There is nothing poorer than hearing the noise of every car that gets past your home, or hearing to the neighbour's stereo when you are trying on 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.Maintain windows on the noisy side of the house as small as possible to reduce the noise.

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

3.Similar theory applies to the roofing materials. Light steel or metal tiles allow more noise to enter the home- especially rain- than more dense 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 effective.

6.Use heavy lined curtain to hide windows. Ensure that they cover the whole width of the window and go direct to the floor.

7.Carpet takes over 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 drywall linings touch on to the producers instructions for noise control. There are ways of putting in different wallboard thicknesses 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. Good timber or plastic furniture simply reflects sound, unlike the upholstered furniture which absorbs a great deal of noise.

To close, the only way to totally eliminate noise in your home is to go to the country and leave the children 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 sufficient surround.