What to upgrade in new house / bonus room (1 Viewer)

[Ken CM]

I'm ready to move closer in to the city and work, however the newer homes have only 5-7K square foot lots. On the good side, many of them have "bonus rooms" which would make great HT rooms.

I think I found the builder/house layout I want. Can anyone tell me what to ask for as far as upgrades (window types, wall insulation etc...) to get put in while the home is built - to minimize the (noise)impact to my neighbors?

 

[MikeWh]

Ken,

I think most people go with one (or more) of these techniques to help reduce sound transmission through wooden-framed housing:

1. Multiple Drywall layers
2. Resilient channels
3. Double-stud/stagger-stud construction
(or a combination of these)

Here are a couple links I just pulled up--
http://www.dulley.com/docs/f956.htm
http://www.noisecontrol.net/understanding.html
http://www.noisecentral.com/noiseratings1.htm

I haven't used any of these techniques, although I had considered them.... I decided not to use any of them, because of my particular situation. I know other people here have used each of these, so maybe they can add their 2 cents.

 

[Dave Milne]

While you're at it...

...speaker pre-wiring for 7.1 system

...2" conduit (or at least an AC outlet) mid-ceiling for your video projector

...an AC outlet in the ceiling next to the display wall for your motorized screen

...an extra 20A dedicated circuit for your equipment

...a few extra bends in the HVAC ducting to minimize transmission to the rest of the house

...a solid-core entry door with 360 seal

...mid-floor speaker wiring for bass shaker(s)

...etc, etc...