this is my first post here after reading for a few weeks.

I'm in the process of renovating a very small (360 sqft) apartment. It is on the corner of a very busy street (a truck route) and is quite loud inside and out. Since I am literally ripping the walls out right now, are there simple things I can do to improve it acousticly?

The goal is for one room to be a kitchen/living room/listening room/social jam space. emphasis here is on learning to record and the social/fun side, less on the critical listening.

I have read a bit in the acoustics forum and it seems I may be in over my head, I'm not an engineer or a construction professional. I'm just an guitar player learning to record, an absolute rank amatuer.

The link to a page on sound transmission loss was helpfull but a double wall just east up more space than I can spare

[Posts: 1256
Location: West Coast USA

Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:36 pm
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Wannab, glad to see you apparently took my comments as they were intended - just please, please, don't hammer one more nail or drive one more screw til you outline what you plan to do - there is a commonly linked example of wall construction on the net that shows using the EXACT same amount of material to build two different walls - one has an STC rating of 23 dB better than the other one, and the only difference is WHERE the materials are placed. Check out the bottom of this page, specifically the 40 dB wall and the 63 dB wall -

http://www.domesticsoundproofing.co.uk/tloss.htm

This is why learning needs to come before hammers and saws... Steve]

most of the sound coming into the apartment is from the street traffic, sound leaking out of the apartment doesn't seem to be as much of a problem.

as for all amatuers, the budget is tight.

here are the plans so far:

the front room of the apartment will be the combined kithchen and living space, approx. 14x12. the kitchen will be on an inside wall away from the street. (dictated by plumbing). So the sound space will be on the loudest extrior wall. The floors will be maple, and there will be a small breakfast bar diving the kitchen and living room.

The main questions I have are regarding design:

1) since the kithchen will be a major element and will effect the acoustics, should choice be made on the shape and placement of the cabinets?

2) are there things that I can do at this point to reduce the traffic sounds from outside?

3) are there things that can be done to reduce the noice that the kitchen generates (fridge, etc.)

4) what other questions should I be asking?