Stunning house but near junction on a busy road

[silversixpence]

We have found a beautiful house but are hesitating as it is just before a busy junction near a train station. There are often queues to turn right at peak times and as the house is so near the junction we could end up waiting to pull into the drive. Also when pulling out it is very difficult to see right as the neighbours fence is in the way, so the current owner usually turns left and then turns the car around further up the main road. The other niggle is that the garden is smaller than I wante (I love gardening and have an allotment and no real garden at the moment)..

The house is a Victorian double fronted semi with high ceilings, fireplaces in rooms, stained glass windows and a wooden veranda at the back. It is unlikely something like this will come up again as I haven't seen any other similar houses in the area and the price reflects the location so it is within our budget. Other properties are mostly 1930s semis but have much bigger gardens.

Would you buy the house? We have 3 dc aged 7 to 4 months and expect our next home to be our forever home.

I've lived on a busy road and got used to it, not at a junction like that though and after living somewhere quieter I'd never buy on a busy road again.

It's a very pretty house, but I wouldn't go for it.
Have you considered the bathroom arrangements? I think it's very lacking for a 5 bed family home in this day and age. That would get harder and harder to work around.

Hi Op, that road would put me off and also the noise from the trainline - have you been in the garden when a train is going past?

The other thing that would worry me is schools - you would get Valley primary but not many others. Secondary schools looks like just Ravensbourne. The school checker on right move is not very accurate.

I think the price is low for the size of the house but I guess that is because of the position

It's very attractive and looks like a nice, spacious layout. It is bang on the junction though, isn't it?

I'm not bothered by busy roads, I live in on a busy A road in a city centre myself. My house is set up and back quite a long way from the road (a bit more so than the one in your link) and that really does make a difference to how much noise and intrusion you percieve from passing traffic (pedestrian and vehicle). The road outside my house is slow flowing at rush hour either end of the day and can be a pain to pull out of the drive, but to be honest, after 10 years you get used to it and sometimes you have to be a bit 'big in the road' and nudge out a bit (not very MN, I know).

As for resale, people expect to have a certain amount of traffic compromise when buying in a city market, particularly London (& London outskirts). Most buyers are realistic and know that their budget wouldn't stretch to the same space/character/plot size on a quieter road and lots don't mind that. Things like putting gates and good fencing on the front is good for sound proofing, security and also for reassuring buyers when you think about resale.

The bathroom 'issue' is easily addressed. The house needs a bit of updating anyway inside, I'd just pop a little ensuite the 'study' off bedroom 1 as part of the project.

The family bathroom can probably be rejigged to accommodate a loo (even a little space saver one).

Lots of period houses have 1 bathroom.

Looks like it's set back from the road, which is a big plus.

We used to live on a busy main road (4 bus routes, emergency vehicles driving to hospital etc) and moved when DD was a toddler. It was so loud that we couldn't open window in living room, which faced the street, and the pollution was bad too.

Moved to a quiet crescent in a worse neighbourhood though...

It's lovely, I mean really lovely but I have to say that's not Victorian, it's Edwardian and late Edwardian at that.

As far as my limited knowledge of these things goes, that is!

But still - buy it

I would agree re Edwardian not Victorian.

Natty the study would be ideal for a small ensuite, it's the additional cost I was thinking of. All the foul drainage is at the back of the house at the moment. The current bathroom looks tiny.
I'm just cautious because I've experience of seemingly simple jobs being very expensive.

I've also been in the situation of a property really pulling me in, of imagining living there, but ultimately my head had to rule my heart for practical reasons. The reasons were its exact location and the realistic spend on refurbing it. Luckily something much better came along, so it turned out for the best in the end. That's the thing you can't predict though.

It depends how much the OP feels they would need to do to be content.
Are you under a time pressure OP?

Yes, I know what you mean, entertainment re drainage. I'm the person who buys houses and totally rejigs the inside, moving plumbing and whatnot, so I tend look at spaces rather than rooms when I view. I do appreciate that not everyone wants to do the same though

But yes, there is a cost implication to moving foul drainage.

Wow that house is beautiful.

We bought on a busy road last year. For the first 3 months the road noise really bugged me, but all of a sudden I just stopped hearing it. You will get used to it! Plus you are set back from the road.

We lived on a main road for a couple of years, right next to a primary school and a pelican crossing. We were a little uncertain, but the location was amazing otherwise (schools, tube, shops etc). The house had a fabulous south-facing garden which we were worried we wouldn't be able to use in summer because of traffic noise.

I can honestly say that the traffic noise never bothered us at all - from the very first night we slept well. We used the garden as much as we wanted to in the summer and it was fine. The only really annoying thing was parents dropping off/picking up from the primary school next door parking on our drive.

Lovely house. The location will be keeping the price down as that seems cheap. It us so personal. If it is not a deal breaker for you it won't be for someone else.

Natty we're on the same page. I've also done loads of work to houses and it can sometimes be worth it and cost effective, yes.
I suppose I kick off a bit against the likes of TV house programmes which imply everything's dead simple and cheap as chips to do, when the realities can be very different.

I don't know the housing stock in the area well enough to know if that property has much margin in it, allowing for the busy road and specifically the junction too.

Because of the peculiar London and surrounds housing market it's actually a much more personal decision as to value, I mean factoring in schooling and commutes etc. that lead my question to the OP about how your family would live in that house. Some people don't worry about a bathroom ratio for example, but a little while on with 3 DCs and it becomes a daily problem.
It's not my ideas that matter, it's about how one family want to live in a home.

Silver, have you imagined picking up your DCs from school and activities, going home there, getting dinner ready, DH coming home - whatever your daily routines are going to be, just living the life really in that house - how do you react about all that?

I know exactly where that house is and the road.

The road is very busy but traffic is slow moving at peak time so not as noisy as fast moving traffic.

Those particular houses are set well back from the road which helps.

Give the size, it's a decent price and it's lovely. So I don't think you'd have any issues on resale.

The upside of that part of Bromley rd are station proximity and the shortlands shops the other side of the side.

And it's my understanding that you're within general catchment for both Valley Primary and Clare house which are both great schools. valley is outstanding I think.

So lots of upside.
Do go and have a look at traffic between 5 to 6 pm and if you can between 7 and 8am. Those are the busiest times on that road.

Great for teenagers to be close to buses and trains. It might improve your choice of secondary schools plus allow them to take part in more stuff outside school.

I know it round there and it it is busy but it's London and it goes with the territory unless you have over a million.

There is a fairly busy road at the end of my road and the noise grates on me every day but we've got a nice spacious house to live in. You don't live outside in the road

weve just offered on a house with a similar issue: and if it had been any closer to the junction would probably not have taken it. Im not sure this will help but for us the deciding factors were:

we don't know if its a forever home but its a major step in the right direction

it is overall larger/in better condition/has a better garden than we could realistically afford on one of the quieter roads

there was very good glazing and minimal noise in the house, and public rooms away from the road. Also a small front garden plus hedge screening from the road a bit. Realistically if we were to replace windows we would look into triple glazing the front

the back garden was quiet and sheltered

we both did drive bys over a week at various times e.g. coming home from work/going to shops etc and the junction was not always busy outside rush times

there is a proper dropped kerb, markings etc to the driveway and alternative back lane for parking for when the street is too busy

DH grew up under a major interational airport flyover area and has a different tolerance for noise irritation

So we have agreed that this house represents a compromise we are both happy to accept and look forward to moving in

These opinions are all really helpful, especially from people who know the house and road..actually I think I can live with the location but I did really want a big garden and have seen several with 100 to 200 foot gardens in the same price range (but less nice houses of course). We do have concerns about the secondary school catchment but think the primary schools are ok.

The only thing I would ask is how many cars can you get on the drive? I am assuming that there is space to drive on forward, turn the car round and drive off forward.

But if you have visitors where do they park? I don't know the area at all but it appears to have a lot of double yellow lines.

The house is just stunning. Absolutely stunning.

DH has plans to pave most of the drive so we should be able to fit 3-4 cars. It's also possible to park round the corner and walk but I'm not sure about parking restrictions during the day as its so close to the station.

Secondaries are a worry in most of Beckenham and the part of Shortlands closest to Beckenham.

Your DC won't get into either of the Langley schools because their catchment is generally under 1mile and has been for the last 5 years. Not sure about Harris at all. It's the former Sports College which was converted to a Harris about 3 years ago so it's probably too early to tell. You're also more than 1 mile away from that one.

They are building new houses just behind the unicorn school which is less than 1/2mile from the Langley schools which means the catchment will shrink even more.

Sorry. Not what you wanted to hear. Unless you would be willing to move again for secondaries or tutor your DC for 11+ and hope for Newstead Woods or St Oleaves.

Can't really help there tbh. We've just moved away from Beckenham further into Kent. One of our worries were secondaries which is slightly ironic as we moved to Beckenham because there are so many excellent Primaries.

Buy it ,no question . Beautiful house ,built to the good standards of Edwardian times .

As said upthread ,traffic slow moving ,great location for you all when older with trains and local shops .

Schools change and anyway kids can travel .

Garden plenty big enough ,especially when you're in your in your 70's .

I think it's gorgeous .

What do you mean kids can travel to school? You have to apply for schools based on distance from your home. Most of the schools in the area are massively oversubscribed, the only out of catchment schools you will get are the ones nobody else wants.
Based on the school issue alone it wouldn't be a house I would buy.

We are definitely planning for St Olaves/Newstead applications and would consider independent secondary if that doesn't work out. Admittedly it would be a stretch financially but would be possible with both of us working. None of the areas we like have great schools around and would have concerns about my dc at Langley as it seems not to be ethnically diverse (correct me if I am wrong though)