Table of Contents
Soundproofing Against Dog Barking
Few noises get under your skin quite like a neighbour’s dog barking. It is sharp, sudden and impossible to tune out, and this homeowner in a bungalow had reached the end of their tether with it. Soundproofing against dog barking was the goal, and their first attempt had actually made things worse.
There is a reason barking is so hard to live with. Research on dog barking has found that barks are acoustically built to grab human attention, and that they account for almost a third of all noise complaints in England. So this was never going to be solved by a quick fix, which is exactly why the homeowner called Quietco.
When Soundproofing Makes Noise Worse
The first thing we found was that the previous soundproofing had been built straight over dot and dab plasterboard, using green glue, a heavily marketed product. The homeowner had dot and dabbed a first layer of acoustic plasterboard onto the wall, then bonded two more layers over the top, and instead of blocking the barking it was spreading it.
The result was that the noise had been channelled into the perpendicular stud wall, the window wall and the loft, and out through the recessed downlighters and coving, until the dog could be heard across the whole property. It is more common than you would think, and the lesson is simple. Soundproofing only works when it starts from a solid, sound foundation, so the failed layers and the dot and dab beneath them had to come off before anything new went on.
The Loft, a Bungalow's Weak Spot
Here is the detail that catches almost everyone out in a bungalow. The loft runs in one continuous space right over the top of the party wall, so barking travels up through the ceiling, across that open loft void and straight back down into your rooms, completely bypassing any work done on the wall itself.
That is why treating the wall alone would never have quietened the living room. By treating the ceiling and the loft so the noise is reflected back rather than allowed to cross over, we closed the single biggest indirect path in the whole house. In a bungalow, the loft is not an afterthought, it is central to the result.
Down to the Last Detail
A soundproofing system is only as good as its weakest point, which is usually a fixture that has been put back carelessly. The skirting was isolated from the new walls, the recessed downlighters were swapped for a single pendant light so there were no holes left in the ceiling, and the coving was removed in favour of tight corners.
There is a clever final detail too. Soundproofing adds hard, reflective surfaces to a room, which actually increases the echo, so we fitted carpet to soak up that reflected sound energy and keep the room feeling calm as well as quiet. Get these small things right and they protect all the bigger work behind them.
The Result, Peace Restored
The change for this homeowner was transformational. With the soundproofing system installed on the separating party wall, they can no longer hear the dog barking in the living room, the room that had suffered most through the loft and indirect paths.
The bedroom was a slightly different case, because there the barking arrived indirectly, largely through the window. A slimmer system was fitted to suit that room, and while it was not total silence, the reduction was considerable and the constant barking no longer dominates the space. Between the two rooms, a home that had felt under siege from next door became a peaceful place to be again.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and tell us about the noise you are living with. Get in touch here.
How We Silence Dog Barking
The reason this worked where the previous attempt failed is that we treat the whole problem, in order. We fix the main cause, then the direct noise path of the party wall, then every indirect path like that bungalow loft, and finally the fixtures and fittings, which together make up our four step method.
Miss any one of those and the barking finds its way back in, however good the wall system looks. If a dog next door is making your home hard to enjoy, the best place to start is a proper assessment through a free diagnosis.
Fill out the contact form to book your FREE noise diagnosis call and take the first step back to a peaceful home. Contact us here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does soundproofing against dog barking really work?
Yes, when it is done properly. As this project showed, treating the party wall together with the indirect paths and fixtures took a home dominated by barking and made it peaceful again, with the living room in particular transformed.
Why is dog barking so hard to block out?
Barks are high pitched, sudden and acoustically designed to grab attention, so your brain notices them far more than a steady background noise. That is part of why they feel so intrusive.
Why did my previous soundproofing make the barking worse?
Often because it was built over a poor base, such as dot and dab plasterboard, which channels and spreads the noise. Building over a compromised foundation can make a room louder, not quieter.
Do I need to treat the loft in a bungalow?
Usually, yes. In a bungalow the loft runs over the party wall, so it is one of the main routes noise takes into your rooms, and leaving it untreated undermines the rest of the work.
Will treating the party wall fix the whole house?
Not on its own. Different rooms are affected by different paths, so the best results come from treating the direct wall, the indirect paths and the fixtures together.
