I will look at those. It is driving me mad cause I really know the total silence - but I can't put the summer home in luggage and install it into the city now can I. Besides it is 2500 km away.

And one thing more. I know many things make noise - I do not claim it a machine like fridge or a washing machine should not make a beep. They do. The thing is that I do not know how to edit the constant mix of sounds out from my head. I can not have TV on at the same time while on my computer.. one of the reasons why I want to put a TV at the new place into the child's and guests bedroom - so they can watch it elsewhere rather than right near where computers too will be. I can not make difference to the words people say while talking from what is said on that TV - my head fills with every sound. So I am asking ideas and ASVInteriors did just give me a few good pointers to read about. But I won't be sad if you others have your say too.

The second part of it is that I will HAVE TO sound proof my work space - that being at home. I am retired, but do a little bit of artisan work involving hammers and metals and some tools all making a sound of their own - that Dremel sounding a lot like the drill of a dentist. So I do not want angry people behind the walls.

Thank you.

The trouble about ear plugs is that they make my ears hurt - bad. I cant wear such.

I just was looking at some web pages of a Finnish company that has some type of 'spray on' wall paper - fully proved as a material for walls - but I did not like the look of recycled material fibers it had. Unfortunately I am not enthusiast enough - though I could imagine that fitting certain kind of styles.

I am aware there is some acoustic wall papers and even more 'futuristic' solutions about wall coverings. I mean they put some special wall papers for movie theaters too.. but I cant seem to find a word for it to find enough information to describe it here.

About double glazing - and generally. I am not a total newbie to building and construction work. Sometimes language obstructs me more than what I know. My family - my parents especially have been swimming in bit of build work all my life - my Dad being a builder by profession. But he lives far far away and I think we might need some modern solutions as there will likely be those 'common walls'. My house where I come from does not have just double glazing - for me that is bit old news. It is not built to just suggested insulation - but more. In many ways that home - in a bit of a forest - is so much more modern than the modern. Dad is not at all bad solution to many build-work related issues - but I don't want to bother him to come to a foreign country. Well I think people should understand that.

But still in the corner of the world where my life is at now - the double glazing is something people put in as a new feature - if they do. The other winter people in this apartment building voted against additional insulation - so they want to put their money for a fancy car or what? It seems that here - more south - the winters just do not have that same bite - so people do not think of things like insulation, or holding the heat inside. I figure they are used to feeling cold and listening to neighbors. Sure some make noise in my place of origin too - I once had the luxury of listening every night from 22:00 to 02:00 the 'lady' next door verbally beating her husband to point of him crying almost every evening. But lucky enough its not like here - here arguments just top the scale.

On the decision about insulation I was stunned.. Maybe they do not get that its possible to cut down costs with insulation. Well insulation and other solutions. I have 2 bedroom house, small cabin and few outside buildings and pay only 56 € worth of electricity for month - while a home here - about the same size - with no individual outside spaces - uses around 140 € for electrics. I think they do the little heating they do with electrics. The difference being that the first example - is heated with wood - that includes full covering floor heating - water from private well and wood from private sources also. Walking inside bare foot all year around - located northern Europe. Never out of hot water. If electrics are cut due a storm - turn to a machine to make it temporary - and the full house is back operational.

Insulation for sure is the sound muffling feature too - if only possible to put in the inside walls it would be cool. But insulation here is not a life and death issue - so to get the neighbor to co-operate - I wonder if it wont fall before even spoken. Sure legally they have new suggestions - or regulations that seem more considered as suggestions, about things like that - but I am not sure they actually apply those even to new builds. With old apartments it will be a challenge. Even finding maybe a way to make sure you wont hear too much of the flushing the toilet. In some cases it can sound like someone let some lumps of elastic rocks into the sewer as it falls past your apartment. Now that is a nice image or not?

Lyriga, when actual construction or renovation work is not possible, then the solution--such as it is--rests with designing an interior that absorbs sound. This means textiles and sound absorbent materials, perhaps some sound barriers where feasible.

Regular insulation does not do much at all to prevent sound transfer, especially if there are outlet boxes and switches on the noise transferring wall. There is a specialized product and it may be that you can, with little work, fit this around those boxes.

But still, my advice is to concentrate on a fully absorbent interior. This will not give you the silence you crave, but can muffle sounds to that your own spa-like music setup takes care of the rest (and you!). BTW, where ARE you?

I am in a country center Europe - think of vine, food and then forget the tourist brochures, because its not all chateaus here. Hehe. :P

Yes I know this forum is much used by people from US - but I found it a cool idea to work about finding ideas and solutions for what I need and have run across some people form Europe too. At the moment I am simply looking into options on materials and ideas (the likes of which I do have to then look for in Europe). The thing is I don't want to end up moving into a place that will need constant work during many months. I don't want a project lasting for 200 years like some medieval church - lol. I want to prepare to have all that needs to be done, done immediately - and as I don't speak French, I will want a printed idea book to show what I am looking for. Well that's what I use houzz for at the moment - and to find new ideas. And believe me I am not short of those my self either - yet I hope to land on good set of selections that might also have slipped my own radar.

Big part of the problem is that I do not want wall materials that are too modern in their look - cause I also crave visual interest being at home most days and hours. And yes it will more be about finding those materials to eat the sound - I suspect so. And in my work shop it definitely also needs to keep the sound in. Even my man who works in a loud environment would really need bit quiet from the sounds of neighbors - but you can't find an island middle of a sea and plant that into a city.

Yes I crave silence. I have a place to get that - but like said its 2500 km away. So I am factually looking for the muffle option. What is the amount of insulation you speak of - BTW? Hehe - no it wont keep all sound out - but if you have a brick wall and about a foot of insulation with no huge windows towards a road you can say its not so bad. But I wont be able to have that here - its too much south for people to even think about such thick insulation and triple windows.. when they barely manage doubles.

Note on the words 'spa-like' - I find that bit funny. No offence - but the way people speak about bathrooms - home spas - it really is bit funny. I think it is about the same way people used to speak of separate dining rooms and having separate kitchen at all - given that in old day - the kitchen existed in the living space if you was not rich. Sry - open kitchen - more than few hundred years old idea - existed as long as people cooked their food inside.

For me, for example, a sauna is not a luxury thing - it exists in at nearly every home and if not - there still is one either outside or at the basement of an apartment buildings and people can take their turns. That was the reality for me. Sure a bathroom should look nice. But it needs no music things, no TV - nothing more than the function in a relatively nice looking, but most importantly well built environment. Bathroom just needs to be built as wet space and have electrics that are appropriate for such to make it properly. For people like me - with bad legs - tubs are down right dangerous, besides - I never learned how you washed you if you go into a tub - use soap and then step out with that same water still on your skin - except than to run second load of water to get rid of the soap. Ah but that will get opposing opinions - just like the fact that I do not like open kitchens. Funny no?

The point about quiet generally is no sound at all or at least as little as possible - but bathrooms - well those exist for washing you, your clothes and going to toilet. So for example I would in deed do better with a washing machine that will not make that sound for hours like those 'save the nature' versions seem to do. Just like I'd like to find a way to quiet down the flushing sounds one might hear when the neighbor went to toilet at night. Things like that. I feel some times that these flats here - like this one - are more like drums to make the sound more than it first was.

Cork panels on the wall. thick drapery / long but hung outside the windows / thick rugs / play music instead of television for kids / wear a hat with ear flaps . .

lol to the hat - I bought one of those for Dad cause he sometimes will go out into the forest at winter to cut down trees or clear out fallen ones. One might just be a good idea for these southern homes with concrete floors and no floor heating. I dress here, inside like I would dress under my outside coat at my old country. I dress there north at inside, mid winter - like I would dress here when it is too hot at summer - given that one generally needs to put something on.

I know cork is efficient for this. I wish I could say I like the way it looks like. Thank you.

This is actually what I have been looking for - people to show me product options for to do about this particular issue.

Talking about materials and items I found my self some things like this. They are in Finnish - but that aside the first is sound-absorbing art work - specially made for that purpose having all the certificates. You could choose the images printed on them your self. This I do not find such a bad idea.


http://www.tapettikauppa.net/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=83

The idea about sound eating wall paper is nice too - BUT - seriously the materials I found from this source are truly far from my desire for visually pretty spaces. Still - as it is in Finn - I'll explain.. It again is fully acceptable where it comes to certificates. The material is actually spread on the wall with a spatula. It can apparently be fixed if damaged and also removed - it should not have old paper under when applies. And no metal that might rust and thus color stain it in direct contact beneath it.

I like the idea - that is the idea of noise eating wall paper. But it seems to have wool like fibers to it, among other materials and while I like my wool socks - I think not to put them on the walls. ^^


http://sbl.tarjoaa.fi/tuotteet.html?id=1/&p=5

Seriously I find that 'recycled' look of the sound absorbing wall paper ugly. If only it was possible to put a layer like that beneath a nicer wall paper. I just don't know if that is possible. The product is such new or unusual that my retired Dad has not had the experience about it in use.

I suppose that kind of material exists elsewhere too, not just in Finland - so I wonder if anyone has had the experience about it and if anyone could tell me if it could be covered with the wall paper one might like. Or if there exists similar products, but with printed surfaces?

They do seem to have some less aggressive about the fiber look styles available - like this - but it still makes me feel bit like it would just be ugly. This was nicest I found.


http://sbl.tarjoaa.fi/tuotteet.html?id=3/126

Uphoster the walls using a thick battin to absorb the noise.. You can choose almost an fabric for your finish.

Look at some acoustic panels. They are very effective. Search term in amazon.com is "acoustical treatments".

Add wall to wall carpet.

Add lined and interlined heavy curtains. It is sometimes possible to fit additional windows inside your current windows, but that depends on the design of the current windows.

In the near future, try baking a cake and talking to the neighbors. Sometimes people don't know every word can be overheard and they are grateful to find out.

In the long run, you have more choices when you are looking for a new place.

lol - true, apple-pie-order! A concerned look over coffee and offer to be a shoulder if needed over that matter overheard through the walls could be enough!

I don't speak the local language and I don't see my man becoming that shoulder - Oo. I am sure they know the walls are 'paper'. They just don't care, and it is the whole house of people with similar attitude. It's life.

Thanks for the idea. I wish I had an oven though - one of the main reasons I cant wait to get the new place - lol. This flat is like it should begin as a building site. The trouble about a new one is to get then all in a good condition before it is full of things and no place to put anything for the time of some work. Yea yea - rent a storage - but I prefer less costs of renting and more money for the finish the fact being that we will need most furniture new too.

People like to hang a lot of curtains here and there do they not?

I like them covering the windows - and that is it.

Other than that - thick is a good idea to keep outside out for sure - where it comes to sounds. And to keep that extra sun out too. I am not such found of the southern heat - not at all. However doorways for example - I don't even want to think of some fabric on them. Ugh - its just one step away from beads hanging in front of the kitchen opening missing that door. Granny had curtains in front of bathroom door.. I do not know where she got that fabric from...

Yes there are nice fabrics too. If one wants nice fabrics for curtains it better reach the floor - and then I must lift that to clean? Horrible how lazy I am! I find most curtains too short if they do not reach all the way down. But you people can believe I will soon be asking about tips on how to make your home as easy to clean as possible... short of hiring the maid or bitching to the man to do it. My body is not anymore good to be constantly doing those little things - mostly it argues against me like a little kid - so I will have to include 'no work' options to my ideas. Other than that I would easily consider many little projects.

That aside.

I have been considering about acoustic panels - well art work. We happen to like some of that fantasy art which is more for computer desk tops - and such - but some of it is absolutely divine. So in one space we could use some images like that for the walls and maybe a large family photo - from our trip at summer. Well I know that apparently some companies do that kind of things - letting you choose images your self.

Also - I think I paid about 124 € for some 5 m of fabric that was around 2.5m wide - just recently. It was for my Mom's curtains in the living room. Maybe one could find a fabric to upholster over some kind of a structure and then use wooden frames to finish the sides. Might just save me from putting a new wall paper on that wall - lol. And then I start thinking of cleaning it. How would one keep that clean - dusted?

Carpets omg - well that would be really 'medieval' - people used to put the carpets on the walls to keep the cold out. They was not always to be walked on. Its a true bit of history that. But I think if I were to consider an actual carpet - any possible noise control products set aside - I would need to become an other person. Too many colors in one (often - in sense of having that on many walls), too much dust collected... I'll have to go with just some area rugs on floors where one might keep the feet longer - to make the floors feel more warm. But then there is the problem - they have rules against taking your carpets outside to give them a shake - what?! I am not going to pay for a cleaner bill when it could just be beaten a bit! The surprises I keep running into.

Thank you again. You can be sure I will consider anything if it could be turned acceptable an idea. The thing is that I would like to have less 'wall art' and more meaningful art - but less of that too is more. Like those paintings I have about our summer home. Photos just aren't the same.

Even if I want each room to have a different leading color - dark broken tones - I don't want the experience of several colors in same space. That is also why I am bit worried about multiple solutions added - as they would bring in a new dimension to textures and patterns again too. A mix of 1970s and a boudoir is not the ideal for me.

Sorry if I am bit 'nothing works' today. I have spent the morning looking at real estate adds and am utterly bored about what is available. I stop to think every option - how can I use this place - and run into a ton of work.. and increasingly many open kitchens. That is bit sad.

Perhaps if you post some photos you will get some useful comments. Often new ideas have to stew for a while before we can make use of them.

I am where I search a new place and there is an old one. The old is not so important. I know I will have issues about noise leaking through in a new place too - because of the way the local apartment buildings and homes have been built here - especially given the fact that the local real estate is not presenting me with much options in the price range. I could get much better solutions 50 km away from the city, but that is 2 h each day to travel for may man and we do not have those hours to spare. So we will have to do with what we take on closer.. that being from a selection of older buildings that do not meet the requirements of today. Even flats that someone did some work on are bit of a question due to the fact that they did only part of it and added around 30 000 € to the price - lol. Just about the same amount one would need to pay to get fully fitted new house 50 km away. But no - here in the city (I wont go into details about location, I am bit private in that sense) - here we will need to find our way around a load of troubles. If there is those double windows or not? If there is outside insulation added or not? If there is warm floors or not? If there is up to date electrics for bathrooms or not? And this list includes the issue about sound leaking in.

I made my post to see what kind of solutions people have for the issue about sound - and to see how they solve to absorb it. I used the existing flat as an example because it most certainly is one - where it comes to all we can hear. Seriously - just now a woman is sneezing next door. It's good I don't hear them swallowing their food.

I will also be making some sound due to the fact that I will have my work shop at home. So it is important a question even before having that new home. See I want to estimate what I will need to be prepared to do about it.

I don't think the problem is the outside sounds. I am a person who also likes quiet. My husband's cereal crunching drives me bonkers. I have to go to another room. The problem is that you are hearing the sounds because your space is quiet. I have had great success with white noise machines. These generate a white noise of your choice. There are many on the market. Price is around $100 in the US. There are also apps for your phone, but if you run it very long you have to keep charging your phone.
Recently we were vacationing at the beach and our room was near enough to the shore that we had 24/7 white noise from the surf. It was heaven. There was a pool right below the room with children whooping it up and laughter etc. But I was okay because it wasn't jangling my nerves because the surf sound was "dimming" it, so to speak.
It is a cheap thing to try without having to redo your apt.

I love the sounds of sea at summer home and I adore storms. Nature is fine - even sea birds. The thing is - it needs to be real and not looped. Lol. Well the little experience I have of it - I mean just 'noise' a kind of basic form of white noise, it was just annoying. Bit the same way than I find it annoying when someone has chosen to repel mice with sound - they claim people cant hear that sound, but I must then be a mouse.

Maybe there are different kinds - I mean options for to play white noise. But I have not tested that more than mentioned before. Once I tried a tape of some sea waves, but because it was not real I just got bored about that - and a tape about a creek makes one want to pee. My man keeps suggesting that I use music to compete with the neighbors. I like very noisy music yes. Some people spoke about spa music. But the fact is that music is noise - not music, when you want it silent.

(My phone is near stone age - it needs to be charged after few phone calls - and know what - I like to forget that. I also like that it does not have a touch bad - but find that the crappy camera in it is too much anyways. Yes that is right - I don't really like to be reachable - and now it feels like I have a family the size of a whole apartment building. My man - he is lovely and quiet a person - he can talk as much as he wants to, he wont over do it anyways.)

I wont mind a cheap solution - if that will help - but it wont remove the need to do that apartment again. This one would need redoing - but the new one will also - that can't be avoided as it will be certain size in limited price range.