apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yes, they do work, but it is my understanding they are fairly expensive. I don't know which companies are best but hopefully, some other poster may.

likely only part of the solution. depending on what you want to spend, you might want to evaluate a product like quietrock(dotcom) in addition to replacing your windows. good luck.

Yes! They do work. I used to live on Lexington Ave in NYC and the amount of noise the interior sound proof windows blocked out was amazing. With them open I could hear the subway (from the 4th floor) but with them closed it was perfectly quiet. They were 1/2" thick glass.

I live right behind an office building and the trucks and back up beeps and honking start before the sun comes up. I find that a good set of earplugs works wonders.

Effective soundproofing would probably require that you address the walls as well as windows to really make a difference.

Yes, they really do. I live in a tourist neighborhood that, in the summer, is similar to the French Quarter of New Orleans. The soundproof windows are the only thing that saves my sanity when the drunken tourists start singing at 3 am.

I live on a very busy street in SF and had soundproof windows installed 2 years ago. I can honestly say that it was the best purchase I've ever made. Went through soundproofwindows.com. We really had to stay on top of them to get the windows in a timely way, but they did a good installation job. One recommendation- I installed them on the outside as I already had custom blinds inside. Having seen them done either way, outside is much better- it's weird losing your windowsills, and it's a pain to put curtains over them.

Yes, soundproof windows do work. I had doulble pane replacement windows installed and it reduced the noise by about 30%. My neighbor had her windows upgraded to 1/2 inch and she doesn't hear the neighbors dogs barking or the car alarms anymore. The upgrade cost about $200.00 more per window, but was worth it. The brand of the windows is Milgard from Costco.

I’ve found the soundproof windows work exellent. I was having such trouble sleeping because of the news with all the construction outside my building. I looked online and found some choices for soundproof windows. Ultimately I went with Citiquiet windows. Reasonably priced and most importantly, now I can sleep. I can’t begin to tell you how it’s put me in a better mood each day. So much for all that coffee I was drinking to keep me up from not sleeping. Lol.
Here is their website: http://www.citiquiet.com

Penguin triple pane windows are the best for sound-proofing. The government is also offering a rebate for these windows because they are so energy efficient!

I was doing a renovation on a hotel near the Louisville, KY airport. Very near, the only thing between the runway and the hotel was a very busy expressway. I was told the windows were triple pane. You never heard the traffic and the jets were just a slight hum.

Let me illustrate.

We (the crew) usually worked in the rooms with the door closed and the tv on. There were thunderstorm warnings but nothing serious expected.

I'm vacuuming up some drywall dust when I noticed the vacuum sounded 'funny', an ever-so-slight whine had developed. After a minute or so I turned off the vacuum to investigate. The whine was still there and now I could hear the television. It was the local weatherman going on about 'take cover immediately', 'line of storms', 'tornado sighted' and worst of all 'AIRPORT'. All along I still hear the whine.

I decided to round up the crew to take cover. As soon as I opened the door I was nearly knocked down by the noise. That whine was in fact an enormous tornado siren mounted on a pole across the street. I've never heard anything that loud and I've worked around military jets.

So, like any good construction crew, we knocked off work, grabbed a beer (it was noon) and stood at the railing of the 2nd floor and watched a funnel cloud wiggling around beneath the cloud deck as it wandered down the road and out of range.

In summary: yes, sound proof windows work.

I don't know if the windows actually work, but I can imagine they are quite expensive. As a cheaper option, I've been using a white noise machine since I moved into the city about 15 years ago. I'm currently living on a busy street with buses (with squeaky brakes) going by at all hours, and the white noise machine blocks it all out. I've had my current one for about 10 years now, and I paid about $100 for it, but I've seen them at Target for around $30 recently. I'd recommend trying it first -- you might end up saving a bunch of money...

You can read this article on soundproof windows.

http://soundproofingwithdave.com/2007/09/soundproof-windows.html

It covers the use of soundproof windows or if your on a budget purchasing a regular window and placing it behind your current window. It also covers the best type of frame material you windows should be made out of.

do the ssoundproof windows also help with temperature/draught control?