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Original poster

House near pylon

38 replies

Peachez7888 · 17/07/2022 00:37

Hi, we are looking to buy our first home, we already have 4 children so with the cost of living we don’t have a crazy big budget unfortunately.

we have seen a lovely house in a close which has potential to fit us all nicely, however there is an electrical pylon in the field behind the house. You can see it from the top back windows. My husband said we can plant big trees across the back fence but you will still see it!

my question is would you buy a house near a pylon? I’m wondered if this is going to have to be the compromise for a bigger living space! However if we want to move in 5-10years I don’t want to no be able to sell it!!

thank you currently loosing sleep over what to do! Such a shame as the house is perfect for our family

OP posts:
GCHeretic · 17/07/2022 00:46

It’d not bother me at all, but you’re maybe right in that some future buyers will be a bit put off.

On the other hand, you can worry about that later, and enjoy the years from now to then in your nice new house.

mortaggar · 17/07/2022 01:09

I'd never do it. And it's not just because of it being an 'eye sore'...

cordis.europa.eu/article/id/15541-research-breakthrough-on-health-effects-of-pylons

mortaggar · 17/07/2022 01:10

Hundreds of researches worldwide have shown that living near to high voltage power lines and other parts of the electrical transmission network increases your risk of cancer and numerous other health issues.
Many peer reviewed scientific publications have outlined a strong correlation to chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields and adverse health. The number of people suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is increasing exponentially, symptoms include but are not limited to:
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Prickling and/or burning skin
• Rashes
• Muscle pain
The strongest evidence we have so far is by Professor Ahlbom and his studies relating to chronice EMF exposure and childhood Leukemia, where it appears that exposure to magnetic fields higher than 400 nT increases the risk. The risk of childhood leukemia in children not exposed to unusual amounts of low-frequency EMF is fortunately very low – between 3 and 5 cases per 100,000 children – but it increases by approximately 100% in homes where the average low-frequency EMF level is higher than 4 milligauss or 400nT. Electromagnetic radiation starts doing damage from the first exposure. For a long while there may be no noticeable symptoms, but that does not mean that nothing is happening. As the exposure continues, damage could be accumulating.

substation-health-risks.co.uk/what-are-the-health-risks-of-living-near-pylons/

Twoshoesnewshoes · 17/07/2022 01:29

I get instant headaches near pylons and I’m also aware of the health risks so yes, it would put me off. Actually we looked at a house a few moves ago which was near a pylon and didn’t even bother looking inside.
I wouldn’t mind if I could see one in the distance though- just if it was within a couple of hundred yards.

redfairy · 17/07/2022 07:10

I wouldn't for the fact I find them very imposing to look at and a blot on the landscape. I do think it's a factor when people are viewing a house so absolutely do understand your concerns about reselling.

sarahc336 · 17/07/2022 07:18

My mum lives right by one and she's fine. Don't think she even notices it now tbh x

Ontomatopea · 17/07/2022 07:21

I wouldn't buy it, not with kids

Shakeitshakeitbaby · 17/07/2022 07:23

How close is it to the house? I would be more worried about resale than anything else. Scientific evidence of any harm caused by living near pylons is fairly inconclusive and there is no scientific explanation for it.

DisforDarkChocolate · 17/07/2022 07:23

I wouldn't but from your post it doesn't sound close. How far away is it?

Tryingtryingandtrying · 17/07/2022 07:25

My son actually started vibrating once when stood directly under pylon cables. I am not kidding. It was a dry bright late autumn day. I thought he was holding my phone but he it was literally the cables making it happen!

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 17/07/2022 07:25

sarahc336 · 17/07/2022 07:18

My mum lives right by one and she's fine. Don't think she even notices it now tbh x

Obvioulsy some people don't mind but I'd hazard a guess that most people would be put off and it is likely to make a house moe difficult to sell. The fact that you're worred about now shows that

If you have the option to keep looking I suggest doing that.

KangarooKenny · 17/07/2022 07:25

I wouldn’t buy it, and they do tend to buzz.

HappyHappyHermit · 17/07/2022 07:30

I would investigate further, go and stand by it, listen to it, see how far it actually is from the house. It may not be the most attractive thing to look out on but it may mean the land can't be built on further.

Wonderwoman333 · 17/07/2022 07:38

I wouldn't do it, I would worry about the health risks, noise and I find pylons quite depressing to look at. I would rather have a smaller house with no visible pylons!

ItsSnowJokes · 17/07/2022 07:44

We looked at a house that had the photos taken from a specific angle so we didn't know about the pylon. As soon as we pulled up we saw it and I was fuming. Agent arrives and I said there is no point in us going in as I wouldn't purchase a house with a pylon behind it. He got a bit arsey and said I had wasted his time and I replied if you had been truthful in your photos then neither of us would have had our time wasted.

Its for health reasons I wouldn't purchase them. Others will have different opinions but I wouldn't go near one if it was close.

AutumnIsHere21 · 17/07/2022 07:50

You can’t see a pylon from my parents house but the cables run across the back garden. They’ve lived there 40 years and my siblings and I all lived there for 18+ years. No issues at all. No issues with other houses on the road selling either. Unless you have £££ to spend, there will always be compromises to make.

Allthecoolusernamesaregone · 17/07/2022 07:50

I had several down the road from my previous house.

When I walked near them I was surprised how much noise they made. It wasn’t just the buzzing noise, they seemed to crackle when it was frosty or icy.

They were far enough from my house not to affect its value.

Fairly illogically I struggled with them due to a very specific recurring childhood dream about being abandoned in ‘the room at the top’ of a pylon ( yes, ridiculous I know), and was a bit relieved when we moved.

Frecklespy · 17/07/2022 08:08

There was a pylon in the street I grew up on, situated right between two properties (not ours). I remember playing under it and trying to climb it as a kid, along with neighbours' kids. The pylon was eventually removed in the 80s. It did buzz and crackle but, as far as I am aware, no-one suffered with cancer in the street and my friends and myself are all still healthy, though at the time none of us knew there could be a connection to ill-health.

GCHeretic · 17/07/2022 08:35

Tryingtryingandtrying · 17/07/2022 07:25

My son actually started vibrating once when stood directly under pylon cables. I am not kidding. It was a dry bright late autumn day. I thought he was holding my phone but he it was literally the cables making it happen!

No, it wasn’t.

Really, do you have no understanding of electromagnetism?

augustusglupe · 17/07/2022 08:51

No, a pylon is a dealbreaker for me.
The brother of a boy in our class (early 70s) was killed trying to climb one. I can't even stand the sight of them from a distance and definitely wouldn't want to live near one.

johnd2 · 17/07/2022 09:40

The wires on the pylon are about 30m away but the wires in every wall, floor and ceiling in your house are less than a metre away.
Given electromagnetic fields decay exponentially as you get further away, the field from the sockets in the walls would be much stronger.
However pylons looks more scary so they can encourage your anxiety, which can cause health effects.
Some people move to the middle of nowhere to avoid any EMF but I think that's overkill for most people.
If you want to focus on a health effect and something that causes noise, air and visual pollution and also directly hurts some people, look at the roads nearby.

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 17/07/2022 09:47

Depends how close it is. I had digs in a house with a pylon in the field next door, right up against the hedge, and it fizzed and crackled like mad if it was misty/frosty/drizzling. If it's far enough away that the fizzing wouldn't be intrusive then I wouldn't be bothered by it. It sounds like you can't see it from the garden, just the upstairs windows?

TamSamLam · 17/07/2022 10:37

I did.

The childhood lukemia study was really unreliable, and is the only reason it's flagged. Looked at address at birth I think and ignored address during pregnancy/childhood/school. It wasn't conclusive enough and there haven't been the follow up studies you'd expect if there was a hint of a meaningful correlation.

The noise is only when it's wet and no worse than a main road.

If you're prone to headaches, you'd know by now, and no worse than a poorly wired house, I'd rather be near a pylon then a transformer and they're all over the place.

JudithHarper · 17/07/2022 10:42

augustusglupe · 17/07/2022 08:51

No, a pylon is a dealbreaker for me.
The brother of a boy in our class (early 70s) was killed trying to climb one. I can't even stand the sight of them from a distance and definitely wouldn't want to live near one.

Would the same apply to trees if the boy was killed climbing one of them?

OooErr · 17/07/2022 10:44

You do realise that there are cables running under the ground of practically every house?
Also air pollution is more carcinogenic but plenty of people happily live in cities.
Microplastics are in everything we eat/drink and have crossed the brain/blood barrier.
People only fear what they can see…

Anyway I wouldn’t buy it solely because all the hysteria will make it hard to sell. I skipped a house next to a power station for the same reason.

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