Soundproofing?

[Cheech]

I have a roommate in my house. She complains about the noise of a casual conversation between myself and my fiancee. I'm not talking about loud arguing, just a casual conversation. The complaining is quickly reaching a head, as me and my fiancee are about done with the conversation.

In her defense, the acoustics in the house are horrible.

I am willing to soundproof her door, but it is not cost effective to soundproof the entire house. That seems a little ridiculous. The question is how to approach her in the most productive manner possible.

To me, a late night conversation (at a normal speaking level) is not unreasonable. Evidently, she believes that all talking should cease when she decides to go to sleep.

So, the questions are:

1. What would be the best way to approach her and attempt to solve the problem?

2. Any other suggestions for solving the sound problem? I was going to put MLV on the door, along with an acoustic transom. I've already put weatherstripping and a sweep on the door, and a runner for the hardwood in the hallway.

 

[airplanedoc]

Is there a place you could install another door between the living area and your roommate's bedroom?

Was there a problem with you making too much noise before you were engaged?

 

[Cheech]

My fiancé and I already had the house when she moved in. Nothing has changed in that regard.

I thought about another door, but the hallway is narrow and has somewhat of an irregular shape. There's no real place to put a door. In theory, I could put one in the middle of the hall, buy that seems to be getting a bit unreasonable (putting a random door in a hallway that is already pretty narrow).

 

[KarthVader]

I'm no acoustic engineer, but I did help a friend of mine sound proof his basement. He is a DJ and a music producer. He put acoustic mineral wool in burlap and installed it in the drop ceiling of the basement and constructed some wall panels.

The drop ceiling maybe a bit much for you, but the wall panels weren't too hard to make. You may want to use Google and look up how to build these and use them to absorb some sound.

**If you do use acoustic mineral wool, cover up well because that stuff itches like crazy if it gets on your skin!

 

[NorthALABeeKeep]

Try to see if the roommate would tolerate a oscillating fan in her bedroom. This noise once you get used to it, covers a lot of unwanted noise. Also is the living area hardwood floor or some other hard surface? If so then this would hurt the problem of voices carrying into her room. Try to put down a area rug as this will help absorb sound.
good luck

 

[bigred90gt]

If you and your fiancee were already in the house prior to her moving in, you could always suggest she find other accomodations.

 

[jumpo64]

I'm not sure on the layout of the house (1 story, 2 story, split level, etc.) but you might look into having insulation blown in between the walls and in the ceiling. This may be a bit of overkill, but it would serve a dual purpose in the it would save you on heating/cooling cost. Also, the government is giving out tax credit right now for those who are making their homes more energy efficient.

This may be something you could do yourself, depending on your technical ability and the layout of your home.

 

[Cheech]

I considered blowing insulation, but I don't think that would be cost effective at this point.

I did look up the mineral wool, and was surprised at how affordable it is. The questions is, does the entire wall have to be covered to dampen sound, or could I put up a section? In other words, if the wall is 10' long, could I hang a 4'x8" panel of wool on the wall? Would it significantly affect sound transmission through the wall?