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I've been working from home (basement office) for about 4 years. I've recently concluded that in order to minimize sound-related distractions I need to finish

I've been working from home (basement office) for about 4 years. I've recently concluded that in order to minimize sound-related distractions I need to finish my basement office with full-blown soundproofing. The alternative is to impose a really onerous burden on my wife and kids to be quiet, which is particularly difficult during summer vacation. Unfortunately the project isn't cheap. In the end I'm probably looking at $15-20k for the final result.

bmpafa 9y ago
Has to be an easier way.Noise cancelling head phones? White noise machine? Even some sort of cheap sound dampening material applied to the ceiling etc should make a meaningful difference no?
- DoofusOfDeath 9y ago
  I wish. I have much better things to do with $20k :) To go into a little more detail: Regarding noise-canceling headphones: - I find them uncomfortable to wear for really long stretches - They don't fit well when I'm wearing glasses (contact lenses aren't an option for me). - I can't solve the problem by just wearing them sometimes, because I can't guess when distracting, transient sounds will occur. - They don't filter out low-frequency sounds enough to solve the problem. Regarding sound-dampening materials in the floor above my office: - Likely to help, but not sufficient. Also, we're not ready to put carpeting on that floor yet because of dust issues. (We can solve those eventually, but not quite yet.) Regarding less extensive soundproofing in my office: - There are just too many pathways for sound to get in currently. - From the research I've done, it looks even a single pathway is enough to let in more sound than is acceptable. Also worth mentioning that I've got a nasty case of A.D.D., so I probably take longer to recover from minor distractions than many others do.
  - bmpafa 9y ago
    That's a pickle. And what abt white noise? I know a lot of therapists use this machine[1] to maintain privacy--sort of a similar goal [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Classic-White-Noise-Machine/dp/B000KUHFGM https://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Classic-White-Noise-Machine/dp...
    - DoofusOfDeath 9y ago
      White noise can mask relatively quiet transient sounds. Sadly, my kids' sound spectra don't really fit that profile :)
dougmwne 9y ago
A family friend built himself a treehouse office in the back yard. The mandatory ladder climb seems to keep visitors away.
maxk42 9y ago
I mentioned it in another comment, but try these: For comfort: http://bit.do/3m-hearing-protection http://bit.do/3m-hearing-protection For being able to hear nothing at all other than your own heartbeat: http://bit.do/3m-silence http://bit.do/3m-silence For silence, plus music, calls, or alerts from your computer: http://bit.do/peltor http://bit.do/peltor When you first get them, you may find they're a bit tight / uncomfortable to wear for long periods. The solution is to place them around a wide object like a helmet or a propane tank for about a week. By the time you put them on again they'll be very pleasant to wear. Note, however, that if you can't wait a week, it's helpful to place them on the object just overnight or when otherwise not in use and they'll take a while longer to adjust but you can use them daily, and they'll typically be comfortable for at least several hours at a stretch.

bmpafa 9y ago

Has to be an easier way.Noise cancelling head phones? White noise machine? Even some sort of cheap sound dampening material applied to the ceiling etc should make a meaningful difference no?

DoofusOfDeath 9y ago
I wish. I have much better things to do with $20k :) To go into a little more detail: Regarding noise-canceling headphones: - I find them uncomfortable to wear for really long stretches - They don't fit well when I'm wearing glasses (contact lenses aren't an option for me). - I can't solve the problem by just wearing them sometimes, because I can't guess when distracting, transient sounds will occur. - They don't filter out low-frequency sounds enough to solve the problem. Regarding sound-dampening materials in the floor above my office: - Likely to help, but not sufficient. Also, we're not ready to put carpeting on that floor yet because of dust issues. (We can solve those eventually, but not quite yet.) Regarding less extensive soundproofing in my office: - There are just too many pathways for sound to get in currently. - From the research I've done, it looks even a single pathway is enough to let in more sound than is acceptable. Also worth mentioning that I've got a nasty case of A.D.D., so I probably take longer to recover from minor distractions than many others do.
- bmpafa 9y ago
  That's a pickle. And what abt white noise? I know a lot of therapists use this machine[1] to maintain privacy--sort of a similar goal [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Classic-White-Noise-Machine/dp/B000KUHFGM https://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Classic-White-Noise-Machine/dp...
  - DoofusOfDeath 9y ago
    White noise can mask relatively quiet transient sounds. Sadly, my kids' sound spectra don't really fit that profile :)

dougmwne 9y ago

A family friend built himself a treehouse office in the back yard. The mandatory ladder climb seems to keep visitors away.

maxk42 9y ago

I mentioned it in another comment, but try these: For comfort: http://bit.do/3m-hearing-protection http://bit.do/3m-hearing-protection For being able to hear nothing at all other than your own heartbeat: http://bit.do/3m-silence http://bit.do/3m-silence For silence, plus music, calls, or alerts from your computer: http://bit.do/peltor http://bit.do/peltor When you first get them, you may find they're a bit tight / uncomfortable to wear for long periods. The solution is to place them around a wide object like a helmet or a propane tank for about a week. By the time you put them on again they'll be very pleasant to wear. Note, however, that if you can't wait a week, it's helpful to place them on the object just overnight or when otherwise not in use and they'll take a while longer to adjust but you can use them daily, and they'll typically be comfortable for at least several hours at a stretch.