Stop the noise you cannot control

What is making your home too loud?

Neighbours, traffic, and what is sharing the wall, window, or ceiling with you all create different kinds of noise. Diagnose the source, how it reaches you, and what is actually worth buying, before you spend money on the wrong thing.

Diagnose my noise problem

What are you hearing?

Traffic: road traffic, highway or motorway rumble, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and night-time traffic.
Neighbor noise: ordinary voices, television, and music through a shared wall.
Upstairs footsteps: footsteps and furniture movement from the unit above.
Bass: low-frequency bass and vibration you can sometimes feel as much as hear.

Where is it getting in?

Windows: closure, the perimeter seal, vents, and other flanking paths.
Walls: shared-wall transmission and flanking paths.
Ceiling/floor: impact and airborne transmission between floors.
Doors: threshold, sweep, and perimeter gaps.
Not sure which path it is? Diagnose the path.

What are you considering buying?

Soundproof curtains: the real, bounded limits by noise type, before you buy one.
Window inserts: when they are worth the money, and when they are not.
Acoustic panels: find out whether they will actually help before you buy one.

Not sure? Diagnose the noise.