New York buyers paying high price for silent homes

Cost of soundproofing can add tens of thousands of dollars to purchase price

From left: The Charles and interior rendering
From left: The Charles and interior rendering

New York City buyers are finding that some of the most desirable aspects of modern homes — including floor-to-ceiling windows and open floor plans — require costly workarounds to stifle the noise they amplify.

Noise pollution has become a bigger issue as residents move into formerly industrial areas where buildings typically include these features, the Wall Street Journal reported.

One couple who integrated floor-to-ceiling windows in their newly built West Village townhouse had to shell out $100,000 to add a third pane of glass in order to drown out the constant traffic noise. Another couple the newspaper spoke to found that the ceilings in their co-op were constructed in a way that amplified sound. They eventually paid a company called City Soundproofing $30,000 to reconstruct the ceilings.

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In some cases developers are getting ahead of the curve. Bluerock Real Estate installed triple panel windows facing First Avenue at the Charles condominium building and took measures to dampen heating and cooling system noise.

“It’s important for developers to carefully abate the noise generated by the plethora of mechanical equipment in these buildings,” Phil Mendlow, senior vice president at Bluerock, told the Journal. “If it’s not done right, it can be pretty annoying.” [WSJ] — Tom DiChristopher