Do Soundproof Fences Work? Ideas & Ways to Use Them
Noises from the street can be a major problem for many of us. While this is especially true for people whose house is right next to the road, it can also be the case for those of us who have gardens.
Though many of us have had to put up with the noise problem for years, it doesn’t mean that you have to keep putting up with it. In contrast, there’s a broad range of things that you can do to help reduce this sound significantly.
While we all know that soundproofing out house can be a recommended option, this doesn’t do anything for the noise that gets into the garden. However, you’ll be able to reduce this by using soundproof fences, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.
This would naturally lead to many people wondering whether these are actually effective. Though a simple question, the answer is more complicated than you might realize. This is because it’s both a yes and no, with there being a variety of factors that affect this.
As a result, there are a few things that you should know if you’re considering soundproof fences for your garden. Once you understand what can affect them, you’ll be able to figure out whether they’ll be useful for your needs.
Recommended Purchases
If you’re considering soundproof fencing for your house and garden, then there might be a few things that you could overlook. This will primarily be focused on the materials and products that you’ll need to install them.
Alongside this, there can be a few additional things that may help reduce the amount of sound that reaches your house. The majority of these can be used alongside soundproof fences, and can even be encouraged.
While you might find that hiring a professional to install everything will be a lot easier, this can be quite expensive. However, doing it yourself will save you a large amount of money. Alongside this, you’ll be able to install the majority of them yourself quite easily.
This should mean that it’s highly recommended that you do it yourself. However, you might not know what to buy to take advantage of soundproof fencing properly. Typically, you’ll need:
- Soundproof Fencing; Naturally, you’ll need to make sure that you pick a high-quality soundproof fence. With there being quite a large number of options, you should be able to find one that suits your needs. While much of this will be focused on the design of the fencing, you should make sure that they’re as soundproof as possible. Thickness is typically a positive indicator for this.
- Garden Posts; While many fences will some with their own installation method, you may need to buy extra garden posts. Typically, this will be because garden posts that come with some products might not be as high-quality or as durable as you might want. However, there is quite a large number of options for garden posts that should be effective with the majority of fencing.
- Mass Loaded Vinyl; If you don’t want to replace the fence that you already have, then mass loaded vinyl and other acoustic foam products can be an option. While you’ll need to attach these to your fence, they can offer quite a significant amount of sound absorption.
- Water Features & Shrubbery; Though your fencing will play a significant role in how soundproof your garden is, you may need to take a few additional steps. One of the most notable of these is adding water features and shrubbery around your garden. These not only add a significant amount of style to a garden but should prevent a large amount of noise from reaching your house. Thick bushes and shrubbery will play a significant role in this.
You’ll be able to find each of the above in most home improvement stores. However, these can often cost much more than you might be willing to spend. This doesn’t mean that you’ll have to pay more than you’re comfortable with.
Instead, it’s recommended that you buy all of the above online. This should mean that you’ll save a significant amount of money while still getting the products that you need. The only drawback to this is that you might have to wait a few days to have them delivered.
However, this shouldn’t be a large issue, as it’ll give you time to plan out what you’re going to do and where you want to put everything.
Despite this, you may be wondering whether soundproof fences are worth the investment and if you should buy one. There are quite a few things that can affect this and that you should be aware of before you start soundproofing your garden.
Soundproof Fences as Great Noise Insulators
If there’s quite a significant amount of noise coming into your garden from the street, then soundproof fences can be quite a benefit to you. However, the process might not be as simple as buying a soundproof fence and having it installed.
Instead, there are a few things that will affect whether or not it’s effective. These are things that you should pay some attention to before you buy the fence. There are several reasons for this, although the most notable is whether or not they’ll reduce the noise levels.
There are a few notable factors that you’ll have to look at when considering a soundproof fence.
1. The Distance Between Your Home & Fence
One of the largest factors that will affect how effective a soundproof fence will be is the distance it is from your house. Naturally, the farther you are away from the road and other noises, the less you’ll hear them. However, a soundproof fence should be enough to avoid it completely.
Ideally, your fence should be 20 meters or more away from your house to achieve optimal results. Should this be the case, then any noise that gets past your wall should fade enough that you’ll barely hear it.
If you’re not in a position that this can happen, however, then that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t see any results. In contrast, it means that you might have to get a thicker and possibly taller fence as a result. This should help compensate for the lack of distance.
When you’re setting up the soundproof fence, however, you should aim to place it as far as possible away from your home.
2. Valleys & Fences
If you’re living in a valley, then you should see much better results with a soundproof fence than you would elsewhere. This should be true regardless of how deep of a valley you’re living in compared to the road. The chief reason for this is that you may be able to avoid quite a significant number of sounds by adding the fence to the top of the valley.
The main reason for this is that sound travels in straight lines, so the majority of noises should already be traveling over your home and not bothering you. However, it’s the sound that does get to your house that will naturally have to be dealt with.
This is where the soundproof fence should have a significant number of benefits, even if it’s only a few meters high. Typically, you should expect that the majority of noises shouldn’t get through to your garden or house.
This should be the case because the sound should travel over your home instead of to it, which should provide quite an effective sound prevention. Should you live in a valley below a road or other noise generating area, then you should keep these benefits in mind.
When you’re putting up the soundproof fence, you shouldn’t need to use one that’s quite tall. On the contrary, however, if there are only small hills surrounding the garden, then you might need to buy a taller fence to see the benefits.
3. Wind Direction As A Noise Carrier
The wind is something that few of us pay attention to when it comes to sound. However, this can be an excellent way for noise to travel, and it will make quite a significant difference. This is because sound can travel much further if it’s carried by the wind, which is why you should want to avoid it as much as possible.
While luck will play a significant role in how windy your garden is, and which direction it’s coming from, you can do a variety of things to prevent it. The good news is that soundproof fencing can have quite a positive impact on this, as it will stop the majority of wind from getting to your house.
- Made of low-maintenance vinyl
- Multiple uses-define corners and edges; hide utility boxes and HVAC compressors
To take advantage of this properly, however, you’ll need to make sure you know which direction the wind typically comes from. By doing so, you’ll then be able to focus on making sure that your soundproof fence is placed in its path.
As a result, you should see the maximum amount of benefits possible with the fencing. Though this might take a certain amount of planning and thought when you’re putting up the fence, it can reap dividends.
How Do Soundproof Fences Work?
Sound travels in straight lines and bounces off of hard surfaces. While this shouldn’t be a surprise to the majority of people, it’s the underlying principle that soundproof fences are based on. As such, soundproof fences typically work by preventing the sound from traveling to your house.
This should mean that your house will be untouched by the sound. However, this begs the question as to why traditional fences don’t work as effectively as you might think. The main reason for this is the thickness and overall design of a soundproof fence.
These are usually much thicker than their traditional counterparts, which helps to prevent as much noise as possible from getting through them. As such, you can see them as somewhat of an insulator for your home.
In the majority of cases, they’ll absorb much of the sound while the rest of it will bounce away from your home. However, much of this will depend on the angle that the sound is coming from and where you have your fence placed.
If the noise is coming from above the fence and there aren’t any barriers between it and your home, then you’ll still hear the noise. With a soundproof fence between them, however, you’ll see a significant reduction in noise levels.
A Cheap Solution To Your Noise Problems
Soundproof fences can be a relatively affordable option for reducing the noise that gets into your garden. However, how cost-effective it is could depend drastically on how large your yard is. Naturally, you’ll have to spend more on fencing around larger gardens than you would smaller ones.
That doesn’t mean that you should avoid using them, as they can still have quite a significant impact on the amount of noise that gets to your house. While soundproofing may be what you’re putting most of your emphasis on, there are a few other benefits to soundproof fences.
One of the most notable of these is privacy, as a soundproof fence shouldn’t have any holes in it. This should mean that nobody will be able to see into your garden once it’s been installed. Coupled with this is the height and thickness of the products, which should enhance the privacy aspect.
Alternatives That You Can Use With Soundproof Fences
There are quite a few things that you could combine with a soundproof fence to make sure that you don’t hear many sounds from outside of your garden. These are best used alongside the fence to ensure that you see as many benefits as possible.
One of the more notable things you could use is a water feature, such as a waterfall. While this adds to the overall noise levels, it should be a relaxing sound that might help relax you. Alongside this, it could help mask some of the noise that you might hear.
You could also consider adding some shrubbery, such as bushes, among others. Having these around your fence could help improve their sound absorption, as well as add some of their own.
These should also help to improve how your garden looks, especially if you’re not overly fond of the style of your fence.
Conclusion
Soundproof fences can have quite a large impact on the amount of noise that gets into your garden and up to your house. While many products will offer a large amount of this, you’ll see the best results by adding a few other things to your garden alongside the fence.
Coupled with this is the variety of factors that could have an impact on how effective the soundproof fence is. This is something that you should pay attention to before you buy it. The main reason for this is that there may be factors that you might not be able to overcome.
This could mean that you may end up paying a large amount of money for a soundproof fence that only has a minimal impact if any. Naturally, you’ll want to avoid this. If you’re able to take advantage of all of the above, however, you should see quite a significant reduction in noise across your garden.
Despite this, soundproof fences can be useful in quite a large number of places. Though they’ll need a lot of effort to put up correctly, this could prove to be worth it over time.