Illustration by @Kampeck_Ink
Imagine if everyone came home blindfolded and if every realtor held open houses at two am instead of two pm? How would human decisions change?
During the daytime we react with our eyes---I like that coat of paint, I dig that view. At night we see with our ears---lying in bed, the freeway noise outside multiplies, the refrigerator hum sounds more like an assault...even a utility line when wet from rain can create a white noise sound that many can’t handle. But few people isolate their ears this way until it is too late. It’s kind of like the idea of falling in love with a city that you only see during its best season---who doesn’t love Portland, the Rose City in June? The real question is whether you can love it in November. Who doesn’t adore Tucson in December, the real question is if you aren’t a snowbird, is whether you can love it in August when average temps run to 110 degrees. Through an entire 24 hour cycle can you live with the sound design of your space? If not, what can you do to channel your inner sound designer?
Perhaps we should all take a note from the film industry which is also a visual medium. In the film industry you learn to hate airplanes and refrigerators. Location scouts know that directors don’t like to wait for planes to finish descending or ascending if dialogue hangs in the balance. Refrigerators have to be pulled out and unplugged so the inherent hum won’t clutter what talent is being paid to say. (One of the most hated things a director can say is “don’t worry, they’ll fix it in post.” Which is why post production and production often don’t get along…)
What is Sound?
Think of sound as air molecules compressing and separating. Decibels or dB is the measure of loudness or amplitude. As a reference:
Whispering is around 30dB
Females average speaking tone is 48-61 dB
Males average speaking tone is 49-64dB
Normal Conversation at about 60 dB
Vacuum is 75 dB
Shouting is 80 dB
Jet engine is 120 dB
Gunshot is 140dB
We know that decibel levels of 130 dB can cause pain. German researcher Jurgess Altmann found that a blast of 210 decibels affects the inner organs. Let’s not go there.
There are some other ratings that apply to sound. The Sound Transmission Rating measures how well a material reduces incoming sound. The higher the number, the more the sound is reduced. As a reference, an open doorway has an STC of 10 while certain windows companies will advertise that an STC rating of 34 can reduce exterior noise by 60 decibels.
Another rating for sound you might see is sones. This measurement is a standard with bathroom fans that cannot exceed one sone in CA. One sone is 28 dB and eight sones is 58dB. If we established that normal conversation sits around 60 dB the category of “unwanted noise” will probably apply to anything over eight sones.
Controlling Indoor Sound
So let’s first talk about the sound that you can control in your own home. The loudest indoor offenders are appliances and yet when people are appliance shopping, “silence rating” doesn’t seem to be the sexiest thing on the list. Wi-fi connect. Icemaker. French Doors. Those are the clickbait items. However, silence rating is the one spec that might actually affect quality of life. Will the fact that you can run your refrigerator remotely matter if your refrigerator hums louder than the human voice? Will a slick dishwasher touch screen matter if you can only run it when you aren’t worried about contracting a headache? Remember that something like a refrigerator won’t be turned off. You knew that, right?
The good news is that certain brands have identified models that will cater to this need. GE offers a Profile Top control dishwasher that runs at 39dBA (softer than the human voice so you can run it while your guests are enjoying a living room chat after dinner). Bosch advertises itself as the “quietest DW brand in the United States” with models like the 800 Series 36” French Door refrigerator running at a whispery 40dBA.
The takeaway here is that before you commit to a specific appliance make sure the silence rating is less than 50dBA. If the information is not available on the spec sheet living online, make an inquiry. Yours could be the silent scream in the dark if you don’t.
Perimeter Noise
Once you’ve done your damndest to control your interior environment you have to look at your existing barriers to outdoor sound. The same windows that delight you with light during the day may be bleeding unwanted noise at night. The STC rating should factor just as much as thermal data and UV blocking data. Even if you don’t live in a hurricane zone you may want to look at a window line rated for storms such as Simonton’s Storm Break Series that advertises an STC rating of 35. Milgard windows offers a “quiet line” of product with STC ratings of 48 and above. At the very least look for windows that are double paned with varied thicknesses.
What is Acceptable Neighborhood Noise and What to Do if Your Neighbors are Clueless
So you’ve done your best to eliminate all the noise apertures in your home. Now you have to deal with the beast: human unawareness of how their own noise affects others. Based on the passive aggressive responses you see on websites like Nextdoor, noise seems to fall into two categories: construction noise and everything else. I think the city of Portland, Oregon has this down to a fine science. They have an “Office of Noise Concerns” with dedicated phone lines for each type of noise complaint: Airplane. Construction. Garbage, Helicopter, Leaf Blower, Music, Loud Voices, Railroad. Kind of amazing. Let’s look at the situation in three locations: Tucson, Portland, and San Francisco.
When it comes to construction noise in particular the Portland Code section 18.10.060 cites “permissable hours” as 7-6 from Monday to Saturday with no more than 85 dBA at 50 foot distance from origin. So if there is a construction crew working on Sunday or working during approved hours at noise levels above this they can be fined up to $5000.
Tucson cites something similar with no particular fine amount. Their City Code 16-31(b)(5) prohibits construction noise between 8pm and “sunrise” Monday through Saturday. Excessive noise is cited as any activity that goes beyond the property line and is received at greater than 70dBA during construction hours and 62dBA from 10pm-7am.
San Francisco has a website for citizen response issues, sf311.org with a “Menu of Noise Issues” that contains 43 line items from “barking dog” to “loud music from a neighbor” to “tour bus.” For a barking dog between hours 10pm and 7am neighbors are asked to call police non emergency. Other items fall more into verbiage such as “disturbing the peace” and “to a reasonable person of normal sensitivity.” Building construction between 8pm and 7am is unlawful without a permit. Noise up to 5db from 7am to 8pm is permitted which is cited as “a screw gun putting in screws into drywall.”
Upshot: Noise laws vary from city to city but you see a pattern in the overall no-no hours, plus the standard of decibel level for normal people who don’t shout. As such you have every right to ask for help from City Infrastructure if people are not following ordinances and laws.
Don’t Make Your Home Into A Noise Work Hub
While mottos like run fast and break things may be wonderful for creative work environments it can spell disaster for a gentle neighborhood vibe. Many companies that employ elastic work hours and letting loose at any hour is not a vibe that translates easily to a residential environment. Unfortunately with the Pandemic and Work From Home models in play, many people are treating their homes like extended work hubs unknowingly creating nightmares for their neighbors.
The problem arises when you realize or don’t realize that the built environment operates on different standards than commercial environments. All those coping strategies you use for work may be causing your neighbor to lose sleep and hate you.
For example, maybe you want a hot tub to “help you relax.” You may think hot tub sound only applies to the people drunk in it. You would be wrong.
California Residential Code 1206.2 cites that habitable spaces should not have walls that have sound transmission classes of less than 50. However impact sound insulation is not required for floor to ceiling assemblies over non habitable rooms such as garages and mechanical rooms. A mechanical room may also include a room devoted to heat pumps for jacuzzis. This means when you are turning on your Jacuzzi at 3am your neighbor may be silently grinding their teeth because the mechanical noise still vibrates through the wall assembly. Add to this the amenity of “music” and now your neighbor has to fight mechanical noise plus trance music which is probably destroying her sleep.
Some people think they can simply transfer their data halls to a home environment. This too is a recipe for disturbance. A data hall in a business is designed to accommodate cable trays and busways and high rack temperatures. There is fiber optic and DC distro cable. It takes a rigorous HVAC system to keep temperatures at a standard 72 degrees Farenheit for ideal data transfer meanwhile the cable trays can heat up to over 110 degrees. You’re going to need plenum space above for air circulation for these trays but you are also going to need acoustical perforated panels for sound dampening. Consider a product like Quiet Rock for insulation even if you don’t need to specify it for Code. Consider modular cloud kits for lighting that integrate fabrics like wool shades. Even soft seating serves as an acoustical barrier.
So be a good neighbor if you are planning a rebuild. Think about sound. Use materials that absorb reverberation, block unwanted noise while covering background noise. Even if the Building Code doesn’t require the construction of 50 STC rated walls for mechanical spaces provide acoustical dampeners.
The solutions don’t have to be expensive. They just need to be thoughtful. The big takeaway is just because you want it doesn’t mean you should have it outright. And that house you are considering buying? Drive by at 2am.