Unwanted sound transfer can blight an otherwise enjoyable home. ArchitectOpinder Liddarsets out the measures you can take to reduce and control noise, to achieve a peaceful and comfortable new house

Creating a home that’s tailored to your needs and desires is an emotional investment, let alone one of the largest financial commitments you’re likely to make. When embarking on your self build journey, a key goal will be to deliver a comfortable living environment. If there’s one thing that can put paid to that dream, it’s excess noise, which will drastically impact how you enjoy your new indoor and outdoor spaces.

The design of your home, materials it’s constructed from and how they are put together make the difference between a sub-optimal home, and one that performs well. The Building Regulations (Part E – Resistance to the Passage of Sound) set out the minimum requirements, with some good technical guidance and examples of details that you could adopt as part of your own new build. However, they can be easily improved upon.

In my experience, most self builders invest the time and money needed to get things right – whether large or small – and end up with both a great design and exceptional build quality. The same goes for controlling noise, both from within and outside your home.

There are numerous ways you can reduce unwanted sound, but three common approaches are: creating mass; separating layers of construction; and installing soundabsorbing materials. Using one or – in some cases – a combination of these techniques can offer you a very comfortable environment in and around your home. It’s important to specify the appropriate soundproofing method to address your particular concern. So, let’s look at some common areas you may want to focus on.