For many Singaporeans, buying a new home can be one of the most exciting and joyous times. Visiting new apartments, picturing where the TV would go, how they will decorate and what interiors they would bring in.
What many of us forget to check, though, is the amount of noise that emanates from outside. In our excitement to get the keys and move in we ignore the noise from the nearby main road, the banging from the next-door construction site or the MRT trains coming into the nearby station. Don’t think Singapore is noisy? Think again, a research from NUS was published on Strait times and it found at least 10 neighbourhoods in Singapore were more than 70 dB on average. As little as 1 hour of exposure to noise above 70dB is enough to cause health problems in the long run.
The result is sleepless nights followed by tired days at work, kids who are disturbed at night and irritable during the day, a difficulty working from home – of particular importance during today’s coronavirus pandemic – and lower productivity.
Singapore is a densely populated country and none of us are too far away from a road or station, so it is often hard to find an apartment that is completely silent. However, there are a number of steps you can take to mitigate against this:
Replace windows with soundproof ones – there are many window types and sizes that can be soundproofed and can reduce or even eliminate outside noise to under 39 decibels. Even better, most soundproofing involves double glazing which reduces solar heating thus saves energy and money and can also be tinted to further reduce the sun’s glare
Beware sliding doors – sliding doors that lead out onto a balcony may look amazing at first sight, however they are very ineffective when it comes to blocking sounds because they often leave small gaps which allow noise pollution to travel through. They are also harder and more expensive to soundproof. If you are keen on this type of layout, try to make sure that your bedroom is located further away from this area
Higher is noisier – noise travels upwards and that is why higher floors tend to be noisier (it usually starts to reduce from around the 15th floor). Banging from construction work nearby can be heard acutely on higher floors even through the source of the noise can seem very far away. Be aware that noise does not have to be constant, it could be Saturday night partying at a nearby BBQ pit, early-morning food deliveries at local restaurants or construction work
Outside noise does not come through your walls, rather it comes through windows. In most apartments buildings the walls are well-built, but the windows are usually low cost and let in noise pollution. The good news is that it is relatively easy to replace most windows with windows that have high sound insulation performance.
So, when you are looking to buy your next apartment, remember to imagine what it would sound like, not just what it will look like when you move in. For more information on how you can noise-proof your windows, contact Noise Plaster.
Noise Plaster are experts in soundproof windows and doors and are able to install windows that cut noise levels to under 39 decibels, allowing you to sleep in silence. A licensed HDB and BCA contractor, Noise Plaster is the only vendor in Singapore with its own in-house manufacturing and installation capabilities, meaning they are committed to reducing noise in your apartment from the moment to contact them to the moment the windows are installed and beyond.
