LOUD ROOM INTERIORS… DOES YOUR HOME ECHO?

by Arizona Custom Home Builder on October 6, 2009

Can High Ceilings and Hard Surfaces Make Your Home Seem Too Loud?

Most of us have experienced the echo our voices make when walking through an empty house. Most of the time when furnishings are moved into a home this echo disappears. Sometimes, however these room interiors continue to echo once all of the furnishings are in. This is more often than not in large homes with very high ceilings and many hard surfaces.

As AZ custom home builders, we have built homes with very high ceilings, interior stone fireplaces, interior stone walls, tiled floors throughout, (except for bedrooms), granite counter tops with granite back splashes, and very open floor plans. With so many hard surfaces and open space, it is not uncommon to experience some echoing even after the homeowners have moved in. It seems like there are just noisy rooms, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

Echo or reverberation is caused when sound waves hit a hard surface and bounce back into the room. Many materials have a ‘coefficient of absorption’, this is a value assigned to a material that measures the amount sound absorbed by the material, often used for industrial and commercial environments. The higher the coefficient of absorption, the better the sound wave can be absorbed by the material. As one can imagine, a concrete floor has a lower coefficient of absorption than a carpeted floor. Using this principal, there are several ways to reduce the echo or reverberation created by so many hard surfaces in a home. Some of the best strategies for reducing echoes can be achieved by adding fabrics and and other materials that absorb sound waves.

If windows are uncovered or have hard surface treatments such as wooden shutters or blinds, one of the best strategies for reducing reverberation is to add draperies. Draperies that are fully lined and hang completely to the floor will help absorb sounds.
Adding areas rugs to tiled floors will also absorb reverberating noise; especially large thick area rugs may soften the sounds in room interiors.
Add carpeting to areas where it is appropriate as an alternative to tile flooring.
Choosing furniture with soft fabric coverings may absorb more sounds than leather furnishings.
Throw pillows and decorative round tables covered with tablecloths may help slightly.
For kitchens with high ceilings where the tops of cabinets are exposed for decorative accessories or plant shelves; add pieces of foam to the tops of cabinets. These can be picked up at most fabric store, are inexpensive, and can be cut to the size of the shelf.
Add the foam pieces to other areas of the home, such as the top surface of entertainment centers, china hutches, and other ‘out-of-sight’ plant shelf-type areas.

Once room interiors are outfitted with a variety of draperies, foam pieces, carpeting, area rugs, or other fabrics, the echo or reverberation will likely be decreased. A photo of the bedroom below highlights the multiple uses of fabrics, on a round table with a tablecloth, carpeting, multiple bed covers, draperies, upholstered chairs, and a bed canopy. If walking down the hallway to this room while talking, once the threshold to this room is crossed conversation levels immediately seem to drop. The bedroom is a very quiet and comfortable part of this home.