Would you buy a house with a garden backing onto a main road?

macfanuk

Just looking for some advice.

We're looking to buy a house and we've seen a house we like - the house is a good size (easily the biggest on the estate) as it has been extended, it's in a small cul-de-sac estate, it's got enough parking for 3 cars, and a nice size garden (not massive but nice enough).

My only concern is that we do like sitting out in the garden, however the garden backs on to the main road that goes right through from one end of town to the other.

Would this put you off buying?

bleeve

My only concern would be in case people could climb over the back wall/fence and break into your home as that can be pretty common they gain entry through back door or smash a back window. Depends on the fencing as one I seen similar had a lot of trees bordering so it was pretty hard to climb through

Good luck with the house hunting

Bennifred

If you like sitting out - is the garden south/southwest facing?

sandsni

How busy is the road? If you tend to spend a lot of time in the garden (weather permitting obviously) it could become a bit of a bugbear if there's constant traffic passing while you're trying to have a conversation. It's almost impossible to have a conversation in the garden in front of my parents' house at certain times (the road wasn't nearly so busy when the house was built in the late 60s :-s). But if you only have the occasional barbecue on a summer's night then I don't think it would be a deal-breaker.


Do you have children? Is there a decent fence or hedge that would dull the noise and keep children from "escaping" out to the main road while your back was turned for half a second?

macfanuk

bleeve wrote: »

My only concern would be in case people could climb over the back wall/fence and break into your home as that can be pretty common they gain entry through back door or smash a back window. Depends on the fencing as one I seen similar had a lot of trees bordering so it was pretty hard to climb through

Good luck with the house hunting

Thanks - I'd not thought of that. Crime rate in the area is quite low though to be honest but definitely worth thinking about.

Bennifred wrote: »

If you like sitting out - is the garden south/southwest facing?

Think it's west facing but would need to check.

sandsni wrote: »

How busy is the road? If you tend to spend a lot of time in the garden (weather permitting obviously) it could become a bit of a bugbear if there's constant traffic passing while you're trying to have a conversation. It's almost impossible to have a conversation in the garden in front of my parents' house at certain times (the road wasn't nearly so busy when the house was built in the late 60s :-s). But if you only have the occasional barbecue on a summer's night then I don't think it would be a deal-breaker.

Do you have children? Is there a decent fence or hedge that would dull the noise and keep children from "escaping" out to the main road while your back was turned for half a second?

The road is very busy during the day - not sure about evenings so much.

The house was only built in 1998 so I wouldn't have thought the road would've been much quieter then.

We don't have children but this will be our forever home so need to make the right decision. I think the garden is secure enough as it's wall half way up and then fence for the other half of the height.

I guess it's going to be about compromising internal space or the garden.

The house is about £35k cheaper than something similar away from the main road.

elsien

Noise would be the main factor for me, as opposed to security - even if I'm not in the garden if the windows and back door were open and I could still hear lots of traffic then it would drive me up the wall.
That's about personal tolerances though - what are yours? Can you visit the area at different times of day and see how loud it actually is?

Lance_De_Boils

As well as the noise I would worry about the pollution from the traffic.
Sometimes the pollution can get so bad you can taste it.

moneyistooshorttomention

Yes.

I wouldn't even consider it.

There's a reason that it's so much cheaper and that boils down to the noise and pollution.

I had niggles in my mind about buying my last house because of it being just a few streets back from a busy road and I was aware that the volume of traffic everywhere would increase noticeably for some years. I went ahead and bought it, because I knew I would only be there a few years anyway (being a "starter house") and that the traffic volume wouldn't increase much in that time. In the event, I got stuck there for years and it was driving me up the wall backwards and I was worrying about my health from being near that road for so long.

With a Forever Home, it's all the more important for it to be okay (though you don't have to take into account the Sell-On Factor).

I anticipate the volume of traffic everywhere will start steadily decreasing soon (people unable to afford to drive their cars round so much/companies refusing to fund company cars to such an extent and the only car trips in a few years time will be the Lazy, the Wealthy and the Infirm pretty much)...but I still wouldn't want it.

maninthestreet

Is the boundary between the back garden of the property and the main road a solid wall or just a wooden fence?

pinkteapot

We're near a main road (second house from the mouth of the road in the cul-de-sac) and are in the process of moving - one of the main reasons being that I want a peaceful garden to sit in.

If you like sitting in the garden chatting, socialising, etc., then it doesn't matter so much. If you like a quiet wind-down with a book then I'd say don't do it!

Security wouldn't worry me so much - burglars are far more likely to target a quiet house at the far end of the cul-de-sac than one where loads of passing cars can see them hopping the wall...

How is the noise inside the house? With ours, you can barely hear the road with the windows shut (double-glazing) but if it's a hot day and the windows are open we can hear it inside.

LandyAndy

I looked at a house on a main road a few years ago. The noise in the garden was very off-putting. I'd moved from a house just 400m from the M6/M62 junction but the constant hum of traffic there soon became unnoticeable (lived there happily for 18 years). However, being right next to the road meant you heard each individual vehicle and that was what was unpleasant.