeted changes prove more effective than one over-budget construction.