Hey slutz. My wife and I are in major need of some creative help right now. We moved our studio to a new location. Everything looked great, nice quiet neighbourhood and we love the space.
One problem: it turns out that the neighbours have SIX kids aged 0 to 5 (how is that POSSIBLE!). The kids screams and shrieks pierce through our studio windows and are very irritating for my wife who teaches cello out of the studio.
We desperately need to cut out the high frequency screams and crying for our own sanity. There's two large sliding pane windows that are the culprits. They are about 5'x5'. I am willing to cover the windows completely, put up huge thick drapes...whatever it takes, so long as its not above $500 and so long as it won't damage the windows too much or be too difficult to reverse since this is a rental.
Please, if anyone can offer any guidance or suggestions it would save our minds right now (please no smart comments like "time to move" or "get a mean dog"). I know there are many many threads on soundproofing windows. However, they all seem to focus on keeping them as windows (or clear view to the outside). Like I said, I'm completely willing to board them up with plywood and put a big curtain over that if that's what I need to do to stop this torture.
Thank you in advance!
Ps. we're not kid haters, we have one ourselves. I just can't get over these parents. The mom leaves the 4 toddlers outside with the oldest "looking after" all the toddlers while the mom is inside with the two babies and i'm sure doing laundry and cooking for her husband...i do feel for the mom so much, she's obviously completely overwhelmed and the husband doesn't man up much and acts like another one of her children. All this because of "traditional values". Modern time fail.
FYI. here's a picture of the window. There is a pretty wide and reasonably flat trim all around it. The window is also recessed into the frame by about 4" (if money was no issue, I would stack glass blocks (i know this has been suggested and would work great)...but sadly our budget is too tight for that right now. Any other ideas?
Would cutting out pieces of foam or rubber and glueing them along the frame then putting one huge piece of plywood over the whole window and nailing it into the frame work? Would a thick thick curtain (theatre style) block out the high frequencies yells?
Okay, thanks for the reply. What would proper sound proofing be that doesn't involve installing new windows? This is a rental unit. Could I fix a large sheet of plexiglass over the entire frame with an acoustic foam layer sandwiched between? How well would this work to seal out the noise?
Okay, thanks for the reply. What would proper sound proofing be that doesn't involve installing new windows? This is a rental unit. Could I fix a large sheet of plexiglass over the entire frame with an acoustic foam layer sandwiched between? How well would this work to seal out the noise?
Im not sure plexiglass is any more soundproof than mdf... But im sure there is a material you can use that will be better, could be pricey though...
Im not sure plexiglass is any more soundproof than mdf... But im sure there is a material you can use that will be better, could be pricey though...
I got very good results insulating a wall in my rental flat towards the neighbour using this: (sorry, the page is german only, but the images behind the "Fotogalerie ansehen" links might help understanding the principle):
It's layerd corrugated cardboard, the hollow spaces filled with glass sand which makes them very heavy and dense.
It's very effective keeping out everything above low bass frequencies and better than everything else (including mdf) I tried. Maybe you'll be able to find something similar in your region and use a combination of MDF and something like this for your windows.
While I normally hate "expert village", check out the video below.
He shows you how to make "Window plugs". These, you can use in your rental unit!
Hope this helps!
Tim
Tim, thanks for that video. This explains alot and gave me some good ideas. I've drawn up my own plans for two window plugs, picked up the materials at home depot which includes some 2"x2" for a frame, 1/2" plywood on both sides of the frame, pink fiberglass insulation, and 5/8" sheetrock for the outside of the window plug facing into the room and green glue. They didn't have "soundboard" or "quietrock", but my research shows that this the price is way up there on the stuff. Hopefully I won't regret not special ordering it.
My Plan: I will build my window plug frame out of the 2"x2" by putting the top and bottoms flush in the window, temporarily mounting it in place with the window frame with brackets, then cutting my L and R vertical beams, putting them in place and using metal brackets for the whole frame before popping it out. I'll nail the whole frame together, remove the brackets, then bring it out to my garage to cut the plywood to size and nail it in. Finally, I'll use green glue to place the drywall onto one side of the plug. I also bought some door sweeps that I plan on mounting onto the plug so it doesn't get jammed in there and to great a better seal. It's simple screw on type with a rubber bubble. The only thing I didnt consider was how I would mount handles so I can easily insert and remove the plug. This thing is gonna be HEAVY so I need some very sturdy handles, but I'm concerned that mounting heavy rails as handles with 3" long machine screws going through my frame will affect the attenuation.
Maybe I'll take pics of this and keep everyone posted on my progress? Thanks for the input everyone!
Any suggestions on the best way to mount a large handle rail along a middle supporting beam of a window plug? I don't want the holes drilled for the mounting screws to compromise the attenuation...can i use rubber isolating washers or something? Or am I overthinking this?
Tim, thanks for that video. This explains alot and gave me some good ideas. I've drawn up my own plans for two window plugs, picked up the materials at home depot which includes some 2"x2" for a frame, 1/2" plywood on both sides of the frame, pink fiberglass insulation, and 5/8" sheetrock for the outside of the window plug facing into the room and green glue. They didn't have "soundboard" or "quietrock", but my research shows that this the price is way up there on the stuff. Hopefully I won't regret not special ordering it.
My Plan: I will build my window plug frame out of the 2"x2" by putting the top and bottoms flush in the window, temporarily mounting it in place with the window frame with brackets, then cutting my L and R vertical beams, putting them in place and using metal brackets for the whole frame before popping it out. I'll nail the whole frame together, remove the brackets, then bring it out to my garage to cut the plywood to size and nail it in. Finally, I'll use green glue to place the drywall onto one side of the plug. I also bought some door sweeps that I plan on mounting onto the plug so it doesn't get jammed in there and to great a better seal. It's simple screw on type with a rubber bubble. The only thing I didnt consider was how I would mount handles so I can easily insert and remove the plug. This thing is gonna be HEAVY so I need some very sturdy handles, but I'm concerned that mounting heavy rails as handles with 3" long machine screws going through my frame will affect the attenuation.
Maybe I'll take pics of this and keep everyone posted on my progress? Thanks for the input everyone!
Good luck and document progress if poss as i may change my plug depending on how successful you are...
Tim, thanks for that video. This explains alot and gave me some good ideas. I've drawn up my own plans for two window plugs, picked up the materials at home depot which includes some 2"x2" for a frame, 1/2" plywood on both sides of the frame, pink fiberglass insulation, and 5/8" sheetrock for the outside of the window plug facing into the room and green glue. They didn't have "soundboard" or "quietrock", but my research shows that this the price is way up there on the stuff. Hopefully I won't regret not special ordering it.
My Plan: I will build my window plug frame out of the 2"x2" by putting the top and bottoms flush in the window, temporarily mounting it in place with the window frame with brackets, then cutting my L and R vertical beams, putting them in place and using metal brackets for the whole frame before popping it out. I'll nail the whole frame together, remove the brackets, then bring it out to my garage to cut the plywood to size and nail it in. Finally, I'll use green glue to place the drywall onto one side of the plug. I also bought some door sweeps that I plan on mounting onto the plug so it doesn't get jammed in there and to great a better seal. It's simple screw on type with a rubber bubble. The only thing I didnt consider was how I would mount handles so I can easily insert and remove the plug. This thing is gonna be HEAVY so I need some very sturdy handles, but I'm concerned that mounting heavy rails as handles with 3" long machine screws going through my frame will affect the attenuation.
Maybe I'll take pics of this and keep everyone posted on my progress? Thanks for the input everyone!
Glad it was helpful! Yes, it would be great if you kept us up to date. Lots of people will find this useful, and sooner or later I'll probably need to build some too!
A quick update: I discovered that building the window frame for a plug is very tricky! Particularly if it's an older house like mine. The window frame is obviously not straight and I want the plug to slide in nice and snug without having to add filler after the fact.
Next steps:
1) Add some green glue on the inside of my skeleton along the edges between the plywood and the 2x2 to seal up those gaps nicely.
2) Add pink sound insulating foam layers inside my 2x2 skeleton.
3) add another 3/8" plywood to the opposite side (outside facing side)
4) Use green glue to fix my 5/8" sheetrock to the already installed, inside facing, sheet of plywood and add a few drywall screws to keep it fixed.
5) Sand all the edges down again to get it all nice and smooth.
6) Install a nice thick handle vertically along the middle beam by drilling two small holes for the machine screws (use isolating rubber washers on the outside facing end and cover the screw with a dap of green glue to seal it). Note, from a mechanical point of view, a vertically mounted handle will have the weight of the window plug acting in the same direction on both machine screws, so there's less of a chance of failure due to bending/moments.
7) Try and slide the completed window plug into the frame. If it fits nice, perfect. If its reshaped during the install of the other piece of plywood and the sheetrock, sand it down slowly and carefully.
8) Spray paint the whole thing a pleasant color.
9) Repeat for the other window!
Good news: The window plugs are complete and they work GREAT. I've included a picture of my design. Here's a breakdown of the components that make up the plug:
I have to warn though, these get heavy if it's a large window. Mine must be about 300lbs each! I'm glad I put a large rail handle bar vertically along mine to lift it.
A few tips for those making window plug: best practice is to make a very tight and snug frame with your 2x2 or 2x4. Make sure your vertical pieces are tight and you hammer them into place so your plug frame is snug in the window. Then, cut your plywood layer (MDF, whatever) that will be facing inside your studio to size. Lay it up against the window plug frame in the window and hammer it in place with a few nails. Then go outside and push (kick) the window plug from out of the frame. Bring it to the garage, nail the butts of the frame in place now that its held tightly in shape by the plywood and start working on the other layers, green glue, sheetrock, etc. You'll find that this will ensure that your window plug will fit perfectly when you're all done!
Other tips: make sure your frame is not wobbly. Add support beams within the frame. This will also create compartments in the hollow part of the plug that you can stuff in little sections of pink insulation. Without getting too technical, it's always better to split up in smaller compartments over one large hollow area (knock on the one side of your window plug all over before you seal the other side to see if it rings or vibrates. if it doesn't make a muted thud, add more bracing).
I have to say, this was a very succesful project! It does look nasty from the outside right now (should have painted the outside facing plywood white before inserting), but we plan on putting shutters. The room is pitch black now (darkroom) and actually feels comfier than it did with windows and not constraining/tight feeling like we thought it would. Thanks for the help guys. I can post pictures of the actual window plugs if interested when I get a chance!
Though I don't post much, I lurk often. If anyone else is taking on a project like this, please ask and I can share my limited experience.
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