apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Rebecca, I have the same problem and have been trying to convince my husband that a shed might be the way to go. I like the house-within-a-house idea and the kid would get a kick out of it. It would fit only a toddler bed but that's good for even another three years at least. I've seen playhouses online for outdoor use but am not sure if the wood would be appropriate to have indoors. In the NYTimes about one year ago, there was a piece about a couple who put a tent for their kid. Isn't permanent and would look cool. Any thoughts?

I'm guessing you could use storage space as well (who doesn't need more storage/closet space?). Why not make a "wall" of wardrobes? The Ikea Pax wardrobes are cheap, and come in two heights that should fit your ceiling. They are free standing. All you have to do is find a covering for the ugly back. We used these to make a wall for our bedroom. You give up two feet of depth, but get back a boatload of closet space.

Yeah, and you could do something really cool on the backs of the wardrobes like that chalkboard paint, or the magnetic paint I saw somewhere. Or a mural...

We are in the process of dividings a 13 X 30 space to form a sleeping space. The IKEA solutions are appealing, but also a little pricey. What I ended up doing is installing curtain track (like they have in hospitals, or heavy duty traverse rods) across and then hanging large, thick quilts which I got on clearance, and then had grommeted at a tent store. Very light proof. Fairly sound proof. Definetely good temporary solution.

Hi Wavybrains--

I would be very grateful if you would expand on what you did. Where did you get the thick quilts? What should I look for? And where was the tent store? (I didn't even know there was such a thing.)

My dilemma--which I've written about here before--is noisy neighbors. I have been thinking of a low-cost way to add some soundproofing.

I hope you'll write.

To Rebecca--

I like the shed idea a great deal. I think Target sells some sheds by Michael Graves, and there are other things out there as well.

Cubicle panels? You can buy used ones and cover them in any fabric. They can be attached to the existing walls for extra stability. They absorb sound. They come in lots of sizes. There's an outfit in Long Island City that sells used panels and office furniture, OFI, I think.

I don't know what you're considering "expensive," or how big the wall would need to be - but you can probably get a decent handyman to put up a stud wall and sheetrock it for less than the IKEA wardrobes. If you're willing to tape/spackle/sand/paint yourself (really not a big deal, even I can do it), then you save more. Framing out a straight, square wall, and then putting on the drywall, is not a huge job, and could easily be done in one day.

"My dilemma--which I've written about here before--is noisy neighbors. I have been thinking of a low-cost way to add some soundproofing."

I hate to say it - there IS no low-cost way; you either pay to get it done correctly or it doesn't work. People forget that sound travels by vibrating things - if you put another layer of studs and sheetrock over your ceiling, for example, that only means the vibrations are going to vibrate THAT, too. Of course it will cut down on things a little, but it will not soundproof a room. Corkboard, foam, and the like - it probably does more to stop YOUR noise from getting out (by cutting down on the echoing of the waves), than their noise coming in.

The way to stop sound is by stopping the avenue the vibrations take; that is why, for example, soundproofers will often add second ceilings/walls, but will attach them with neoprine (sp?) "doughnuts" - this material stops soundwaves from traveling, so every place the new wall connects with the old should be "buffered" with neoprine. And it ain't cheap.

Pphilipp--
Thanks, you are answering me again. Perhaps there is nothing to be done and I'll just have to come to terms with it. My budget does not allow for this--although, when I get my own place, I'll certainly do this BEFORE I move in. Living well ain't cheap, eh?

BTW: There is a new sheetrock with soundproofing qualities. They had it on HGTV. If it works, it would be a great alternative to building a room within a room, as it wouldn't rob one of square footage.

Thanks again Pphilipp. I keep trying in case someone has come up with SOMETHING that helps with the noisy neighbor problem.

I live in NYC (UWS near Columbia), and would like to buy a water filter. I'm looking for something that does not require installation (hence, alas, no reverse-osmosis set-up), but can handle more quantity than a pitcher, so we're talking about a countertop or faucet-attached gizmo. I know that the ideal consumer does lots of homework and figures out what her water actually contains and what exactly she wants filtered out. I have not done this homework. (Lame (or paranoid?) rationalization: So I find out that today my water does not contain Bad Thing X. What if as of tomorrow it does, due to blah blah blah?) I'd like a filter that is effective against a wide range of Bad Things (including, ideally, fluroide), and costs around $200. So far my internet cruising has led to take a haphazard fancy to Aquasana. (Brita and Pur strike me as kinda wimpy--see chart at www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/water_filter_comparison_matrix.cfm; but who made this chart, anyway?) I'd be grateful for any advice. Thanks!

p.s. possibly I was not supposed to post here? Can't figure out where questions on new topics go. Am demonstrating my own ineptitude with matters internet.

Terry--I got thick queen quilts (nice black and white) for $15.99 on clearance at Ross Dress for Less (In other parts of the country, TJ Maxx and Marshalls have similar bargains). On a friend's recomendation, I called an interior design center, and they ordered the 13 foot, expandable track for me for $42.50. They referred me to a tent and awning place (other interior design places may do this too) which does grommets for $1 a grommet. Of course, I COULD have grommeted myself for about $10, but that is rather hard to do with professional results. Total cost--around $100. I'll have pics up on my website when the track comes in next week. For soundproofing, years of living in a dorm and other undesirable locations taught me that a fan or white noise machine is your best friend. A simple $10 fan, turned around backwards can be a godsend to improving your sleep.

Terry, that new soundproof sheetrock won't help all that much. You'll still have a ton of holes in it (power outlets, holes for pipes, holes for lighting) that will let the sound through. It can help somewhat, but you really need uncouple the wall/ceiling from your neighbors. I've posted about this way too much here, but if you send an email I'll tell you more.

try this web site

http://www.thewallpeople.com/

Kat-
A friend of mine has a Pur water filter that was really simple to install and she says she can really tell the difference in the way it makes the water taste.

For a couple of hundred dollars there's a more elaborate thing from Royal Body Care that I got my folks and they really love it, but since they didn't have a different kind first, I can't tell you what the different would be.

But it's not one of those things that I can just send you to a website, that company markets that along with a LOT of its other very good stuff in one of those Amway-style ways, and you'd have to "join," so that kind of route may seem too weird. E-mail me if you really want to know more about it, though.

"It can help somewhat, but you really need uncouple the wall/ceiling from your neighbors"

But don't forget - if your floor is basically their floor - that is, one continuous expanse of wood (which is often the case in NY, where existing apartments were cut up/reconfigured into more apartments), the sound can travel there as well.

I so sympathize with you. I had a 2 bedrooom apartment in the East Village for $600/month - everyone thought I was utterly nuts, but after a couple of years of minimal sleep (to say nothing of minimal peace, EVER), I gave up because the noise was unbearable. I think the route here may be more landlord/court- related than design/structural-related.

Hi Max--

Thanks for all the information. I actually have saved what you've written me and plan to use your advice in my next place (which I will buy).

Still, the problem of at least masking sound continues for me and I still seek help. Now I'm thinking of using WavyBrains' quilt idea to make window coverings. Maybe it won't be perfect, but it should help some. And it's doable when compared to the alternative -- those super-expensive 1/4" glass windows.

Hey Terry,
Those white noise machines can work well. My baby nephew's wave sound machine makes it possible for him to sleep on his noisy block. Or if you aren't up for buying the machine, they also make cds with wave/white noise/rain/etc. sounds that work to mask noise without making it just seem like a louder racket.

Also, in NYC, Steinlauf & Stoller in the fashion district does grommets for cheap. If they don't have the grommet you want, they can recommend someone who does.

Put bookcases back to back, screwed together. The books muffle the sound, somewhat, you get more storage AND a wall.

kat- i did a lot of research about water contamination and wanted to let you know that in many cases public water sources are safer and "cleaner" than private bottling sources. This is because your city water is constantly being tested and must conform to city/state/federal guidelines-- and poland springs, etc don't have to test or follow these rules. when i lived in nyc we just used a brita filter, and liked it. now we just put tap water in a pitcher and keep it cold in the fridge. i guess i just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't be afraid to drink the water.

http://livingspaceinc.com/

Thank you everyone for all of the useful ideas about our bedroom. (I'm sorry I didn't chime in sooner, but I just found the page with my question and all the answers.)

We are seriously considering using the IKEA Pax Wardrobe System as a wall, and attaching a door to that somehow. It would give us some much-needed storage space (my clothes currently hang in a closet in the dining room). We might even be able to get rid of a dresser or two, which would free up some space in the room. It's expensive (a little over $1000) and only a little less costly than putting up an actual wall (I got a quote for $1500). On the other hand, if we use the wardrobe, we wouldn't have to knock the thing down if we move, and we can do it ourselves.

The compression wall is not an option for us, but the "soft wall" made of quilts is a fascinating idea, and the price is ideal. I'll have to think about that.

When we finally figure out what to do, I will send pictures of the results.

Thanks again,
Rebecca

Re: Noise. I also live in NYC -- Brooklyn, and I have a roof deck. Recently neighbors on two sides of our row house put central air on their roofs. I want to block the sound and I noticed that if I stand behind the metal door (open, not closed door), the sound is much less. I thought of putting up solid wood (Plywood??) fencing but not sure if it would do the trick since what I'm reading here about vibrations caused me to think twice. Any ideas?

The best solution I found for sound proofing my ywo bedroom apartment is 1/4 treadplate, bolted to all studs on walls and ceiling. This was a brillant idea. Seems how I got the tread plate for free, it was cheap as well. I also packed all vents and electrical sockets with steel wool. Of course I wrapped the indside terminal connectors of the electrical recepticals with heavy-duty electrical tape.

I must say that my two bedroom apartment is sound proof as well as tornado proof. Living in the Tornado region of America, that is a good thing.

I also placed some cow droppings on my neighboors door steps and lit it on fire. The bag of droppings also had some remote ignited firecrackers. I watched from a distance amd set if off when he stepped out his door. The quick stepping on the floor after that.

I love soundproofing,
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