Do you live near a busy road? Do you stop noticing the noise after a while?

[constancereader]

I have just been to look at a brilliant house. The only problem is the situation. There is a busy road very close by. Inside it was quiet, but it was reasonably loud outside, and that was on a Sunday. The house was fabulous though.

Any thoughts?

would you not want to open your windows/sit in the garden when the weather is good?

Yes you do, as my aunt lived in a house on a busy road and when we stayed the first few nights I could not sleep then I got used to it. They had a huge hedge out the front to dampen the sound.

BUT I would say:
What about summer when you have the windows open?
What about heavy lorries coming through first thing in the morning?
Research shows children who live close to a busy road grow up with lung capacity reduced by up to 20%
Do you want cats? They would probably get run over
The sound of moped and scooter engines echoes for bloody miles and I HATE them!!!!
Is there likely to be standing traffic jams on this road?
Go and look at it during rush hours and school run time during the week

a long time ago, I lived practically on the M3 and you do stop noticing it BUT outside is ALWAYS noisy AND it will count against you when you sell

(and let's face it, unless there's a giant bypass plan in the offing, it's not going to get any less noisy only more so iyswim)

Personally, I wouldn't.

We used to live next to a main road, and over the course of 4 years that we lived there it grated on us more and more to the point that we moved.

We didn't really notice it when we moved in, but it was all I used to notice by the time we moved out.

It was recognised locally that the road had got busier though - I guess that will happen over time with your road too with car ownership still on the rise/more housing being built so more people drive to work etc etc.

I have always lived (until a month ago) on pretty busy roads and you do get used to it. The only thing I could see being a problem is if it is still busy at night, I have always lived in places where at night it is pretty quiet so in the summer windows open at night is ok.

Front of house is noisier, rear & garden is fine. Traffic noise only really an issue from 7.30 to 9am and 4-6pm weekdays. I notice more than dh.

Thanks for the quick responses.

It is not on the road but about 100 yards away. No traffic jams likely, but there is heavy traffic at rush hour.

Really the house is in the country, EXCEPT for this road. We can probably only afford a house like this because it is near the road really.

We are going back in the morning to have a listen.

I think you get used to the noise but agree it can be a problem to sell again.

Find out how long house has been on market and negotiate a good price.

We live on one side of a street with no houses on the other side (tree-lined on both sides), beyond it a fenced-off piece of land belonging to a kind of goods rail yard a bit further up but not really used for anything, beyond that the suburban railway, and finally beyond that a sliproad to the city ring road. (This is Berlin). So we are not really close but close-ish, and yes, there is noise, and yes, you do stop hearing it. In the spring/summer we can't even see it for the trees. The railway is much louder, and I actually like that - gives the place a lovely romantic urban feel. I don't think I've ever experienced a traffic jam there.

I didn't know that about the lung capacity Miggsie but we are really not that close, and this is Berlin after all - hard to live really away from busy roads and pollution. We also won't be living here forever - we are renting, as most Germans do, and although we love our flat we will need a bigger place in 2 or 3 years when he boys are bigger and ds1 starts school. I'm really not sure I'd buy in this location, tbh.

My parents used to live on a fairly busy road, I was always used to it when I lived there. They now live on a much quieter road, but it's on a steep hill so everyone accelerates up it, which is noisy. The in-laws on the other hand, live on a busy road, and on a crossroads. People revving away at the lights, gunning their engines as they pull away, stupid boys sitting there in their cars with the stereo blaring - I'm not sure I'd ever get used to that. Steady traffic I think you can get used to.

We have an A road at the bottom of our 200 ft garden. We don't really notice the noise tbh. When we have doors open etc because the traffic is flowing it's not too noisy. It can be quite hynotic like the sea sometimes. Perhaps I've made that up Houses on this side of the road do sell quicker than those on the opposite side without the A road because of the big gardens.

i will never live on a busy road again. we used to live on a very busy A road, frequently congested with traffic and cars frequently going well over the speed limit. we moved shortly after someone was run over and killed outside our front door, because of a speeding car.

We have a busy main road at the back of us and you do get used to it.

Yes, steady traffic is much easier to deal with; we have it outside the front of our house and you do tend to zone it out. The only problem is in Summer when the bedroom is hot but we don't really want the windows open.

You get more house for your money on a road though!

Thanks for your comments.

Janeite - exactly. It is a great house and garden.

I lived for a few years in a flat over the town's railway station. You can get used to anything. BUT I was single and childless. I wouldn't want to live near that level of noise now, and if your children are bolters, then the further away the traffic is, the better.

I used to live in my parents house

in a lovely quiet cul-de-sac

I moved to my own house on a VERY main road, AND if i peer out of my bedroom window i can SEE the rounadbout to a motorway

I have very 'good' double glazing (apparently) and i honestly very rarely hear traffic (unless i listen out for it)

i dont here the motorway at all

Im also not far from the main A&E hospital so i get a lot of ambulences going past with all their flashing lights etc... the only vehicals i ever notice are the ambulences and police cars, but they are very considertae ond onyl seem to put their sirens on when they reach that roundabout or if theres a que to get to the roundabout

I have been pleasnatly surprised at how quiet it is actually

In the summer when its VERY hot and i HAVE to have my windows open i move to the back bedroom though cause i hear the raod a LOT more with the window open AND the back bedroom gets no direct sunlight (where as my front bedroom gets all the sunlight, so its extra hot in my front bedroom on those super hot days!)

We live on the outer ring road of a provincial city. Yes, you get used to the noise, but not to the vibrations - lorries go past and the house seems to shake at times.

The only reason we could buy a house this size is the fact it was cheap because it's on a ring road, but when we tried to sell it a couple of years ago we had hardly any viewers and in the end gave up for the time being. So unless it's your dream house and you'll never move again, think also about being able to sell on easily.