Need soundproof wall(s) bad! CMU or double wood wall?

Wrye yes, well this is a very small living space, the room is about 15 x 12 feet. There's an outlet outside the door. So there are a couple of extension cords that I use to power up my stuff. There is nothing high amperage here, I have a laptop and an electric fan and a 40 watt bulb. Even then, the three of them are never on at the same time. There is no spider's web of extension cords, nothing at all like that.

I spent a couple of hours researching sawdust as insulation and from what I learned, it is an excellent thermal and sound insulator. Can be fireproofed as well by first treating it with boric acid (if my memory is correct). But for me, it's too elaborate for starters because right now, anything I do will be a drastic improvement over the single sheet of plywood now separating the two living spaces. So the first thing I'm going to do is insulate then sheetrock my side of the wall. If that isn't enough, sheetrock the other side. If that isn't enough, build a second wall, sheetrock it too. That will be enough to eliminate most of the noise. Right now it seems as if there's only a shower curtain separating the two living spaces! The wall is only 15x7 and surrounded by concrete frame. So I'm opting for the one step at a time approach, going only as far as I have to in order to eliminate most of the noise. Thanks for the input!

 

Another easy insulator is egg flats. Could be stapled inside before putting up your second layer of sheetrock/plywood.

Larry

 

Thank you Larry. I see them everywhere and never thought to use them that way!

 

sheetrock / plasterboard is good option for sound reducing , have also seen 8 mm blue board / fibre cement board at umatio's in dumaguete it is a very resilient product , doesn't ding up like plasterboard , if you can't find proper insulation , use that silver lined foam that they put under the ceiling over there , but stay away from sawdust it is like providing a prepared meal for the termites , just my 2 bobs worth , as 20 years being a carpenter in aus. good luck with your project , if I was there I would give you a hand , but still in aus.

 

Tony, good info, thank you.
What I learned about sawdust is that if properly treated, it can be made to resist fire, insects and rhodents. As for me, I don't want to go through the process of finding the right sawdust and treating it. I suspect that Umatio's will have everything I need, have never been there but will stop in soon.
Right now my neighbors are listening to NHL hockey, makes me a bit homesick (I'm from New England, USA). Yesterday, my GF's nephew was here with us sharing some music out of his cellphone, and the lady who lives on the other side of "the wall" started singing along When my girlfriend started having conversations with the neighbor lady through "the wall", I asked her to please not do that, but to instead go over to her place to talk to her. It feels like we are all camping together sometimes.

The plywood is less than a quarter inch thick, even the slightest pressure by fingertip in any section between the studs causes it to flex a bit. I'm now sure I can put a huge dent in the noise with products readily available here and without building a CMU wall.
Thanks for the input from down under! - DJ.

 

The problem with all these options is that it still doesn't do anything for the roosters, dogs barking, karaoke, kids screaming, drug associates getting shot, pedicabs, carolers, air raid curfew sirens, election campaign blasters, fiestas, girlfriend bitching, etc.

Wear earplugs.

 

No probs John , you would not be missing the winter in New England now though !!!

 

You are right TheDude. Strangely I've come to accept all of that because with the exception of bitching between me and my GF, all the noise you mention is impersonal in nature. Our neighbor couple on the other side of "the wall" is a different story, it feels invasive, sometimes my GF and I have to walk down to the ocean to have a talk about anything sensitive, we can hear everything they talk about whether we want to or not. Roosters crowing at all hours is a new experience for me, I thought they were supposed to crow at dawn only. The 'air raid' siren was a shocker the first time, too. Funny you should mention drug dealers getting shot; when we lived in Tinago, one night very late there was a ruckus of dogs barking for quite a long time across the river in Purok Mutya. My GF told me it sounded like a police drug raid. I didn't trust her assessment as to me it was just a bunch of dogs barking for who knows what....but she told me the next day that it was a drug raid and that a dealer was shot to death (have not confirmed). But to the point of your post, none of this impersonal noise bothers me too much, it adds flavor to my experience here in the Philippines!
edit: p.s. You forgot feral cats either killing each other or screwing on the tin roof at all hours of the night!

 

This might be a done deal already but I would go back to the old standby of rice hulls..that or sawdust you should consider some fire retardant spray..and with the rice hulls..though its mostly selica ( think glass and glass wool is a insulator..) You should consider a bug killer as well.. My thoughts of the ricehulls purely for the use of heat insulation as I dont think there is much in that 3/8 roll foam with foil facing..even 3 layers of it.but the hollow walls are bad remember we design speaker cabinets all about the dead air space..