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Original poster

Do you or would you live on an A road?

58 replies

Spicylolly · 29/07/2018 00:04

We've always immediately ruled out any houses on an A road but we've seen one (haven't viewed inside yet, only driven by) that ticks all our boxes...detached, well within our budget and a HUGE garden, about 1.5 acres which we've always wanted and couldn't afford it if the house was anywhere else. It's close to stations and buses for kids for school, also a 40 zone.
It's not set back really far but it's not sitting on it and it's not particularly busy for an A road, I've looked into wall sound proofing, triple glazing etc which we could afford but is it worth the compromise?
Where we live now is quiet but under a flight path and near a train line and we got used to that noise and don't even hear it now, would it be the same with the road do you think?

So scary moving after 14yrs and don't want to make any heart over head any mistakes !

OP posts:
theunsure · 29/07/2018 00:15

It would be an absolute deal breaker for us, we both hate traffic noise and like to be as far from any sort of road as possible as we also have cats. We live rurally and could have a much more impressive house if we didn’t hate roads so much. We’ve just moved from an unadopted private through road to a non-through road because we found the passing cars annoying and they were only 20mph.

But other people don’t mind it at all- the thing to consider though is re-sale. If you need to move in the future will you be able to sell, especially if the road gets noisier over time? A busy road will always be limited in appeal and price.

ludicrousmode · 29/07/2018 00:19

I could've written your post op - Traffic noise has always been a deal breaker - until we saw an amazing house ticking all other boxes. Moving in soon and a bit apprehensive about it but have done loads of soundproofing research! Can i ask whereabouts in the UK it is?

We've always lived in no-through-roads too even in middle of a busy city.

ludicrousmode · 29/07/2018 00:21

Make sure you spend time in the garden when viewing to see how noisy it is, and at different times too. Our garden-to-be is surprisingly quiet; whereas another one we looked at we turned down even though it was nearly a palace, because the garden ran alongside the road.

pennycarbonara · 29/07/2018 00:27

I lived on or round the corner from A-roads throughout my twenties. I was used to it. But I did really notice when I moved into somewhere that had a train line at the other end of the street. The irregular rattling was more jarring and woke me up more. I reckon you'll be fine. Traffic noise, other than sirens, is softer and more constant than trains and easier to get used to. Also, there are more and more electric vehicles about and those are quieter - so it may even get quieter as the years go by.

Sounds like you may also save money on driving if the public transport is so nearby.

RoboJesus · 29/07/2018 00:29

Sounds a lot like a house I used to live in. Honestly I couldn't really tell the difference after living there a week. It was a bus route and the bus stopped just a few doors up. You could hear it if you where in the front of the house but it really didn't bother me. It was just all background noise. The wildlife where I live now is a heck of a lot more noisy at times.

forevernotyoung · 29/07/2018 00:33

No, we never consider any property on them. For the noise, but mostly cos I would hate to have such fast moving traffic on my doorstep. Having to deal with it everyday pulling out into that traffic, with the kids in the car, that is a deal breaker for me.

Original poster
Spicylolly · 29/07/2018 00:34

It's by the coast in the South east, I think lots of sitting in the car watching traffic is in order!
It will probably be our last house, it's a bungalow and close to buses so perfect for us when we are older. We're viewing it Friday so I'm sure we will have a better idea then.
To be honest I dont mind traffic noise but can't stand 'through the wall neighbour noise' our current neighbours are loud and it drives me mad....doors slamming, chairs scraping, drums, trumpet, keyboard, loud tele, loud music, kids screeching etc so i think swapping that for traffic might be ok 😊

OP posts:
pennycarbonara · 29/07/2018 00:39

Yes, traffic is mostly a hum whereas neighbour noise is more irregular. I would prefer traffic and a detached to noisy neighbours in a terrace or semi (and even if you get okay neighbours through the wall at one time, you never know who people might move in later).

,It sounds like a very sensible location to grow old in - a bungalow with good public transport and a nice garden, in a warm part of the country.

Original poster
Spicylolly · 29/07/2018 00:41

We also like a house in a very Very quiet village, completely no through and the sea on one side and no access to the Beach so no tourists. Everytime we've visited its super (slightly eerily) quiet but when a dog barks or someone mows their lawn it sounds crazy loud.
Finding a house is hard work! Haha

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Original poster
Spicylolly · 29/07/2018 00:51

Good luck on your move ludicrous....there's always a compromise and sometimes you do have to go with your gut especially if it ticks most of the boxes x

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elliejjtiny · 29/07/2018 00:56

We live on an A road. Traffic noise is fine but crossing the road (why does everything have to be on the other side?) is a nightmare and I worry about the safety aspect with the dc.

CorianderSnell · 29/07/2018 00:59

I grew up in a house on an A road. Whenever I slept over at friends who lived on estates or out in the country I couldn’t sleep - the silence or sounds of the house in the silence were eerie after being used to the steady comforting hum of traffic Smile

I’ve also lived with a railway at the bottom of the garden, under the Heathrow flight path and with very noisy neighbours.

Imo - neighbours are worst, then flightpath, then trains.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 29/07/2018 01:02

Our lane leads out onto an A road. We’re only a couple of hundred yards from it and it’s in a 30mph limit so traffic isn’t a problem. You can hear it a bit but the rooks in the nearby wood make more noise than the cars. Plus it means we’ve got instand access to everywhere.

MrsMoastyToasty · 29/07/2018 01:10

I haven't lived on an A road but I have lived on a bus route and the road was concrete rather than tarmac, so reasonably noisy. However within a week of moving in we had tuned the noise out.

Ariela · 29/07/2018 01:23

Not only look at how you will cross the road, but also the speed of the traffic and how you will turn in or out of your property - remember technically you should always drive out so is there room to turn round on your drive? Are there junctions nearby so the trafic slows, what are the sight lines like as you pull out - can you see traffic speeding towards you?
Lived on the A4 for 15 years, the noise level was noticably lower when they opened the M4 but would say it's noisier now!

BromBromTong · 29/07/2018 09:19

What about car pollution? It would be a no from me for this reason. Dh's asthma has got considerably worse since living in London and I think it's the terrible air.

Tobermory · 29/07/2018 09:26

We’re just selling our house which is on an A road, hoping to exchange in September.
We came from a rural lane, some passing traffic but not much. Once a coach drove past, we were all Shock !
I found the move here hard. The noise- almost constant, aggro parking the car, how dirty my windows get.

We have definitely got used to it. When we go on holiday I notice how much quieter it is. When I park outside my ILs I notice that I don’t need my hazards on to swing into their drive.

There are positives. I will miss the interest that traffic brings, there’s always something to look at. We never get snowed in, even on the snowiest day. Buses are super convenient.

But I will never buy a house on an A road again, turns out I’m certainly a quieter road kind of girl!
I hope that if you go ahead with your purchase it works out well for you.

FabulousSophie · 29/07/2018 09:55

No way would I buy on an A road. Renting is a different matter.

lennyisnuts · 29/07/2018 09:57

We bought a house on the road a few years ago not really thinking too much about it. You do get used to the noise to some degree but we moved 18 months later to a small village and now I can hear the birds and not the lorries!

Oblomov18 · 29/07/2018 10:00

I do. And I hate it. Dh does not understand my objection because it just doesn't bother him.

MonumentVal · 29/07/2018 10:10

I live just off one, so can hear sirens etc. But being in an urban street of terraced houses and semis a few feet apart, it's much more likely to be neighbours or people in the street making noise - the main road doesn't register.

I would visit at different times of day and night. Also which way would your bedrooms face? Huge difference between front and back of my house.

HoldMeCloserTonyDanza · 29/07/2018 10:14

Like Brom, my main concern would be the health and breathing problems.

We ruled out a house beside a train line because there’s similar pollution problems.

Original poster
Spicylolly · 29/07/2018 10:25

It has a big drive to circle round on and it's not near a junction, it's also a 40 zone rather than a fast stretch. Luckily we wouldnt need to cross over and mostly I'd be turning out left so easy to get out, Maybe not so easy to turn in though? It is set back a bit and it's only busy at rush hour, there's 2 other busier A roads nearby leading to the town and industrial estate, this one doesn't have many lorries using it as it only goes on to small villages.
We could reconfigure the layout and we'd definitely put in triple glazing and sound proofing on the front.
Lots of reccys needed! There's a road off it nearby so I can park there, also I'll knock at the neighbours 👍

Might walk in and hate it though, kind of hope i do haha

OP posts:
ScreamingValenta · 29/07/2018 10:29

It wouldn't bother me, if I didn't have cats - as it is, I would be worried about the danger to them on a busy road. Traffic noise doesn't bother me because it's impersonal - for some reason, I find noise from individuals much more annoying than generalised noise.

flissfloss65 · 29/07/2018 10:30

My main concern would be health related problems due to vehicle pollution. As you get older this make affect you more.

I think you would get used to the noise. I’d keep looking.