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Original poster

Living close to a busy A road

21 replies

redpinkgreenyellow · 12/06/2019 22:22

Does anyone live with a garden backing onto a busy main A road? I found a great house but when I viewed it I thought the traffic noise was a bit loud when I was in the back garden that backs onto the A road. The main rooms are at the front of the house which is quieter.

Would I maybe regret this?

OP posts:
userxx · 12/06/2019 22:54

Depends how much time you will spend in the garden. I love being outside so for me it would be a no.

JoJoSM2 · 12/06/2019 23:12

I wonder if you're in my area as I've seen such a house advertised :)

Personally, there's no way I'd consider it but I do spend time in the garden and love listening to the birds. However, I could see how it could be an option if someone tends to be inside + it probably offers great value for money due to the location.

Would you consider a house with an A road at the front if the main rooms were at the back?

WishIwas19again · 13/06/2019 13:06

Will it be busy all the time or just in rush hour etc.?

A friend bought his 'dream house' backing onto the local ring road. His garden was a decent size and there were mature trees at the end but it didn't prevent the noise pollution which drove him mad. In summer he couldn't have windows open at night, his cat was badly injured when it was knocked over (a whole other thread about cats roaming I know!), and although his garden was beautiful and not overlooked (which had been a selling point when he bought it) he found himself avoiding sitting outside as it wasn't relaxing. Plus the air pollution began to worry him.

I would never live so close to a road, but I used to live on a flight path in my childhood home and it never bothered me as we blocked it out mentally. I guess some people are more bothered by noise than others?

LuluJakey1 · 13/06/2019 17:20

I would never buy a house anywhere near a busy road. Our garden is incredibly peaceful and we have a cat.

MrsBungle · 13/06/2019 17:23

My house backs on to an A road and it’s fine but we do have a 200ft garden. There’s certainly no problem with opening windows or such like. I don’t notice the noise to be honest.

Original poster
redpinkgreenyellow · 13/06/2019 20:36

The garden is not long so the road is quite close really. It’s busy all the time!

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 13/06/2019 20:43

No. I did this because the house was more than we could afford in a better location. It was not worth it and neither of us would wish to do it again.

You can't open your windows in the summer due to the noise, everything gets covered in dark sooty pollution, your windows, your patio, your curtains etc, you can't have pets in case they get out.

So although we got more house for the money, it simply wasn't worth it.

Original poster
redpinkgreenyellow · 13/06/2019 21:09

Thank you for your advice everyone. I think I will keep looking.

OP posts:
ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 13/06/2019 23:09

We did and loved it. The front Garden gate opened out to a really busy major A road. Area between the gate and the white line edge of the road was just less than the width of a car so only good enough for quick taxi drop offs with the hazard lights on if you see what I mean.
Just on the other side of the road was a railway line too. Funnily enough neither the road nor the railway bothered us one bit. We didn't notice either one. After the first few weeks the trains were completely unnoticed for some reason and we actually wondered if they were stopped. Turns out we just could no longer hear them.

We all used the garden a lot, especially in summer. (But we did block the gate when the kids were small.)

Cats didn't fare well though. There was a huge colony of feral cats on the land that I took on, fed and trapped for neutering. We lost dozens over the years we were there.

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 13/06/2019 23:15

Oh but I wouldn't recommend it if it can be avoided simply because of roadworks. They may only happen every few years but when they do they are EXTREMELY LOUD.

Even the opposite is bad. The whole 5 miles of our A road was once closed off for Major works for 3 days. For some reason the works never reached our house but the total and utter lack of any vehicles going past our lonely little house was actually really unnerving. It was just complete silence. Nothing at all for days. Makes me shudder thinking about it.

hotcrossbun4321 · 13/06/2019 23:24

I'd also be worried about the effect of pollution as well as noise. I have relatives who've lived right by a busy A-road for 30 years and have smokers coughs despite not being smokers

claire697 · 14/06/2019 15:22

Also note where emergency vehicles are located. I rented on a very busy road with a fire station down the road. Noise at night was an issue. We've recently had roadworks through the night on the road next to mine. The house shakes, it's extremely loud, it's not at all pleasant.

Mirali · 14/06/2019 15:29

How fast is the traffic?. It's 30 mph at the front of us and the road narrows with parked cars along the road and there's a speed camera, so people tend to stick to it. Not too bad

BedraggledBlitz · 14/06/2019 15:43

I once stayed with a friend who owned a flat near the A1. I couldn't sleep all night and developed an awful migraine from the constant hum of the motorway. Awful.

happyhillock · 14/06/2019 15:48

My front garden looks on to a busy road, i don't mind it in fact i love it, don't mind the noise of the traffic, i sleep with my bedroom window open (also at the front) traffic never keeps me awake

TeamUnicorn · 14/06/2019 21:27

In my local area a lot of new builds are going up right next to the main A roads, they are a premium price for the area and I wonder if they will retain their value.

One , estate was built in 2004, I know that was pre-crash, but the houses have really de-valued, for example one house has gone from £215 000 at new to the last sale last year for £161 000. We were looking at the time and a couple of the properties were for sale, I took a drive up and you could see the road from the front of the house (the road was at the back).

We now live about 3/4 mile away from the main road and that is loud enough, though slightly made worse as there isn't really much in the way of other buildings between us and the road.

I also lived next to a railway line - the little trains were ok, but the house used to shake with the goods trains.

dreygrey · 14/06/2019 21:30

No. We looked at a house on a busy A road and the owner told us they were moving because of how bad his son's asthma had got.

TiddleTaddleTat · 15/06/2019 05:28

I'd be wary. It would affect how easy it is to resell.
This type of thing could really grate on you over time.

Original poster
redpinkgreenyellow · 15/06/2019 14:11

We are hoping to move to a very long term home so re-sale wouldn’t be a huge concern but I think you’ve all talked me out of this house so thank you! The search will continue.

OP posts:
JoJoSM2 · 15/06/2019 16:53

Good luck!

Original poster
redpinkgreenyellow · 15/06/2019 21:59

Thank you! I think we need it. Options are limited

OP posts:
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