# attached garage workshop



## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

hey all..

well, it seems we just put an offer on a house and they accepted! this house has a attached garage that will server as my new workshop… right now I have the luxury of having a detached garage so I've never really had to worry much about making too much noise

curious how many of you have workshops in attached garages. what can I do to reduce noise carrying over to the living areas of the house?

the nice thing now is that the attached garage is larger than my 20×16 shop.,,I don't have the exact dimensions but it's bigger and the ceilings are much higher…like 12 feet high! that will be nice

I'm lucky in that most of the garage sticks out from the house too…in other words, only the back wall is attached to the house… so I'm guessing that will help the noise…

anyway, just curious what you guys do in these types of environments….

thanks….

Pabs


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

You will find quite a few here that have attached garage for a shop.
I don't and would not.


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## miserybob (Jan 24, 2010)

I just don't run the heavy equipment late at night - as much for the neighbor's sake as for my family's. The wall between the house and the garage is pretty well insulated. Finishing is a different story, however. Even the mildest finishes stink up the house for a good hour. I try to do it when the family will be out of the house for a while, but I haven't really found a good solution.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hey pabs
My shop is attached to my house and has special sound insulating but you can still hear equipment run in the house. The best solution is to try and put the equipment that makes the most noise farthest away from the house.


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

hey miserybob….I rarely use anything with fumes so that won't be that much of an issue…but still, never thought of that … I'll have to be careful…especially with 2 toddlers in the house!

hey Jim…what did you use for sound insulation.?


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## Maveric777 (Dec 23, 2009)

My shop (the one my bride finally gave up on parking in) is attached to the house as well. I have asked my wife many times if I'm being to noisy out in the shop and I have yet to hear a word of complaint. I do of course wait till everyone is up before i start making noise and call it quits before to late. I try to be courteous to neighbors (plus it would be beer drinking time right about then anyways…lol)

I think the only beef I get is tracking saw dust into the kitchen when I come in. I just know now when I come in from a messy mess I simply strip down in the shop, and make a lude gesture to my bride while making my way to the shower…lol

No worries….lol


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

I have a 14 X 21 attached garage and I cut down on the noise by insulating the walls and ceiling. The table saw is the only piece of equipment closest to the house. The cyclone DC, planer/jointer and shaper are on the outside wall opposite the house. I have never had my wife or next door neighbor complain about the noise from the shop. Thanks for asking.

God Bless
tom


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Mine is attached. Best for security. My wife never complains about the noise. Just usual bldg insulation. Only one house close enough that might hear anything, they never have.


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

yeah, the cool thing in the new house is that they have a mud room at the garage entrance..and that's where there washer/dryer is… I can strip down to my b-day suit and go up to the shower…

I'll just make sure to ask if she has company over before I do that! hehe


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

hey TopamaxSurvivor… never thought about security..you have a good point… I always stress out about my getting broken into. plus they are leaving an alarm system with the house as well!

the one thing I'm concerned is for my kids though… the eldest (3 1/2) will likely venture in there if the door is open…I''ll have to be extra extra careful to make sure I don't leave any dangers at his height!


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

My shop is attached to the house, and I used sound deadening insullation and it seems to work well.


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## Broglea (Dec 9, 2009)

Mine is attached to the house. I don't run any equipment real late at night. With 4 children in the house I also cut the electricity to my shop while I'm gone. You know how boys want to be like Dad. Even though they aren't allowed to run the power equipment, I still take the precaution to ensure they can't turn on the TS.


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## Pabs (Dec 10, 2008)

good idea to just kill the breaker… easy enough to do on the way out.. 
well, for once in my life this may force me to keep a tidy shop….yeah right!


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## LeeinEdmonton (Aug 5, 2008)

Mine is also attached to the house(front drive garage). Well insulated & just in case…no operations too early or too late in the evening & have never had a complaint from the wife or neighbors. With an attached garage the main annoyance is the tracking in of sawdust no matter the care taken while still in the garage. I still park the car inside at night hence everything is on a mobile base except the saw. The saw is an RAS that I bought new in 1958 & is tucked against a wall with 6ft. workbenches on either side. I made a mistake 12 yrs ago & installed a 25000 btu gas fired garage heater due to -30C winter weather. No matter the dust collection system dust will eventually fry on the heater manifolds & is almost impossible to clean off hence efficiency gradually drops to the point that it is no longer affordable to operate. I have replaced it with a gas fired 35,000 btu radiant tube heater solving the dust & efficiency problems.

Lee


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## fiddlebanshee (May 3, 2010)

We just built a sound insulated house that was vetted by a sound consultant. Products he recommended: Quiet Rock drywall (expensive but effective). It helps if you can build another wall in front the of wall that is shared with the house, not touching it. (The more air you can put between the two walls, the more effective the sound insulation is.

For insulation we used Thermafiber (made from recycled products from steel production). Especially effective at low (engine) frequencies.

the reason for our sound insulated house is that my husband has a condition called "hyperacusis"-hypersensitivity for sounds. So the house is insulated from room to room, as well as from noises from the outside in. Wall thickness is 12 inches on the outside walls, and on some of the more sound sensitive areas inside the house. All inside and outside walls have insulation.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Simple.

Add insulation to the attic over the entire house. The whole house is much quieter and more comfortable now. 
Insulate the garage doors. Believe it or not, those metal garage doors I had would rattle with loud noises, and make even more noise.
Use hand tools when possible.
do NOT work in the shop making noise when it would disturb others… 
Send LOML to visit with her sister for the afternoon when I need to get lots of LOUD work done.
Send LOML to the yard to work on her flowers when I need to make noise.
No kids in the house, but the plan will be to have LOML and sisters in law take the kids out when we have them… (Likewise, I will end up baby watching when LOML needs to clear her head, or get something done uninterupted…)


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

My shop is in the garage, which is UNDER our living room, dining room, and kitchen.

When that end of the house was built (circa 1989), the builder did a great job of insulating (fluffed, not stuffed) before they hung the drywall. It is tight as a drum … you can still hear the machines in the shop, but the noise is minimal.


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## finns (Nov 13, 2009)

My garage shop is attached to the house as well. I did insulate all three sides and installed a heater as well. No complaints from the family regarding noise or smell. The key is to keep family and neighbors in mind. The only gripe I get on occasion is that I don't always push my tools back to my side of the garage allowing her to park her car. But if that's the worst of it after ten years than I think it's working out OK.


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