If you live near a busy road, the sound can be a nuisance when you are trying to enjoy time outside in the yard. Fortunately, a privacy fence can serve the purpose of dampening the noise. Not all fences are created equal when it comes to noise reduction, so it's important to learn what type of fence to install.
Material
Material is the first thing to consider when it comes to noise reduction. Wood and vinyl privacy fences are cost-effective and work well with most home and landscape designs. They provide a small amount of reduction, which is typically sufficient for busier residential areas. Masonry fences, which include concrete block and brick walls, both provide even more effective noise reduction in higher traffic areas. There are also acoustic fence panels available that are specifically designed to dampen and reflect the noise away in areas with lots of traffic, such as in residential areas that border on a highway or interstate.
Construction Style
How the fence is constructed also affects how much noise gets through. Avoid any type of open picket design, including offset pickets on a shadowbox style fence.
With a wood fence, opting to have pickets installed on both sides of the rail provides more noise dampening compared to pickets on only one side of the rail. You can have acoustic panels installed between the two layers of pickets to achieve further sound reduction. If you opt for a masonry fence or concrete wall, avoid designs that have decorative gaps or openings, since these will compromise any sound dampening qualities of the material.
Height
Sound tends to travel outward, not upward, so extra height can also help reduce the noise. Build the fence as tall as allowed by local zoning codes and homeowner association regulations. As a general rule, the fence does need to be taller than the source of the sound, so if you are on a hill with the road at the base of the hill, a lower fence may be sufficient. On the other hand, if you are level with the road or if the road is elevated so the vehicles are slightly higher than your property, then you need a taller fence to block the noise.
Density
Adding density to the fence can further reduce noise. One option is to put in a concrete block fence, and then a few feet in from the fence build a retaining wall. Fill in the area between wall and fence with soil and plants to create a sound absorption buffer zone. If you don't have room for this type of buffer, then choose a fence, like vinyl or masonry, that you can safely plant shrubs or a hedge up against. The plants will further help reduce the noise.
Contact a fence company like Roark Fencing for more assistance.
The decision to put up a fence is a big one, but it is followed by several more smaller decisions. How tall do you want the fence to be? What material should you choose? What kind of gate do you want, and where should it be placed? The more you know about fencing in general, the better able you will be to answer these questions. And after browsing our website, you should feel very knowledgeable about fencing, indeed. The articles we've compiled here will shed light on the benefits of different types of fencing, the proper fencing heights for various purposes, and more. Start reading — we hope you enjoy what you find.