Having a quiet neighbor is a blessing in disguise. But how possible is it to get such people on this noisy planet? Starting with yourself.
Unless you have decided to live in seclusion, a neighbor’s backyard could be right next to your bedroom, living room or study. And if this space turns into a workshop just in one day, you would spend the whole day ranting.
Imagine workshop activities repeated regularly (common with very industrious housework neighbors). It would a disaster for Heaven’s sake.
It is in the backyard that your neighbor’s children will keep running and yelling with all sorts of noise and sounds. When these combine – whether simultaneously or not with other housework activities (hammering, drilling and so on), you don’t want to second-guess the outcomes.
Given that you may not be able to do anything to your neighbor to stop this noise; you need to be artistic. Come up with some strategies on how to block noise from neighbors’ yard.
With all the determination, you must stop this noise from your end. And enjoy the rest, sleep and study.
These are the Different Ways to Block Noise from Neighbor’s Yard
Block Noise from Entering Your Home.
You don’t need to argue with a neighbor or enter in some form of a bun fight with them. Focus on what you can do from your end to keep off these sounds from reaching your home.
Mind you that also at some point you mowed your lawn, hammered some furniture or asked children to play in the backyard because that’s where they can enjoy while playing at home. Your neighbor, perhaps, didn’t rise upon you to tell you to keep quiet.
You might not have the authority to stop them. But you can do the following:
1. Soundproof the Windows
Windows, alongside doors, are the thinnest sections on your home. A window facing directly on your neighbor’s backyard will let in a lot of noise and you need to begin by soundproofing them.
- Seal the Gaps and Cracks
There could be gaps between the window frame and wall and cracks on the window pane. All these spaces need to be sealed off as even the tiniest of all can cause a lot of problems.
You are going to need a suitable sealant to help seal these gaps and crevices. For example, an acoustic caulk like Green Glue Noise Proofing Sealant does a better soundproofing job as well as helping to prevent unnecessary light into your home.
You can as well use a weatherstripping tape for the same task and the results will still have brilliant results.
- Hang Soundproof Curtains
You can use heavier and thicker curtains that come with soundproofing properties. The market is loaded with the best noise reducing curtains so you dot have to worry about their availability.
Install the curtains by hanging them on rods fixed on the brackets above the window. These rods have to be strong to carry the weight of the curtains – true soundproof curtains are extremely dense.
- Cover the Window with Blankets
The other thing you could do is cover your window using professional blankets like the Cheap Cheap Moving Blankets. They hang almost like the curtains closer to the window.
Blankets can reduce noise from neighbors better than the curtains. The only thing you may get concerned about is their ugly visual appeal but if you won’t cope with the sight, add a layer of good-looking curtains.
- Make a DIY Window Plug
Making your own window plug is not a difficult art. Yet the effectiveness of window plugs as far soundproofing is concerned cannot be underestimated.
A window plug produces some of the best soundproofing results. What’s more, you can have it fitted on the window as long as you want and after all the noise you were blocking has stopped, just remove it for use for the next time.
You may need key materials like a soundproof mat, acoustic foam, wooden board and pull handles to make this plug.
- Completely Block the Window
If the noise is unbearable even after trying out the above methods, there is no better way than blocking the whole window completely. Although you won’t like the other outcomes that might suffice like light and ventilation limitation.
You can arrange the furniture very close to the window. For instance, placing a bookshelf and filling it with books could complete the trick.
2. Soundproof the Door
You don’t want to forget to soundproof the doors. They are, according to me, most vulnerable to noise.
Most of the wooden doors come with hollow cores covered by thinner cardboard. The hollow space is a good medium for sound waves to go through which explains why you will be able to hear very clearly even the lowest conversations, and movements in your neighbor’s backyard.
Existing gaps between the door and its frame are other entry points for noise. You need to look for these weaknesses and seal them using acoustic caulk or weatherstripping tape like the ones discussed under window soundproofing.
Other options you want to try out include use of the door sweeps. When you close the door, you notice a huge gap between the door and floor. This is where a door sweep comes in as it would be able to cover that space when the door is closed.
Just like windows, installing professional curtains on the doors helps a lot. With these curtains, just hang them on stable rods above the door.
They should be long enough to run right from the top of the door to its bottom. These curtains come with weight and thickness that help block off the noise.
Nicetown curtains are known to be some of the best currently on the market. They come with high-quality noise-canceling features besides their fair prices.
The door could also be covered with moving blankets. These blankets are even better when it comes to noise reduction.
They are thicker and denser than the curtains and yet they are also cheaper options. This makes them preferred ahead of curtains for most serious soundproofing projects.
Next, if you have not tried a wooden panel on the door, you can definitely incorporate it. You only need to customize the panel to the size of the door.
Then drill a hole on the door and screw the panel on it. Ensure the weight you are adding on the door will be adequately supported by the door hinges.
You don’t want to create other problems while you trying to solve current ones.
You can’t talk about how to block noise from neighbors yard without thinking of replacing the current door. Get a more solid door and probably you will fix this problem forever.
This should come as your last resort. It may take your financial commitment to make this but, yes if the situation demands so, why not?
- Soundproof the Walls
The next areas you want to target after the windows and doors are the walls of your home. More so, the ones adjacent to your neighbor’s backyard.
You may find this idea a bad one but if your walls are thin, you don’t have two ways about this. Low-frequency noise will just find their way through them into the house.
There is a variety of high to low-end methods to help you go about soundproofing walls. In case you anticipate some difficulty, it is good to call a professional to come and help you.
- Hang Soundproof Curtains and Blankets
The easy method is to hang curtains on the affected walls. Or use moving blankets such as this one for that matter – although the sight of these blankets is not the most appealing.
When installing the curtains, the procedure is the same as you have seen above – find fix proper rods on top of the walls and hang your curtains. The blankets can be nailed or screwed on the wall.
- Install Noise-Blocking Acoustic Panels
Usually, with acoustic foam panels, bass noise (and other sounds) are going to be incredibly muffled. If you have visited the recording studios, you might have seen these panels on the walls.
The process of installing the acoustic panels is a simple one, quick and even a novice can get the job done. The materials are also not very expensive to keep you away from trying them out.
- Other Methods
You can as well go a bit deep in the pockets if things aren’t working out with the above methods. A drywall is one way of permanently creating a barrier that will stop noise penetration through the walls.
As you install the drywall, it adds mass and makes your walls thicker hence elongating the distance sounds has to travel. But it is labor-intensive and costly.
Some people have used mass-loaded vinyl, a heavy material that is almost second to none in matters stopping all kinds of noise.
As a matter of fact, this is one of the best solutions so far on how to block noise from next door neighbors that target your wall. The material is thick, extremely heavy and you just need to screw or nail it on the wall and you are good to go.
Block Noise from Reaching Your Yard.
You can start this process from your backyard. Just to update you, the noisiness begins from this place most of the times. So, soundproofing your backyard is a very important move for you.
Don’t wonder how you can possibly make your yard a quiet place. There are really interesting hacks you can implement to bolster your yard space.
1. Build/Upgrade Your Fence
This is not going to be any kind of fence: there are many ideas regarding fences already. Think about the brick walls, wooden and hedge fences.
Which one have you put around your home?
You probably know that brick wall fences are going to be the best. It is not easy for sound to go through this kind of barriers.
Unless you don’t have the money (because they are not easy on bucks) there is no reason to debate whether to build a brick wall or not. Wooden fences may just meet your needs but are not completely reliable.
Hedges or living fences can form some of the picturesque sceneries if skillfully maintained. And with thick enough shrubbery, a lot of noise can be thwarted.
For me, the last two fence options are a bit tricky to handle. Ask yourself what happens during a dry spell without water and plants are dying all over, your fence would be no more.
What about a fire blazing through your wood structures? I am not saying that will happen – it’s just good to anticipate to stay prepared when worse goes to worst.
Consider upgrading your current fence. Find a good soundproofing material and add to the existing fence structure.
2. Plant Noise-Canceling Trees
A soundproof backyard is possible even by planting some specific sound-absorbing trees or plants. The loud yelling and chainsawing from your neighbor’s backyard could be as good as gone with these trees in place – they do a lot.
Maybe the major bottleneck is the length of time they take to grow to mature plants. This needs patience and you have to manage them well throughout their development.
Plant a neat line of these trees alongside some shrubs on the inside to seal any gaps existing there.
3. Drown the Noise
And one way to achieve this is through a white noise machine. Just buy a good model and play the device in your backyard.
It can muffle or rather drown the obnoxious sounds emanating from your neighbor’s yard.
Alternatively, a fountain or a small stream in your backyard achieve a similar goal as the white noise device. Make an artificial one; this can be demanding though.
Final Shot
All said I don’t think you can now fail to contain your neighbor’s noisy drama in their yards. At least you want to go down to the wire to make sure you have implemented a couple of methods if not many of them.
There are some unacceptable noises that you just have to approach your neighbor and tell them off. You know some of those instances.
But, generally, they may not be able to stop everything. If children keep playing in the yard making noise, you don’t have control over that.
If your neighbor values housework that they can’t go without drilling in three days, sorry, you won’t stop them. Nevertheless, it is 100 percent possible to stop this noise from your end.
Just make sure you learn these tricks on how to block noise from neighbors yard.
