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Blocking out Bass

Peter_Klim

Peter_Klim

Well-Known Member
I might be purchasing a townhouse soon but if i do, I'll have to sound proof at least one wall. Bass is something I really want to block from going into my neighbor's home. What's the best thing to do about that? Would making a brick wall be better and more economical than other solutions?
 
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Jon_Logan said:
Noise cancelling headphones for the neighbor.

It's pretty hard to absorb/block low frequencies.
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Agreed.:yes:

One can expend much in the way of both money and effort, and still end up with unhappy neighbors.

Maybe a "pact" can be drawn and some tolerance could be bartered or rented from the potentially offended neighbor. Sometimes communication can go a long way, and heck, it's free!
 
bowtie427ss said:
Agreed.:yes:

One can expend much in the way of both money and effort, and still end up with unhappy neighbors.

Maybe a "pact" can be drawn and some tolerance could be bartered or rented from the potentially offended neighbor. Sometimes communication can go a long way, and heck, it's free!
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Yea, that's why I thought some inexpensive (?) bricks might work.
 
Why on earth would you purchase a townhouse when you'll have a likely problem with neighbors? Rather than try to solve an unsolvable problem, spend some time looking for your own four walls, preferably with a basement.
 
Agree with "CSG123" that a stand alone structure is really your best bet, and only $20 buck's a week for summer lawn maintainence around here. A masonry wall is your best bet otherwise, but unless on a concrete slab, no way the wood stud structure is engineered to take the weight. Better constructed town houses have dual shared wall's with air space between them, but little help for floor born vibration's.
 
CSG123 said:
Why on earth would you purchase a townhouse when you'll have a likely problem with neighbors? Rather than try to solve an unsolvable problem, spend some time looking for your own four walls, preferably with a basement.
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Well if I can solve the problem, then it will be worth it, if not then I won't buy.

And because they are being auctioned at 40% off list, they are newely built with no one ever living in them and they are HUGE. Plus it is a 5 minute walk from where i work, Houses for that price are 1/2 the size and old and look like crap compared to these. I could build a room from cynderblocks inside a room and it would still cost less than an existing house. Just it'll be dificult to resell and to get around the stair case.

I'm just asking....
 
Peter_Klim said:
Well if I can solve the problem, then it will be worth it, if not then I won't buy.

And because they are being auctioned at 40% off list, they are newely built with no one ever living in them and they are HUGE. Plus it is a 5 minute walk from where i work, Houses for that price are 1/2 the size and old and look like crap compared to these. I could build a room from cynderblocks inside a room and it would still cost less than an existing house. Just it'll be dificult to resell and to get around the stair case.

I'm just asking....
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Sounds like a good deal to me. :)
As for the others who suggested you find a solo home with a basement perhaps they are not aware of how housing is in your local. It ain't much better here either.

On topic though there's not too much you can really do. Your best course of action is to start a dialogue with your neighbor to see how the feel about it and potentially times when they may be out of the house so you don't have to worry about it. :D
 
My previous home in the city was thick wood plank floors and brick side walls.

Worked great- told the neighbors right off if it ever bothered them to please let me know and I'd immediately turn it down- as a courtesy. Only got loud enough once for a call (downstairs neighbor).

Upstairs neighbor? No issues, and no noise from their home either. Neighbors to the left and right? Nothing seemed to make it into the apartment, noise-wise, through those brick walls.

Just my experience- and this was an old building (those plank wood floors were THICK)- so your experience could vary.
 
Peter_Klim said:
Well if I can solve the problem, then it will be worth it, if not then I won't buy.

And because they are being auctioned at 40% off list, they are newely built with no one ever living in them and they are HUGE. Plus it is a 5 minute walk from where i work, Houses for that price are 1/2 the size and old and look like crap compared to these. I could build a room from cynderblocks inside a room and it would still cost less than an existing house. Just it'll be dificult to resell and to get around the stair case.

I'm just asking....
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Buy the other side too and rent it out:yes:
 
Blocking transmission of sound and absorbing sound are 2 different processes. Bass traps won't do anything to keep low frequency from transmitting through the wall, they just keep it from bouncing back into the room.

Reducing transmission of low frequency sound through a partition is tough, but not impossible. If you are able to make significant changes to the partition, you might have some success.

The most important thing is to have structural decoupling between the 2 sides of the partition. The best solution is a double stud-row wall. If you can build up an inner wall that is not in contact with the existing wall, that is best. You don't need wallboard on both sides of the studs of the inner wall, only on the side facing you. If you can, put at least 2 layers of drywall on the studs. Even better would be to build an inner wall AND ceiling for your listening room. The "box within a box" design is the best possible way to create acoustical separation.

Another option, if you can do this, is to remove the existing layer of wallboard, attach resilient drywall mountings to the stud (resilient channel or track mounts), and then install 2 new layers of drywall on the resilient mounts.

A decent, easy option for retrofit is to install QuietRock or its equivalent over your existing layer of wallboard. It's expensive per-sheet, but if you're only doing one room it's not too bad.
 
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IMHO, the best kind of "soundproofing" is to purchase a detached house. No floors, walls, ceiling through which to transmit noise.
 
Glen B said:
IMHO, the best kind of "soundproofing" is to purchase a detached house. No floors, walls, ceiling through which to transmit noise.
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The perfect solution. With the current buyer's market in real estate, why buy anything else?
 
What RevMen refers to is also called a staggered stud wall - it works well. I had a friend do his basement that way. He is a reggae/dancehall DJ so he deals with tons of bass. When the volume is up (well over 90 dB) and the bass line thumping in the basement - you can not hear a thing up in the house.
 
Staggered stud is different. That's when you have a single base plate that supports 2 overlapping rows of studs, one for each side of the partition. It's a step down from double stud rows. Double stud row walls have separate base plates for each stud row, so there is no physical contact between the two sides.

In this situation, where only one side of the partition is being retrofitted, staggered stud wouldn't be useful because it would have to replace the entire partition.
 
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