There was a segment on Fridays gardening Australia where the house owner installed water features that had the effect of reducing the noticeability of road noise
Yes absolutely a hedge or shrubbery. Sound travels in waves and bounces back on itself if it hits something. I'm on a road that's busy in peak time and planted out the verge, it took a few years but now it's great
That’s sorta true, but a hedge won’t achieve that. Sound will travel through any air gap, or any thin material, both of which hedges have loads of.
Something thick and heavy/massy would work though, like a brick fence or 2 cement sheets with a gap between them (if the gap is well sealed).
Same here. Sad to see how many people vote on things they clearly don't understand.
Used to do noise reports for people who lived near zone substations. They always asked about the scrub reducing the noise and you had to tell them the huge distance (hundreds of metres) of bushland required to dampen the sound to any appreciable level. It's why we installed big massive concrete walls around them if we did need to reduce noise levels. Because concrete unlike foliage actually works.
There is no correcting the arm chair experts mate. I can almost guarantee I’ve got more hedges/shrubbery at my house than anyone that has downvoted me.
Same thing happened to me ages ago. Someone wanted to block the sound of a neighbours air con unit and the general advice was to plant a Lilly pilly. Genius. Like, go to a park and stand behind a hedge there, see how much sound the plant *that has visible light* coming thru it magically can’t stop sound.
I'ma.give you the upvote just for mentioning dunning Kruger. But seriously I was I was one of those just plant a hedge guys until I spent all.of 5 mins doing actual research.
OP also wants privacy and does not want a new fence.
A domestic fence, limited to whatever council regulations are for a front fence won't reduce sound more than a hedge and double glazing won't provide privacy.
You’re not wrong, they just can’t have all three things. Vegetation for privacy, double glazed windows for sound. Plus it’ll take a few years for the hedge to grow.
I’d do the windows and then some curtains maybe. Sorted.
My acoustics engineering course backs your comment up completely. While planting shrubs might slightly reduce direct noise, even after a few years, that modest maximum 5% reduction won't solve major issues. To really tackle noise, consider double-glazing windows alongside planting hedges, and inspecting insulation in the roof and beneath the house—especially around floor vents, as they often let through a lot of noise. Remember, your soundproofing is only as effective as its weakest point.
https://preview.redd.it/73zm3u0kkkvc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23856c8f067d7f286729f08d481be4e1a7ad776a
Yep I have extensive hedging and shrubbery and it makes no discernible difference
It was a postgraduate course that can be part of a Master's degree and is still available. I primarily pursued this qualification for teaching purposes. The most practical use of the course is in construction planning, particularly for apartments and other buildings, to manage sound transmission. The other side of the qualification benefits is for speccing Sound Studio recording / mixing spaces, but that doesn’t really bring in the money any more like it used to.
>postgraduate course that can be part of a Master's degree and is still available. I primarily pursued this qualification for teaching purposes. The most practical use of the course is in construction planning, particularly for apartments and other buildings, to manage sound transmission
Good going. Honestly, the demand for this will increase, especially around those dense areas. You could do consulting..
There's 2 ways to stop or reduce a sound wave. Absorption or diffusion. Diffusion happens when a sound wave hits an uneven surface and scatters the sound wave. Hedges are ideal for this. The only problem is if the hedge is low enough to not block vision it isn't blocking any sound waves at head height so if you can see the source of the sound there isn't much of a change. It will still help with reflective waves so itll help a bit, but not a heap. On the other hand it'll work really well if you build a hedge wall higher than head height, but that will block vision so it's a pretty big trade off.
We stayed in an Airnb that had similar to this and was next to a main Rd. Worked a treat.
https://soundproofwarehouse.com.au/learning_hub/how-to-soundproof-a-fence-with-acoustic-fence-wrap/
This is what I did too. Double skin of palings with the mass loaded vinyl sheet in between
The palings bounce the sound back to the street. And the mass loaded vinyl absorbs the sound.
From inside the home I measured a 10db decrease in sound after the fence mods.
> These retrofit solutions allow you to cost-effectively add a noise barrier to your property boundary, providing **up to** 70% noise reduction.
I'm sure it helps a little, but "up to" doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence!
Sound moves as waves, so anything that reflects/blocks those waves will help.
Basically you have either:
1. Bricks/cement/solid fencing. This is expensive, and above 1.2m likely needs a permit but can look nice and last.
2. Natural fencing (plants). This is cheaper, but will be slow-growing and need regular maintenance. Examples include clumping bamboo, thick camellia hedges, anything with a lot of leaves and densely packed. It won't block as much noise as brick, but it can get higher and still be very effective.
Ideally you're combining both together for maximum effect.
My uncle did his thesis on this very subject and his findings were, hedges and other plantings have little or no effect on noise attenuation. There was a placebo effect where people believed their hedges reduced road noise but, when testing equipment was used the findings were clear, no discernible attenuation.
Anecdotally we have neighbours that recently cut a very thick, high hedge down to fence height. And we could instantly notice the noise difference for a nearby road. I'm wondering what the explanation could be here
You're getting razzed a bit about the soundproofing, you can get sound insulating fence that's used in construction but it's not particularly attractive.
But the issue is that they don’t want a new fence, just a magical way to soundproof the existing one. Also, that just looks like normal suburban street, it doesn’t look like a major road or anything, how noisy can it be?
Ok team I think we all know the question is not literally how to create an audio vacuum in the front lawn. You want to look into outdoor sound absorption OP, there are plenty of good reasons for it and a few paths you can take.
As some have mentioned hedges are the most traditional way to achieve this. Count on it taking a couple of years to have any noticeable impact though, even if starting with mature (expensive) plants.
Other option would be a closed fence. Even a basic timber or colourbond boundary fence would make a considerable difference compared to the current fence.
Or you could place tall raised beds inside the length of the perimeter (like the ones you see around street side restaurant seating). Put some fast growing groundcover in it for an overall height reaching top of fence and you’d have pretty effective sound absorption.
A couple of well placed topiaries in middle of the lawn could help too, something with dense foliage.
Also consider any sound-reflective surfaces around your front yard which could be dampened with shrubs, groundcover. Rubberised patio tiles could help if you have a tiled patio etc.
Safest bet though is to place as much mass along the fence as possible, which brings opportunities for additional privacy and visual appeal as well.
Cheapest ? Layered hedging/ screening plants but will take a couple years to establish.
Will be far from soundproof but will help a little and aldi add privacy. Could also throw in a water restore or two nearer the house for ambient noise
Buy yourself some clear Perspex panels and fix them to the back of the fence. That way you’ll have no problem backing the whole fence and still be able to see the road.
From there it’ll just be a matter of planting some hedges if you want to achieve some visual privacy
Trees and hedges help reduce noise, depending on your climate you should look at something to plant. Just also considering where the breeze comes in from as hedges and trees affect airflow
Maybe lattes, then acoustic panels maybe of some sort of Styrofoam.
I'd even consider just buying lattes then putting on bunnings accustic pinboard and then plants.
The pinboard will eventually need replacing but it may give you a buffer until the plants grow.
In reality brick wall at least 2m high with plants on the outside would help but it would also be very expensive.
Also grow lots of trees
Unfortunately you aren't going to get sound reduction, it's just not possible; sound propagates around corners because it's a wave.
You can plant hedges to visually block, you're just going to have to double/triple glaze, and insulated your walls. Also good insulating doors too. You'd be surprised how much sound (and cold) comes through doors.
You might want to think about how much of each you want to achieve.
Is the noise continuous traffic, peak traffic, occasional residential activity?
How much privacy are we talking about? Do you wanna be able to strut around nude? Or do you wanna be able to build doomsday devices without letting on? Or do you just not want your cross-street neighbour to see you eating breakfast?
Even the “no new fence” could be a variable. Are you trying to avoid modifying the fence in any way at all? Or would you be ok with attaching screens to it? Maybe you just don’t want new posts or to tear out what’s there? In which case you could expand on the existing structure? You could basically attach a full-height lapped paling fence to this structure, which would be a new fence but attached to your old fence…
There’s some funny stuff in here but on a serious note utilising what you already have you can get something partway to what you want that looks alright. Go to Bunnings and pick up some rolls of plastic garden edging in what colour you prefer. Or if you like timber and have a bigger budget get timber garden edging. You then weave the edging in and out of the vertical rungs. On the next layer up weave on alternate rungs. You will end up with something that looks great. Gives privacy and may help with the noise a bit. But you won’t break the bank and can do the whole thing yourself in an afternoon. No need to replace the fence. Best of luck.
Those wicker fence panels may work somewhat, but personally don't like them. You can probably get a water fountain from bunnings or somewhere that'll drown out the noise a bit
You cannot soundproof a fence unless it is very high. Maybe a dense hedge at the front would help but a lot of maintenance and not an overnight or cheap job.
Note that many local government areas limit the height of front fences and solid fences above a certain height often require a setback from the front boundary.
A nice cypress hedge will do the trick, plant around 1m back from the fence, and plant the trees around 500mm-700mm apart, you can buy them at all different stages of growth, I guess depending on your budget, they will grow almost anywhere, just make sure you plant well and do the usual fertiliser and mulch etc…
And water well in summer and less in winter.
Clip them once they get to your desired height and invest in a nice little hedge trimmer,
And there you will have a almost sound proof screen!
I’ve had experience in this and plants are good natural sound insulators. Of course, they take a while to establish and grow but do your homework on the plant varieties that will flourish in your area and design a dense planting pattern of those plants. Good luck. 😉
What????
Only way is to build a brickwall or Hebel wall...or a cement style wall....
That will block some sound out...but it will be like a jail yard...
Brush fencing is effective at reducing sound. I lived in Liverpool Road Sth Strathfield and had 6ft brush fencing facing the highway(which was only about 8-10 metres from the townhouse), downstairs was extremely quiet, upstairs not as much.
It would be effective at both keeping noise down and helping with privacy. Might not fit with the aesthetics of the area/ house though.
OP, you need to first check your Council's development controls for fencing (in NSW this will be covered by your DCP). There will likely be stipulations on the ratio of solid to open within front fences; as well as heights, materials and colours.
Personally, I'd go with a hedge - photinia or lily pilly would be my choice. The density of the foliage will help scatter noise whilst also providing privacy and is relatively cheap whilst retaining the existing fence and can be planted by yourself. It may also bypass any fencing requirements. The downside will be time, but the two plants I suggested above are quick growers and you should have a good hedge within 5 years.
A wall that is 2 meters and has a zigzag structure could help a bit. Triple glassing Windows are cheaper and more effective.
Btw. Ask a professional we are not professional here in Reddit.
Unless you are planning on building a huge fuck off concrete wall nothing is going to help. You can sound proof that all you want and the sound will just travel over the top because it’s so low and the house is far back from it.
https://preview.redd.it/psbihxhunlvc1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53227c3a2a2fc6bcbcb25d7d11c98f7b87455ea1
Cheapest Solution, guaranteed to be silent and no visible traces of noise making
Apologies if this has already been addressed but depending on the council where you live, it must still be possible to look through the fence and it can't be higher than a certain height.
My council didn't allow us to install privacy fencing/soundproof fencing in the front yard.
You have heaps of space to make a solution. I would do a gabion wall and fill with free local rock that you can smash up, lots on FB market place and then plant trees or hedging in front for the visual. Here's some info on garden noise
https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/36240/8-wood-fence-vs-6-block-wall-to-reduce-noise-in-yard
A long line of lilly pilly planted close enough that they hedge would probably do it. Let them get to about two or three metres and top them and they will bush sideways hard.
Use noise-cancelling headphones.
To reduce traffic noise you’d need to put up a high, 8-10’ solid (brick) fence.
You may have more simple benefit with external roller shutters and or double glazing. Use reflective film for day privacy and curtains at night.
Stick [this material](https://soundproofwarehouse.com.au/product/acoustic-fence-wrap-retro-fit-system-5m/) on your fence. Ugly, but about as effective as you’ll get trying to soundproof something outside.
Lillipillies - a big hedge is a great sound baffle. Reduces dust creates privacy and a nice space for a little eco system right there.
You won’t regret it.
I installed a ModularWalls fence on my old property on a reasonably busy road. Was cheaper than brick and looks better with lots of styling options. Probably dropped noise by half to three quarters, so it’s not completely gone but the space became usable.
Hedges, shrubs, colorbond fence etc won’t do anything to reduce noise. Will add privacy though.
I’ve heard trees can be good sound absorbers. So plant trees or high shrubs in your front garden. You can either start from a small sapling or invest in some already well grown.
Bushes, a tree and water feature.
Sounds dumb but hear me out.
Low bushes rising into tall bushes along the fence and edges all the way around. The sizes make the noise have trouble travelling through.
Then plant small trees like bottle brushes, for every 3m of nothing in the garden. This should also help a lot with planes
Then close to the house have a running water feature. The sound of the water will drown out the cars and provide a calmer sound.
Best thing to do is build 1.5 meter planter box. Fill it with tires, soil, and dwarf shrubs. The tires and soil will deaden and/or slow the sound waves. You won't get sound proof however this will drastically reduce the noise. Adding a water feature near your weak points such as driveway gate will help too.
May be this one from Bunnings - [https://www.bunnings.com.au/un-real-180-x-90cm-pittosporum-artificial-bamboo-trellis-expandable-hedge\_p0293784?,](https://www.bunnings.com.au/un-real-180-x-90cm-pittosporum-artificial-bamboo-trellis-expandable-hedge_p0293784?,) we got a cheaper version (1/3rd of Bunnings price online but takes a bit of time to deliver.
There was a segment on Fridays gardening Australia where the house owner installed water features that had the effect of reducing the noticeability of road noise
Yes! I remember! White noise poodle or something
I have chihuahuas and they’re more a short, sharp yap than white noise, so I don’t recommend them.
Sound proof the outside? Dreaming bro
Op's probably dreaming of the cone of silence
Fuck I wish I could put the cone of silence around my house
A high brick wall could reduce car noise into the house but will cut su shine to the grass and any breeze into the house
100%. This is what we had when we lived on a busy road and it did definitely reduce the noise, but boy was the front yard gloomy.
If South facing is fine
Earplugs perhaps?
Noise Cancelling Headphones 🤣
Double glazing.
Triple Glazing
Donuts?
You can get bamboo but that might attract pandas
pip3 install pandas
pip3 freeze > requirements.txt
Fucken data scientists and their pandas. But at least you are using pip and not conda.
Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?
We don’t like pandas around here
Pandering to them.
A decent hedge would achieve some of this
Op, this is wrong. Ignore it. Plant a hedge only if you want a hedge. It won't stop the sound.
It wont stop the sound but it can have a dampening or diffusing effect.
Yes absolutely a hedge or shrubbery. Sound travels in waves and bounces back on itself if it hits something. I'm on a road that's busy in peak time and planted out the verge, it took a few years but now it's great
Only if the person asking for it says Ni!
It took a few years for you to get used to the sound, not for the hedge to stop it.
That’s sorta true, but a hedge won’t achieve that. Sound will travel through any air gap, or any thin material, both of which hedges have loads of. Something thick and heavy/massy would work though, like a brick fence or 2 cement sheets with a gap between them (if the gap is well sealed).
Hedge doesn’t provide soundproofing. Will give privacy though.
As someone who has studied this, you're 100% correct, and you shouldn't be downvoted.
Same here. Sad to see how many people vote on things they clearly don't understand. Used to do noise reports for people who lived near zone substations. They always asked about the scrub reducing the noise and you had to tell them the huge distance (hundreds of metres) of bushland required to dampen the sound to any appreciable level. It's why we installed big massive concrete walls around them if we did need to reduce noise levels. Because concrete unlike foliage actually works.
There is no correcting the arm chair experts mate. I can almost guarantee I’ve got more hedges/shrubbery at my house than anyone that has downvoted me.
Doubtful. If your claim was legit your username would clearly be big_shrubby_hedge_sack
Dunno why you’re getting downvoted, you’re right. You need mass to reflect or absorb sound and a hedge will do fuckall in either aspect.
It’s classic dunning Kruger effect mate. All these people with no hedges that don’t live on a busy road think they are fucking experts.
Same thing happened to me ages ago. Someone wanted to block the sound of a neighbours air con unit and the general advice was to plant a Lilly pilly. Genius. Like, go to a park and stand behind a hedge there, see how much sound the plant *that has visible light* coming thru it magically can’t stop sound.
I'ma.give you the upvote just for mentioning dunning Kruger. But seriously I was I was one of those just plant a hedge guys until I spent all.of 5 mins doing actual research.
OP also wants privacy and does not want a new fence. A domestic fence, limited to whatever council regulations are for a front fence won't reduce sound more than a hedge and double glazing won't provide privacy.
You’re not wrong, they just can’t have all three things. Vegetation for privacy, double glazed windows for sound. Plus it’ll take a few years for the hedge to grow. I’d do the windows and then some curtains maybe. Sorted.
My acoustics engineering course backs your comment up completely. While planting shrubs might slightly reduce direct noise, even after a few years, that modest maximum 5% reduction won't solve major issues. To really tackle noise, consider double-glazing windows alongside planting hedges, and inspecting insulation in the roof and beneath the house—especially around floor vents, as they often let through a lot of noise. Remember, your soundproofing is only as effective as its weakest point.
https://preview.redd.it/73zm3u0kkkvc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23856c8f067d7f286729f08d481be4e1a7ad776a Yep I have extensive hedging and shrubbery and it makes no discernible difference
Acoustics engineering course. Was that like a degree?
It was a postgraduate course that can be part of a Master's degree and is still available. I primarily pursued this qualification for teaching purposes. The most practical use of the course is in construction planning, particularly for apartments and other buildings, to manage sound transmission. The other side of the qualification benefits is for speccing Sound Studio recording / mixing spaces, but that doesn’t really bring in the money any more like it used to.
>postgraduate course that can be part of a Master's degree and is still available. I primarily pursued this qualification for teaching purposes. The most practical use of the course is in construction planning, particularly for apartments and other buildings, to manage sound transmission Good going. Honestly, the demand for this will increase, especially around those dense areas. You could do consulting..
Well, nothing will soundproof a fence that is in open air. A hedge will probably be similar to concrete with soundproof insulation.
I’m going to disagree..Bunnings tartan soundproofing paint should lock the sound out nicely
The tartan soundproofing paint sounds like bagpipes though.
Make sure you apply with a left handed paintbrush for best results.
How often do you have to paint the hedges?
😂😂😂
There's 2 ways to stop or reduce a sound wave. Absorption or diffusion. Diffusion happens when a sound wave hits an uneven surface and scatters the sound wave. Hedges are ideal for this. The only problem is if the hedge is low enough to not block vision it isn't blocking any sound waves at head height so if you can see the source of the sound there isn't much of a change. It will still help with reflective waves so itll help a bit, but not a heap. On the other hand it'll work really well if you build a hedge wall higher than head height, but that will block vision so it's a pretty big trade off.
I have established 25yr old hedges with a perimeter over 2m high as well as shrubs, 3 deep in places and it makes no discernible difference.
If it's 25 yrs old how do you know the difference?
I’m assuming you can stand on either side of said hedge to see its sound proofing performance, or lack of.
Yes there is a busy road on the other side of the hedge and the park where I walk my dog
Recluse hadn't considered leaving property
I regularly cross the road to the park across the street to walk the dog.
What if we shoot the sound waves?
We stayed in an Airnb that had similar to this and was next to a main Rd. Worked a treat. https://soundproofwarehouse.com.au/learning_hub/how-to-soundproof-a-fence-with-acoustic-fence-wrap/
Thanks I’ll keep that in mind. Timber palings each side with that acoustic insulation between the
This is what I did too. Double skin of palings with the mass loaded vinyl sheet in between The palings bounce the sound back to the street. And the mass loaded vinyl absorbs the sound. From inside the home I measured a 10db decrease in sound after the fence mods.
That's a great result. For those that don't know, a 10dB reduction is about a 50% drop in perceived loudness by human hearing.
👍
Anyone here ever used this stuff at home? I’d be very interested in the effectiveness.
yeah, I've got it installed between my lounge room and bedroom, works quite well.
> These retrofit solutions allow you to cost-effectively add a noise barrier to your property boundary, providing **up to** 70% noise reduction. I'm sure it helps a little, but "up to" doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence!
That's a good way to turn an inferior build into an expensive blown over fence. Might want to make sure the posts don't have any wobble or rot.
Sound moves as waves, so anything that reflects/blocks those waves will help. Basically you have either: 1. Bricks/cement/solid fencing. This is expensive, and above 1.2m likely needs a permit but can look nice and last. 2. Natural fencing (plants). This is cheaper, but will be slow-growing and need regular maintenance. Examples include clumping bamboo, thick camellia hedges, anything with a lot of leaves and densely packed. It won't block as much noise as brick, but it can get higher and still be very effective. Ideally you're combining both together for maximum effect.
My uncle did his thesis on this very subject and his findings were, hedges and other plantings have little or no effect on noise attenuation. There was a placebo effect where people believed their hedges reduced road noise but, when testing equipment was used the findings were clear, no discernible attenuation.
I wonder if the sound was distorted, so while not quiteter, it sounded muffled?
Anecdotally we have neighbours that recently cut a very thick, high hedge down to fence height. And we could instantly notice the noise difference for a nearby road. I'm wondering what the explanation could be here
the placebo effect plus an emotional rationalisation
roller shutters on the front windows will help with sound
This. I lived on a busy-ish Rd in Sydney a few years back, and we had Magnetite installed on the front bedroom and loungeroom windows. Worked wonders.
I've tried looking for that product in recent years but came up short. Are they still in business?
Grow a hedge and wear ear muffs.
Go to a nursery and ask a horticulturist. Planting is the way to go. Not an immediate solution but can provide both.
Plants will not do much unfortunately. You need mass. [Burkes backyard addressed this years ago](https://youtu.be/fvydW3wRJ4c?si=QrcSLuB-Lbg1ehoT)
Brick or concrete wall, grow a plant over it like ivy.
Old mattresses, and it'll make it look like a crackhouse.
Best answer yet
Crackhouse chic is in this year
And throw a pizza 🍕 on the roof, Walter white style
Dense hedgerow for both
Pittosporum would do nicely. It’ll grow like buggery too. It’ll help, but it won’t cancel all sound.
Is there an uglier plant than pittosporum? I know it grows quick but there’s so many options for a hedge.
Give it a good caulk and it should be good
Asbestos sheeting👍
Lilly pilly hedge. Native. Can be hedged. Fast growing.
You're getting razzed a bit about the soundproofing, you can get sound insulating fence that's used in construction but it's not particularly attractive.
But the issue is that they don’t want a new fence, just a magical way to soundproof the existing one. Also, that just looks like normal suburban street, it doesn’t look like a major road or anything, how noisy can it be?
Ok team I think we all know the question is not literally how to create an audio vacuum in the front lawn. You want to look into outdoor sound absorption OP, there are plenty of good reasons for it and a few paths you can take. As some have mentioned hedges are the most traditional way to achieve this. Count on it taking a couple of years to have any noticeable impact though, even if starting with mature (expensive) plants. Other option would be a closed fence. Even a basic timber or colourbond boundary fence would make a considerable difference compared to the current fence. Or you could place tall raised beds inside the length of the perimeter (like the ones you see around street side restaurant seating). Put some fast growing groundcover in it for an overall height reaching top of fence and you’d have pretty effective sound absorption. A couple of well placed topiaries in middle of the lawn could help too, something with dense foliage. Also consider any sound-reflective surfaces around your front yard which could be dampened with shrubs, groundcover. Rubberised patio tiles could help if you have a tiled patio etc. Safest bet though is to place as much mass along the fence as possible, which brings opportunities for additional privacy and visual appeal as well.
Plant trees
Plant hedge and wait 3 years for cheapest and best result.
Cheapest ? Layered hedging/ screening plants but will take a couple years to establish. Will be far from soundproof but will help a little and aldi add privacy. Could also throw in a water restore or two nearer the house for ambient noise
A big glass dome like in the simpsons movie
Brick
Buy yourself some clear Perspex panels and fix them to the back of the fence. That way you’ll have no problem backing the whole fence and still be able to see the road. From there it’ll just be a matter of planting some hedges if you want to achieve some visual privacy
Egg cartons
Just put some Persian style rugs on the lawn like bands do
Trees and hedges help reduce noise, depending on your climate you should look at something to plant. Just also considering where the breeze comes in from as hedges and trees affect airflow
A hedge would be cheap and it looks nice
Grow a hedge along it. May take a while but speak to a nursery.
sell your house and move to the outback is probably your cheapest option
Plants won’t be a solution to noise, but it can help with the rest
Sound proof a fence, have fun with that 😂
Hedge and double glazing
Maybe lattes, then acoustic panels maybe of some sort of Styrofoam. I'd even consider just buying lattes then putting on bunnings accustic pinboard and then plants. The pinboard will eventually need replacing but it may give you a buffer until the plants grow. In reality brick wall at least 2m high with plants on the outside would help but it would also be very expensive. Also grow lots of trees
If only latte's still came in Styrofoam cups.
Couple of coffee's aren't going to help with the noise.
Acoustic pinboard would absorb water and rot so fast... nice to treat yourself to a couple lattes though
From our experience brush fencing does a reasonable job at reducing noise. Not sure if there would be a way to attach panel to what you have.
Plant something that will grow tall, hedge up. Plant some trees in the median strip too. Plants take out a lot of noise.
Hedge that shit
if you don’t want a new fence & want to sound proof the one you have, you should probably just look at buying earmuffs
Unfortunately you aren't going to get sound reduction, it's just not possible; sound propagates around corners because it's a wave. You can plant hedges to visually block, you're just going to have to double/triple glaze, and insulated your walls. Also good insulating doors too. You'd be surprised how much sound (and cold) comes through doors.
you won't do anything about the sound but you can put some shade cloth along it
If you don't ask you never know.
Build a wall and extend your roof.
You might want to think about how much of each you want to achieve. Is the noise continuous traffic, peak traffic, occasional residential activity? How much privacy are we talking about? Do you wanna be able to strut around nude? Or do you wanna be able to build doomsday devices without letting on? Or do you just not want your cross-street neighbour to see you eating breakfast? Even the “no new fence” could be a variable. Are you trying to avoid modifying the fence in any way at all? Or would you be ok with attaching screens to it? Maybe you just don’t want new posts or to tear out what’s there? In which case you could expand on the existing structure? You could basically attach a full-height lapped paling fence to this structure, which would be a new fence but attached to your old fence…
I’m not a fence expert but I don’t think it is possible to soundproof that particular fence.
There no cheap way to soundproof. Plant for privacy. Sound will need a dense, high barrier for any hope of suppression. No way around it unfortunately
A dirt wall would be the cheapest.
There’s some funny stuff in here but on a serious note utilising what you already have you can get something partway to what you want that looks alright. Go to Bunnings and pick up some rolls of plastic garden edging in what colour you prefer. Or if you like timber and have a bigger budget get timber garden edging. You then weave the edging in and out of the vertical rungs. On the next layer up weave on alternate rungs. You will end up with something that looks great. Gives privacy and may help with the noise a bit. But you won’t break the bank and can do the whole thing yourself in an afternoon. No need to replace the fence. Best of luck.
Those wicker fence panels may work somewhat, but personally don't like them. You can probably get a water fountain from bunnings or somewhere that'll drown out the noise a bit
You cannot soundproof a fence unless it is very high. Maybe a dense hedge at the front would help but a lot of maintenance and not an overnight or cheap job. Note that many local government areas limit the height of front fences and solid fences above a certain height often require a setback from the front boundary.
Bamboo. Lots of bamboo
A nice cypress hedge will do the trick, plant around 1m back from the fence, and plant the trees around 500mm-700mm apart, you can buy them at all different stages of growth, I guess depending on your budget, they will grow almost anywhere, just make sure you plant well and do the usual fertiliser and mulch etc… And water well in summer and less in winter. Clip them once they get to your desired height and invest in a nice little hedge trimmer, And there you will have a almost sound proof screen!
I’ve had experience in this and plants are good natural sound insulators. Of course, they take a while to establish and grow but do your homework on the plant varieties that will flourish in your area and design a dense planting pattern of those plants. Good luck. 😉
No new fence, but you want sound proofing. ?? Unless you can beam in a force field I think your out of luck
I think you'll need big white fence but plant a garden Infront of it otherwise it's looks ghetto if you have a wall In front of a house.
What???? Only way is to build a brickwall or Hebel wall...or a cement style wall.... That will block some sound out...but it will be like a jail yard...
Privacy screen fence covers.
Soundproof 😅
Brush fencing is effective at reducing sound. I lived in Liverpool Road Sth Strathfield and had 6ft brush fencing facing the highway(which was only about 8-10 metres from the townhouse), downstairs was extremely quiet, upstairs not as much. It would be effective at both keeping noise down and helping with privacy. Might not fit with the aesthetics of the area/ house though.
Weave cardboard through that fence for the ultimate sound proofing
1. Plant a shit load of trees/hedge 2. Double glazing on your windows 3. Install colorbond style roofing sheets/fencing panels 4. Move to the country
Grassy berm? Gives you mass and if it’s shaped right might deflect noise too. Only guessing though
OP, you need to first check your Council's development controls for fencing (in NSW this will be covered by your DCP). There will likely be stipulations on the ratio of solid to open within front fences; as well as heights, materials and colours. Personally, I'd go with a hedge - photinia or lily pilly would be my choice. The density of the foliage will help scatter noise whilst also providing privacy and is relatively cheap whilst retaining the existing fence and can be planted by yourself. It may also bypass any fencing requirements. The downside will be time, but the two plants I suggested above are quick growers and you should have a good hedge within 5 years.
Lilypillies
Plant jasmine , smells great and it can be pruned to a hedge . Would need a few but that’s my plan for same thing
No chance. Not even with a new fence.
Hempcrete blocks - we did this on a main road at my parents old house, on a main rd. Rendered it - looks like bricks, easy DIY and works.
The twiggy bamboo type stuff? Fix it to current fence?
I would spend the money (if you have it) & get a tall brick fence built with a gate, then I'd put hedges on the house side in front of the fence.
Tiger grass planted at 2m centres and in 12-18 months you will have a 2m thick sound buffer that will cost a couple hundred bucks.
………this sub gets dumber by the fucking day
Yeah nah, new fence.
Looks like a pool fence. They're awesome for drying towels. Buy lots of towels. Big ones.
Marayas
Hedge
A wall that is 2 meters and has a zigzag structure could help a bit. Triple glassing Windows are cheaper and more effective. Btw. Ask a professional we are not professional here in Reddit.
Bamboo in the mean time, but plant some hedges there for privacy, not much you can do about the noise mate.
Grow a hedge on it.
Unless you are planning on building a huge fuck off concrete wall nothing is going to help. You can sound proof that all you want and the sound will just travel over the top because it’s so low and the house is far back from it.
Cheapest way bubble wrap around the fence. Fill with packing noodle.
Cheaper to build another house mate
Nope
https://preview.redd.it/psbihxhunlvc1.jpeg?width=620&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53227c3a2a2fc6bcbcb25d7d11c98f7b87455ea1 Cheapest Solution, guaranteed to be silent and no visible traces of noise making
Core flute
Apologies if this has already been addressed but depending on the council where you live, it must still be possible to look through the fence and it can't be higher than a certain height. My council didn't allow us to install privacy fencing/soundproof fencing in the front yard.
You have heaps of space to make a solution. I would do a gabion wall and fill with free local rock that you can smash up, lots on FB market place and then plant trees or hedging in front for the visual. Here's some info on garden noise https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/36240/8-wood-fence-vs-6-block-wall-to-reduce-noise-in-yard
A long line of lilly pilly planted close enough that they hedge would probably do it. Let them get to about two or three metres and top them and they will bush sideways hard.
I love waterhousea floribunda for a fence barrier tree line
Secondary windows work really well for getting rid of traffic noise
Convert it to an acoustic style timber fence, screw new timber palings onto the existing panels and posts. If done right, it would look the part.
If it's a rental, whatever. If you own it, get some fucking balls and grow and plant a garden and hedge you useless cunt.
Use noise-cancelling headphones. To reduce traffic noise you’d need to put up a high, 8-10’ solid (brick) fence. You may have more simple benefit with external roller shutters and or double glazing. Use reflective film for day privacy and curtains at night.
Look up Modular walls.
Sound proof the fence. Ahahahaha
Fuck I laughed at this. Thanks OP, been a tough week. Needed that.
plant trees and shrubs - lots of them ! Even our lemon tree helped reduce noise
That fence isn’t sound proof? You’re kidding me haha 😜
PVC fencing is good value and easy to install.
Just drape the existing fence in movers blankets
Double glazing and pittosperms hedge
Hedging might help. But it’s work and takes a while.
Grow a hedge
Egg cartons threaded between the uprights.
Stick [this material](https://soundproofwarehouse.com.au/product/acoustic-fence-wrap-retro-fit-system-5m/) on your fence. Ugly, but about as effective as you’ll get trying to soundproof something outside.
Egg cartons, cover it with egg cartons.
You could get a buncha those empty egg cartons…
Lillipillies - a big hedge is a great sound baffle. Reduces dust creates privacy and a nice space for a little eco system right there. You won’t regret it.
I installed a ModularWalls fence on my old property on a reasonably busy road. Was cheaper than brick and looks better with lots of styling options. Probably dropped noise by half to three quarters, so it’s not completely gone but the space became usable. Hedges, shrubs, colorbond fence etc won’t do anything to reduce noise. Will add privacy though.
Cheapest probably corflute and cable ties for privacy
Plants
I’ve heard trees can be good sound absorbers. So plant trees or high shrubs in your front garden. You can either start from a small sapling or invest in some already well grown.
Grow a hedge is one cheap way
Drastic mound landscape.
Cardboard
Bushes, a tree and water feature. Sounds dumb but hear me out. Low bushes rising into tall bushes along the fence and edges all the way around. The sizes make the noise have trouble travelling through. Then plant small trees like bottle brushes, for every 3m of nothing in the garden. This should also help a lot with planes Then close to the house have a running water feature. The sound of the water will drown out the cars and provide a calmer sound.
Try darker paint
Bushes!
Stop. Bring. A. Cheap. Cunt. You people are honestly unreal. So disconnected from reality it’s acceptable to abuse you.
Trees. Hedges and shrubs and star jasmine on the fence. It’s the only way
Op doesn’t understand what sound proof means
Best thing to do is build 1.5 meter planter box. Fill it with tires, soil, and dwarf shrubs. The tires and soil will deaden and/or slow the sound waves. You won't get sound proof however this will drastically reduce the noise. Adding a water feature near your weak points such as driveway gate will help too.
May be this one from Bunnings - [https://www.bunnings.com.au/un-real-180-x-90cm-pittosporum-artificial-bamboo-trellis-expandable-hedge\_p0293784?,](https://www.bunnings.com.au/un-real-180-x-90cm-pittosporum-artificial-bamboo-trellis-expandable-hedge_p0293784?,) we got a cheaper version (1/3rd of Bunnings price online but takes a bit of time to deliver.