Singapore Expats

Are higher floor apartments quieter despite facing the roads? ie: 30th, 40th floors?

Comparing a low floor to a high floor, in my experience the high floor is noisier traffic-wise. Not sure of the science behind it, but perhaps having the length of the building below, all the lower floors, are like a partial funnel, similar to cupping your hand behind your ear. Whatever the reason, that higher floor was clearly noisier.

Thanks!

It's worth researching. An engineer once explained to me, and the details I no longer recall, that different floors have different noise levels. It wasn't obvious either, e.g. floor 8 might be quiet but 14 noisy.

I lived on the 31st floor when I first moved here. Traffic wasn't an issue, but those jolly toads don't half make a racket - the toads were at ground level.

In Singapore might due to reflection of the noise bouncing off , as you can see in Singapore the Public housing and condos are build quite close to one another. The Most Epic times I was at this Cinema at City hall area, forget the name of it. No doubt, I'm a Singaporean. I don't always recall all those local cinema names , street names etc. I only recall , familiar is by looking.

I was standing there having a smoke break , the cars pass by the roads .I can heard the noise reflection directly bouncing off from the condo behind me.

I stay in HDB , mid level. There is a main road beside. Yes at night while I sleeping can heard car noise but used to it is not so dam noisy till you can't sleep at all.

I am staying at bukit timah condo facing main road. I am staying as high as 18 floor, however whenever the bus drive past, it still create some noises , especially in the morning......my advice is do not pick unit that facing the main road. regardless how high floor u staying, u wont enjoy any peaceful moment at all times.

lisa A wrote: ↑

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 9:52 am

I am staying at bukit timah condo facing main road. I am staying as high as 18 floor, however whenever the bus drive past, it still create some noises , especially in the morning......my advice is do not pick unit that facing the main road. regardless how high floor u staying, u wont enjoy any peaceful moment at all times.

to be honest in Singapore as long you stay on this island everywhere the same.
Unless you are freaking rich stay at Sentosa coven

If your apartment has double glazing, road noise will not be an issue. I stayed in an apartment facing Bencoolen Street with double glazed windows and couldn't hear any traffic sound at all.

lisa A wrote: ↑

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 9:52 am

I am staying at bukit timah condo facing main road. I am staying as high as 18 floor, however whenever the bus drive past, it still create some noises , especially in the morning......my advice is do not pick unit that facing the main road. regardless how high floor u staying, u wont enjoy any peaceful moment at all times.

Have to agree...and also avoid really super busy roads, Bukit timah is one hell of a busy road. The dust coming from the vehicles is also bad.

Addadude wrote: ↑

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 3:18 pm

If your apartment has double glazing, road noise will not be an issue. I stayed in an apartment facing Bencoolen Street with double glazed windows and couldn't hear any traffic sound at all.

We live on a 25th floor with one side facing a busy street and the windows are just single. Still no problem at all as long as the windows are closed. The problem is if one prefers to have the windows open while sleeping.
But if somebody is a light sleeper than I am not convinced double glaze will help that much with all these motorbikes with fu*ed mufflers running around at wee hours.

I live on 2nd floor in the centre - the condo sits on a hill, so there's still a decent view. However, no roads in front or back, and surrounded by a lot of greenery, so *completely* quiet. Aircons are quiet too.

I did check out a unit on the 20th floor - still generally quiet, but you could detect just slightly more distant traffic noise. All roads around here has almost zero traffic at night though, so that's a big plus for people on high floors.

Once in a while, on friday or saturday night, you may hear a faint lambo being revved by a local beng somewhere in the distance.

Personally I put a massive premium on low/no noise (including, or especially, mechanical noises in the unit/building) - quiet living is actually not too hard to find, even in noise insensitive Singapore.

But yeah, quite a few buildings/condos/HDB's are exposed to significant traffic & building noise (fans, aircons, compressors). Staying next to any of the expressways or major roads, it's almost 24/7.

Interesting that nobody has mentioned the horrendous cacophony of sounds of the RSAF fighter jets in late afternoons & early evenings. Especially if living near Paya Lebar or anywhere on the North side of Singapore.

Yes..the cars are causing noise and air pollution if you live near a road. Now with Grab taxis and grabfood, the frequency of vehicle movements are increased (as compared to 10 years back).

Sundaymorningstaple, I have to agree with you on the rsaf jets, non-stop everyday especially during my TV time from 6pm to 9pm...even in the central region. I am not sure which region is spared from this jet noise?

sundaymorningstaple wrote: ↑

Sat, 07 Nov 2020 3:47 pm

Interesting that nobody has mentioned the horrendous cacophony of sounds of the RSAF fighter jets in late afternoons & early evenings. Especially if living near Paya Lebar or anywhere on the North side of Singapore.

Its the bloody Asian Koel ("Ooo Ooo Bird") that goes off outside my window at 5:45 every morning that p!sses me off...

Yeah, the koel is pain in the arse. The good news is that it tends to hop around to other trees, meaning the bugger doesn't hang around any one bedroom window that long.

By the way, between the foggers, leaf-blowers, hedge-cutters, tree-pruners, grinders, drillers, jack-hammers and other assorted noise pollution creators, I'll take the koel any day of the week.