Living next to a busy road can feel like you’re camping out beside a highway rest stop. But figuring out how to reduce road noise in backyard areas doesn’t mean you need to move. There are plenty of ways to turn your outdoor space from a traffic nightmare into the relaxing spot you actually want to spend time in. Whether it’s garbage trucks rumbling by too early in the morning or the endless stream of commuters in the evening, there are changes you can implement to your outdoor space to help make the noise less audible.

Today, we’re discussing how to reduce road noise in backyard spaces so it’s quieter and more enjoyable. Keep reading to get tips like planting the right trees and building better fences, which is a major reason homeowners love water features in their landscaping. You’ll get inspiration for effective ways of drowning out road noise while making your yard feel like a mini vacation spot.

Why Road Noise Is Ruining Your Backyard

Constant traffic noise is more than just an annoyance, it’s actually hurting your health in ways you might not even realize. The noise pollution and humming of cars and trucks can:

• Increase and keep your stress levels up.
• Affect your sleep hygiene and patterns.
• Increase your blood pressure over time.
• Make focused thinking more challenging because of small distractions.
• Increase irritability because your body is always in “fight or flight” from the unpredictable noise.

Aside from the potential impact on your health, road noise interferes with your conversations, drowns out peaceful sounds, and shifts the feel of your yard from relaxing to restless. It can make pets uneasy, overstimulate children, and keep you from spending time in your backyard altogether. Your backyard should be where you go to decompress, which is why learning how to reduce road noise in backyard spaces is a great and healthy way to improve your environment.

Can Landscaping Fix Road Noise?

Yes, landscaping can significantly reduce road noise in your backyard, but it’s important to set realistic expectations. While no landscaping solution will completely eliminate traffic sounds and noise pollution, strategic use of dense plantings, like layered evergreens, hedges, and shrubs, can absorb and deflect a substantial amount of road noise. 

When combined with other elements like solid fencing and water features, landscaping becomes an effective part of a multi-layered approach to sound reduction. 

How to Reduce Road Noise in Backyard Areas 

Sound bounces off hard surfaces and travels through gaps in things like fencing or open spaces in your landscaping. This is why temporary solutions help with how to reduce road noise in the moment, but don’t address the underlying problem in the long term.

To permanently handle the issue of road noise in backyard areas, find a solution that takes your whole space into consideration, including any small spots where sound may leak in. Maybe that means planting trees here, putting a solid fence there, and adding a water feature installation for more relaxing noise in your backyard space. When you combine different ideas, you’re basically giving that traffic noise multiple obstacles to deal with before it reaches your favorite outdoor spot.

Some methods for how to reduce road noise in backyard spaces include:

1. Installing a water feature for a relaxing backyard sounds
2. Adding plants to your landscaping
3. Putting up a fence to reduce backyard road noise
4. Building a pergola or other outdoor structure

1. Installing a Water Feature for Relaxing Backyard Sounds

Water features aren’t just pretty to look at; they’re ideal when it comes to how to reduce road noise in backyard spaces. Instead of trying to block every single sound (which is basically impossible), water features use a good technique called sound masking. They make pleasant, consistent sounds that basically teach your brain to ignore the traffic noise.

Moving water creates this perfect type of background sound that covers up many annoying road noises. Water sounds are naturally calming, so your brain will start to tune out traffic sounds and other road noise. It’s like having a natural white noise machine that looks incredible and makes your yard feel like a resort.

The sound of water is relaxing in ways that go way beyond just covering up noise. If you’re thinking about building a calm backyard meditation space, water features are the perfect solution. The gentle bubbling or flowing water helps your brain shift from being stressed-out to feeling more relaxed and calm.

And if you’re wondering, “Can a water feature create privacy in backyard spaces?” the answer is yes. They can provide the kind of privacy where you can’t hear your neighbors and it feels like you’re in your own private space removed from any distractions. You can choose anything from a small backyard fountain for quiet conversation areas to a bigger pondless waterfall if you’re dealing with really heavy traffic.

2. Adding Plants to Your Landscaping for Sound Proofing

Plants are basically nature’s soundproofing, and they work much better than you’d think towards reducing road noise in backyard areas. Dense, leafy trees and bushes soak up sound like giant green sponges. Consider layering different kinds of plants, trees, and shrubs of varying heights to create a thick wall of greenery between you and the road. Tall trees, medium shrubs, and low-growing ground cover also work together to catch different types of sound.

Some options to consider are:

• Arborvitae
• Cedar trees
• Evergreen trees and bushes
• Dense hedges

All these kinds of plants can knock down road noise levels pretty well. The evergreens, for example, keep their leaves year-round to give you constant protection when others are sparse and create gaps for noise to leak in. With a variety of plants, trees, and shrubs in your landscaping, you’re not just getting a quieter yard, you’re also getting cleaner air, maybe some birds visiting, and a yard that looks way better than before.  

3. Putting Up Fencing to Reduce Road Noise in Backyards

Not all fences are created equal when it comes to blocking noise. For meaningful sound reduction, it’s important to choose a fence that is both solid and dense. For example, materials like wood privacy fencing, composite panels, or vinyl are far more effective than chain-link or other open designs.  Fencers that are thicker and more airtight are better at blocking and deflecting noise. 

To take it one step further, also consider adding sound-absorbing materials or opting for specialized acoustic fencing. 

 Some homeowners also get creative and combine fencing with plants by putting up solid panels and planting vines or tall bushes along the fence line. Keep in mind that for a fence to be effective, it should be tall enough to create a “sound shadow” over your main outdoor living areas, as noise can travel over or around barriers if they are too low or have gaps.

Bonus Info: NVS Landscapes, a division of NVS Waterscapes, now offers residential fence installation services. You can also check out their guide to different types of fences for your yards after this article.

4. Building a Pergola or Other Outdoor Structure

Here’s something you may not have considered: adding a pergola, gazebo, or simple covered patio to help reduce road noise in backyard areas. These structures work by creating a type of sound ceiling above your main hangout spots. When you add climbing vines or fabric panels to a pergola, you’re building a natural sound barrier that blocks noise coming from above while giving you a defined and cozy space that feels separate from the street.

Pergolas can change the whole feel and aesthetic of your outdoor space. They create an intimate, room-like feeling that makes road noise feel more distant and less intrusive. You can hang outdoor curtains from the sides for additional soundproofing during noisier times, add string lights for ambiance, and create your own little outdoor sanctuary. Plus, when you’re sitting under a structure with some overhead coverage, there’s a psychological effect that makes everything feel quieter and more private, even if you’re not blocking every single sound from the road.

Set Yourself Up for Less Backyard Road Noise

Learning how to reduce road noise in backyard spaces takes some planning, but it’s worth it. Start by figuring out where the noise tends to leak in the most, and manage those areas first. You’ll find that once you deal with the road noise problem, you’ll start using your yard in the ways you’ve always wanted to.

Fixing your noise problem tends to make your whole yard better in other ways, too. When you’re not constantly fighting traffic noise, you’ll feel less stressed, actually want to spend time outside, have people over, and really enjoy that outdoor space you’ve been dreaming about.
Ready to add an incredible water feature to your backyard? Give us a shout and let’s get started.