Noise is subjective. What constitutes noise for one person might not be noise for another. A good example is music. When your neighbors blare your least favorite kind of music, you consider it noise.
Since noise is defined as “unwanted sound,” you would figure construction sounds are something everyone would find to be noisy. For example, noise pollution typically refers to things like traffic sounds or construction. So, what happens if you’re constantly exposed to such noises?
Exposure to Construction Noise
According to Effects Of Building Construction Noise On Residents: A Quasi-Experiment, living near a construction site definitely takes its toll on people. The study looked at females living in a residence near a construction site. They found that the effects of construction noise contributed to distractibility and several behavioral effects.
This included annoyances such as the noise waking the participants as well as issues with trying to relax while the noise hammered away. They also reported difficulty carrying on conversations or watching TV.
Coping with Noise
Not surprisingly, those closest to the site had the most severe reactions. To cope with the noise residents kept their windows closed, left areas of the building that proved too noisy and of course raised their voices to better hear each other.
That’s a few examples of coping with noise, but there’s a far more interesting example: turning construction noise into music.
An Unusual Coping Mechanism
Redditor ‘fridafluff’, chose to use the rhythmic sounds of construction near her home in Sweden to create music. The video shows how the ongoing noises she lived with for weeks became an inspiration to convert the noise into music.
The composition was compared to “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus or Looney Toons “Power House” track. They also sparked creativity in other would-be composers who created some construction inspired compositions of their own.
Another Redditor, _Matt_Hues created his own sequence as a “cover” of fridafluff’s composition called Banging. Meanwhile, Hangman Official created his own video called Roadworks, both tracks worthy of playtime at a downtown club.
With all this talk about construction — what is the state of construction activity in the U.S?
According to Trade Economics, U.S. housing starts actually dropped 4% in August compared to the prior month, which reflected the third consecutive month of decline in homebuilding.
The multi-family housing segment also dropped by far more at 16.2% or 315 thousand units in July. However, single-family homebuilding rose 1.3%, which reflects the highest level in half a year.
The market projected a modest increase of 3.1% for building permits, which actually surged by 8.4% instead. Another notable gain, the highest since June 2017. Single-family authorizations rose 1.8% another record as the highest in the last eight months.
We all know that construction sounds won’t be falling silent any time soon. In the meantime, who knows how many more musicians will find inspiration in the sounds of a jackhammer, bulldozer or pile driver?
A Title Company that Caters to Builders
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We’re also up to date on the latest trends in construction, helping you promote your build to real estate agents and buyers. Take a look at our services for builders or reach out to us today.
