Garden Office and Garden Studio Soundproofing
and
How to build a Soundproof Garden Studio
Written by Richard Grace - Garden Structures Ltd April 2013 with
help and advice from Jonathan
About Sound
In order to stop the passage of sound it is a good idea to
understand a few of the basics. Sound travels in waves and is measured in
decibels (the quantity of it) =
(volume). If you stop these waves
travelling they bounce around and find another route – I guess this means it is
a bit directional. In an enclosed space sound seeks out every possible way of
spreading and finds the most impossibly small weakness in soundproofing to get
out.
Why would we need to soundproof a Garden Room?
There are two reasons only for soundproofing any enclosed
area:
a)
To stop the possibility of the sound penetrating outside. If
you are audibly communicating and want this to be secret or - more usually stop
the possibility of annoying the neighbours.
b)
You want to listen to the purest sound, which could be silence
or beethoven without the interference of the outside environment (this applies
if you live in a flat with adjacent neighbours up, down or to immediate sides
who in enjoying themselves can create a bit of a distraction).
Back to Soundproof Garden Studios.
For sure it is not a good idea to constantly play loud music
or watch East Enders at high decibels in an ordinary garden shed. For whatever
reason it is easy to understand that sound which is pure magic to yourself is
not “everyone’s cup of tea” if you get my drift. Personally I love music from
the musicals and motown) but others seem to enjoy electronic techno-rubbish.
Everyone has some difference in taste.
A Professional Soundproof Garden Studio
The whole subject of soundproofing takes on a different
dimension if you deal with sound as a professional. You will no doubt want to
mess about with it and listen to the same thing over and over again to make
sure it is correct. Although I have little expertise in the sound engineering
field I have understood that the various frequencies of sound (base / treble /
drums / pianos / guitars / vocals (also in different pitches) etc. can be split
up and mixed to create better and better versions of the stuff. Digital
manipulation of sound is now available even to the amateur enthusiast using
special software and an ordinary computer. Pro Tools, Logic Pro and Garage Band
from Apple are good examples of this.
If you are an enthusiastic amateur or indeed a professional
the last thing you want to do is let this hobby or work have a detrimental
effect on relations with neighbours. Nor would you want to send off a piece of
finished work where the sound of the upstairs neighbours trying hard to ensure continuance
of the human race is clearly audible.
So to make sure the Soundproof Garden Office works well and
avoid unnecessary stress for all around:
How to stop sound - in or out of a Garden Studio
Well - firstly mass stops sound - mass means weight/volume
and has an effect on cost of material. As the most accepted material for Garden
Offices and Studios is wood and wood has volume but not terrific mass then
there should be some other layers. More layers or more mass often (mostly)
means more cost. Now you have the message that increasing soundproofing of a
structure also increases cost of building it.
You could of course build a concrete bunker underground but
whilst protecting from bombs (and the noise of them) in neighbouring areas this
is hardly ever a practical solution. What you need is maintain an acceptable
exterior architecture and add layers of mass. So for example ordinary timber
cladding with the normal type of heat loss insulation can be protected from
sound leakage or ingress with additional layers on the inside.
A Room within a Room
In a typical "stop the neighbours being annoyed”
situation take care and plan well. You are trying to build a “room within a
room”. Firstly the room as viewed from the outside should be ok with you and
the neighbours and not have on it signs logos and murals, which will make the
whole thing far more sensitive than necessary. I have never been surprised that
us humans can hear any disruption in silence if we really want to!!!
So a Sound Studio in the garden should a) look like a normal
garden building and b) block as much sound passage as possible within budget.
More mass is needed and normal looks are needed. Cost is
always an issue and more mass = more cost more mass = more weight more cost =
less of the other stuff you need. It is about as simple as that!
Specialist Soundproofing Materials
So let’s turn to experts in providing mass at less cost and
less weight to create a room within a good looking traditional garden room
within your budget and we are all on the way to success.
How to create a Sound Studio that works
- Choose a traditional design with acceptable and unobtrusive appearance.
- Build its outer skin / doors and windows with normal materials fitting in to the existing environment
- Inside the outer skin build another room, which stops the passage of sound. Using the correct layers of mass to suit the decibels being distributed outside, or inside at the target cost.
- Consider secondary doors and windows to complete the sound blocking.
This is done usually by de-coupling the outside room from
the inside room. Either two structures or more economically mount the inside
room on de-coupling mountings (resilient bars). These cost effective / easy to
fit components stop the passage of vibration (which is what sound is) and are
the most important part of any soundproof Garden Office or Soundproof Garden
Studio.
Next task is to provide they most cost effective soundproof
room. Dense plasterboard in layers sandwiching SBM5 the environmentally
friendly equivalent of lead will do the job required in the walls. Windows and
doors need further attention, as plasterboard and SBM5 will not fulfil the
purpose of easy access and allowing natural light when preferred. It is a good
idea therefore to consider secondary (soundproof doors and window shutters)
Taken as a package with the correct layers, the correct
materials and the correct installation it is possible to contain loud music in
the garden shed and stop ingress of outside noise completely on a reasonable
budget.
My advice for creating a Soundproof Garden Building
- Make it look traditional
- Build two rooms one within the other
- Use dense materials for the inner room
- Provide secondary screening for doors and windows
Stay at peace with your
neighbours, reduce stress, and keep sound waves, decibels / "your own taste" in
music or TV to yourself.
Soundproof music Studios for your
Garden written by Richard Grace with help and advice from Jonathan
April 2013 for more info visit www.aarco.co.uk
