While the firm reveals that it has seen the level of quote requests submitted for traditional jobs fall, there has been a 43% increase in the number of people requesting prices on soundproofing their home when compared to last year. So how do you best go about it?
Top tips to soundproof your home
It can cost an average of £1700-£2000 to professionally soundproof one room in your home although you could take a crack at it yourself with the average room of 16 square metres costing about £700 in materials.
1: Seal air gaps
Using weatherstrips to seal gaps between doors and windows can be a cost-effective way of soundproofing a room, with these costing £5 or gap draught excluders costing £10 an upwards.
2: Adjust your furniture
Adjusting your furniture will cost you nothing but could make a big difference when soundproofing. If you have particularly noisy neighbours and your bedrooms share a wall, placing large items of furniture like a wardrobe along said wall can help reduce their nocturnal noise.
3: Add some mass to your walls
If this still doesn’t do the job, add a layer to the wall. Canvas paintings can help while you can also buy soundproofing wallpaper which is specially designed to help reduce noise and can be done for £35 an upward where the cost of materials are concerned.
4: Soundproof curtains
While many of us use heavy-duty curtains to block light coming in, they can also help with sounds. The heavier, or the more layers, the better and not only will they help with windows, but it can also be a quick job to erect a rail above your home office door to help reduce noise within your home as well. Blackout curtains start at £30 with more professional soundproof options coming in at £100.
5: Carpet or rugs
Another simple and cost-effective tip, particularly for those living in a flat. The average room will cost about £350 to have a carpet laid but you can pick up some heavy-duty rugs for as little as £20 apiece. Not only will they reduce noise between your flat and the flat below, but they also reduce the sound of echoing within your room.
6: Acoustic sealant
Acoustic sealant is best used in conjunction with other soundproofing measures but it can be handy for blocking up gaps and cracks along windows, doors, windowsills and more, it also costs as little as £15.
7: Egg boxes
Thinking inside of the box, the uneven and undulated structure of items such as an egg box won’t soundproof as such, but it will help reduce echoes. Placed in strategic places, they can make a difference for a very low cost and with a bit of experimentation. Although they aren’t a measure you want to leave in place for the long term.
Tarquin Purdie, founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, commented: “Soundproofing has always been one of those jobs that comes in now and again and is often way down the list of ‘essential’ work a homeowner will want to carry out; which means it never gets done.
"But we’ve seen a pretty notable spike in homeowners requesting quotes for such work almost immediately after the lockdown was implemented.
"This is down to the fact that many are now spending a lot more time at home, with lots of us also needing peace and quiet to get on with our work. However, with the kids also at home 24/7, along with our neighbours, a lot of us have realised how thin our walls really are.
"The level of soundproofing required will vary depending on the personal requirement but some of the stipulations we’ve seen across a number of quotes have been to drown out the noise of their kids during the day and to prevent the noise of media such as TV and music both from rooms in their own house and their neighbours.
"With many of us now at home with our significant others for a lot more hours in the day, there have also been a fair few requests for soundproofing to eliminate the sound of nocturnal activities from their neighbour’s bedrooms."
