Excessive Noise Revealed As Top Neighbourly Nuisance
- October 27, 2016|
- Advice|
- Darren Clarke
There are many excellent arguments for having double glazing installed at home, but one of the very best has to be the fact that such windows do an amazing job at stopping noises from outside being heard in your house.
And given new research from Co-op Insurance revealing that excessive noise is in fact the top neighbour dispute that people report, a bugbear of 41 per cent of the population, it’s certainly no surprise that double glazing is such a popular product for homeowners here in the UK.
The study found that one in five Brits have actually been involved in a dispute with a neighbour, with 46 per cent of these still unresolved. The top disputes were revealed as excessive noise, rudeness or abuse, barking dogs, parking wars, nosey neighbours, unruly kids, boundary disputes, gossipy neighbours, messy gardens that blight the community, roaming pets and not maintaining shared facilities.
So how can you go about being a good neighbour and make sure that you don’t tread on any toes? Those surveyed said being respectful at all times, being tolerant and understanding, being considerate and not making too much noise, parking considerately and not playing music loudly were the top five ways to be neighbourly.
“The research shows as a nation we’re at risk of losing the community spirit we once prided ourselves on. Strengthening our communities whilst making them safer places to live is firmly at the heart of the Co-op. Communities are valuable as they allow people to interact with each other, share experiences and develop valued relationships. Without communities we’re in danger of living isolated lives.
“However, as our lives, both in and away from the home, become ever busier and we spend more time engaged with technology – TV, the internet and social media, its seems we are becoming ever-more distant from our closest neighbours. As a nation we need come together, lose the British stiff upper lip and engage with our neighbours, who in time may become friends,” director of products at Co-op Insurance James Hilton said.
Double glazing is a brilliant weapon to have in your arsenal if you do live in a noisy area or have noisy neighbours. If you have a laminated acoustic double glazing window installed, you could see your noise levels reduced by as much as 35 decibels – making it very worthwhile indeed. The glass works by reducing the energy of a soundwave, with high pitched sounds easier to absorb because the soundwaves are shorter. As such, they’ll be blocked out more effectively. However, noise like traffic can be harder to block because it’s on such a low frequency.
You can improve the sound insulation of your double glazing by using thicker glass, using an insulating window frame or using acoustic glass throughout your house.
To find out more, call Tameside double glazing company Malbern Windows to see how we can help you soundproof your house.
