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

onlyroz

Our house fronts onto the main road through our village and it's pretty noisy in the garden. However, with double-glazing the noise inside the house is fine. My parents lived in a house in a cul-de-sac that was bypassed, and so they went from having the main road out the front to having it out the back. I don't remember the noise being too bad, but there was a field between their rear fence and the main road.

I once looked at a house that backed onto the A316 in Sunbury, and the noise was horrendous. However, I've also seen houses that back onto the M25, and the sound barrier is so high that you can hardly hear a thing.

I think you need to visit the house again and ask to sit out in the back garden for a bit before making a decision.

bouicca21

For me it would be down to the noise. A friend has a house that backs on to a side road at a junction with the main road. Lovely house, lovely garden. No noise in the house - but for me the garden is unusable except on Sunday mornings. The traffic is constant, and so is the noise. Sitting in a garden, whether socialising or relaxing is very important to me and no way would I ever want to sit in a noisy one.

macfanuk

Thanks for all the comments.

elsien wrote: »

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?

We drive along the road quite regularly and it does quieten down around 7-8pm but it's the nice sunny afternoons I'm more worried about.

Lance_De_Boils wrote: »

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.

I hadn't thought about pollution so very much worth considering. Thanks

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

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.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm aware that the reason it's so much cheaper is because of its position but that's what I'm trying to weigh up: Do we want a bigger house that we'll never outgrow but with a garden backing onto main road, or do we want a smaller house for the same price on a quieter cul-de-sac that we may need to sell and move from again in 10-15 years time.

macfanuk

maninthestreet wrote: »

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

The boundary is part wall and part fence. The wall accounts for about 50% of the height whilst the fence is the other 50% with thick brick columns in between each fence panel.

pinkteapot wrote: »

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.

To be honest, we've not visited the property yet. We are trying to decide whether the garden backing on to the main road is too big of an issue before we waste the vendors time with a viewing, however, the vendors have owned the property for 15 years so it can't be that bad surely?

LandyAndy wrote: »

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.

I can definitely relate to this. The first house we rented in the area we now live in was seperated from the M61 by just a very small woods. However, as you say, with the noise being constant, it got 'normal' and was actually quite relaxing. Not sure it'll be the same being able to hear every clatter of every lorry, etc.

macfanuk

onlyroz wrote: »

Our house fronts onto the main road through our village and it's pretty noisy in the garden. However, with double-glazing the noise inside the house is fine. My parents lived in a house in a cul-de-sac that was bypassed, and so they went from having the main road out the front to having it out the back. I don't remember the noise being too bad, but there was a field between their rear fence and the main road.

I once looked at a house that backed onto the A316 in Sunbury, and the noise was horrendous. However, I've also seen houses that back onto the M25, and the sound barrier is so high that you can hardly hear a thing.

I think you need to visit the house again and ask to sit out in the back garden for a bit before making a decision.

Thanks. As said, we've not viewed the house yet as we are trying to make a decision about the garden before wasting the vendors time. I would think that a house fronting on to a main road would be ok as it's quite common, however, the garden is meant to be a place to enjoy so I just want to make sure we can enjoy it

bouicca21 wrote: »

For me it would be down to the noise. A friend has a house that backs on to a side road at a junction with the main road. Lovely house, lovely garden. No noise in the house - but for me the garden is unusable except on Sunday mornings. The traffic is constant, and so is the noise. Sitting in a garden, whether socialising or relaxing is very important to me and no way would I ever want to sit in a noisy one.

To be honest, we don't use the garden a huge amount and we don't tend to have loads of people over for barbeques but that's not to say we don't want to in the future. We're also wanting a home to start a family in and the kids will undoubtedly want to play in the garden.

mummyroysof3

I think you aren't going to be able to make a decision without going to see it.

pinkteapot

Agree - it's worth viewing. You might not even get the good feeling from the house anyway, regardless of the garden issue! You're considering the house so you wouldn't be wasting their time.

Atomix

If you do buy it, I suggest planting a hedge, x2 main reasons: absorb the noise a bit better and it's a little known fact that a hedge will also absorb much if not all of the pollution.

Environmental benefits
Dense evergreen hedges are a useful way to reduce noise levels (reduce but not eliminate). The degree of sound deadening is directly influenced by the height, maturity and density of a hedge, and particularly by the elevation of the source of the noise - a noise from above the garden level being more difficult to reduce. Hedges planted for sound proofing are also known absorb air pollution, particularly useful for near herb and vegetable gardens, childrens' play areas etc.

See even more benefits here

http://www.hedgesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Why_plant_a_hedge_.html

cloo

Sort of depends on circumstances... if, say, I wanted to be in a good school catchment or near a transport link, and the only way I could afford to do that initially would be to compromise on something like that, but probably moving at a later date, I'd consider it.

If I could in theory afford not to have to make that kind of compromise, I expect I wouldn't.

I_have_spoken

Check if the main road has traffic calming; nothing worse than endless noise of vehicles braking then revving to accelerate away.

If it's a 'forever house' how old are you - no ones hearing improves with age

Also, Any chance to put a conservatory on the back? Sitting inside in early Spring and late Summer would extend how much benefit you get from a west facing garden.