Soundproofing an up-down style two family home in RI

[KEVIN FLYNN]

Anyone know how to soundproof an up-down 2 family home?  I'm located in Rhode Island and my 1st floor tenant is worried about the noise from upstairs, mainly walking around seems to bother them.  I have about 8-9 feet of ceiling height and I'm not sure if I can put a barrier 6inches to a foot to reduce the noise transfer.  If anyone knows a contractor who may be able to help that would be awesome!  I could tell them they have to deal with it but I'd rather give them a quiet space.  Thanks!  Also I heard that spraying insulation may help but only slightly, I'd prefer to do it the right way once.

[JD Martin]

The only good way to eliminate noise is to eliminate the echo chambers and direct connections that transfer noise. Spray foam is fantastic at eliminating noise, but even plain old insulation batts do a good job. When I spray-foamed my mechanical room, I cannot even hear the furnace kicking on any more. You could conceivably spray 6 inches of foam on the existing ceiling and then put a drop ceiling below it for the unit downstairs. Honestly, however, what did they expect when they moved into a duplex? One of the downsides of living with other people is hearing them. Unless you're getting some kind of crazy rent from this place I don't know that I would mess with it unless the place was already under rehab.