Sound and Light Insulation in Rental (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Thompson]

Last weekend we moved into a very quiet neighborhood in Wachenheim, Germany. My family is already the loudest thing in town. I'm afraid we're dangerously close to getting "voted off the island", and I haven't even hooked up the HT yet. It will get better next month following the departure of my daughter and two toddler grandchildren, but I want to be a good neighbor by not ruining the peaceful ambiance with my HT.

I am looking for some ideas on window treatments that will keep the light out and the sound in. Ideally, it would be something temporary, since this is a rental. Better yet, it would be something easily put up and taken down so that the view can be enjoyed when the HT is not in use.

My dedicated HT room--a first for me--will be on the main floor, with two windows along one side wall, and a sliding glass door along the back wall. I was thinking about some sort of sound absorbing foam (like that seen in photos of anechoic chambers) which I could support with a lightweight wooden or PVC frame, custom built to fit inside the window frames exactly.

Is this feasible? Is such material available for purchase? If so, where can one get it? I will be traveling to the the Portland, Oregon area next month, and could possibly make a purchase there for shipment or transport back to Germany. Of course, if the required materials are available in Germany it would be more convenient.

Are there better ways to skin this cat? I'd appreciate any ideas you might offer. Thanks in advance!

 

[Kevin Thompson]

bump

Allow me to condense my post. I'm looking for ideas on how do stop sound from escaping through and reflecting off of the windows in my new HT room.

One window, which I previously thought was a sliding door, is a combination of a glass exterior door and a large picture window. Both of these have "rolladen" which some will recognize as a shutter-like device that rolls down in front of a window or door. The rolladen serves to not only block 100% of the light, but I hope it will also keep most sound from escaping into the neighborhood. Of course it will do nothing to reduce reflections in the room.

Our other window in the room is about seven feet high by four feet wide. It has no rolladen, and it is with this window I am most concerned. What's the best way to soundproof a window?

Any ideas are appreciated.