Mumsnet Talk

Our house backs onto a field. There's noise twice a week from training. Not throughout the year due to the short seasons, bad weather etc. it's absolutely fine.

Big NO from me. I know too many people who have bought a house backing onto a field for it to become a nightmare.

Friends recently rented on a new estate which was still being built - noisy, muddy roads and footpaths, lots of site traffic - not my cup of tea.

When we buy a house we have a rule that if there are 3+ major unchangeable things that we dont like, we dont buy it.

I would suggest that a sportsfield, or a building site, or the eventual development (especially if you dont know what it will be like) would put people off. I dont like the sound of the clubhouse either.

If you think in the future you way want to sell quickly for a reasonable price (not get silly offers or sit on the market for months), personally I think its all a bit risky.

I suppose it depends what is likely to be built there (and that depends on what kind of area it is). You might end up next door to a high-end close of detached houses, which will probably boost the price of your house, however you might end up nestled next to a block of affordable housing which might not be as good.

The building work wouldn't bother me overmuch (but then I grew up in a house that was one of the first to be built on our estate, so there was building work going on all around throughout my childhood).

It would put me off or, at the very least, make me a little wary, because theres no way of actually visualising what the development will look like, how it will impact on your home (eg. will it overlook your home? Or block out the light?) Will it cause increased traffic/parking problems? What will any new neighbours be like etc?)

A new development was recently built at the end of my (rented) back garden. At first, I thought 'Well, it's probably good that the land will be used.' Then a huge house was built across the whole end of the garden. It's particularly ugly because it has no windows at the back (although of course this means that we're not overlooked). I think the + of having a new development nearby is probably taken away by the - of the hulking monstrosity at the end of the garden . I was surprised by the building work though - it lasted ~ a year, and was noisy at times, but was generally okay. There was some disruption due to lorry access.

I want to mooooooove (house hunting...).

When we lived on a new development they were building the other side of the road, directly opposite us and even being at home all day I wasn't bothered by the noise.
The roads were muddy in bad weather because of all the building traffic
The DC loved having live action Bob the builder at the front windows!

We've got building work going on near us. Not right next door but it doesn't seem to be very disruptive. They only work normal hours so there isn't noise early or late and although there have been lorries they have arrived during the day.

A development of houses is very unlikely to reduce the value of your house. In fact it's more likely to increase the value.

For me, I would probably be more put off by the sports field - is it secure? Is it only accessed for organised sports, or can the 'kids' hang around there in the evening, possibly drinking etc?

Also what is the schedule like for the sports? Are you likely to have football matches in the summer evenings - making noise whan you are trying to put young DC to bed?

Would these things bother you? They would me but I am a grouch.

WRT the building site, I'm 50/50 over that. My work is next to a building site at the moment - it is very dusty, quite noisey, but other than that it doesn't really affect us.

Your view would be affected while they are building.

I suppose it is a balancing act. What are the pro's of the house? Can you get similar in the area for your budget? Is this in a very goos catchment etc.

We have found a house which we really like which currently has a house on one side and sports fields + clubhouse on the other. There is planning permission for a development of new houses on the sports fields, which could be built it seems any time in the next 4/5 yrs. so if built we would just have a house on the other side as well which would be fine. Perhaps in a way better as the back garden would just have another back garden next to it rather than clubhouse which could have functions etc. I suppose the concern is more the disruption while building is happening although this would not be forever. Also if we did need to sell it and the planning permission had been extended it might put buyers off? What do you think, is it a big no no?