This DIY Method Will Block Loud Road Noise In Your Backyard

Nothing is more annoying than a perfect family home with a backyard that overlooks a busy intersection. Well, today we aim to solve this noise problem and see if it's possible to do it yourself. Let's begin. When you buy a house, you look at it and look for a solid foundation. For me, a solid foundation is the ability to tear down certain walls to create an open space. This is easy to fix. Maybe you want some amenities. This is easy to build. However, with sound, things work a little differently. The noise permeates the backyard, making it very difficult to entertain guests. You have to shout over each other. And one of my biggest problems is trying to get a good night's sleep. It's very difficult when cars are passing by at a speed of 50-60 kilometers per hour, interrupting your deep sleep. Regarding sound, there are a lot of tips on the internet that supposedly work, but in reality, they don't. Today we will find out what is completely useless and what actually works effectively. So, without further ado, let's get to controlling sound waves. So, first of all, we have a fence, and the previous owner was a real scientist because he installed these 4x4 steel posts, I'm assuming 10-gauge steel, that go deep into huge foundations. So this fence isn't going anywhere. But the sound will go away. And, as in any scientific experiment, we need appropriate measurement technologies. I have a sound level meter in my hands. Since we're on this side of the fence, I'm sure it helps a little, but not a lot. So I'll take measurements, the average for 5-10 minutes of traffic. Then we will solve a few problems and take repeated measurements. It is 11:00 am. Not very crowded, people are at work. 85 decibels from that half-ton Chevy truck. 86. It's because I heard the loud exhaust of a car nearby. So, 86 is a number that needs to be surpassed. 110 is if they have an unbearable audio system installed. So, we have a good base. Let's see what's inside. Okay, 82 to 85. 85 is the highest number you have to beat inside the fence, with a little bit of fencing, and of course, it's open space. Chad is here with me. Chad is the newest member of the construction team, we are so excited to have him here, and I have the perfect job for him. This is his idea, so I'll give the author credit. Chad will take my F350, "Black Betty," which you yourself christened . And its exhaust sounds just great. So, Chad will take my truck and go at 35 to 40 miles per hour. Slow down. 95. 95 decibels. We will take measurements both there and here, and this will be our reference point for comparison. 92. Okay, 92 and 95 are numbers to beat. You're probably asking, " Alex, why all this?" "Well, as an older millennial, I want to see what happens when today's youth get a little debauched and rowdy on these streets." For the sake of science , baby. So, if we start thinking about sound waves, the first thing that comes to mind as the most budget-friendly option is the earth. And we are lucky, because we have a lot of it. My theory is this: if we start by building an embankment, all vibrations within 2 to 3 feet of the embankment will be absorbed by it. That's what I think. And that means that's exactly what we're going to do. Let's begin. Oh man, I didn't think about those cross panels welded to the 4x4 post. How the hell am I going to get this in here ? Another day where I have to think about how to get heavy equipment here. If you know me, you know that I've been in this situation before. Well, there's no point in crying about it. I'm telling you, we need to get ready, and we just picked out the right clothes today. So we're going to start cutting this thing down to get the machinery in here. Let's start, let's push hard! To the full? Press the gas all the way down . And what is gas for? If everything is going smoothly, then you are not building anything. Things have to go wrong and against you for you to be called a true master. I think this is the best place where the technology won't interfere with the rest of the project. There are three of them here. There is so much of this. Here it is. This isn't going anywhere. I've never worked so hard taking down a fence. Sir, whoever built this, I salute you. I can't get angry. A master will appreciate a master. You built a damn strong fence, sir. I want you to know this. I must inform our viewers that we have suffered a loss on the channel. This person was with us—well, "person" is somewhat limited—this figure was with us for 3 years and achieved many wonderful things. And today we say goodbye. Ariat are the best work boots I have ever worn. I built an A-frame cabin in the woods, renovated an abandoned house, and finally the boa lacing system on them broke. New shoes have arrived , and they are very comfortable. I'm walking around with a new outfit . And you know, I put insoles in there, because I'm an old man. So, we have a lot to do today. Don't get injured when you go to get injured. We have some bricks here. We spent a lot of money today, which I'm not thrilled about, but before we get to that, let me show you our mound. We are looking at 25 meters of pure beauty . It feels like we're preparing for a foreign invasion and war, and we need something to absorb the bullets. We have an embankment. Let's start ramming this thing. Did you plant seeds there? Plant the seeds. I have no talent for gardening, Kyle. I know, I'm trying to be a good neighbor and kick up the dust, because once we start ramming, it's going to look like a vape conference with a lot of smoke. And you might also think, "Wow, this land is full of garbage." Yes, that's right. If you need soil for a mound, don't waste foolish money on new soil. Just recycle the old one. Use your talent as a gardener. Collect all the unnecessary trash, like these paving stones, and just bury it. I don't know who decided to throw so much concrete into this mound, but it makes it difficult to dig holes. Oh. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to rewire the irrigation controllers, because I must have ripped out a low voltage cable in the process. That's a fool. Magic tricks are for children. 240 centimeters from the fence. We will pull the cord on both sides, and I will do this because my human nature will make me gradually move away from the fence. Then I'll figure it out halfway through, move everything back to the fence, and spend all day tomorrow redoing everything. Not today, Satan. I am acting proactively. So we're 7 feet from the fence, and I get it . Some people have tiny yards, so an extra 7 feet is a lot. We have a huge yard, but we only struggle with sound. So unfortunately I'll leave 7 feet. However, I will try to move it another foot so that the paving stones will lay. Keep in mind, I'll have to add a base to make everything even. And I thought today would go by quickly. If you are interested in the practical application of road mix or sand as a base for a retaining wall, I will say that I have tested both options and they work. However, sand , in our case construction sand, perfectly levels the surface, unlike recycled road mix. It seals perfectly. But the pebbles in it cause the bottom layer of the base to shift, which I find quite annoying. The base is ready . I need support blocks to hold it all together. I'll take the Humpty Dumpty trailer and go get a couple of pallets. Meanwhile, you know Yuri, my cousin, who just arrived on an international flight. He insists that he will help me with this. He says he knows the sound very well. Eh , whatever, I ran. I think you're in good hands, but I don't know, be careful. Okay, okay, Yuri is back. Okay, Yuri is a sound expert, and cowboy Alex needs to bring the blocks. So he left, and he helps. Yuri will explain the mound and the science behind it. Cars are driving by, and the sound is coming here. It doesn't move like a sniper shot. No, no, no. Sound moves like a gymnast. Yuri loves gymnasts. He is a very agile gymnast, he always goes around the fence. So we build an earthen hill called a mound. In Soviet Russia, oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. In America, we build a 2-foot-high mound so that sound can reach and stop like a bullet. Yes, Alex, go build a hill and cover it with blocks. Have fun, American. Yuri, you are crazy. I calculated how much tile I needed and how much it would cost me. I only need a wall that is 2 feet high. So I looked at the websites of Home Depot, Lowe's, and other stores. I expected to pay five thousand, because there are about 36–48 pieces on each pallet. And then I went to Basalite, which is a distributor of landscape materials in this area. I went there, and they have a lot of luxury goods there. I said, "I need something as cheap, as simple, maybe outdated for a small retaining wall, like 2 feet high." They counted everything, came back to me, and this is how much I paid for it . Incredible. It never hurts to ask . Literally tell them, "I need the cheapest thing you have." You will be surprised. Limbo, limbo, limbo. Ear! We just used two pallets, and I have such a good feeling that we have even more material than we need. However, as you can see, they were not uploaded in the best way . The guys who were loading the third and fourth pallets, well, they didn't want to move everything back. It all tilted and collapsed, so the trailer kept tugging me back and forth , like my kids when I'm in the middle of the workday trying to get my attention. This has happened to everyone. My back no longer hurts. We'll put them in, and I think we can make the wall a little higher, because we have a supply of material. And don't you need glue, pegs or something to attach it? You could add glue, but thanks to the protrusions at the back, the blocks no longer slide forward. I've added glue before, and it didn't make much of a difference — with or without it. It depends on how high your wall is. Oh my god. No, no, no, no, no. Everything collapsed. I even know why it happened. This is the area I finally dug a little deeper. So I had to fill everything back in and compact it with a plate tamper. But then I got to this corner and I wanted stability and to level everything out . So, I used some leftover paving stones, junk, and just built up the bottom layer, my base. And then he rammed it again and rammed it again. But then I took the damn skid steer and hooked the corner because I hadn't had time to bury it yet. And then I just pulled everything back. Kyle, you and I were just talking about that viral Instagram video where someone had a 14- foot retaining wall collapse. We just messed it up, right? This is a good video. Really nice video. It's memorable, right? I'll probably find them and try to subscribe. This will bring us down. Now here's the problem. Every solution has its own problem. Every problem has its solution. So this cannot be avoided. Let's just get to work. Let me take the level. I'll check if everything is okay with these two. I'll correct that, and I think we'll get back to work. The retaining wall is so beautiful that it had to be built twice. Have you ever done any home renovation projects? You know, when everything is dismantled, the power is off, and you're pulling all your extension cords from the garage through all the rooms. However, I have a better solution that helps us tackle this project. Introducing Jackery Home Power 3600 Plus. The first thing you'll notice is that I rolled it in here. I didn't carry him myself or ask anyone else to put him on the cart . Oh, convenient telescopic handle, weighs less than 80 pounds, won't hurt your back. I hook up external power from the garage and now we have lights, extra batteries, and outlets throughout the house. One of my favorite features is its reliability. When our batteries run low and we're working, say, in this bathroom, Ken is laying tile, and the battery runs out, we have the energy to get back to work and finish the job. We need light, we have power, and the work continues. It's such a reliable source that you don't have to pull cords to start the generator. I don't have to strain my back pulling it in. It is ready to use and we know it will do its job. 3600 watts is enough power to cover all our needs during this renovation. And reliability is important even during non-working hours. We have a storm coming our way this weekend and I know it will be very wet. However, we must keep the house cool, avoiding humidity, in order to continue working. Jackery 3600 Plus does everything necessary to ensure that we work according to plan and on time. Do you smell that? Me neither. No fumes, no fuel worries. An electric generator is the perfect solution for home renovation. And what really won me over was its expandability. We are currently working on a small house, room by room. I didn't have to crunch numbers, wondering: How much energy do I really need? We're just doing it gradually, room by room. But as projects get bigger, the workload increases, and more tools, rooms, and houses appear, I can simply add additional batteries, increasing the capacity from 3600 Wh to 21 kWh, so my device never gets too small. But here's the most interesting thing. You can charge it from a wall outlet in about 2.5 hours or from solar panels in 4 hours. The point is that this is not just a tool for a construction site, it is a useful thing for any situation. So, whether you're doing home renovations, are caught up in a power outage, or are simply tired of gasoline generators and everything that comes with them. I strongly advise you to pay attention to the Jackery Home Power 3600 Plus. They constantly offer incredible discounts. I highly recommend you check them out. I'll leave the link in the description below. I guarantee you will like it. Oh, you, you're scared. So, why do we use retaining blocks? Well, if you fill a hill and it doesn't settle over time, it's prone to collapse. Okay, it's blown away by the wind. The support block holds it in place like a solid foundation. So, thanks to the retaining blocks, we keep our hill level, and your noisy neighbor doesn't complain and say, "Oh, your backyard looks like a dump." No, you look like a trash can. My backyard looks like a tank with flowers on it. Beauty loves flowers. And tanks. I don't know. Flowers and tanks—that's pretty good. But, oh, you have to remember that I have to wash my tank. We have 22 inches. Another layer, we have the material, but I think it might be too much . What are we going to do now, even though it's a small retaining wall and we're not supporting anything. It's more like a support for a decorative mound . We still need to think about drainage. So I'm going to put rocks in the back right here. So when all this soil compacts over the years , say, five or six years, and water starts to drain and accumulate there, you don't want that mass to start pushing out the bricks. Therefore, by adding stones there, we will slow down the water seepage, which prevents the buildup of hydrostatic pressure that could destroy your wall. Here's a little science for you, kids. We are moving forward, gaining momentum. By the way, I'm delighted with this wall. She looks so perfect. She adds character to this boring yard. All my research says that the only real solution for soundproofing or reducing noise in a yard is mass. We are talking about earth, about stones, about concrete. We have land, we have stones, let's talk about concrete. I'm not going to spend 50 grand on building a concrete wall. I'll use cement- bonded particleboard instead. It's a quarter of an inch thick, dense, and has mass, which is exactly what we need. Each sheet weighs 27 pounds. And it is moisture resistant. So the idea is to attach it here, and hopefully it will absorb the noise. This ensures that he doesn't end up in our beautiful yard. They drove. I mean, you're either going to be a genius or, you know, the opposite of a genius. Yes, I am. This, this is the opposite of genius —this is me. Okay. Oh my God. You are not my friend. Okay. Sorry. Sorry. Yuri lost his composure. Okay. So, today we're talking about how to make a fence bulletproof. No, no, no. Yuri is joking. Yuri recommends using 1/4- inch cement board. Why do you say cement slab? Well, it acts as armor for yours during war. Okay, so sound travels fast. Maybe he's absorbed , maybe he's too tired from watching "The Beach Boys" on Netflix. Good show. Yuri loves Netflix. Well, sound travels and is absorbed through some of your fans. Okay, a little, but a little noise is still very insidious . Remember, sound moves like a nimble gymnast. But you don't want to catch a gymnast. Where are you going? So, by installing a cement slab, this dense, strong-as-a- bull, will protect your backyard from the loud cars that make " Fast and Furious" here. Oh, man. Dominic Toretto, my favorite. Yura buys two JZ engines from Japan, JDM cold intake, just a beast. One of the most popular ways everyone solves the noise problem, or at least tries to, is with vinyl acoustic tape. And even then, some say it's a placebo effect, others say it works a little. It costs about $200 per roll, and there isn't much of it. So I think this thing is much bigger and denser to handle that. As for the mounting , I fix it with 3/4- inch thick self-tapping screws with a rubber gasket so that they hold the pressure. Also, if you are suddenly worried that this material will deteriorate over time from rain and other factors. True, but since I'm embedding it between two beams, it works like a little lid. It's not complete waterproofing, but it will definitely slow down the amount of water, while the wind will still dry it out. Ovva. Sorry. You didn't lose this, did you? Steeply. Okay. Now we have cement board, beam, block, now we need an additional layer of fence. Why? Because your backyard looks like [ __ ] right now. Don't let him look like that. So add another layer of fence, but that's not the only reason. No, no, no. The cunning sound gymnast wants to crawl inside anyway. So you repeat the fence layer to close the additional gaps. One small crack. And you have an uninvited guest, that gymnast, that noise, that loud sound that comes in and disturbs your peace. Like that uncle who wasn't invited to the wedding, but he still showed up without a gift. So, an extra layer, we close the extra gaps. No sound , no cunning gymnast, no uninvited guests, no crazy Uncle Eugene. I hate this guy. I hate him. Why does he always come? He always wants to touch you, smell you, rub your shoulder. I'm not usually one to trust this stuff, but desperate times call for desperate measures . I have one of those little levels, it might work if the thing is tight, but something is better than nothing, as my dad used to say, and his dad before him, and his dad's dad, and his dad. Okay, so this side needs to be lowered. The existing fence is now leaning a little downward, I understand that, but the great thing is that it's not part of the condominium association, so I don't have to follow the condominium association rules. Condominium, bite the bullet, okay? So what I'm going to do is: since we need to cover the entire cement slab with new fence board, I'm not going to bother fitting everything on the sides. This will be my work of art. This will be my Mona Lisa. This is my David versus Goliath. I'm not an art connoisseur, but I will create art on this fence. The mahogany is ready, and the chalk for marking is too. No, don't take it all at once. Take about half. Oh, okay. Oh my God. I'm trying, I'm trying to help you carry this. Chad is going to take this whole package with him. I said, " Dude, I believe in you. But I'm not paying you enough to get hurt on the job." Hot-dip galvanized exterior nails in my 30- degree nailer, drove, baby. Okay, last but not least: we did everything we could to fix it. And yes, it helps. Yuri, trust Yuri. Yuri knows what he's doing. In Soviet Russia, Yuri does this all the time. But, just in case a little noise gets…