Noise tends to be something you don’t really think about until it affects you. Noise is acceptable sometimes like when a person is listening to music and not others like when a person is trying to go to sleep. But, noise control plays a big role in society and especially in our homes. As silly as it sounds, homes are invaded every day with noise and are unfortunately ill-equipped to handle it. Whether it’s a car speeding buy in front of your home or a neighbor who plays their music too loud, unwanted noise is all too common for homeowners.

So how do you stop noise? It depends on what kind of noise it is. Locating the source is a good start. If it’s a neighbor who has their speakers set too high, try to politely tell them to turn it down. Remember the goal is to keep things pleasant and you can easily make enemies with a neighbor by scolding them for their unwanted noise or calling the police on them. But the truth is even in the most pleasantly quiet neighborhoods like Coral Gables or Fisher Island a homeowner will not be able to avoid unwanted noise without more modern noise prevention.

Noise is created by the vibration of an object, which can happen for a number of reasons. This vibration sets off a “domino effect” of vibrating molecules that spreads out 360 degrees in a wave. This process is analogous to dropping and object into a body of water and watching the ripples. The sound wave eventually subsides and the noise goes away. These waves often bounce off solid objects creating an echo. Echoes increase the effect of noise so coating your living space with soft surfaces to absorb sound is a good way to prevent them.

Coating the inside of a home with soft surfaces still doesn’t protect the home from intruding sound. Sound intrusion can only be prevented by using thick hard material like steal and other metals to block the sound completely. Many modern properties like Fisher Island homes are being built with these shields in place.