House near motorway - would you buy?

[Deleted User]

My grandmother recently sold her house of 50 years (I think that's how long they had it) after my grandfather died, it backed onto the M6 with around 100 feet from the motorway to back door (red line) and she said that they learned to live with it but it's something they could always hear with windows open. Although, I visited their house a bunch as a child and I have absolutely no memory of hearing the motorway...

00ec25

No
two reasons:
1. you cannot escape the noise when you want to use the outside or open a window
2. air pollution

Riggster

I wouldn't buy it...

olly300

I wouldn't buy it because of air pollution and the noise of lorries.

One of my friends' use to live in a flat which had some type of industrial park at the end of a long road.

It smelt of fumes in summer with the windows open and from 5am until 11pm you could hear the rumble of lorries.

I don't live on a quiet road now but when I looked I checked the number of lorries going down it. Oh and trains are preferable to lorries as they make less noise as long as you don't live near a tunnel.

Tancred

The back of the house, nearest the motorway, is in the 70-74.9 db(A) band according to DEFRA. The front lies in the 60-64.9 db(A) range. These are daytime figures.

Strapped

Don't do it. If you are wavering, how will you ever resell when the time comes?

Davesnave

I think the acceptability of outside noise it depends very much on lifestyle. Obviously, there are technical ways to reduce its impact, like triple glazing/air conditioning, but if your use of the garden and outside spaces is important, it's a definite reduction in the quality of life.

I used to work occasionally in a Wiltshire garden within earshot of the M4, though it was actually a field away. It was the most idyllic place, complete with a brook and unspoiled views across water meadows and woodland, but always there was 'the drone.'

One afternoon, there was a serious incident and that section of M4 was completely closed for a couple of hours. It was as if someone had thrown a switch. The other people in the garden looked around them, not quite sure what had happened, but noticing that a change had occurred. We could hear the stream and the birds properly!

That house and it's garden were easily worth in excess of £1 million, but would I have exchanged a life gardening there for one at the back of my own modest, peacefully situated house? No way!

princeofpounds

The dangers of air pollution are often somewhat exaggerated, though you wouldn't want to be right next to it. Much of the really nasty stuff drops off within metres of the road. The rest is blown around by the wind and is similarly bad to what you get near any kind of urban traffic area. That's not to say there is no issue.

Noise is tougher. It depends a lot on the exact conditions but it can carry a long way and through many screens/materials. Personally, whilst I don't mind a little background noise if I'm outside I would draw the line at it penetrating the house.

One final point - I have a theory about these sort of houses for people with really long time horizons. Electric cars are becoming increasingly common (finally) and at some point over the next few decades will liekly become a dominant mode of transport. Living near roads is likely to get a lot quieter and more pleasant. May only be of benefit for your children though!

sammyjammy

ffacoffipawb wrote: »

What about a house on a roundabout?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/32722

You think that's bad...

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/gallery/d/54719-1/StottHallFarmM62_gb12056.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/gallery/v/Yorkshire/windyhill/StottHallFarmM62_gb12056.jpg.html&h=550&w=800&sz=73&tbnid=mCDoL8X8hs0yPM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=119&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfarm%2Bmiddle%2Bof%2Bm62%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=farm+middle+of+m62&usg=__URVWYRoLzIJ67JSBuqwz5DVw7co=&docid=95QuFIXDp-T6pM&sa=X&ei=Cci6UY2FPMG3O_nkgJAD&ved=0CEMQ9QEwBA&dur=366

DKLS

The motorway will sound even louder when its raining, I wouldnt do it unless mega cheap and you can fit triple or quadruple glazing from finland.