How to add soundproofing in a rental, and on a budget?

[nadiah11]

Wondering if anyone has any advice on soundproofing in a rental?

In the circled area there is a basketball ring which is used almost constantly outside of school hours and on weekends... our main wall (where our bedrooms and my office are) faces the fence. Unfortunately the bamboo (?) they have put in is a great privacy screen but doesn't seem to do much for the noise. 

Our landlord is pretty good but I've had bad experiences with them in the past and I'd prefer not to ask to put something permanent up like lattice, if possible.

I'm also thinking of putting up some canvases on the walls around the window with foam at the back of them. I don't know whether I could do much in terms of blinds/curtains with the existing blinds? 

Any tips would be appreciated 🙏🏼

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @nadiah11 

I have same basket ball noise next to my place  at about same distance.

My house is external wall insulated and has a heavy shutter over it.  Let me tell you nothing stops the  noise at that  range if we are being honest ok  some attenuation but it wont stop it  noticably ,

I fight sound   with sound i play music in my study to cancel out the basket ball sounds create my own sound scape at least i enjoy the music.

Noise cancelling head phones work best for constant type sounds not  random ball strikes they will help especially if you are playing your own music on them too.

Thank fully basket ballers rarely go more than an hour and your choice of music might deter them from playing longer lol depending on there  music tastes.

Sorry there is not alot you can  do short of building a sound proof studio.

[nadiah11]

Thanks so much for the reply and the empathy! I have a medical condition that makes me really sensitive to noise so it's really distressing at times. I have headphones but honestly I get sick of having to wear them, sometimes I just want to sit quietly, and it's annoying when I need to talk to my partner or whatever. I have thought to blast some really obnoxious music out the window every time they're out there 😂😂

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @nadiah11 

I  see  yes a  medical condition will make it  much worse for you, sorry about that I do know where your coming from.

There maybe a way to improve your life i  hope if it  helps.

I use a  medum large noisy water  feature outside and the sound of water is more soothing to jangled nerves and it really helps  block out urban noise of all types.  It wont stop basket ball noise but it may reduce its effect on you.

You  probably can have a  smaller water feature  indoors making noise that you like. So its portable if you move.

Failing all that there are many medatative like  nice sound tracks  like oceans and bubbling streams to thunderstorms and genlte rain  to offset the urban noise,

I thought about recording there noise and  playing it back to them lol 

[Akanksha]

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @nadiah11. We're delighted to have you join us.

Thanks for your question about soundproofing in a rental. Sorry to hear about what you're going through - I can understand it must be frustrating. Good to see our wonderful members like @Jewelleryrescue already providing some suggestions. I'm sure our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. experts like @MitchellMc will also be happy to help. 

Just wanted to add having a look at our Best Advice article on soundproofing windows in case any of the suggestions listed in there helps.  

Good luck!

Akanksha 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @nadiah11,

I'd have to agree with @Jewelleryrescue that blocking the sound is likely not possible. I presume they've quietened down by the time you're using the bedroom for sleep, so is there any chance you could move your office to another space in the home? I know it is likely inconvenient, but it could be worth it if it gets you some reprieve. Even if it was just a space that you could escape to and continue your work whilst they are hard at a game. You might like to check out this article for inspiration: Top 10 most popular desk projects. Also, here's an article on How to build a desk. 

Since this is quite a regular problem for renters, you might like to have a look at some of these previous discussions on the subject.

Mitchell