Boarding in roof space

[JohnG]

This is with reference to my on going problem of noisy neighbours. I've noticed that I can hear sound in the hall coming from the loft hatch (it's a bungalow) and wondered if I can cut down on the amount of noise getting through the roof?
I was thinking of boarding up and putting insulation in the roof trusses - that is the beams that support the roof with the slates on. I wondered if boarding that gap up and stuffing it with insulation would help cut out noise?
One think that may stop this is that you might need to leave that bit open for ventilation, does anyone know please?

[IronGiant]

I would start by insulating the back of the loft hatch and putting some gapsealing rubber strips around the hatch lid to make it "air" tight. If you can then hear noise coming through the ceiling rather than the hatch you might need to think about more loft insulation. You need to have ventilation in the eaves to stop damp in the loft, but you can insulate the ceilings of the rooms below as much as you want.

Dave

[JohnG]

Cheers Dave. I've noticed when it rains hard I can hear it through the ceiling in the lounge and bedroom so probably more insulation needed. I suspect that the heat insulation I have up there doesn't insulate for noise.

[IronGiant]

You can get higher density rockwall slabs deigned more for sound insulation (as in stud walls) but they aren't cheap. But worth it if they make your life more tolerable. It might be worth trying them in just the bedroom first as an experiment. I'd put them under your heat insulation on top of the plasterboard ceilings between the ceiling joists, not under the roof tiles. There's little point insulating the roof itself if the sound can still get in under the eaves.

Dave