Who to contact to soundproof a room?

[Anonymous]

I am looking to fully soundproof our office - including insulation, new door, whatever it takes.

What kind of service do I ask for? I think the person would need to know specifically how to do this kind of job, and what specific materials to use. Would this be a contractor? I think it's too big a job for a handyman maybe? Is there a specific type of company/service to ask for this?

Any help would be appreciated. We're in Northern Virginia so any recommendations would be helpful too.

[Anonymous]

To do it right you are talking about ripping off every wall, the ceiling, and the ceiling of the floor below to install insulation. Messy job and thousands of dollars… still want more info?

[Anonymous]

I didn't realize it would be all that, but yes, still interested in at least doing walls and possibly floor of the room.

I am looking to reduce the noise in that room dramatically. It doesn't have to be completely soundproof like a music studio, but enough where all outside noise is at least muffled, at most not heard.

thanks.

[Anonymous]

If the room has common ducting or HVAC with the rest of the house, noise will carry as a matter of fact. Do you have any windows in the room? Windows usually have a low STC, as do doors. Fixing these areas of transmission can be very expensive. What are you trying to accomplish? There are some good websites out there that discuss sound proofing concepts and ideas.

https://www.soundproofcow.com/soundproofing-101/guidetosoundproofing/

https://soundproofcentral.com/soundproofing-add-value-home/

[Anonymous]

Have you tried noise canceling headphones? I mean if WFH isn’t going to last forever

[Anonymous]

I would start with just adding a second layer of drywall to the ceiling and walls. Sound can't move easily through solids as well as hollow or thin walls. A drywall installer and painter could handle it for you. Windows and doors would probably need to be retrimmed. The door would need to be a solid core door. Not the cheaper hollow doors you typically see now. The problem is that solid core (solid wood) doors are rare now. We cut down all the trees that could provide wide thick boards.

Also, any flat surfaces reflect sound. Bookshelves, curtains and other irregular objects will absorb and deaden the sound quite well.

Not sure how to quiet anything in the air vents. I would recommend bose noise canceling headphones if you are looking for an immediate solution.

[Anonymous]

My FIL is a lawyer... had his home office ceiling and walls opened, they installed some sort of batten insulation, used double layer of quietrock drywall (or something similar), and replaced the double doors with a type that was supposedly more sound dampening... In the end, the room seemed about 50% quieter to me, but my FIL said the door is the weakest link, and that he can still hear more noise in the house than he expected after spending thousands to do this. So you too can spend $7K on a job like this and it wont be soundproof - but quieter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My FIL is a lawyer... had his home office ceiling and walls opened, they installed some sort of batten insulation, used double layer of quietrock drywall (or something similar), and replaced the double doors with a type that was supposedly more sound dampening... In the end, the room seemed about 50% quieter to me, but my FIL said the door is the weakest link, and that he can still hear more noise in the house than he expected after spending thousands to do this. So you too can spend $7K on a job like this and it wont be soundproof - but quieter

I should have added that he did this about 3 yrs ago - not COVID pricing. And he painted the room (walls and trim) himself - drywallers just got it 'paint ready'.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for these suggestions. Headphones won't work. Here's what I'm trying to accomplish. Since COVID, my office decide to go primarily WFH full time. I do quite a bit of presentations via zoom and participate in many meetings via zoom. I did this prior to COVID as well.

We have 2 big dogs that bark incessantly. During my presentations and meetings, they are loud and bark at any little thing.
Also, we have 2 kids and a nanny.

In our house, even with my door closed, I can hear all their noises as if they were right next to me - ans so can everyone in zoom. Most have been fine with this "background noise" during COVID, but once COVID ends, we'll still be working from home, so I need a permanent solution.

All these are great ideas. Any others would be helpful too.

thanks

[Anonymous]

I doubt there is soundproofing that will silence two big dogs.

[Anonymous]

OP here, I know it won't silence them, but at least make them more muffled or sound like they are more in the distance.

[Anonymous]

Probably cheaper to fix your dog and kid problem. Send dogs to doggy day care and make it clear to nanny that kids should be out of the house during specific times.

[Anonymous]

Is there some way to train the dogs to not bark so much?

[Anonymous]

Try a bark collar or one of those ultrasonic devices that emits a high pitch noise.

[Anonymous]

Big fluffy rug. Second layer of drywall on ceiling. Sound absorbing panels on walls. New solid door and also cover it with sound panels on the inside and make sure it closes really tight and foam strips inside the door opening. Thick drapes. The more fabric you have the more sound will be absorbed.