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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Busy road v amazing house... Aargh!

48 replies

Mummynotmum · 15/08/2013 19:46

So DH has totally fallen in love with this amazingly massive and stunning house. It would need loads of work doing, cosmetic and a bit more serious... But the potential is fabulous. Unbelievably it's affordable. Just. But the only reason it's affordable is because its on one of the main roads in Manchester. We wouldn't double glaze because the windows are all beautiful and old and original. But we could put in secondary glazing. Do any of you have experience with that? Ad more importantly... Would you live on a main road? DCs are 5 and 3 but there's a bit gated driveway so I'm not too concerned about them running into the road...

OP posts:

cece · 15/08/2013 19:47

I would not want to live on a main road, however amazing the house was. Think of the noise and air pollution and the traffic congestion you might encounter just to get home...

orangeandemons · 15/08/2013 19:50

I live on a main road and hate it, it's like living on Brands Hatch

SadPander · 15/08/2013 19:52

I don't have personal experience, but think secondary glazing is supposed to be really good at keeping out noise, sure others can tell you more on this.

We have cats, and that is the only reason I wouldn't live on a main road. If its the way to afford the house of your dreams then I wouldn't day its an unreasonable compromise and I would prefer traffic to noise to the other potential noises you could have on a street. (My parents used to live on a very major road and said they soon got used to traffic noise to the point where they didn't notice it). Can you hear traffic in the garden though, that would be my only other concern?

SadPander · 15/08/2013 19:54

Oh yes, hadn't thought of potential congestion to get in and out of your drive as others have said. Would you potentially be waiting 10 mins to even turn out of your drive in the mornings?

Hassled · 15/08/2013 19:57

I live on a very busy road and we just don't hear the traffic noise anymore - are completely oblivious to it. And as with yours, it's a much bigger house than we could otherwise have afforded because of the crap location. Mind you, we are double glazed throughout - whether I could cope without that I don't know.

Re the safety - we tend to use the back door for entering and exiting, and then put in a side gate as well as a front gate.

SingingSands · 15/08/2013 19:59

Is it set back at all?

My parents owned a really beautiful Victorian villa on a main road, but was set back and elevated from the road. It helped that there was nothing behind it but a huge garden then a huge field. Original glazing too, they never secondary glazed it.

The traffic was only a pain before 9am during the week, but parents had no trouble with accessing or exiting the property. The noise was just traffic, its not overly offensive, just a quiet rumble. Thick Victorian walls and doors were good noise dampeners!

Like you, they bought it at a good price and put lots of work into it. It was in stunning condition when they sold it.

So, despite the road it was a wonderful family home.

orangeandemons · 15/08/2013 19:59

Yes, that's one of the worst things. Parking and driving off. No one gives you an inch, and they seem to regard it as offence when you try and pull out.

Relaxedandhappyperson · 15/08/2013 19:59

We lived in a big house on a main road when I was growing up. The house was a bit back/up from the road and most of the rooms faced the back so it was very easy to ignore the road.
We had neither double nor secondary glazing and it wasn't too loud. My brother had the front bedroom and used to enjoy watching drivers in queues picking their noses when they thought they weren't being watched.

We had a cat too and he just lived out the back in the gardens.

I think it would be different if cars were passing 1ft from your window but if it's got a bit of a gap then certainly don't rule it out. We wouldn't have lived there if it hadn't been on the main road as my parents couldn't have afforded somewhere that big a few streets away.

Relaxedandhappyperson · 15/08/2013 20:00

Oh, and the drive was at the back too.

BrianTheMole · 15/08/2013 20:00

I live on a main road and i hate it. I want to live on a quiet road where the kids can play out.

RCheshire · 15/08/2013 20:15

Out of interest do you mind saying which road? We looked at several on bramhall lane south and the difference between single and double glazed windows was quite major.

pourmeanotherglass · 15/08/2013 20:31

I live on a main road. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, but sometimes the traffic noise annoys me, especially if it is raining, as for some reason that seems to make it louder. I also don't like opening the front windows, which can be a problem when it is hot. Our bedroom and dd2 bedroom face backwards, but dd1 has the front room. We need to remember to open windows during the evening, then close them when she goes to bed, as the traffic is too loud to have them open when she is in bed. I think main roads can have less sense of community, but ours isn't too bad, as most of us come and go through the rear entrance, which isn't on the main road, and we chat over the fence at the back. We do have double glazing, but it doesn't cut out all the noise, especially the lorries.
We looked around our house on a Saturday, when the traffic was light, I'm not sure if we'd still have chosen it if we had looked around in the rush hour. If you're unsure, maybe you could arrange to have another look at rush hour time, so you can assess how loud it gets.

flyingwidow · 15/08/2013 20:42

In my experience busy roads only get busier... So no, I wouldn't buy a house on a busy road. Also think of potential issues with resale in the future. You never know when you may need a quick sale (a bit depressing but true!)

deepfriedsage · 15/08/2013 20:49

It depends on how much distance there is between the house and the road, and if you can turn the car around.

Mintyy · 15/08/2013 20:51

No way could I ever live on a main road. Especially not without double glazing. Would never consider it.

FlatCapAndAWhippet · 15/08/2013 20:53

I inherited secondary glazing in my old house, worked well however, no matter how lovely the house, I wouldn't ever consider buying a house on a main road.

Mandy21 · 15/08/2013 23:50

I live in Manchester and I wouldnt live on a main road - I'm thinking if something like Washway Road which runs from Altrincham right through into the city centre. If you mean a road like that (which does have some beautiful houses along it) I don't think sny of them are set back enough to escape the noise, and its pretty relentless. You'd struggle getting in and out of your drive from say 7-10am and 4-7pm. As someone has said, I'd also be worried about resale value.

lazydog · 16/08/2013 04:20

Mandy21 - You're dissing my old road there!! My bedroom was at the front of the house and we only had single glazing (the original leaded windows) and it never bothered me. And with regards to getting into and out of the driveway, the answer to that for us was to always pull off the road onto the pavement, overshooting the driveway, and then reverse into the drive so as not to have to reverse out into busy traffic.

Original poster

Mummynotmum · 16/08/2013 06:26

Hi thanks for your messages.. Lots to think about!! It's on washway rd!!

OP posts:

feelthis · 16/08/2013 06:50

interesting ongoing reasearch here about the health effects now.tufts.edu/articles/big-road-blues-pollution-highways

MothershipG · 16/08/2013 07:23

What about in the summer when you want your windows open? All the rooms in the front of the house would be potentially too noisy to use. What about the bedrooms at the front? Would it be too noisy to have a small window open at night? It would be sweltering!

wonkylegs · 16/08/2013 08:13

We looked at an almost perfect Georgian house on a main road. (it literally ticked every box I had on my predetermined wants/needs list) BUT we realised we couldn't cope with being that close to the road. It wasn't the cars as much as lorries and buses.
The worry about pulling out in the car was also an issues as was visitors parking.
I had to tear myself away from the gorgeous kitchen overlooking a stunning (if noisy) garden. Huge bedrooms, the most beautiful windows & gorgeous reception rooms but couldn't live with the position.
But we found our current house soon after and that's fab (& cheaper too)

RoseFlowerFairy · 16/08/2013 08:17

Most house's have a "problem" with them, all have a compromise.

CogDat · 16/08/2013 08:29

We lived on a main road in London, which might be a bit different. Night buses going past at all hours. You do get used to it, but I wouldn't do it again, I would rather make the compromise with something else.

SquidgyMummy · 16/08/2013 08:30

i really wouldn't main roads only get busier.
i had internal glazing when living in a mansion block flat in london. The rooms still rumbled when the buses went by.

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