AIBU to avoid buying a house on a very narrow road?

[Icookpotatoes56]

Been viewing a nice house to buy today with space for off road parking for 2 cars but
it is on a very narrow long road where 2 cars cannot pass at the same time and the highway code says it is illegal to mount the kerb and that one of us should reverse out

AIBU not to buy the house?

I live on a road like this. It rarely effects me as I live right on the end, it’s a pain for the people further down the street, people do just mount the curb though

I've previously owned a property like this and wouldn't do again I don't think. House itself was gorgeous, very quaint small road but parking was a problem, deliveries were a constant issue. Moving in and out was a bit of a nightmare.

Worst of it though was trying to get the trades in for jobs. You could tell they weren't keen with the additional access issues for vans/materials/equipment and so we always found it quite difficult to find anyone decent to do the works. Getting roof work done was costly and difficult due to specialist scaffolding being required and again a general lack of keenness to take on the job over, presumably much easier jobs where they don't have to worry about these things.

I understand that this might not bother some people and won't apply to all homes/road widths of course but it did chip away at my enjoyment of living there, especially as we needed to renovate. We have moving again soon and I find myself scrutinising the road and access each time as I wouldn't want to be in the position again.

thx I really like the house but not sure if the road should put me off for not

bump

Sounds like my son and daughter in law’s first house years ago. They loved the house but the road situation was a pain. It was a Victorian terrace on a narrow road where 2 cars couldn’t pass each other. It was left to the good will/common sense of drivers to take their turn to drive along the road. Sadly, common courtesy was often lacking and drivers getting out of their cars on the road to hurl abuse and the occasional fist at each other wasn’t unusual.

It was a common occurrence for parked cars to be damaged by passing cars. Delivery vans, bin lorries added to the chaos. They eventually sold up .

I think there you need to consider/ answer a few more things:

• How narrow is the road? Is it a normal single lane (e.g. vans and removal lorries could get down it) or is it more of a squeeze than that? And, are you sure there’s not enough room to pass? There are several roads near me that get parked up and you often get huge delays because people don’t think there’s enough room for two cars to pass. But actually, there’s plenty of room - it’s a bus route and you can quite literally get a bus (and a car) through there!
• How busy is the road? - how many houses use or share it? Is it a dead end and so only used by the residents or is it used by people travelling elsewhere? Is it going to be a frequent occurrence that will affect almost every journey and sometimes lead to long waits just to get to and from you house?
• Do people park on the road too - inc delivery drivers, builders and such - or are the big, easily accessible driveways?
• How long is the road? (Are you talking a dozen meters, a few 100m, or a mile or more?) and do you actually have to reverse all the way out or are there earlier opportunities to pass? If all the way out, what are you reversing out onto? If onto a busy main road then frankly, whatever the highway code says, jumping the kerb is the only option!

If you really like the house it might be worth going back to the road at a few different times of day to get a feel of what it’s like.

I’m also not sure I’d hold too tightly to what the Highway Code says. Sometimes mounting the kerb is the best and safest option. Though doing it too frequently won’t be great for your tyres!

Unless you have unlimited funds, house buying is always a compromise.

This feels like a pretty small one, but ultimately if it's enough to put you off then find somewhere else.

@Cosimarocks yeh I get that

How narrow is the road? - narrow Id say around 2.4-2.5 meters wide
How busy is the road? - not too busy but one end is a turning point or couldesac and a lot of parked cars there
Do people park on the road too - inc delivery drivers, builders and such - or are the big, easily accessible driveways? id say 3/4 of properties have off road parking of some kind
How long is the road? probably 380 meters roughly according to google maps

anyone

We used to live on a narrow road of Victorian terraces. Two cars couldn’t pass each other and vans/ lorries with deliveries really struggled - the entire side of my car got badly damaged by a lorry trying to inch its way through. Thankfully the road is now one way which has made life considerably easier.

thx unfortunately this road isn't one way yet

We live on a narrow road , as it is just off the main road the only traffic is from people visiting or living here .
Only 40 houses but lots of cars !

Main downside over the years is in winter it's an ice-rink, we never get a scrap of grit , just got to wait till it melts as people leave their cars at home or don;t go out .
It's not a huge issue though , not much snow/ice in recent years .
Other people parking is the main issue