u/runaround145

Hi all, I bought a home off a moderately busy commuter road and have been dealing with road noise louder than I anticipated. Spikes around 40-50db with some louder trucks around 60db

Our current windows are 25yrs old double pane double hung. We've gotten 2 quotes and both people provided us with a lot of good honest feedback and prioritization for upgrades. Our road facing windows seem to be in the worst codition, along with 2 other windows which have seals broken in other rooms, so im hopefully the upgrade really helps

The best acoustic option I seem to be finding in the Northeast is Harvey Classic Acoustic STC 34.

We were quoted ~1k per window . I looked into indow inserts but they quoted me ~500 per window and soundproof usa insetts quoted me 2k per window (LOL) so I prefer the window upgrades given the possible resale improvement.

TLDR- Wondering if anyone has experience with upgrading windows, what stc you used and what difference it made for your road noise experience? Thanks!

Hi all, thanks for the motivation a couple weeks ago to pull the trigger on bike commuting. So far its been going well but the jump from 0 miles biking to 30 miles a week is starting to cause some IT band and knee pain. (had been running so wasnt 0 exercise completely)

Any suggestions on post biking exercises or stretches to keep this at bay?

I think in general my bike fit should be good, but I know evaluating that could also be an option.

Thanks!

Hi all,im slowly in progress of "soundproofing" my windows to block street/traffic noise.

My windows currently have a variety of different blinds and roll top shades which are ugly. Id like to update these anyway so will cellular shades actually help with noise reduction given the air pockets? I know it would be minor but curious if it would be better than my roll top shades or regular plastic blinds given the air pockets and advertised for energy efficiency.

Does anyone have experience with this and layering curtains over/around sides of windows? ​

Hi All, i just purchased my first home and it is off a moderately busy commuter road. Im slowly getting used to it, but the road noise is still a lot more than I expected. (Please no comments about my home choice, the tradeoff in price and space is working for us as a starter home in a big vhcol city. Im very used to noise in a city, but the wooshing of cars has been more jarring than general city noise)

my windows are mid grade builder double pane double hung windows from 2001 (25 years old). They are seemingly in good shape, however 2-3 windows are fogging, indicating seals are broken. Im getting a state energy assessment on my home next week then I plan to start getting window quotes for acoustic triple pane windows, because I believe ultimately that is needed to make the home more quiet and also will be a decent resale roi compared to other improvements I can make for sound. (I do plan to try to make this home work for ~5years but will see where life takes us)

I guess im looking for real experiences with window upgrades for street noise/traffic since i know this isnt going to be cheap. I'm not looking for the home to become silent, but to hopefully decrease the overall noise load and jarring impact as a car wooshes by. If you upgraded to acoustic windows, was it worth the investment? Do you feel it meaningfully reduced the noise? Would you do it again? Would you do this right away or take more time to settle in the home? Would you replace all the windows at once or split into 2 phases (rooms in front half vs back half of house)?

Thanks!

Window info below

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In total my house has ~25 windows. Im thinking to do a majority in one go rather than splitting the house in 2 phases (closer rooms to street vs back half of house)

6 in living room off street, 1 off entry way, (5 of these are large, 2 small)

5 off the dining room & office (next layer down in house from street, (all large)

then 5 in the kitchen/guest room (another layer back) (2 large, 3 small)

Upstairs 2 in bedroom, and 3 random windows in bathrooms/off back side of house. (All small)

Also have 2 sunrooms with 5 windows each but im thinking of skipping these. (One in the front, one in the back). (All large)

Hi All, i just purchased my first home and it is off a moderately busy commuter road. Im slowly getting used to it, but the road noise is still a lot more than I expected. (Please no comments about my home choice, the tradeoff in price and space is working for us as a starter home in a big vhcol city. Im very used to noise in a city, but the wooshing of cars has been more jarring than general city noise)

my windows are mid grade builder double pane double hung windows from 2001 (25 years old). They are seemingly in good shape, however 2-3 windows are fogging, indicating seals are broken. Im getting a state energy assessment on my home next week then I plan to start getting window quotes for acoustic triple pane windows, because I believe ultimately that is needed to make the home more quiet and also will be a decent resale roi compared to other improvements I can make for sound. (I do plan to try to make this home work for ~5years but will see where life takes us)

I guess im looking for real experiences with window upgrades for street noise/traffic since i know this isnt going to be cheap. I'm not looking for the home to become silent, but to hopefully decrease the overall noise load and jarring impact as a car wooshes by. If you upgraded to acoustic windows, was it worth the investment? Do you feel it meaningfully reduced the noise? Would you do it again? Would you do this right away or take more time to settle in the home? Would you replace all the windows at once or split into 2 phases (rooms in front half vs back half of house)?

Thanks!

Window info below

‐----------------------------------------------
In total my house has ~25 windows. Im thinking to do a majority in one go rather than splitting the house in 2 phases (closer rooms to street vs back half of house)

6 in living room off street, 1 off entry way, (5 of these are large, 2 small)

5 off the dining room & office (next layer down in house from street, (all large)

then 5 in the kitchen/guest room (another layer back) (2 large, 3 small)

Upstairs 2 in bedroom, and 3 random windows in bathrooms/off back side of house. (All small)

Also have 2 sunrooms with 5 windows each but im thinking of skipping these. (One in the front, one in the back). (All large)

Hi all, I'm having an energy inspection next week on my 1900 house which is directly on a moderately busy commute road. My main concerns are noise, drafty unsealed windows (mid grade builder double pane double hung from 2001) and insulation. I also have 2 built in AC units which i plan to have removed and patched because they seem to be big energy inefficient holes in my house where all the noise and drafts are coming from. Lastly I have a semi finished crawl space/attic and I plan to have them check the insulation in there.

Seeking tips on what I should ask the inspector about? What should I make sure they check? Im aiming to qualify for the HEAT loan for 0% financing on new windows and discounted insulation, along with other possible rebates.

This is my first home and learned after the inspection all the things I probably should have asked so I want to do this one right! Thanks!

Hi all, i just bought a house off a moderately busy commute road. The sound of wooshing cars is bothering me way more than I thought it would. I live in a big city, so the noise isn't the problem, its the constant change in sound. But What's done is done and i need to make my place liveable before I completely lose it.

However im having a hard time balancing quick wins vs. Long term investments. I know i should add a bunch of rugs and curtains to start but large rugs are $1k and I dont want to rush into something I hate. Im going to work on resealing the windows this weekend and go to home depot to look into honeycomb blinds, but want to try smaller improvements before I purchase new windows.

We met some neighbors and they have been on this street for between 6 and 20 years so I know people can live here, but I need to get past the initial shock. (Plan to ask about their soundproofing in future conversations).

So I guess im seeking advice on how to balance fast sound dampening improvements with larger more sustainable projects like new windows or inserts.

Will also post in interior decorating for finding a balance of nice items but cheaper price when I need to buy ~5 large rugs and tons of curtains.

.