You’re not alone—sometimes you can do everything by the book and still get that weird hum or distant traffic noise. I’ve lived in a drafty 1920s place for years, and after sealing, caulking, adding storms, and heavy drapes, there’s still a faint buzz at night. Some old frames just aren’t designed for today’s noise levels, no matter what you throw at them. It can be frustrating, but you really do end up learning to live with a bit of it.
That’s interesting—I’ve wondered if some of it is just the frequency of modern traffic or appliances. I tried those fancy acoustic curtains, and while they helped a bit, there’s still this low drone late at night. Maybe it’s partly vibration traveling through the walls? I always assumed windows were the main culprit, but now I’m not so sure.
I’ve had the same issue, actually. I put in double-pane windows thinking it would solve everything, but that low rumble at night still comes through. Like you said, maybe it’s not just the windows.
Maybe it’s partly vibration traveling through the walls?
I think you’re onto something there. My house is older, and I swear the walls just let sound pass right through, especially when big trucks go by. I tried adding some weatherstripping and even a thick rug near the wall, but it only helped a little. It’s wild how much noise finds a way in, even when you think you’ve sealed everything up tight.
Yeah, double-pane windows are great on paper, but they’re not some magic force field. Sound’s a sneaky little thing—it’ll find the tiniest gap or even just barrel straight through the walls if it wants. I’ve worked on a bunch of older houses where you’d swear the walls are just thin enough to hear your neighbor sneeze. Sometimes it’s not even about the glass or the seals; it’s the whole wall assembly acting like a giant drum.
I had a client who was convinced their new windows would mean total silence. Nope. Trucks still sounded like they were rolling right through the living room at 2 a.m. We ended up pulling off some drywall and stuffing the cavities with mineral wool insulation. Not cheap, and definitely not a fun weekend project, but it helped more than anything else we tried. The trick is, low-frequency stuff—the rumbles—travel through pretty much anything that isn’t super dense or decoupled.
Weatherstripping and rugs are good for the higher-pitched stuff, but those rumbles? They just laugh at your efforts. If you’re feeling ambitious (or just really desperate for sleep), you could look into adding a second layer of drywall with some sound-dampening glue in between. That’ll help block more of the vibrations. Or, if you want to go full mad scientist, build a “room within a room”… but that’s probably overkill unless you’re starting a home recording studio.
Honestly, sometimes you do all this work and still catch a bit of noise. Old houses have their quirks. I say embrace it—just pretend it’s white noise and call it “urban ambiance.” But if you’re losing sleep, beefing up the walls is usually where you’ll get the most bang for your buck. Just be ready for some dust and a few surprises inside those walls… found an old newspaper from 1957 in one once—made my day way more interesting than expected.
Yeah, I’ve run into the same thing—put in high-efficiency windows and still heard traffic like it was right outside. Totally agree, the walls themselves are often the weak link. I remember tearing out some 1960s plaster and realizing there was basically nothing but air between me and the street. Adding dense insulation helped a lot, but honestly, it’s never perfect unless you go all-in with those “room within a room” setups you mentioned. Sometimes I wonder if all our efforts for energy efficiency have a side bonus—or curse—of trapping sound differently too.
That’s something I see a lot—folks swap in expensive windows thinking that'll solve all their noise problems, but it’s rarely that simple. Did you notice if the sound changed at all after the new windows, or was it just as loud as before? Sometimes I wonder if the air gaps in old plaster walls actually dampened certain frequencies, even if they weren’t great for insulation. With all the new dense foam or fiberglass, maybe we’re just shifting which sounds get through.
Ever checked around the window frames or electrical outlets for sneaky gaps? I’ve found even a tiny crack can let in way more noise than you’d expect. Some of these older houses, you start poking around and realize it’s basically a drum with drywall on one side and siding on the other... no real mass to stop anything. Do you think it’s worth trying to beef up just the wall facing the street, or is it more of an all-or-nothing deal?
I tried beefing up just the street-facing wall in my old place with extra drywall and some mass loaded vinyl, thinking it’d make a big difference. Honestly, it helped a bit, but I was surprised how much noise still found its way in from the sides and even through the attic. Ever notice how sound just finds the path of least resistance? Makes me wonder if doing one wall is just patching a leak in a sinking boat. Still, I get not wanting to tear the whole house apart...
Makes me wonder if doing one wall is just patching a leak in a sinking boat.
Yeah, sound is like water—it’ll find ANY tiny crack or gap and sneak right in. You definitely nailed it with the “patching a leak” analogy. I tried something similar a while back: loaded up the bedroom wall with extra drywall and some fancy green glue, thinking I’d finally get some peace from the garbage trucks. It helped, but then I realized I could literally hear conversations from the alley... coming through the vents. Total facepalm moment.
Here’s my quick take:
- Sound loves the path of least resistance. If you block one wall, it’ll just go around—like a determined raccoon after your trash.
- Windows are usually the weakest link. Even double-pane ones can be shockingly bad at blocking low frequencies (think bass from cars or trucks rumbling by).
- The attic thing is real. I once crawled up there to check insulation and found gaps around the light fixtures. Turns out, sound just pours in from above if there’s an easy way.
- Corners and side walls matter more than people think. I used to think just the “loud” wall needed work, but nope, sound wraps around like it’s got a vendetta.
Honestly, unless you’re building a recording studio, it’s tough to get it perfect. What you did probably helped a lot with direct noise, but yeah, it’s a system—one weak spot and the whole plan gets wrecked.
Not sure there’s a perfect fix short of gutting everything, but hey, every little bit helps. At least now you know where the sneaky noise is coming from... and you’ve got a good story for anyone who thinks “just add drywall” is a magic trick.
That vent issue hits close to home—I had a similar surprise when I realized how much noise was coming through my return air grilles. Ever checked the seals around your window frames or looked at the air gaps under doors? Sometimes it’s not just the obvious culprits. I’m curious if anyone’s tried those acoustic caulks or window inserts and actually noticed a measurable difference...
Funny you mention acoustic caulk—I tried it a couple years back around our old wood window frames. Honestly, I noticed a small improvement, but it wasn’t dramatic. The biggest difference came after I installed those acrylic window inserts. They’re not cheap and they fog up sometimes, but the reduction in street noise was actually measurable on my decibel meter. Still, I’m convinced some sound just finds its way through the walls themselves... Older houses like mine (built in ‘68) have all sorts of sneaky gaps you can’t see.