We are looking at some property in the Live Free or Die State. One of the big drawbacks is the proximity to the state highway. I thought of pine trees (white pine) and a tall stockade type fence, far enough from the road so the snowplows don’t get it. Potential problem with the trees and road salt. Bounce me some ideas on what could be used a sound reducer please.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Careful measuring, precise layout adjustments, and repeated double-checks pay off with a faster, frustration-free build.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
While the trees may help a little bit, you need something solid to really cut down on the noise by reflecting the sound waves. On This Old House when they did their 25th year, they had the same problem. They had some specialist come out, and said the best way was a solid fence (they used stone) about 3 feet high. Most of the noise came from the tires hitting the road, so a higher fence doesn't get as much improvement per dollar spent.
Then the trees behind the fence to help cut down on a little more noise & sight of the highway.
How much room do you have? How about a berm with taller shrubs instead of trees and a groundcover to hold the soil? More mass than a fence would have. Salt might still do a number on them though.
Solid masonry wall 6' high. Very little else will make any difference.
Jeff
If you go underground you won't hear a thing. Malcolm Wells promoted that issue for decades.
PAHS works. Bury it.
berm, solid fence, & 2-3 rows of leyland cypress
The berm is a good idea -- the closer to the road it is the lower it can be and still be effective, but anything over 2-3 feet will help a lot, regardless of how close. Beyond that, any sort of shrubbery will absorb sound, and your local nursery should be able to point you to salt-tolerant varieties. There are also salt-tolerant pine varieties.
Keep in mind that most highway noise is tire noise, fairly readily handled by low (less than 6 feet) absorptive barriers. However, especially if you're on a hill or near an intersection (where trucks will accelerate/decelarate) there is also the noise from large truck exhausts -- much harder to deal with since it's low-pitched and emitted from about 10 feet off the ground.
In any event, unless this is an especially busy and noisy highway you'll find that you stop hearing the noise after a few weeks. Humans have a remarkable ability to "tune out" noise. (If this weren't the case the divorce rate would be twice what it currently is.)
If you are going to build on this property use a sprayed foam insulation and triple pane windows and you will have a quite a quiet home.
If you are looking a an existing house. Look at http://www.retrofoam.com/ . Dense packed cells is also a good sound deadener.