Soundproof Chicago

I've had my windows for about a month now and it has been night & day. I live in the loop near Millennium Park, so I had constant noise 24/7 as my building/existing windows are very old. I no longer have to pause what I'm watching at night to wait for whatever ruckus outside is happening to quiet down. As a bonus, I'm also having fewer issues trying to keep the temperatures regulated! They're very professional and were great to work with. Also, very much a family owned and operated business from end-to-end (CEO himself came to measure, his sister handled communications, his father helped with installation, etc.) - I was super happy to give them my business and will continue to evangelize them whenever I can. Thanks!!!

They were responsible, on-time, and courteous throughout. We would hire them again in a millisecond (thankfully we don't need any more soundproofing for now).

It exceeded my expectations! I live in a condo building that doesn't have much soundproofing. The neighbor on one side was noisy all day & night and also I heard typical "living/existing" noises (water running, phone ringing, sneezing, conversations, walking, etc. - and those noises coupled with a noisy neighbor (blasting TV 24/7, partying, fighting, and slamming doors) made it much worse. So I had one bedroom wall (that I shared with this noisy neighbor) soundproofed. It cut down on my noise about 85% - and I'm told it can improve even more over the next 6 months. The owner Mike was tremendous - immediate response and answered all my questions and concerns and explained the whole disconnection process of soundproofing very patiently. I had my brother call as well (he did thorough research on soundproofing for me) and Mike very patiently explained the entire process to him as well over the phone to my brother and again in our face-to-face meeting. He really has a passion for his work and such a great guy. His men who did the work were beyond great! Joe and George and Dave were such professionals. During the whole process they explained it step by step and let me take pictures of each step. Such personable men - so hardworking and conscientious and courteous. They took such pride in their work. And their cleanup was so thorough and so appreciated! I can't say enough about the whole company - believe me you are in good hands - I would hire them again in a heartbeat! And price-wise: they were the lowest; but we didn't go with them because they were the lowest. When we compared their process with others we were researching, this company's whole process sounded right, spot-on; sounded like it had the greatest potential -- and it turned out better than we hoped for. You get a lot for your money. Honestly, when you then see exactly what they do - it's very involving - I'm surprised it wasn't more costly. You can't go wrong with this company! Bottom line: I can sleep again!! Thank you Soundproof Chicago!

Mike & team were great. They showed up on time, cleaned up after each day & completed on time.

I love living in Chicago. However, many condo buildings have minimal, if any, sound insulation between units. Being woken up at night and very early morning by walking upstairs, dropping items, phones going off, talking, tv sounds, footsteps and thuds, dishwasher noise, bodily noises, etc all can lead to lack of sleep, bitterness and unhappiness. This is when I researched the various possibilities for sound abatement for quite some time. I did not want to move as I love the neighborhood, but knew I wanted to make my home a more livable and peaceful environment. This is where Mike and his crew come in. During late winter/early Spring, I called Mike to have him come out to discuss some sound abatement in my condo. He returned my call in a timely manner and we discussed over the phone some of the issues that I was having. He was able to come out soon after for an estimate. During the call and at the estimate time, Mike was prompt, courteous, very professional, trustworthy and thorough. He never made me feel rushed when I asked him the million questions and concerns that I had for taking on such a large project. He listened to my concerns and was prepared with info and pictures to show me what methods Soundproof Chicago uses and the effectiveness of each. Within a day or two, he was able to provide a very detailed estimate with a few options to choose from. After living in the condo a few years, I decided to have a large portion of my condo done with exception to the bathrooms (one can shut the door to block out that noise), laundry room and a small office room and hall closets. I decided to take off the current drywall ceiling and go with the more intense method suggested to reduce more noise. I also had a dividing wall between two bedrooms done to reduce tv noise from room to room and to give more privacy when guests stayed the night. Mike worked with me on getting a date set and was open to my schedule. To book a date, he asks that 1/3 of cost be paid, 1/3 given on the start date and 1/3 at the end after all has been finished. After I booked the date, I had some questions/concerns and called Mike to talk about and he always returned my call and was able to thoroughly answer my questions and take time with me so I was not worried. On the day the construction was to begin, the foreman, Henry, arrived on time and ready to work. I don’t think there is enough space to write about all the positive and awesome attributes of both Henry and Mike and the quality of care and skill they have in what they do, but in short, I would hire them again in an instant if I ever had to. Down-to-earth, really fun to talk to, precise and very skilled. Henry had a lot to manage as he did ½ the condo at a time and he engineered very creative ways to keep the other half clean while working on one side. Each and every day, him and his crew (who were equally as awesome), thoroughly cleaned up after themselves and showed me the progress and where they were at with the project. With any construction, things come up along the way and Mike and Henry were able to solve for the issues that did, and progressed in a timely manner. The project took about 5 weeks to complete as it was a very large area. I did not move out during this time-in hindsight that might have actually been easier as I hover a bit, ok maybe a lot-but Henry was very polite and always made me feel like it was never a burden to have me check in on the work or ask questions throughout. The results? I could not be happier! Sooooooo much more calm and peaceful here! I no longer hear from upstairs the tv noise, talking, machines that run, etc. Footfall noise has been greatly reduced-no longer when someone walks upstairs can they be traced from room-to-room throughout the condo where they are walking to. Rather, only when it is right above me, I can hear slight walking, but that is at least 65-85% less than it was. This has made the living areas incredibly nice to relax in and have people over. For the bedrooms, I no longer am woken up in the middle of the night and early morning. The results are so very positive, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Since we did not do all of the condo, if those doors are open, you can still hear noise that comes from them from above, but shutting those doors helps a lot. I was in the laundry room the other day, and could hear talking and walking from above and almost forgot how loud it was since the majority of my living areas were now sound-abated and really appreciated the results. Nothing is 100%-one cannot make a condo fully sound-proofed as noise can come in through many areas, but Mike sure does know what he is doing and what will work. The green glue that is used takes time to cure, and I have noticed better and and better results as the weeks have gone by. Mike has passion for what he does and that is evident. He truly cares about making life better and the quality of product he delivers. Ditto for Henry who worked so hard and took such great care of my condo. I had outside painters come in to paint afterwards and it was clear the level of care and professionalism was not nearly that of Soundproof Chicago and really wished they could have done the painting, too! I was nervous taking on this large of project, but it is truly worth it, especially if you like where you live and want to stay where you are. Soundproof Chicago does windows, too, and if I decide to do any sound-proof windows in the future, would not hesitate to call Mike up! Thanks again for a job well-done! The price and the craziness of demolishing/replacing a ceiling is totally worth the results-especially if you have plans to paint in the near future or want to do any other work, it is a great time to do that.

Insulated windows were installed in less than 3 hours. We had 3 very large windows to be soundproofed! Workers were very professional. Worked quickly, cleaned up afterwards. Sounds from outside are almost completely gone now! We would recommend them and use them again.

Our master bedroom and bathroom have a shared wall with the neighboring unit in our condo building. The noise transference between the units has always been pretty bad so we finally started looking into options. We could hear almost all noise from next door: television, bass, conversations, microwave beeps, footsteps walking, cabinet doors closing, etc. We contacted Michael from Soundproof Chicago to discuss options. We ended up going with an approach to rip down the current wall, install clips and channels and use green glue in between the new layers of dry wall. Because the wall now extends further out, we only did about half the bathroom otherwise it would have become a much bigger project in the bathroom. Throughout the week, Rahul and the installation team were very professional and I appreciated the fact that they explained and showed everything they were doing to me so I could get more familiar and educated with the process and the products being used. They finished on time and left the place extremely clean. As far as the results, there was definitely a noticeable improvement in the amount of noise coming through the wall, but by no means did it completely eliminate the noise. The biggest difference is that we no longer hear every normal volume conversation like we did before. If really listening with ear up to the wall, we can sometimes hear talking, but it sounds more muffled and distant. We can certainly hear sounds louder in areas of the condo where we didn’t soundproof vs. where we did, so we do know that it has helped. We can still hear a lot of impact noise like footsteps thudding and cabinets being shut. We may consider soundproofing the rest of the bathroom in the future and if we did, we would likely work with Soundproof Chicago again.

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The ceilings/floors of a fairly modern (built 2001) condominium property were constructed with no insulation or soundproofing between.  This resulted in excessive airborne noises (voices, snoring, bed movement, etc.) being transmitted from the unit above, which was particularly bothersome in the master bedroom.  After consulting with Michael regarding the issue, he proposed a solution to fit the problem.

Soundproof Chicago's direct employees and subcontractors were second to none in the categories of neatness, professionalism, skill, and integrity.  The job was completed on time and on budget. and the results were good.

Soundproofing services are not inexpensive, and I am certain that Soundproof Chicago is not the low cost provider in this category.  However, when it comes to value, I believe that Soundproof Chicago provides the best bang for the buck.  I highly recommend Soundproof Chicago to anyone looking for a reliable, honest, and effective soundproofing solution.

The guys were great, the difference is unbelievable, maybe even better than it had been before!  Everything was fantastic!

This is the second time I've used Soundproof Chicago and I couldn't be more pleased.  About 18 months ago they installed soundproof windows in our master bedroom as we live near the L and they've been amazing and work as advertised.  Recently we had Mike come out to assess an issue we were having with a patio door (unrelated to previous work with
Soundproof Chicago) and he was able to identify the issue and fix it.
 Mike's overall level of service is astounding and he really cares about his clients.  We will definitely continue to use him for all future soundproofing needs.

If you own a Chicago condo you know how much sound travels between the floors! The term "soundproofing" is a bit of a misnomer. It's virtually impossible to soundproof a room in a condo. To better set expectations, this process is more sound suppression or noise canceling. I would say the noise and sound from the upstairs condo was reduced by about 60%-70%. A significant and noticeable improvement! Not inexpensive, but I am very glad I did it. Soundproof Chicago was very professional. Mike educated me about the technology, and Joe and George were top-notch with the installation. Whether you're looking into windows or ceilings, this is the company you want. The painter they recommended was also excellent.

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It has been installed 2 weeks ago but there was no handle so they took it back and added the handle

,It was a bit slower than expected but otherwise went pretty well.  We moved to the first floor our our 100 year old building.  Plaster and lathe had been removed some years ago, and nothing put between floors to obstruct sound transmission.  We have a heavy walker living overhead.  We do still hear a sort of distant thud as she walks, but it is liveable even to my super sensistvy.  I could not have lived here without having this work done.  I wish nowto be done later in those ceilings.  I might, at some point try the blown in type in those places, as I did in the hallway.  [The hallway ceiling had already been lowered and I did not wish to lower it further with Soundsproofs method.]

When we moved into a new condo, there was a lot of street noise.  Soundproof Chicago sent Mike out to take a look at the situation and provide an estimate.   Michael provided the estimate quickly and I decided to proceed.  He did a good job interacting with the building and providing them with what they needed to get the project approved.  I provided a %50 deposit and they ordered the window.  The window came in about a month later and they installed it quickly and professionally.  They addressed all of the buildings concerns and I am very happy with the results.  I would highly recommend Soundproof Chicago and will use them again if I ever have another noise issue.

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Michael Ibarra, president, was proactive in our communications and prompt in arriving at my apartment for our meeting.  He showed his concern and empathized with my plight as he displayed a great deal of patience.  The noise in my apartment is a complicated and difficult situation, and Michael's understanding of my position was very reassuring.  He suggested possible solutions while emphasizing that we still need to diagnose the problem in greater detail before a final solution can be made.  I was very pleased with his professional demeanor throughout our discussions: He even vowed to call me from time to time in the future to check in to see how I was doing.  Hopefully, he will be a key figure in helping me as I continue to try to unravel this major problem in my life. 

Overall, the process went well. I spent a week out of town as my place was mostly uninhabitable during the construction. When I returned from vacation, I spent the rest of the time with a friend. So know that you may need to relocate, depending on where you're having the work done.
Mike and his team were excellent, the best contractors I've ever worked with--and I've had a few extensive projects done over the years. When all was said and done, there was not a trace of evidence that indicated they had been there. If you're considering sound proofing your ceilings, this is the team to use. That's why I rate the quality of their work with an A. But I distinguish between the quality of their work and the results of the sound proofing itself. Depending on your specific noise issues, you may still hear your neighbors. So manage your expectations about the results.
While certain noises coming from my neighbor's above (talking, squeaky bed) are gone, there is still a certain amount of footfall I have to live with. This particular kind of sound is impossible to completely mask, and Mike was clear with me about that from the beginning, promising 50-75% improvement. I probably fell within that range. The footfall still exists, but it's muffled. I had actually moved out of my master bedroom before the work was done and started sleeping in the quieter guest room, but I have since returned.
I'm considering using Mike for the living and dining rooms next year. Budget will determine whether I go forward as it's expensive. While the improvement in noise reduction wasn't as great as I wanted, it's probably enough to keep me from moving immediately.

Everything worked out great! Mike was very responsive from the moment I first contacted him. He's very good with email. Mike explained my options thoroughly and provided a very reasonable quote. Mike and his team were very professional, punctual, courteous, and fast. The soundproofing went up within a day and then the paint guy wrapped things up beautifully. These guys worked nonstop. The soundproofing results are very close to 100%. I live in a condo and my master bedroom wall is next to my neighbor's master bedroom wall. I could hear everything, even when he sneezed and every word from his TV. There was no insulation between our walls. Now, my space is so quite and peaceful. I'm very satisfied with the results.

Mike came out to provide an estimate and a few weeks later we decided to move forward with the work. The windows were made custom for our space (irregular size) and situation. Mike and the team showed up on time and worked all day to ensure that everything was installed to our satisfaction and window treatments replaced correctly. Due to an issue with one of our blinds, they even had to take it down and put it up again but did so without complaint. Since the installation there is a significant reduction in street noise. The only things we hear now are things that are very loud (sirens, etc.) and are heard in most homes with proximity to a more trafficked street. Definitely a worthwhile investment.

It is hard to find a contractor who takes soundproofing in a residence seriously, or who can really offer much of substance.  But Mike Ibarra from Soundproof Chicago has thoroughly figured out the art and science of soundproofing, and has matched it with top-shelf customer service. His predictions to me were very accurate: after soundproofing, we experienced a 50% reduction of footfall noise, and a close to 100% reduction of  airborne noise (TV, music, conversation) from a unit above us.  The project was messy and involved (also things that Mike had predicted) but he and his team had taken a lot of time to prep the house beforehand, and the place ended up looking better than before he had started. And it is certainly much quieter!
A few things didn't turn out as I had hoped, and Mike was right there to resolve everything. He went above and beyond to make sure that every detail was the way I wanted it.  I give him the highest possible recommendation.

We have been enjoying quiet nights ever since.  Mike was incredibly responsive and professional.  He help set our expectations and was very honest.  He was a pleasure to work with and I am sooo happy we made this investment.  Thank you!!

This contractor performed an on site estimate with various options. We agreed to the most effective solution and it was less than a week between signing the contract and the time the contractor appeared to do the work. Despite the fact that the demolition of the existing wall was more complex and time consuming than anticipated, the contractor completed the replacement wall in one day as promised. We had engaged a painter to put the decorative finishes on the wall and immediately thereafter the contractor returned to seal the electrical outlets and reinstall the baseboards and crown molding he had removed. The contractor and his employees were punctual, clean and considerate of our home. The work was done on time and within budget. The only surprise was how smoothly the job went. And most important, we no longer have to endure any noise coming from our neighbors. I heartily recommend this contractor to anyone needing his services.