Dream home, but it is on the corner of a junction

Hannimal

Having once lived on a busy road, I would not do it again. I certainly would not buy property in the junction of two big roads. The noise you may end up getting, especially with heavy vehicles like trucks and emergency vehicles (they pop sirens on busy junctions even in night time) is not trivial. It might feel like it is when you don't live there but it gets really stressful. There is also research evidence that shows living in noisy areas or close proximity to main roads is associated with several poor health outcomes. Ultimately, you are the only one who knows what you want and what compromises you are willing to make. Whatever your decision, the t-junction is not a small factor to consider. 

rach_k

I grew up with a busy dual-carriageway behind the house.  I never noticed it.  If I listened I could obviously hear it but most people's brains will just block it out after a while.

When we moved to our current home on a fairly quiet road but with a house that owns trucks across the road, the noise of the trucks really disturbed me for a few months.  Then I just stopped noticing it.

I think if you go into it worrying and always on edge waiting for the next noise, you'll never get used to whatever you can hear. If you stay positive about it - "I'll get used to it soon, it's not that bad, this house is perfect," etc, you stand a good chance of it not affecting you at all after a while.  

cogrady

theoretica said:

Is the house double glazed?  That will make a big difference.

House is thankfully double glazed throughout. We made a point of it in one of our viewings to see if we notice traffic noise and we couldn't hear it to be honest. It's more being outside I'm concerned with.

Newnoel

Rearrange these words into a well known phrase: Bargepole... dont... it... with... touch... a...

The noise and pollution are not your only issue:

• Light pollution in the evenings and nights as car lights illumunate your bedroom from vehicles waiting or turning at the junction
  
• Teenagers using your corner wall or the woods behind your house as a spot to congregate on long Summer's evenings
• Potential future development of the woods behind your garden
• Security risk from your house backing on to woods / fields

Newnoel

Hannimal said:

Having once lived on a busy road, I would not do it again. I certainly would not buy property in the junction of two big roads. The noise you may end up getting, especially with heavy vehicles like trucks and emergency vehicles (they pop sirens on busy junctions even in night time) is not trivial. It might feel like it is when you don't live there but it gets really stressful. There is also research evidence that shows living in noisy areas or close proximity to main roads is associated with several poor health outcomes. Ultimately, you are the only one who knows what you want and what compromises you are willing to make. Whatever your decision, the t-junction is not a small factor to consider. 

+1

cogrady

kasqueak said:

I live on a main road now after always living in cul-de-sacs. At first I really noticed the road noise. Not just the cars but the sirens and the worst thing - the little mopeds! But you do get used to it. I think you can get triple glazing that really helps with road noise. 

I guess it depends on how busy is busy...my house is on a road that’s busy constantly as it’s the main road in and out of my town. If your house is on a road that’s only busy at certain times then you might find you’ll be at work during those times so won’t bother you anyway. 

Thank you for this! Is it too much to ask for a street view of the road you are on, just for comparison please? The road I’m looking to buy on is a similar description to the one you are talking about. 

Crumble2018

We live next to both a busy road and a railway line.  The noise from these rarely bothers me (apart from when little !!!!!! ride their quad bikes past) but if I can hear a neighbour's music just a tiny bit I get the rage! So it depends what kind of noise bothers you.

Crumble2018

hazyjo said:

cogrady said:

SharkMoney said:

My brother lived in a first floor maisonette in a similar position to that house and the noise was horrible. In the living room at the front you couldn’t have a conversation or hear the telly with the window open. 

Is it possible to share a street view of the property just for comparison please?

They already did above

Link doesn't seem to be there anymore (at least it isn't for me)

cogrady

Crumble2018 said:

We live next to both a busy road and a railway line.  The noise from these rarely bothers me (apart from when little !!!!!! ride their quad bikes past) but if I can hear a neighbour's music just a tiny bit I get the rage! So it depends what kind of noise bothers you.

Funny you should say that! As well as that annoyance, another one that bothers me where I live at the moment is dogs barking. I don't mind the odd bark of course, but if it's a constant barking for hours, which often occurs in the estate I live in! Loud music to 12 o'clock at night annoys me too, but I think that would annoy anyone. Neighbour also has children with ADHD and they scream to high heavens constantly when they are outside on the trampoline. 

Of course whether trading all these noises for traffic noise is a balanced trade off is difficult to know. I have at multiple times, at different times of the day, and different weather, have gone to the woods behind the house to see what the traffic noise is like. Here, the beech hedging and stone wall is the same that runs along the side of the house, which buffers the sound somewhat. While it's not a constant traffic noise, it is relatively consistent in terms of the sound it's making (apart from the odd loud exhaust or truck, but these are infrequent from what I found so far). 

Crumble2018

cogrady said:

Crumble2018 said:

We live next to both a busy road and a railway line.  The noise from these rarely bothers me (apart from when little !!!!!! ride their quad bikes past) but if I can hear a neighbour's music just a tiny bit I get the rage! So it depends what kind of noise bothers you.

Funny you should say that! As well as that annoyance, another one that bothers me where I live at the moment is dogs barking. I don't mind the odd bark of course, but if it's a constant barking for hours, which often occurs in the estate I live in! Loud music to 12 o'clock at night annoys me too, but I think that would annoy anyone. Neighbour also has children with ADHD and they scream to high heavens constantly when they are outside on the trampoline. 

Of course whether trading all these noises for traffic noise is a balanced trade off is difficult to know. I have at multiple times, at different times of the day, and different weather, have gone to the woods behind the house to see what the traffic noise is like. Here, the beech hedging and stone wall is the same that runs along the side of the house, which buffers the sound somewhat. While it's not a constant traffic noise, it is relatively consistent in terms of the sound it's making (apart from the odd loud exhaust or truck, but these are infrequent from what I found so far). 

Yes, dogs barking continuously is very annoying!  I really need to live in a detached house in the middle of nowhere, but sadly my budget only affords a flat!!  But road noise is definitely the least annoying noise for me.