How To Reduce Traffic Noise In The Backyard

Having a home with a backyard is a blessing. It allows you the opportunity to enjoy nature, peace, and tranquility, especially in the summer months. There are all sorts of leisure activities perfect for the backyard, including grilling, sunbathing, and reading. But if your backyard is near a busy street, your backyard tranquility might be stifled by irritating noises. While it is easy to block the sight of traffic, is it possible to reduce the traffic noise in your backyard?

If you have traffic noise in your backyard, consider building a sound-reduction fence that is at least 7 feet tall. Brick, concrete, and stone walls work best, but acoustic fences and hardwood fences are also effective. Planting large vegetation like hedges, installing a water feature and even an outdoor sound system are all great ways to minimize the sounds of traffic in the backyard.

Loud noises coming from nearby streets can mess with your backyard zen. This is particularly true if you have a pool, patio, or other outdoor areas that you frequently use for relaxation. If you are struggling with traffic noises in your backyard, continue reading to find the most effective ways to help mitigate and eliminate these unwanted noises.

Arguably the best way to reduce traffic noise in your backyard is to build a fence. While almost all fences are effective at blocking the sight of traffic, it takes a lot more strength and material to block sound.

Sound must be deflected or absorbed. To deflect sound, you must ensure you have a dance fence that has no gaps and is rather tall. Short fences, fences with gaps between slats or on the bottom, or even fences with thin materials are all ineffective at reducing sound. But several types of fences and walls are great at reducing traffic sounds.

Brick and mortar walls are very strong, long-lasting structures. Like stone walls, they are also attractive to look at. You can even plant ivy along a brick wall and allow it to creep up, adding some natural elements to the brick. They are also dense and thick and block a great deal of sound.

As long as you build the brick wall tall enough, traffic sounds in your backyard will be greatly reduced. Like stone walls, they can be costly. But if you try to find cheap or free building materials, you might be able to lower the cost significantly.

If you don’t want to go through the labor-intensive and expensive process of building a tall wall or fence, you might want to consider a more natural approach. Planting thick, lush, and tall vegetation is a cheap and natural way to block out some traffic sounds.

If you plant hedges or vegetation, opt for very dense plants, as the more dense the vegetation, the better it will block out traffic sounds. Keep in mind that this might reduce sounds a bit, but it is not nearly as effective as walls and other methods. But if combined with other methods, it can be an effective solution.

Deflecting sound helps reduce traffic sounds, but sometimes masking the annoying sounds of cars with a more soothing sound works better. Consider installing a nice water feature in your backyard.

Small babbling brooks, artificial waterfalls, and exotic fountains are all great additions to any backyard. They are great to look at and help add a bit of aquatic ambience. Additionally, they are great at creating a naturalistic white noise, which can cover the sounds of nearby cars and highways.

If you have a lot of land but are situated near a loud road, then you might want to consider building a berm to reduce the sound of traffic in your backyard. Berms are essentially man-made hills. These hills are long slopes that often provide property borders. They are also effective at redirecting rainwater.

If you have a lot of property, a berm can even reduce sound pollution. The key is to build the berm high enough that the sound is deflected away from your home. This can take a lot of work, and professional machines. But if you are looking for a solution for water drainage issues, or have access to this equipment, it is a nice natural-looking solution

If you are a high-tech type of homeowner, then you might want to try a tech-savvy approach to fixing the traffic noise problem in your backyard. Outdoor speakers have come a long way in recent years. You can have a state-of-the-art sound system that permanently lives outdoors.

These sound systems vary in price, but there are several affordable options. Sound systems are great for those who have outdoor patios and love to entertain. You can even connect wireless speakers to your smart devices and your Alexa, helping to turn your property into a smart home.

While this does not eliminate sound, it does a great job hiding it whenever it becomes bothersome.