Sound proof bedroom windows in Khon Kaen

[Travel2003]

Need to soundproof my bed room, in Khon Kaen, due to cars, but neighbor dogs in particular.

Do NOT need to hear silly comments about what to do in regards to the dogs, etc.

TiT, and I'm a visitor, so end of that discussion.

Need some advice what to do with the windows (balcony doors actually).

Have tried to attach 2 pics.

One pic showing the windows next to the bed (balcony doors rather).

One pic showing more close up.

Any company in KK who can do this, and proximately cost?

[siampolee]

A decent set of heavy material curtains nicely lined so you get a double thickness and a pleasing cosmetic finish to the curtains (or drapes as those chaps and chapesses from the colonies call curtains) that should do the job for you, As long as you have air con you'll be O.K. if no air con you'll be getting mighty hot. Good luck.

As an aside it is possible to get an insulating lining material thus that would help keep the warm air out and the cool air in as well as having sound proofing capabilities.

Edited October 13, 2013 by siampolee

[Travel2003]

A decent set of heavy material curtains nicely lined so you get a double thickness and a pleasing cosmetic finish to the curtains (or drapes as those chaps and chapesses from the colonies call curtains) that should do the job for you, As long as you have air con you'll be O.K. if no air con you'll be getting mighty hot. Good luck.

The drapes/curtains I have (in the picture) are very thick due to me also needing some reduction in light in the bedroom.

The drapes, did not really help much for the sound.

I am guessing I need some sort of new construction (sliding doors to balcony), or thicker glass.

Whichever is most feasible, and not too pricey.

[richardjm65]

I had a similar problem when I lived in Bgk. After trying (supposedly) heat proof and sound reducing drapes (curtains), I finally had secondary glazing fitted, which was basically a second set of fairly lightweight sliding doors with an air gap of about four inches. They were well sealed around the edges and were most effective. Using the thickest glass available, they did the job well. The alternative, I suppose, if finance is not a concern, would be to replace the sliding doors with double-glazed sealed units. The Thais are not experts at this though.

Call Everest! Or do the secondary glazing.

[Travel2003]

Everest is a company in KK?

[Ticketmaster]

If you want to keep the glass and cut the sound, you'll need double or triple glazing, preferably with an argon filled partial vacuum between the panes of glass. Problem is, thermal pane windows are incredibly expensive in Thailand.

But, there is a possibility. Last year and before, both Global House and Thai Watsadu had some fairly inexpensive UPVC thermal pane windows imported from China. I am building a house and bought some of the last of them on a great closeout promotion, including two glass sliding doors. I am completely satisfied with their quality and they cost less than one-fourth the cost of the Thai made ones. You may be able to find a couple of them left in stock. It's worth a look. You can also ask them (at TW & GH) to search the stock of their other stores for you.

[hansnl]

I had the same problem.

Also in Khon Kaen.

Did you consider the sound might reach your ears not through the windows but through the ceiling?

I live in a bungalow, had the ceiling insulated, and that helped.

My windows are rather well made, if I may say so, have very thick curtains, and I thought maybe the sounds from outside reached me through the ceiling.

I was right.

HS

Edited October 14, 2013 by hansnl

[Ticketmaster]

I had the same problem.

Also in Khon Kaen.

Did you consider the sound might reach your ears not through the windows but through the ceiling?

I live in a bungalow, had the ceiling insulated, and that helped.

My windows are rather well made, if I may say so, have very thick curtains, and I thought maybe the sounds from outside reached me through the ceiling.

I was right.

HS

I will add tht thicker glass won't help you at all; you'll be disappointed. Glass is very high density and sounds passes right through it. It is the semi-vacuum airspace between the pieces of glass with dual glazing that stops the sound. A second set of doors, as mentioned above, with an airspace will help a lot. but it is the semi vacuum with thermal pane windows that really does it. Sound cannot pass through a vacuum at all. The first time I got thermal pane windows in the US years and years ago, I was absolutely shocked at the way they cut sound.

As mentioned by hansnl, concrete tile roofs are a huge sound problem. Again, concrete is fairly high density and the sound goes right through. I had my tiles sprayed with polyurethane foam. It not only sounds proofs to a certain extent, but insulates against the sun beating down on your roof, stops leaks and makes it very difficult for a thief to break in through your roof tiles. I used Karl Lohr: http://www.lohr-trade.com/ I think he even has a shop in Khon Kaen.

I built near a school and temple and they are horrendous sound polluters,so I did everything possible to escape it. I used SuperBlock instead of brick, because autoclaved concrete products are much lower density that brick and provide some sound insulation. Brick is very high density and sound goes right through it, too.

[JLCrab]

... and you can take 'em with you when you finally decide to move:

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/quietcomfort_20/index.jsp&Variant=qc20i

[JoeInSurin]

Inside sliding door shutters might help diffuse some of the sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mWXG2q_jCA

[klikster]

Lots of "interesting" opinions on noise/sound here. FWIW, I did industrial sound control work in a previous life.

richardjm65 made some salient points. It is often the leakage around the frame that causes the problem.

Double glazing does little good wen the problem is "flanking" sound.

hansnl also brought up an important issue. You need to determine the path of the sound.

"Glass is very high density and sounds passes right through it." "Again, concrete is fairly high density and the sound goes right through."

These comments .. um .. perhaps need to be explained? The two materials mentioned may well transmit sounds from impacts (by another dense object like a hammer) fairly well, but the OP is dealing with incident sound, i.e., sound waves striking the surfaces. Actually, concrete is much better at attenuating sound that are porous materials (foams and fabrics). The latter are effective in diminishing the reverberations within a room.

The solutions to urban noise problems are usually difficult, elusive and costly. Approach them with caution.

[Travel2003]

Reading the replies with great interest.

The sounds come from the houses across the street, as shown in the attached pictures in first post.

What kind of professional should I ask to do the job for me?

Glazers?

Carpenters?

Edited October 15, 2013 by Travel2003

[siampolee]

Travel2003.

Please don't take offence however I have just remembered an old friend who had problems with both light and sound penetrating his apartment he was and still is a very light sleeper.

He went to the local Home Mart and bought a few sheets of Thick fibre board.

Called in the apartment maintenance man who then put as I recall about six sliding bolts around the window frames, cut the fibre board to size and I think bound the edges with strong tape and they were inserted into the window frames and thaus fitted the windows perfectly. the result was indeed total silence and blackness.

The whole process of sealing the windows at night was about three minutes. A cheap basic crude solution but it worked beautifully

[Travel2003]

Travel2003.

Please don't take offence however I have just remembered an old friend who had problems with both light and sound penetrating his apartment he was and still is a very light sleeper.

He went to the local Home Mart and bought a few sheets of Thick fibre board.

Called in the apartment maintenance man who then put as I recall about six sliding bolts around the window frames, cut the fibre board to size and I think bound the edges with strong tape and they were inserted into the window frames and thaus fitted the windows perfectly. the result was indeed total silence and blackness.

The whole process of sealing the windows at night was about three minutes. A cheap basic crude solution but it worked beautifully

No offence taken pal.

I actually appreciate all the various tips and advices people give here.

[NeverSure]

... and you can take 'em with you when you finally decide to move:

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/noise_cancelling_headphones/quietcomfort_20/index.jsp&Variant=qc20i

+1.

Now get a looping recording of some white noise, and you'll sleep like a baby. You know, poop your diapers and all.

[klikster]

Reading the replies with great interest.

The sounds come from the houses across the street, as shown in the attached pictures in first post.

What kind of professional should I ask to do the job for me?

Glazers?

Carpenters?

Do you own or rent? How much longer will you be living in the same place? What is more important to you, quiet or visibility?

Edited October 16, 2013 by klikster

[Travel2003]

Reading the replies with great interest.

The sounds come from the houses across the street, as shown in the attached pictures in first post.

What kind of professional should I ask to do the job for me?

Glazers?

Carpenters?

Do you own or rent? How much longer will you be living in the same place? What is more important to you, quiet or visibility?

100% own it.

Will stay there between 1 week and 30 years, depending how well I will sleep in the future.

Decent sleep is number one priority for me.

And yes, I know moving might be the end result here.

Letting some <deleted> 200 Baht worth dogs chase a human being away.

[klikster]

I would recommend what richardjm65 did,

".. a second set of fairly lightweight sliding doors with an air gap of about four inches."

Pay careful attention to "sealing" the edges .. use closed-cell adhesive backed foam tape. Built interior or exterior to the existing windows, whichever is easier.

[richardjm65]

If you might be there for a few years and you have the means, it might be worth getting the inside of your roof spray foam insulated in addition to whatever secondary glazing you might decide on. When the time came to replace our tin roof up here in Issan, we replaced tin with tile and had the entire roof under surface spray foam insulated, then replaced the lightweight ceiling with proper ceiling board. Magic! The best money I ever spent in Thailand, with benefits from heat/noise insulation, leak-proofed the roof (warranted for 10 years) and effectively thief-proofing the roof. My electricity bills dropped by a lot too.

PM me if you want the details of the firm we used

[Travel2003]

Thnx again guys.

You gave me many different options to look at.