yes you want to capture the sound vibrations in an airspace without reradiating them. The 5/8 drywall has enough acoustic mass to stop a lot of the vibration if you keep it as isolated as possible from the main structure, the reason for the foam spacers and minimal attachment to the underlying studs. as well as 1x2 strapping rather than lath.
DON'T leave out the foam spacers they are critical! If that isn't enough then llewsac's moving blankets hung in front of the wall will also reduce noise dramatically, overlap them 6" or so or add a second layer offset from the first.

 

You could also take said moving blanket, wrap it tightly around young Ringo complete with numerous wraps with a heavy duty strapping tape, a fast trip down to a local "pack-n-ship" outfit to arrange a slow boat to the south seas.......

....oops, sorry, got carried away there....

 

here's a good discussion of a similar problem from the other side:
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/15745

 

is his dad a big man?

 

You could always write down a list of your favorite songs and give it to the kid as requests, then you would be tappn' your toes to the music as he plays!


Seriously, if your current walls are hollow, I would vote for the blown in insulation. The way insulation works is that it traps the air, giving you the air space that will kill the noise/vibration. I would blow it in from the inside. Depending on the size of your grargae, this should only take 4-6 hours at most. It will make a HUGE mess though and everything will be covered in dust. The sheetrock way will be effective, but labor and cost would be higher IMHO.

 

Nice one Joe!

 

Jag,
You mentioned that civil communications between you and the neighbor is a bit rocky. Is it too late to negotiate a better time for young Ringo to practice. Heck, the kids only 10, maybe he can get all his practicing in right after school in the afternoons when the majority of the neighborhood is still at work. (I guess if you are retired or don't work 8-5 this won't help much)

Again, I feel for you, tensions between neighbors is a frustrating mess
Bobby

 

I had a similar problem with new neighbors, my solution won't work for you but is entertaing. After several attempts to get them to quiet down their 16 year old son, I simply drove my work vehicle home one day instead of my Ranger. It's amazing what the sight of a Black Crown Vic with a BIG STAR and the word SHERIFF on the side does for community relations.

 

Jag,
Foam insulation is a waste of money it won't do much. To remove the existing drywall to install fibergalss insulation would be way too much work for the result. Even cutting openings and having insulation blown in wouldn't be worth the cost unless you consider the energy saved if you AC the garage. What you need is more mass in the wall. This can be done by adding more layers of drywall, concrete block or similar dense material. Here are three possible options:
Option 1: Add more layers of drywall. They do make drywall in 5/8" , 3/4" and 1" thickness. You can add multiple layers if you need to, the thicker the better. Screw or glue it directly to the existing studs/drywall.
Option 2: As Ax suggested, install wood furring strips or commercially available metal resilient furring, then additional layers of drywall.The intent of the furring is to reduce the area of material through which the sound can be transmitted. Currently, the sound is being transmitted through the full length and width of the existing studs and through the drywall. Any furring you add whether directly over or perpendicaular to the existing studs needs to be shimmed out from the existing drywall at each fastener. The intent is to reduce the contact area of the new furring to existing drywall. The thickness of the shim must be greater than the amount the drywall screws will project through furring when attaching the new layers of drywall. The intent is to isolate the new construction from the old as much as possible, therefore the smaller the area of the shim the better. This optiion would be more expensive and have better performacnce than option 1. I think the shimming and furring could be more work than option 3.
Optiion 3 - The addition of a totally new drywall or even better concrete block wall with at least 1" between the existing and new walls. This would be more expensive than option1 and probably option 2 but would provide the best acoustical performance.

You could try option 1 and if that doesn't solve the problem you could always progress to option 2 or 3.

 

How about going starting in THEIR garage first. With their permission,see what you can scam, by way of thrift stores, in blankets and hang them up in the kids garage about two to 3 inches away from the wall hanging from the ceiling. Three or four of the walls covered will help a lot. That way, the noise will get abated at their origin and be more muted by the time it reaches your place. The noise will still be transmitted through the screws and nails holding the sheetrock anyway. They can pull the curtain blankets up to go in and out of the garage by cheap cord and the parents might be a lot happier inside their own home too.

 

It makes good sense to insulate the origin of the sound. Unfortunately, the parents are low class and liars to boot. They told me on Christmas Day 2005 that they were going to sound proof their garage. Ha, what a joke. We were looking to move just so we wouldn't have to deal with this mess, but our real estate agent told us that we would be obligated under CA law to disclose that this situation exists. And how many buyers are going to want to move in next to that family? So, I would prob have to sell the house well below market to attract a buyer willing to suffer this noisy distraction. I even offerred to buy the drums from them but they declined.

So, I'm left with trying to deaden the sound myself on my property. Future projects include installing a 6-foot fence in place of the 5-foot unit, then planting trees or bushes to help deflect the noise. I even talked with a contractor about the usefullness of adding insulated siding to the house. (Very expensive with only modest improvement predicted)

As far as scheduling, the kid bangs on and off all day on Saturday and Sunday. On weekdays it starts after school at 3:30 and goes until about 7:00PM. Thanks, Jag

 

What?! I guess it would be a rotten move to pawn that off on someone without telling them tho-

I have a good friend that is a world-known awesome guitar player,his name is Eric Gales.Plays at the Jimi Hendrix Festival with Jimi's band every year.He says that the studio he is in now they had a strip a few inches tall cut in the sheetrock walls near the ceiling and filled the walls up with sand,then hung moving blankets from the ceiling a few inches off the wall.Swears by it.I told him if that sheetrock isn't screwed to the wall REAL well he's going to be playing in a sandbox one day.

-Shawn

 

Thats a real bummer Jag, I don't know how his parents can stand it. Heck my kids are so danged noisy (and they don't even have drums) that I can't hardly stand it. I have to go out in the garage and bang on my truck for some peace and quiet.

Good luck
Bobby

 

I'm suddenly reminded of the Walls of Jerico! Jag

 

Jag -

Just a thought... If selling your house next to those neighbors would result in a reduced selling price, isn't that a basis for a lawsuit? It seems to me that if their behaviour were actually realized as a loss of equity, they would be liable for it. Maybe it would be worth it to talk to a Real Estate or civil lawyer. It seems to me that you have recourse. It probably would cost you for an appraisal, with and without the neighbor.

That's what I would do.