Dream house noisy road

[nalenoo]

Relocated 2 months ago to be closer to family (as have DD 20 months) In short term flexible rental. Unexpectedly found house to buy very quickly that we loved - amazing village location (our ideal village), walking distance to lovely school, in quiet cul de sac etc. Offer accepted 6 weeks ago (at our max budget). On first 2 visits before offering noticed there was noise from dual carriageway (about 150m away) but didn't think it seemed like a big deal. Went back last weekend for further viewing (wet windy day) and couldn't believe how loud it was especially in the garden. Im absolutely gutted and now thinking of pulling out but trying to weigh up is this too much of a compromise to have otherwise lovely location/school. Market is obviously slow at minute and only other options that have come up are complete fixer uppers which we are not too keen on given we have a toddler. AIBU?

My dream house was near a noisy road, nothing else in our budget ever came up that was so perfect. It was a truly amazing Edwardian house with a half acre garden with a mature grapevine growing across the pergola and a huge kitchen with a double oven plus original stained glass windows. Perfect apart from road. What I did look at was the councils pollution report and as it was a major road the pollution was dreadful and as I had small children that was what stopped me buying not the potential noise so much.

It would bother me a lot if you can hear it in the house, plus I'd never enjoy the garden.
But it's up to you what you can tolerate. You've still got time to make a decision even if it means more house hunting hassle.

Can you erect any buffering between property and road? A hedge or similar?

Well, it's entirely up to you, whether you think you can live with the house or not. If you think the noise would impact you to the point of not enjoying the house, then pull out. House buying is always a series of compromises.

You do get used to road noise and eventually stop hearing it if it's just cars. But if it is really bothering you already it might be better to pull out. At least you have noticed before you committed. We bought a house on a single carriageway main route into the city that we had lived on previously in a different property so thought it would be ok. But the new house is a bit closer to the road and doesn't have a front wall or fence, it's just a driveway and then the road. It feels like the lorries and coaches are practically in our living room sometimes! Even sleeping at the back of the house I can hear them go by. Cars are fine, I have tuned them out. Everyone says we'll get used to the noise from the lorries/coaches and stop noticing but it's been over a year and I still notice. I wish I could pick up our house and move it one road back from the main road!

I would not live that close to a dual carriage way due to noise and pollution concerns.

I live near a busy road, it was what I could afford to get the space I needed. I've planted lots of high hedging and trees and they give the illusion of peace.

I wouldn’t.
We have a beautiful Edwardian house on a main road. Yes sometimes I don’t notice it as much but it’s always there. The road is just getting busier and busier and wet it’s wet the noise is pretty bad.

*when it’s wet

If you ever decide to sell, you’ll have a tiny pool of potential buyers.
Theres a reason it’s one of very few available on the market! No one else could overlook the road

You would have to weigh up whether the house is at the price it is due to its proximity to the road and whether the same house further away would be £££ more that you potentially couldn't afford.

The housing market is slow at the moment but If you have the wiggle room in your budget and are aware you will probably need to wait a while then pass on this one but if not, consider whether there is scope for adding hedging/fencing to help with the noise.

Id pull out. I had a house on a busy road, people say you get used to it but I never did. It was worse at night with lorries going past. We couldn't enjoy the garden. We had to shout over the noise to poor little dd when she wanted to play out.
I went to a friends who lived no wgere near busy roads and sat in her garden one day and it felt like a stress had been lifted that I didn't realise was there. My brain went ahhhhh.
Plus the pollution as others said. Another friend was told her asthma was caused by living next to a busy road. She was really poorly with it.

Surely it's not a "dream house" if it blighted by noise and pollution.

Noise I could probably get used to. The pollution is worse.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/25/living-near-busy-road-stunts-childrens-lung-growth-study-says

Honestly, buy the area not the house. You can transform any home into your dream home but not the other way around. We looked at 3 houses a couple of years ago which ticked every box but the roads were busy - and this was during lockdown. One is in the next village where we ended up buying - honestly it had stunning views of rolling hills and even a swimming pool - however the road noise was loud. The agent even gave us a wrong address as she knew if we went to the house before her we would run for the hills before seeing it!! I thought I could have lived with it but my partner had more sense than me and we passed. It sat on the market for ages but finally sold. New owners moved in. After 6-7 months they are trying to sell it. It went under offer but then back on sale where it is still sitting unsold. Such a shame as it's lovely.

Personally I would pull out. Pollution potential would be a major factor as well as the noise. I wouldn't want my child growing up using a garden breathing in fumes or not being abke to have the windows open due to noise/pollution. Night time is still noisy too despite less traffic. We had a house for a short time (inheritance) near a dual carriageway with a natural barrier between the property and the road, it was always audible both night and day and like you have found, especially when wet. No amount of well established trees and hedges kept it out.
On the flip side... we bought a doer upper with a child the same age as yours, it was fine, they got stuck in too (age appropriately) and had a great time 'helping' Good luck 🙂

Wet roads make a lot more noise. It also depends on the prevailing wind. We live half a mile from a dual carriageway and you can only hear it very rarely. How close is the house to the road? I have a friend who lives under a motorway flyover and it's constant noise.

Ugh l lived in a very busy B road. It was awful. The traffic would start up at 5.00 am.

It was impossible to open the bedroom window, as it was so noisy. So we just boiled alive. Never again.

You do get used to the noise. I lived in a house backing into a dual carriageway for 3yrs, I would never have bought a house that close to a dual carriage way, and especially not having a small child. Agree with previous poster who said buy the area, you can do work on the house to make it your own. Even if you have to do some work, long term if it’s going to be your forever home it’s worth the hassle to get the house you want in the area you want

For me road noise is a definite no, I’ve lived with road noise before and I never got used to it, I hated it. I live practically in the middle of a field now it’s lovely!

This says within 50 metres. OP’s potential house is 150 yards away.

Is the road to the front or to the rear? If to the front, then garden should be quieter - a house blocks the sound wonderfully. Triple glazing at the front is an effective sound barrier if you don't need your front windows open all the time.

If the road is to the rear and blighting the garden, that's a different matter.

Road noise will also depend on wind direction, it'll carry more when the wind is toward you.

Thanks for all your messages - really helpful!
The road is north of the house (house gets hit with south west wind) but because of the angle of the road garden is only partially blocked by the house. It’s a lovely private garden with huge established trees but I think only so much noise blocking they can do when the road is so close.
when I mentioned about fixer uppers close by they are at other side of village so wouldn’t be as close to the road (I’m not totally averse to noise but just don’t want it it feel like lorries are passing through my garden!)
I guess I know what my gut is telling me, and once you get this feeling it’s hard to shake it - gutted though!!

Don’t do it. If you’re noticing it now, you’ll never un-hear it. Plus it will put people off who you might want to sell to. It doesn’t sound as though you need to move so I’d stay in the rental and wait for something better. You can do a lot to a house but you can’t change where it is.