We get a bit of noise from the neighbour at night. The houses are very close and there is not really a fence between them. Would adding a fence improve things? How about a brick fence? Are they expensive?
Thanks
Do Fences Block Noise?
ForkSnorter on 12/05/2023 - 08:45
Comments
Probably not.
Unless you build one of those huge cement slab one that you see on the edge of some highways. :)
What are the noisy bastards doing?
It can attenuate the noise, but not block it.
It will barely attenuate noise either. Soundwaves are great at going around corners or through gaps. And unless the barrier is really high and specifically designed (e.g. mass loaded, not just some wooden fence) it will do close to nothing.
I’m on a mildly busy 50km/h road. We put up a 1.8m timber lap and cap fence and it significantly reduced road noise. Still audible but a noticeable reduction. There’s a fair psychological improvement as well when you can’t see what’s generating the noise.
There’s a fair psychological improvement as well when you can’t see what’s generating the noise
So that's why the wife wants the lights off……
That's what they do to railways and highways. Those tall fences are there to reduce noise. It must be tall enough to block out the line of sight though. Otherwise you are just wasting money.
yes, it looks like 1.8m or 2m is the height limit, depending on area. That would be high enough. But height limit for brick fences seems to be lower. Probably too expensive too.
Get the tallest wooden fence (without gaps) that your council allows. Our 1.8m wooden fence reduces the noise between the garden areas because it completely blocks out the line of sight. The same fence doesn't do much between the houses as they are 1m below the line of sight.
Modular walls using slide-in concrete panels are one of the best options, and can be up to 3m high (depending on council regs.)
Just play radio in your house all day to help cover up the noise.
It's at night that bothers us.
You'll get used to it. Turn it off when watching TV and turn it on when done watching TV.
What is the noise? if it's at night then it's possible it's beyond what is considered reasonable noise (eg no power tools or loud music).
you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel with your replies mate, honestly, just stop.
scraping the bottom of the barrel
That's where I found your comment…
No
threadclosed
I have brick fences on all 4 sides of my house. Some of them are starting to lean slightly, its very hard to build a foundation that doesn't move slowly with enough time. They were pre-existing when I bought the house. It is likely the cost to construct a new brick fence would likely blow you away.
Also be aware that a wooden fence will absorb noise more than other types of fences like concrete or metal which tend to just deflect the noise.
Important to know what kind of noise. Also how is it travelling out of their house (e.g. open window)? What type of materials are your houses and how tall are they (i.e. do you have brick walls that the sound is just echoing off, and will this echo keep happening even with a fence)?
A fence can definitely slow down noise, but the above info is useful to know what kind of fence to use, and how high to make it. Trees and shrubs can also help dampen noise, and these can go taller than fences.
Thanks, no space for trees between the houses. Think I'm going to go with a thick timber fence, 1.8-2m high.
triple pane windows
Double glazing / noise proofing your house would be cheaper than building a brick wall!
Have you considered double glazing instead? We hear very little outside noise since we had it done a few years ago, and bonus is energy savings. But if you build a fence, then now you have a fence to look at (and it may not block out the specific noise you want).
Edit: I see a few people have posted this!
Nah, even the rooms without windows facing neighbours have got a lot of noise. I don't think double glazing would make that much difference.
Acoustic double glazing is fully sealed, used very carefully spaces, deliberately different thicknesses of glass to maximise absorption of specific sound frequencies.
If you think this or even a fully sealed brick wall is not going to work, how will a simple fence in the open air be any better?
Soundwaves don't act light light, which only goes in straight lines. Sound bends and difracts around any corner.
The effective ways to treat sound involve mass loading (and no, a simple timber fence is not mass loaded), scattering with geometric shapes, or destructive interference. The latter two involve very specific design considerations (again not a simple timber or concrete fence made up of flat sonically reflective surfaces).
I would suggest you look into this a lot further than posting a question on an bargain shopping forum, before committing money to a build.
If your house is brick then the noise is coming through the ceiling and top part of the walls that are in the roof cavity. The only solution is to add an extra layer of plaster. Adding acoustic insulation bats can help with higher frequency sounds but are rather useless with bass.
Yeah, I was wondering if the noise is coming through the eaves and the ceiling.
Yes, absolutely fences can.
But if you want to do it properly you can get specially designed aucoustic fences put in (although you may not need it depending on the noise). Whatever you choose, make sure you get someone who knows how to build and install them properly.Very differently from just getting a local tradie to build the tallest fence you can afford on the propery boundary.
Because of the way sound waves travel, there will be sound nodes and anti-nodes, superpositioning, constructive interferences etc. Properly designed and installed, they can stop a lot of noise.Because of the way sound waves travel, there will be sound nodes and anti-nodes, superpositioning, constructive interferences etc. Properly designed and installed, they can stop a lot of noise.
These terms will apply to closed rooms where sound bounces back and forth. They don't really apply in open air situations where a fence will be built.
With a brick fence the sound will just reflect back and forth between the fence and their house untill it gets high enough and comes over to your house.
What kind of noise are we talking about here?
Eg. Sub woofer oomf oomf will still likely be heard even with a fence, but high pitch will possibly reflect back.
So yes the fence will help, but might not be to the level you are hoping for.
A concrete block wall will help abate sounds, it can be painted white to look acceptable and DIY built.
Then plant olive trees or some other fruit tree beside it.Don't have details but I recall an advert for fences SPECIFICALLY designed to stop/absorb/block noise.
But most fences in Australia are pathetically low, from 1.8 to 2.2 (?) max.
So they block the view not the noise.For a real noisy environment there is no way out other than thick (double/triple) glass in all windows (and keep windows closed!) and soundproofed walls.
Yes a fence will help but wont block all the noise. Double glazing would help too but expensive government is supposedly going to offer loans or something soon. Vegetation (bushes etc) will also help.
Depending on type of noise talking to neighbours will help. Wife works from home lovely neighbour doesnt mow week days now. I have regularly mowed her naturestrip in the past when ive done mine so we get along well.
Double glazing! Blocks a lot of noise. I lived in a windy place and the double glazing was significant in reducing noise. Not that expensive at the time. About $12000 for 5 windows and a double French door. There are other benefits than just noise reduction, security being one, lower heating bills for another. A new thick fence totally around the house would be the same order of cost?
Post and rail fence is a lot cheaper than a brick wall.