House on busy road

[ocelot41]

Just seen a great house on a busy-ish road. We couldn't afford it on a quieter road. The back of the house and garden get no road noise but the front gets a bit (more than I would like).

They already have new double glazing - would secondary acoustic glazing help too? Does anyone have experience of this. Its a big old stone villa so will have thick stone walls.

[Ifailed]

depends on what you consider busy, and the type of road. We used to live on a B road that would get very busy in rush hour, with slow moving traffic (on a hill), and we got used to it quite quickly. However, I wouldn't want to live near a fast-moving road, not just because of the noise but the danger of getting in and out

[Bluntness100]

We did it, it was right on a A road, which really only got busy at rush hour. There was no noise in the house and yes it was a lovely property for the price because of its location. However I wouldn't do it ever again, constant parking issues and just the always stepping out the front door to be faced with the road and traffic, and having to keep window coverings so people couldn't see in and so we weren't constantly looking at the road, really did wear us down. Both of us said never again when we sold up.

[Luckystar1]

I lived on a 'main' street through a tiny village, which, unbeknownst to us when we moved in, was a rat run. I would never ever live on a road again. So noisy (even with new double glazing it was just awful). This was probably not aided by the fact that the road wasn't 'made' for lots of traffic so there were lots of cars parked too, it was like a maze. We'd have double decker buses, lorries, cars etc sitting outside the house waiting for a clear road, letter box rattling, people looking in, people beeping horns. Awful, awful, awful.

It would begin slowly from around 4am, it was terrible at rush hour, impossible to get in or out of your house and people were so aggressive.

That's only my experience of course, but, honestly, the first night in our new house, I slept like a log. For the previous 5 years it had been ear plugs and disturbed sleep every night.

[Suzietwo]

Definitely not.

[wowfudge]

Depends on the set up. Our last house was on a busy road, but set back from the road so traffic noise was minimal. Our current house is on a busy A road thought set back and up a hill. There is a fair bit of traffic noise as we only have single glazing, but you really don't notice it after a while unless it is nighttime and otherwise really quiet.

[cece]

I moved from a busy residential road (had a bus route down it and a bit of a rat run) and now live in a cul de sac. Much prefer the cul de sac.

[Spickle]

I live on a fairly busy road. We are set back from it and have a driveway which is wide enough to turn round on so no problems getting in and out. Back of the house and garden are quiet. I can hear the traffic at the front and we are double glazed but have heard that secondary glazing will cut the noise much more. Personally, I am very happy here - it's the first house I've had where there haven't been parking problems because people don't really park on the street and there are also no ball games at the front so my car is safe from stray footballs! Admittedly when we think about retiring, it will probably be somewhere quiet and secluded but in the meantime this has been a lovely family home and because it's not absolutely quiet, we've found we can sleep anywhere and not be disturbed!

[IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday]

It would put me off 100%. Not just the noise but also the pollution. There have been some studies recently re health worries when living on a busy road. I wouldn't want exposure to that, if I had a choice.

[CountMagnus]

We had a house in a cul de sac but with a busy road at the back, so no parking problems or nosy passers by but lots of road noise. Didn't help that the road was used as a rat run and had numerous potholes so trucks would be particularly loud bouncing over them. It was fine in the house with the windows closed but noisy with them open, and the garden was very noisy.

Our current rental is on a T-junction of two busy roads - lots of noise and dust, plus pets have to be confined to secure areas (we lost one cat to the road in the last house). I hated it so much when we first moved in as the noise was just terrible (I did get used to it, but it still bothers me at times).

Our new house is set on a walkway and a good way from any roads. I am so looking forward to having windows open at night and not having to worry about pets with no road sense.

[Riderontheswarm]

I think it depends on how busy the road is and on how great the house is. We live on a main road between 2 villages. Very few cars use it. I never notice noise or traffic but I did have doubts about buying it because it was on a main road. Am very glad we went ahead with it. Could you park a bit about the road and observe the traffic to see how busy and noisy it is?

[Notonthestairs]

Our house is on a busy A road. It's set back from the road with a driveway large enough to turn around in.
The road bothers me. I worry about my kids waking along the admittedly broad pavement. It has 30 mile an hour limit which nobody pays any attention to. And we can't open our bedroom windows in the summer.
But we here for the next 10-15 years so we're putting in secondary glazing etc and extending in the back which is where we spend most of our time.
Honestly I would prefer a house off a main road and wouldn't buy another one. It was the best house we could afford at the time.

[Lucisky]

I lived on a busy road for 15 years, it was quiet at night though. I got used to the noise, but did have triple glazing at the front. One downside was the dirt. I was forever washing off the front door and had the front windows cleaned weekly. Black dust (presumably from car exhausts? I don't know) would even find its way in through all the glazing as well. I now live in a street so quiet children play in the road and in the autumn you can hear the leaves blowing down the lane. It's lovely, and I feel much less stressed. I think noise has a bigger effect on us than we realise.

[EineKleine]

Triple glazing is increasingly an option.

I grew up in a beautiful house on a main road. I have very fond memories of it. My mum's only regrets were that we couldn't play out or ride our bikes, and the ice cream van did all the cul de sacs around so we could always hear the van but never have an ice cream. Funny the random bits that stand out. Noise wasn't really a factor.

[johnd2]

We had the same situation, almost ruled out our house due to the A road, and the drive is only 4m long. However with the 50k+ we saved we easily paid for triple glazing with 2 layers of 4mm glass and one layer of 6mm. The triple was supposed to be 15% more then double, but in the end they did it cheaper then the original double price. But probably still double would be slightly cheaper.
Apparently the 2+1 glazing is much much quieter, but a pain as you have to open both layers separately.

[woofsaidtimmy]

If you commute, you might feel safer on or near a busy road late at night or on dark evenings.

[anotherdayanothersquabble]

Does the noise bother you? If it does, you will never get used to it. It will ne difficult to sell and in tough times for property other property will shift more quickly. but..... if you love it, know that you are getting something you couldn't afford otherwise, then go for it. There will be a buyer out there for it.

[Badders123]

It's cheaper for a reason...

[heffalumpshavewrinkles]

Worth remembering it will be more difficult to sell as well. Anyone who doesn't like the noise or has young kids or cats won't even consider it. This would put me off more than the road itself iyswim!

[TremoloGreen]

Absolutely not. The noise would drive me bonkers and even if it didn't the pollution would put me off massively.

[BarchesterFlowers]

I wouldn't, and I say that as someone who lived on a very rural A road. Fab listed house that we loved with ten acres of land but the house was next to the road rather than in the middle of the land.

It took 28 months to sell.

[BumWad]

We live in a busy ish road.

However we have nothing at the back of the house except gorgeous countryside

I remember when we first moved in it annoyed the hell out of me but I don't even hear it now.

Bear in mind it is noisier when it rains etc.

[BarchesterFlowers]

We were the same, nothing behind us but our ten acres and then a stately home behind that. Countryside for miles. The house was perfect and we still miss it.

You couldn't hear the road in the house generally, but you could still hear it upstairs at times, through the roof I think despite masses of insulation.

You could hear it in the garden at he back of the house so we made an area to sit as far away as we could.

The front garden was noisy, it had a six foot stone wall.

We thought it would never sell.

[Bambambini]

Nope, we lived on a busy road. Buses going by from 6 in the morning. Kids couldn't play out. Reversing out the drive was a nightmare - especially in the morning. Have lived in 2 peaceful rosds since and it's glorious in comparison.

[Miniwookie]

I live on a busy 30mph road. Main road into the village and gets lots of traffic at rush hour. We are set back though and the noise isn't noticeable. We have young kids but it didn't particularly put me off as houses the same size on quiet roads are at least 50k more and it has a lovely big back garden that's quiet, not overlooked and has lots of trees. A house came a few doors down went up for sale a few months ago and sold in a few weeks.

[Kiroro]

Could be a good buy if you take a super long term view - electric cars will be cleaner and quieter.... maybe in 30 years time all cars on the road will be electric :-)