Road noise in new house

Cathyann

Hi all,

This is my first week in my new house and I’m really struggling with road noise in our new lounge.

We fell in love with this house after looking at lots of places because of its character and it had a great feel. It’s a 400 year old house with huge rooms and lots of original features. It’s on a main road through a village and i am shocked at how much traffic passes through, especially during the day. I am currently 9 months pregnant and on maternity leave and spending lots of time at home which probably isn’t helping but I am panicking that we’ve made a big mistake!!

Just wondering if anyone has had any success with reducing road noise with secondary glazing? We have single glazed sash windows so it sounds like the cars are driving straight through our lounge. I have asked for some quotes but I’m worried it won’t work and I’ll never be able to relax in the lounge.

Mids_Costcutter

We had secondary glazing installed behind double-glazing in a bedroom facing a B-road: it definitely made a difference. According to Which and other sources the gap between panes needs to be at least 100mm for effective noise reduction.

The unit we have was made to measure and we installed it ourselves. If interested PM me and I can let you the name of the supplier.

What is the speed of traffic like through your village? Something else to tackle?

EachPenny

Cathyann wrote: »

Hi all,

This is my first week in my new house and I’m really struggling with road noise in our new lounge.

We fell in love with this house after looking at lots of places because of its character and it had a great feel. It’s a 400 year old house with huge rooms and lots of original features. It’s on a main road through a village and i am shocked at how much traffic passes through, especially during the day. I am currently 9 months pregnant and on maternity leave and spending lots of time at home which probably isn’t helping but I am panicking that we’ve made a big mistake!!

Just wondering if anyone has had any success with reducing road noise with secondary glazing? We have single glazed sash windows so it sounds like the cars are driving straight through our lounge. I have asked for some quotes but I’m worried it won’t work and I’ll never be able to relax in the lounge.

Double glazing might help, but a friend recently moved into a cottage very close to what seemed at the time of viewing to be a quiet village street. What they've discovered since then is the commuter traffic starts around 4am through to 10am and then 3pm till about 7pm. In the early hours traffic speeds by at around 50 (the limit is 30) and a manhole next to the cottage goes 'thump' every time a vehicle passes over it.

Like you they wondered what kind of mistake they'd made... I stayed over for a few nights and was woken up constantly. Even in the daytime the occasional 'thump' would make me jump.

But a couple of months later they've got used to it. There is noise, and the occasional speeding car is obnoxiously loud, but it has become part of the rhythm of the house. When I visit I barely notice the noise because it has now become familiar.

So my advice would be "don't panic!". Don't invest in alterations now, because the stress or organising quotes and having builders coming round will probably make things worse. Leave it for a few months to see what happens. If you don't get used to the noise by then you'll be in a much better position to get the work done if you still need to... and it is just possible you'll have forgotten all about it

Clutterfree

You will get used to it.

A year ago we moved to a period property with single glazed sash windows.
It was strange at first because I'd think I'd left the window open at night.
Now we don't notice it as much, except when the road sweeper truck cleans the road on a Thursday at 6am!

It's also noisier when it's been raining.

Glad to hear you aren't thinking of ripping out the lovely sash windows and replacing them with uPVC ones! :T

sevenhills

If you have a front garden, then trees or a hedge may well be better than a tall fence.
Evergreen for all year round sound baffling, a Laurel hedge can grow 4/5m high

00ec25

1. your research before you purchased was woefully inadequate

2. additional glazing will make a huge difference

3. after a few months you will totally acclimatise and by this time next year you absolutely will not notice the traffic noise at all

4. in 10 years time if you were to visit us you would have the same reaction as my aunt, you would get an awful night's sleep because it is too quiet here, and you are not used to such, as you are conditioned to a background noise whose absence is what you now notice

5. after one week you are indeed overreacting

hazyjo

Can you swap rooms around? Do you have a separate dining room or a second sitting room or kitchen diner? You might prefer to 'live' in middle or at the back if possible. If your garden is big enough and if you have the money, a single storey extension at the back would be cheaper than moving if it really does become unbearable or even a niggle.

Trying to look for a positive - once you have a screaming baby in the house, you might not notice it

bouicca21

I once lived in a similar property. I got used to the noise very quickly, what I couldn't get used to was the grime. Maybe now most cars use unleaded it will be better, but the dust at that place was more like soot.

Wyndham

When I bought my house I was aware that the M6 ran quite close. But actually, after moving in, that's not the noise which ever bothers me. The road the house is on makes much more noise. It's used as a 'rat run' and there are far more cars on it than I thought there would be.

BUT, after saying that, I only notice it now when I stop and think about it. You get used to it.

I've got used to the motorway too - Christmas Day freaks me out a bit as the background noise isn't there

phoebe1989seb

Our last house was similar. A three-storey Georgian thatched house situated at the bottom of a hill on the main road into a village. There was no front garden, but a wider than average pavement with a parking bay separated our house from the road.

When we viewed, we were so excited by the third of an acre garden and driveway parking for ten cars, as well as the huge potential the house offered, neither of us noticed the road noise issue.

As soon as we moved in though, we realised that every time a large vehicle (tractor, bus, hgv) went past at speed - the limit of 30mph was regularly broken - the house shook from top to bottom and the road noise was audible in most rooms as the original part of the house was wide but only one room deep.

Neither DH or I got used to the noise, in fact for me - admittedly rather noise-sensitive - it got worse, but that might have been a result of worsening pot holes

Initially we refurbished the wooden sash windows, but after two years we resorted to replacement timber double-glazed sashes with acoustic glass. (We weren't listed, btw!) It barely made a jot of difference. We sold shortly afterwards.

Were we doing it now, I'd insist on good quality secondary glazing. DH isn't a fan, but I think I've won him over, not that we'll ever, ever be buying another house on a main road.

Edited to add: agree with Bouicca regarding the grime!

Davesnave

Nobody here can really be sure that you will get used to the noise or the vibration. They will tell you this or that, but one glance at the replies will show that people's tolerances vary.

Some kind of glazing solution may tip the balance, but I'd do nothing in a hurry.

My parents bought a house very like the one you are describing, but they were never settled in it. It was a case of large, affordable period house pitted against the desire for relative peace and quiet.

After a few years, they sold-up for something smaller, modern, with little passing traffic and a wildlife reserve behind. Their furniture didn't fit too well into that house, but they were much happier.

Buying a home is always a balancing act, so compromises will usually be made somewhere.