Howtocutdownon the noise and find peace in the home
RAINDROPS weren’t falling on their heads but the clattering noise they made when they rang through the flat-roofed extension on their 1930s semi was driving Amanda Helliwell and her husband mad.
The problem was acute given that rain is a regular occurrence in North Yorkshire. When it poured down it created an impact vibration which travelled from the roof, into the joists and down into their room below. The couple were also troubled by traffic noise from a nearby busy road when sitting in the singlestorey extension.
The solution to this common problem was found at the Soundproofing Store in Bishop Thornton, near Harrogate. The company, which will have a stand at the Northern Homebuilding and Renovating show at the Harrogate Convention Centre from November 3 to 5, suggested a ReductoClip soundproofing system.
This decouples layers of mass from the original structure decreasing high levels of both impact and airborne noise but before the correct solution can be recommended it is important to know the answers to the following questions: What type of ceiling do you have? Is it timber or concrete?
What is the noise being heard? Is it impact noise such as footsteps, dragging furniture, is it rain or airborne noise such as voices, music and TV or a combination?
A Soundproofing Store spokesperson says: “Sound is a physical energy that can travel through solid materials. Isolating or ‘decoupling’ the ceiling from the floor above creates a breaker to stop that energy from easily transmitting through the structure.
“You can also use damping, which is elastic or damping materials to absorb sound energy and vibrations and this is similar to how the suspension springs in a car help to absorb bumps in theroad.
“There is also the addition of mass and this helps to create a barrier to block sound waves. The more mass the better the sound reduction but the ultimate solution for blocking unwanted noise through a timber ceiling is the ReductoClip Ceiling System.”
This is the slimmest soundproofing system on the market ensuring maximum performance with minimum loss of space and this is what gave the Helliwells the peace and quiet they craved.
ReductoClips absorb the sound vibrations and create a de-coupling suspension system for the furring bars and soundproofing layers to be attached to. Once they are in place, when an impact noise is made above it gets to the clips, which then absorb it and stop it from moving into the ceiling.
There is also minimal loss of space as the full system results in only 60mm loss of ceiling height. The ReductoClip Timber Ceiling Soundproofing Solution can be installed by a competent DIYer.
Mr Helliwell, an electrician, installed the system with help from a colleague and says: “We can no longer hear the rain and we also live fairly close to the A1 and we are no longer hearing traffic noise either.”
The ceiling size was just over 2.5m by just under 3m and the cost including materials, fixings, delivery, and VAT was £1,100 not including installation.
For details, visit www.soundproofingstore.uk or visit them at the Northern Homebuilding and Renovating show at the Harrogate Convention Centre, November 3 to 5. You can get two free tickets for the show by clicking https://www. homebuildingshow.co.uk/hbrwebsite