Houses on main road

RHemmings

Everyone keeps saying how houses on main roads are much harder to sell. And that people don't like to live in them. I've never once lived on a main road and hence don't know what it's like. I can guess the main reasons. Noise, fumes, danger for kids. But has anyone ever lived on a main road? And could they post some fo their experiences to fill in details?

Sam05_2

I have lived on a main road for the past five years, found it quite noisey at first but you get used to it. I dont have kids but we have a drive with gates so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Are you thinking of moving on to a main road???

JennyW_2

RHemmings wrote:

Noise, fumes, danger for kids.

I think you've summed it for yourself!

A work colleague of mine has just moved and it's on a main road, he's only been there a month and has had to have triple glazing installed. The police sirens at night wake him up!

I think the endless stream of traffic, noise from trucks, articulated lorries, coaches etc would be hard to deal with. I personally know I couldn't deal with it.

gingin_2

For us it was the loud music and noisy exhausts from the local chavs.... a nightmare.

RHemmings

Sam05 wrote:

I have lived on a main road for the past five years, found it quite noisey at first but you get used to it. I dont have kids but we have a drive with gates so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Are you thinking of moving on to a main road???

I'm not thinking of moving. Just trying to understand the property market better. Thanks.

madfrenchgirl

DO NOT LIVE ON A MAIN ROAD

unless your front garden is big enough and you have triple glazing

BF and I lived in a room in a house on an A road in a village where people were speeding at 60mph at night, waking us up because only single glazing, trucks passing by and shaking the house down, etc...

The constant noise from traffic was making us stressed at each other because we had to shout to hear, could not have a lie-in on the weekends because even then it was non-stop.

To be honest, we were forced to live on a campsite for 2 weeks and it was far preferable to that torture, it goes to show.

Sam05_2

Houses on main roads ar usually slightly cheaper as they are supposedly not as desirible, although two have sold near me in the last couple of months virtually as soon as they went up for sale.

Debt_Free_Chick

Plenty of people live on main roads and must have chosen to do so. I think some people are more sensitive to some of the "problems" listed here than others. I mean ... if you grew up in a house on a main road, then you are more than likely immune to the traffic noise.

Some main roads are more like motorways - imagine living on the A40 in West London or the North Circular Road!!!

Conversely, some "main roads" in rural areas are nothing like main roads in urban area. The main road through our village is unclassified (a C road, I think), has a 30 mph limit and a weight restriction. Doubt we see more than a dozen vehicles a day down here - and the whole village is "on the main road"

madfrenchgirl

Debt free is right

it depends if the main road is an A road or just the village's main road.

But the place where we were was just awful. Even for someone like me who grew up in flats in town centres.

Gorgeous_George

Triple glazing is not the answer. You need double glazing with a larger gap between the panes. This reduces the noise.

The downside is that you wouldn't wish to have windows open especially on the side of the house that is facing the traffic.



GG

Bargain_Rzl

I'm moving into a block of flats which is on a main-ish road in the sort of area where you'd certainly have boy-racers and police sirens. However my flat is at the rear of the building, double-glazed and overlooking a gated car-park.

What I really can't understand is why my flat was one of the last to sell, out of the building of ten brand new flats. I viewed one of the ones at the front of the building and wouldn't live there if you paid me! It was noisy, with both the bedroom and living room overlooking the road, and (OK, so maybe I'm being a snob here) had a delightful view of the high-rise council estate opposite. Mine is actually quite nice!