hi there all,
have a friend building a house. he has a kitchen and dinette with a pass through in between
he would like to put something in that opening to close off the kitchen at busy times, both
visually and from noise. any recommendations?
all I could think of was shutters but that wouldn’t help for noise.
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Replies
What is going on in that kitchen? Noise?
How big is that pass-through? Most pass-throughs are small, 18" high by 24 or so inches. If you have a noise problem, someone needs to learn how to wash dishes, or how to talk like a human.
Now, if you are talking about a large opening more the size of a wall above a bank of lower cabinets that is another issue, but is not called a pass-through. The learning how to talk still applies. LOL. Some people install sliding windows. Some people install shutters. Neither is likely to significantly lessen noise.
it's 50" wide by 24" tall and it's easier to install something than to teach a bunch of clowns manners.the window idea is not bad
This was common in homes a hundred years ago. They had a lot of servants speaking chinese or french or clanking and clunking and the handyman sparking with the maid while the cook copped the legs off the chicken....so the pass thru and the butler's pantry isolated the kitchen from the dinning room. Also, with those big old wood or coal kitchen stoves, the heat needed to be kept out there too. The pass-throughs there had a solid panel hung on sash cords and weights just like a single huing window. When in the up position, it disappears into the wall above. When down, it looked like a paneled wall.But that would take a rebuild of the wall in that area probably, to creat the void and lift the header.
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How high off the floor is it? 50' wide and 24" tall seems a bit odd, and a window in that application might be odder still.
Hmm?
thanks everyone for the replies and thanks Piffin for the background.i think we're gonna focus on just closing off the area visually and the noise will be what the noise will be.DoRight, maybe they will have to learn after all!
I agree with DoRight -- most of what's been done in other homes is for the look, and is not very good against noise.
If you truly want to kill the noise, you'll need tow unattached surfaces, with airspace between them. Like maybe you could mount a door from each side, both of them weatherstripped. When both are closed, the weatherstripping breaks the attachment, and seals some of the sound out. And the space between probably won't transmit the sound too much.
Good luck.
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how about your first thot...
a "pass through window"?
as in side hinged/wood frames single pane glass.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
...he would like to put something in that opening to close off the kitchen at busy times, both visually and from noise. any recommendations?
How about a pair of pocket doors? French doors are good, too, but they can interfere with furniture placement, etc.
He's just now building the house?
Get rid of the pass through window, get rid of the whole wall.
Open the place up so everyone can see who is making the noise.
Let's have some family and friends participation here.
Do away with the isolation chamber, the closed in look and feeling.
Show off that new kitchen.
Spread out the sound.
Use soft materials scattered around in the new larger space to absorb the sound energy generated by happy productive people.
Take away kitchen privileges from your noisy mother-in-law and the rest of those who create disharmony instead of musical dishes, pots and pans.
you got a point. about getting rid of the mother-in-law, that is.the house is actually drywalled and this "problem" just occured to him.
We just closed in a pass-through of a similar size by making bi-folding doors to match the cherry cabinets.