Road noise - will I get used to it?

[LittleMissPear]

Moved to our new home this week, out of a lovely city to a market town 8 miles away. First baby due in 2 months, lots of space for baby, guests etc, all lovely. However, the compromise we made was to buy a house that backs onto a fairly main road. When we viewed it (at rush hour time) the noise didn't seem too bad and everyone I spoke to reassured me that it's not a massively busy road. Now we're here, it's all I can focus on, I keep listening out for the noise and I'm really worried that I'll resent moving here. Will I get used to it? Any tips from people on reducing noise in the house?

[Magdalena1984]

Thank you so much for your reply. I am glad to hear that it worked out for you in the end and that you didn't have to wait long to sell the house. Your initial post was so relevant to me that I really wanted to follow up your outcome. I'm also pregnant and we found a big and lovely house but also by a busy road and I had the same reservations as could hear noise from the garden when we viewed it. We ended up not going ahead with the purchase but thank you for getting back to me as it gives me more reassurance as I think I would not be able to get used to the noise either. I wish you all the best and thank you once more for reply.

[C4tastrophe]

@Furries

Why on earth would you resurrect a thread that is 8 years old?!

It’s a legitimate question to the OP.
Did they get used to the noise or was it a massive mistake?

[Furries]

@Magdalena1984

Hello, have you got used to the noise?

Why on earth would you resurrect a thread that is 8 years old?!

[LimitIsUp]

Not another ZOMBIE thread!

[LimitIsUp]

I used to live on an A road. It was fine until the summer months came and I couldn't enjoy the garden without the noise of HGVs and motorbikes. We moved, and I wouldn't do a busy road again. The good news is that our house sold fairly quickly

[Magdalena1984]

Hello, have you got used to the noise?

[CointreauVersial]

You have to embrace it - it's a compromise you chose to make. You could have had a quieter location, but would have had to compromise elsewhere (size, price....). Focus on the positives.

Our previous house was a couple of hundred metres away from a busy dual carriageway. We didn't hear it in the house, but it was obvious in the garden. When we came to sell, we were showing people round the garden, hoping they wouldn't remark on it, and the lady said she loved hearing road noises as it stopped her feeling isolated! She bought the house in the end.

You'll be glad of that road once your baby is a teenager, desperate to catch buses and go places!

[mollie123]

OP I hope you get used to it BUT I moved into a house on a B road and I never in the 6 years I was there got used to it - it depends on the individual
Also as others have said - it is true houses on main/busy roads are cheaper and take longer to sell than those that are not.
I could never live on any road with lots of traffic - I like to speel with my windows open

[SpringSpringSpring]

I live on a busy road and was a bit worried about it but because the noise is quite constant when it's busy I don't notice it. The only difference that it has made is that I no longer sleep with the bedroom window open because you get the odd car racing down at night which wakes me. What I find quite good during the day is that you don't hear other stuff so much so I can concentrate better when working from home.

When I had problems with an aggressive noisy neighbour it was a nightmare, I'd take a busy road any time over that.

[lukasgrahamfan]

I've lived on busy roads, one with a railway track not far away, one with an extractor running all day for carpentry waste/sawdust. All absolutely fine, just don't notice it after the first couple of weeks ....and the worst I've lived in have been in 'quiet' cul de sacs. People watching every move, children meeting up in droves on weekends and in holidays as parents send them out to play somewhere safe.
In these 'quiet' roads I've had nasty remarks from kids who don't live there, bikes chucked anywhere they fall, my car bombarded with football [dented once], noise, and an assault course to get through in order to drive away and return.
Give me traffic, the friendly toot of a train, and anonymity anytime.

[Miss2mrs]

Feel exactly the same trixymalixy, I keep trying to convince myself it's not really that bad and that if I ignore it, I'll soon get used to it!

[trixymalixy]

Watching as we've just moved to a house on a busy road and I'm wondering if it's been too much of a compromise...

[RedastheRose]

Used to live in the middle of an old market town right on a busy road. You just get used to it and start not noticing. In the end we would only hear the noise when a big lorry went up the road and you literally couldn't hear the TV. Don't stress about it, it will be fine.

[hmcAsWas]

Have you got used to it LittleMissPear - 2.5 years later?

[hmcAsWas]

I didn't hear the road noise inside my house (on a busy, busy road) but it was intrusive when outside and did prevent us from using and enjoying our beautiful garden - so we moved.

Our house was also lovely, just in the wrong location. We stuck it out for a few years and in that time the road became busier and it became challenging to exit our driveway and join the road during peak periods.

I would not live on a main road again - but plenty of people do and are happy with it

[Miss2mrs]

Littlemisspear I'm just wondering whether you ever got used to the traffic noise? We moved to a brand new house a few months ago that's just set back from a main road. Like you when we viewed it the traffic didn't seem that bad and everyone said that the road wasn't that busy. Our problem is we moved from a very quite culde sac with no traffic. I find that I can't focus on anything other than the traffic noise hubby says that it's really not that bad and he doesn't even notice it now!! The problem is I can't ignore it and am now really starting to regret ever buying this house, all I've ever wanted is our own home and this was meant to be our forever home. Apart from the noise the house is perfect.

[jaimata]

Sugar hoops - could you tell me who you went with for the secondary glazing please?

[sugarhoops]

GOsh sounds like you might have moved to our road, although further up where houses have back gardens onto the road, as opposed to the front of the house.

We bought our house over 9 years ago (edge of market town, A-road, 30mph limit, driveway separating us from road) and we didnt even consider the road noise being a problem - pre-kids we both were out of the house 8am-6pm during the week and literally never noticed any road noise until 3 weeks during high summer when we wanted to sleep with bedroom windows open - it would've been fine except for a few lorries rumbling past in the early hours.

I do admit to noticing the road a little more often now - work part time, 3 young kids. But we still don't consider it a problem - if I am ever having a 'the road is annoying me' phase, I just remember that we honestly couldn't have afforded our large, detached period property if it were just one road back from our road. Plus, a few houses have come on the market on our road this summer and have all sold within a week, at full asking, so when people say they're difficult to sell, it doesn't seem so on our road at least.

How 'busy' is 'busy' though - our road is a steady flow of traffic at 8-9am, then 5-6pm, but goes really quiet (or what we consider quiet!) other than those times. Some main roads are a nightmare, others aren't so.

You've got a lot going on at the moment - new baby, new house, its no wonder you're feeling worried/ have I made right decision etc. I imagine in a months time, you'll have forgotten about the road noise (or new baby will drown it out anyway )

defo look into secondary glazing though - have it on both our bay windows at front of house, and really worth it.

[LittleMissPear]

Hi all, thank you for your replies and reassurances! I wasn't expecting so many.

There is truth in alot of what you say, that we have made a huge financial commitment and with a baby on the way there are always things to stress over, so maybe I am focusing on this for some reason. I have been trying to change my mindset, not to listen specifically for the noise and to relax a bit about it! I also really like the layout of the house and I am excited about decorating the rooms etc so trying to focus on those things.

The road is at the back of the house, so the rooms that I hear it in most are the kitchen and conservatory and of course the garden. Our living room and bedroom are both at the front and relatively quiet - so that's a positive.

Although we were not looking to change the windows straight away, I'll have a look at triple glazing and the noise reducing fences mentioned.

Thanks!

[unlucky83]

I have lived on main roads in London...traffic noise almost constantly - and you do get used to it....Then you go to visit somewhere in the country and the silence hurts your ears!
I used to live on one road that was also a main ambulance route - and not in a good area ...and in those days I don't think they turned sirens off ...if it wasn't an ambulance it was a police car ...at least every 30 mins, 24/7 -and I even got used to that...
Actually I was talking about this with a friend a day or so ago - where we live now is very quiet - I'm closer to the main road but its not busy - outside 'rush hour' we get less than two cars an hour - friend lives further away from road - no-through traffic. She was complaining that often on holiday (caravan) she can't sleep for traffic noise ...as the parks are usually quite close to main roads...but she used to have a flat in central Edinburgh and never noticed the traffic noise...
Once you stop listening for it you'll be fine ....

[ethelb]

It depends where it is. The main road is in front of the front room which now has double glazed windows and lined and interlined heavy curtains and it isn't bad/that noticable in the evenings and weekends when we are in there (we work full time during the day).

The back where our bedroom and kitchen is looks out over a field and a cul de sac and is v quiet for London. So actually where and when it matters our flat is quite quiet.

It is no where near as bad as plane noise which we never really got completely used to in a previous home.

Will you be in the rooms overlooking the main road when it will be at its busiest?

[BomberManIsAGirl]

I think that you will get used to it. It might take a bit of getting used to each year when you start opening your windows in the springtime.

Enjoy your new house

[foxdongle]

We lived near a train line when young and I can honestly say the only people that mentioned them were visitors-we were all used to them.

I also lived in flat on a busy road when I was early twenties and I can honestly say it never bothered me, anyway I was out all the time or had music on .

I live on a very quiet cul de sac now and like it especially when sitting in the garden.
though I do have dreams of in the future buying/renting a flat somewhere in the middle of a v busy city and love staying in hotels in busy places-I don't know why, the buzz, the life, whatever- I just don't always want peace and quiet I suppose.
the road being nice and attractive, would matter more than busy.

[ChickenFajitasAndNachos]

Do you think they are or is it just that it's easier to notice for sale boards as you drive down main roads?