There is nothing worse than hearing the noise of every car that gets past your home, or listening to the neighbour's stereo when you are trying to read, or hearing "The Wiggles" from the children's playroom when you wish to see the news.

So present are 10 ways to reduce noise when planning a new home:

1.Hold windows on the noisy side of the house as small as possible to trim the noise.

2.Make the outside of the home from thick stuffs like stone or brick veneering. They work on more effectively at reducing noise than flat, rigid materials like plaster, fibre cement card or steel cladding.

3.Like theory applies to the roofing materials. Light steel or metal tiles allow more noise to enter the home- especially rain- than more thick and heavy concrete tiles.

4.To reduce neighbour noise, fences in are a must. The more solid or dense the better. Brick, concrete or thick heavy density foliage hedges work well.

5.Use laminated glass to reduce high frequency sound. For low frequency sound, tempered glass is the most efficient.

6.Use heavy lined drapery to hide windows. Check that they cover the full width of the window and go direct to the floor.

7.Carpet plunges a great deal of interior noise- especially in high thoroughfare areas like hallways. Alternatively, use area rugs or carpet runners.

8.Insulate secret wall cavities where you want to keep down sound transfer with a noise control blanket.

9.If using gypsum wallboard linings refer to the makers directions for noise control. There are ways of putting in different wallboard heavinesses to reduce sound transference and they can vary depending on the brand and manufacturer.

10.Use upholstered furniture in your living room and bedrooms or wherever you want to reduce noise. Solid timber or plastic furniture simply speculates sound, unlike the upholstered furniture which absorbs a great deal of noise.

To conclude, the only way to totally do away with noise in your home is to act to the country and leave the kids in the city! No really, by thinking ahead before you build a new home you can reduce the noise in your new home and make it a more restful and comfortable environment.