John,

I think you are underestimating how quiet a 10" SIP building would be with just a few additions.  By using the double plate you are cutting down on a source of sound transmission, and I would fill between the plates with spray foam for insulation purposes.  Fill EVERY nook and craney, crack and crevass in the home with foam or caulking.  I am only familiar with the gulf coast, but if possible use a non-vented attic; I assume you are since you're using a SIP roof.  Double or triple the sheetrock for mass, and then go fill every crack you can find again.  I don't think you will be able to hear the Roosters through the wall.  You will be able to hear them through the glass, and ANY openings you might have, but all you can do is buy the best windows you can afford.  Tightly sealed windows are also much quieter.  There are weak spots for sound transmission in any wall structure, but it most likely will not be through the wall, but around it or through the windows, vent stacks, wall penetrations, etc.

We built a spec home a few years back using 6 1/2" Sip walls and 10 1/2" Sip roof, sealed attic and we were FANATIC about getting everything seal, caulked, etc. This is much easier to do with a SIP home by the way.  This was the most quiet house I had ever been in.  It was only about 150 feet off of a very busy road, and you did not even know the outside world existed inside that house.

Dan Miller

Dan, et al.

I really appreciate all of the input. I've gotten a lot of great feedback in this thread, much of which I'll be using on this next little home. I indeed will have a non-vented attic, an air-tight envelope, and the best windows and doors I can get my hands on. I also like the idea of the split plates with the spray foam insulation between, doubling up on the sheetrock, and caulking and sealing everything to death.

I've decided to make do with the 10 1/4" XPS SIPs for both the walls and the roof and to pass on adding an inner stud wall. It's just too much. I'm making sure that the barn to be built will be positioned between the house and the chicken coop, and that a windbreak of Swedish Aspen gets planted in front of the open side of the coop to stop the noise from projecting into the huge open field that the coop will face. Further, the house will be oriented so the front of the house faces due North, and the open side of the coop faces due South.

I think all of these things added up should solve the problem without having to sacrifice any valuable space in the house itself. One thing I didn't mention is that the size of the coop (1,080 sq ft) will actually be larger than the actual house (1,049 sq ft), which is why I'm obsessing a bit about all of this. At capacity, the coop will house 120 hens, 40 roosters, and 2 dozen turkeys.

I'll eventually cull the roosters back to 2 dozen, but that's still potentially a lot of crowing.  

Thanks again for the feedback.



John