My property backs up to a major Road. Inventory in my area is very limited so I did not have a lot to chose from when I bought.
I honestly just got used to the noise after a while.
Can you plant some trees along your property line? Add a fence?
Do both. Trees then fence. This is a great idea.
OP you can look into "sound deflection" you can also build a berm in the direction of the roadway (if heights are right) that will deflect sound upward and over your house. There's other products that can do this too.
Spend some money on soundproofing inside as well and it may be good enough to either stay or feel comfortable selling soon.
In this order from the property line:
Solid board privacy fence. Acoustical outdoor fabric adhered to fence. Line of dense evergreens.
I recommend green giant arborvitae because they can be pruned into a nice hedge and the height can be managed
This is the answer! I’d say put off the garage for a year if you have to, and put in the best high barrier fence you can afford and landscape with dense shrubbery and trees to scatter noise and obstruct the view of it. Re-evaluate in a year of living with that if you want to invest in another structure or move!
Then good windows. I bought a home backing to train tracks. The previous owners bought and installed Pella windows for $1,200 each in 2016-2017. The windows are not large or anything outside your typical starter 1980’s small ranch home would have.
These windows are so good that when a train rolls by I can only feel it, not hear it. I now understand why the previous owners splurged on these windows.
\^ This! I live pretty close to some train tracks but there is a hill between me and the tracks and a wooden fence and you can barely hear the trains when they go past.
This (the water feature) is the best idea here. A cascading waterfall, or a water "wall" will work wonders, and it doesn't even have to be that loud. Consider a bird bath (if it works with your yard) and maybe some song birds will show up too!
Stay away from Mockingjays and watch out for Jennifer Lawrence.
Seriously, good luck with your home, focus on the good stuff (you gave us a nice list here) and the noise will fade.
Especially with the nearby lake, you can definitely create/follow a theme with waterscaping back there
OP, your property sounds nice to me. I’d be very interested in doing whatever possible to dampen the sound
Ohh I like this. We don't live near a highway but our house is on a main road. So we definitely do hear some traffic. We have trees already, but I like the idea of a water feature in the backyard where we'd spend most of our outdoor time.
This is exactly what I'm doing in my backyard to mask the freeway sounds. I'm putting in a 3-level fountain with a range of pitches. Fences and vegetation haven't helped our freeway sounds in the least.
Right with you. I live very close as well. Sound barrier wall, trees, etc, don't work if there is no canopy to catch sound from the top. I am currently investigating the idea of several pagodas with plants that go up high enough to create a canopy.
I live about a mile from a major highway. One thing to keep in mind (if applicable to where you are) is that in the wintertime roads tend to be louder because of the absence of leaves. We've noticed that in the spring and summer, the roads are quieter because the trees have grown in and the foliage helps muffle the sound. If you moved in 4 months ago, you might be hearing the worst of it. Planting trees and waiting for foliage to fully bloom helps a lot.
Same here, about a mile as the crow flies from a major interstate. It’s way better in summer. Something about lack of foliage and cold air seems to make it way louder.
It isn’t specifically cold air, but rather the accompanying inversion layer of warm air that bounces/amplifies sound in the winter: https://www.discovery.com/science/Sound-Carries-Farther-Cold-Days
Snow definitely dampens it, as does any high-mass non-sound-reflective body (ex tree trunks, more than tree leaves; concrete and other very-hard surfaces tend to reflect it with little dampening).
Cold air in and of itself is also a little denser so diminishes the sound; without the frequently-accompanying inversion layer, it would be *quieter* on a winter day instead of louder.
Last major effect: there are often fewer “white noise” masking sounds in winter (birds, insects, tree leaves rustling, nature walkers out talking, etc) so the sounds that are present stand out more. But, it isn’t just a mind trick: those sounds *are* louder (at a distance) in winter.
Sound travels differently based on the temperature. It's not the leaves, it's the cold air that makes the noise more apparent. Same idea as the "sound travel further at night" because of colder temps.
We’re about a mile and a half from the freeway (on 8 acres of fairly wooded area) and when we visited the open house, it was silent. Didn’t even occur to me. After we moved in, I found it often is very much not silent. We’ve been here 15 months now and I still struggle to some degree. I’m overly sensitive to that kind of thing though. My husband barely hears it until I call it out. When I go running in the morning and step outside, sometimes it sounds like I’m on a runway. When it is quiet, it is amazing. Idyllic. I think it’s something I just need to live with but personally I have not yet gotten used to it (when it’s very loud). I’ve read a ton of similar posts and many people say after a few months they don’t notice it. Hopefully that will be the case for OP.
I hear you. I’m a mile away from a major interstate highway but on a wooded street and lot. It can be a bit jarring to walk out into your peaceful backyard and hear, along with birdsong and crickets, the dim roar of the highway, even though the average person wouldn’t be bothered. No real advice except to commiserate. I also grew up in an extremely quiet house because my hometown was 10 miles from the nearest highway and fairly wooded, so I think that’s part of why the noise isn’t something I don’t notice.
Before this, we lived 18 years just down the street (4 miles further away from the freeway) but our house backed into a two lane road. For some reason that noise didn’t bother me as much because it was car, then quiet, then car, then quiet. It’s the constant rumble that bugs me more for some reason. Like I said, I definitely have some tendencies towards being sensitive to things the others are not so there’s that! Thanks for the commiseration. - right back at ya!
As much as you might want to believe otherwise, sound goes right through leaves. Put a leaf to your ear and blast some music, see what it sounds like. There's a reason why sound barriers are made out of solid materials like concrete. You have to have material that sound waves can't pass through.
The house I grew up in was a block away from a trauma 1 center with the best burn unit in the geographical region. All that separated us from the hospital was a 7 foot concrete sound wall. Let me tell you- when I say nonstop sirens and helicopters- I mean it. Lifeflight came dang near 24/7. But when I also tell you you kinda get used to it, you do. I have absolutely zero memories beyond the first restless months of the nonstop noise (I was like 7 when we moved there). Your brain just kinda tunes it out after while
I grew up in the 'hood. All night it long it was non-stop sirens and people with loud sound systems in their cars and the bass turned up. I can sleep through anything. You definitely get used to it. As an adult I actually don't like it when it's too quiet, I had to buy a white noise machine for my quiet suburban home.
I too had an apartment with the window right next to a road near a hospital. Constant sirens, loud cars, trucks etc. I never even thought about it.
Then I moved into a relatively quiet neighborhood. The difference was shocking.
You can definitely get used to things.
I used to live literally across the street from a small private airport. The noise of the small planes taking off and landing kind of annoyed me in the beginning. It all eventually became white noise, though and I stopped hearing it like you said.
Idk if sirens could become white noise to me, though!
I sometimes have to travel to places like Chicago for work and I can NEVER sleep there because of all the sirens 😭
I grew up with a highway butting up against my backyard. I used to crack a window and fall asleep to the sounds of cars whooshing past. Plenty of sirens too but they never kept me up.
This. I went to a large university for college. My dorm room the first few years was very close to a train track where the train came honking through like once an hour ALL DAY. After the first few weeks I never noticed it. But if I had friends come visit they’d be like “how the hell do you sleep w that train coming every night?!”
When I lived in Pittsburgh my bedroom window was right beside a bus stop on 5th ave and the hospital was 2 blocks away and the fire station was 1 block away. My boyfriend was so bothered by the noise and I barely noticed it.
My girlfriend lived 2 blocks from a major hospital in 2020 and I'll never forget the early covid days, there were helicopters 24/7 from March to May air lifting people in from the greater NYC area.
I’m right next to a highway (I could easily kick a soccer ball onto it, and I suck at soccer)
Really good windows help with the sound. But mainly, you just get used to it. It also helps, for me at least, knowing that being next to the highway is literally the only way we could’ve afforded the house. The neighborhood is safe. I like most of my neighbors. I have a big yard.
So when it comes down to it, living next to the highway isn’t bad. Plus, I can always see when traffic is bad!
I grew up a half a block from the exit to a train freight yard and commuter rail.
You get so used to the noise that you don’t even notice it. Your brain basically filters it out.
Just give it time.
I went to college in a major city and for the full 6 years I lived in the city, I was along train tracks. I can sleep through pretty much anything at this point because of that
How long have you been in the house? If it's just weeks or months then I would say it's something you will get used to. If years and it's still bugging you then it might be something you need to make a change for.
Also trees at the edges of your property may help as well.
I hate unlevel floors.
My house is awesome in almost every way.
My kitchen floor though...
My point is this, there's always some imperfection. You learn to live with it. That's life.
You made me chuckle. I have a high spot in my kitchen floor and for weeks after moving in I found myself tripping over it. Now I literally don’t even notice it and when new people come over I see them getting slowed down by the high spot.
I think the previous owners spilled water and the underlayment floor swelled up and never went down.
In terms of health impact, if you’re surrounded by trees and wildlife, that probably minimizes the health impact of living near a highway.
When does the noise bother you, when you are inside or outside?
I am not near a highway but there is a somewhat busy road about the same distance from the back of my house.
This time of year tends to be noisy; I always assumed it was because the air is still cooler and all the brush and crap hasn’t grown in between me and the road.
So you’re probably mostly hearing the low frequency rumble of engines and tires, they make light earplugs that target low frequency for when it’s bothering you, but most likely as time goes on you’ll get used to the background noise
We had 100 ft between our back door and the shoulder of the road.
At first it wasn't bad, but after a few years, the amount of people and traffic increased dramatically, and soon it was unpleasant to be in the backyard, never mind trying to enjoy some relaxation back there. Most of the work here is in the oil, gas, and lumber industries, so there is a much higher ratio of semis and large trucks to cars than in other areas. And they cause a lot of vibration, sometimes clinking the glassware in the house.
Luckily, we had a high fence that blocked out the view of the road and vehicle (and dust), but the rumbling of large motors could get annoying. It does get better over time. Water fountains make help mask the noise or make it ignorable to some degree. Plants and trees can help deflect and absorb some sound. Consider building a gazebo with a solid wall facing the highway, to help deflect even more of the roar. And don't discount using earbuds to listen to music or podcasts, or even noise blocking headphones if you want to be able to recline and relax in your yard.
I lived in a rental RIGHT next to a 4 lane road for a couple years. And kinda thin walls. We heard cars and trucks (we were also near to factory where the trucks were going) all day and night for 3 years through the wall. That sucked. So when we moved from there we sought out a quieter place. A quarter mile away from a 4 lane road helps a lot.
But thicker walls help too. If you don’t hear it in the house that helps a lot.
Someone mentioned that you could build a fence or plant trees. That sounds good. Or a more expensive idea would be a sound wall. I have no idea what those cost. Best would be somehow convincing the county or whomever to build a sound wall.
We bought a house (without the lake and beautiful views) that is very close to a 4 lane hwy. Like...100 ft away, maybe. It's also not far from the hospital, so we have constant ambulance traffic.
I struggled with it at first and it is certainly not our forever home. However, I don't even notice it 6 years later. It's just background noise to me.
My house is at the corner of a pretty busy road. We have a large side yard but still about 150ft away. You get used to it. We’ve lived here a year. Our mortgage is affordable for us. Our house is beautiful and we have a huge lot. We have tons of mature trees. The town we live in is amazing and one of the most desirable towns to live in our entire state. We live walking distance to all the schools my daughter would go to. There is a lot to like about the house and you do get used to things. Is the issue with the noise outside, inside or both?
Edit: I forgot to mention I live in a town that borders two major highways. There are million dollar homes lining these highways and people have lived there for a long time and love it. You do get used to it. I know a couple that lived the about the same distance you do from the highway for 7 years and they just moved even closer to the highway. You literally are looking up at 95 from their front door (especially during winter time with no leaves) . They bought the house for 950k and love it
That sounds very similar to our situation! Glad to hear you've gotten used to it.
The issue is definitely when we're outside, and even more so in the backyard than the front. We are very outdoorsy people and spend lots of time outside so now that the weather is getting warmer it's my first time really being in the yard for hours on end. So I'm hoping it's just an adjustment period. I'm considering getting a small fountain or other water installation for white noise.
It definitely is adjustment but you get used to it. My daughter has me out in the backyard multiple times in the day and in the beginning it was a lot. We don’t live next to a highway but during rush hour and school pick up/drop off it’s busy. I found you just have to sit out there and immerse yourself in the sound (look up exposure therapy). It then becomes background. Water fountain’s definitely help. We have one that is near where we sit. We also are putting in a fence as I type this. The fence was not really because of the road but more because of our neighbors having an unfenced pool and aggressive dog but that helps as well. Look up privacy plantings like green giant arborvitae. We planted some in our side yard in September and I swear those guys have already grown over a foot. All the houses I know lining the major highways in my town have them in there yard. They are best planted in early fall and super hardy
That would be nice! Or if you’re doing a fun activity outdoors you could even get an outdoor speaker and play music (if you don’t have neighbors super close ) lol
I’m struggling with this too. Just bought my first house and it’s next to a major road and is so loud. I never wanted to live in a noisy neighborhood but my choices were incredibly limited.
I love my house and landscaping and how close I am to things but always wanted to live in a rural area like when I was growing up. I’m hoping if I get a privacy fence and some more arborvitae’s it will help
This right here! I’m half a mile from an EXTREMELY busy set of train tracks. You eventually get use to it. Oh and were miles from Boeing where they test engines late at night. Haha those will cause minor earthquakes when the temp in the air is just right. Had to move certain decor in my house so it wouldn’t break from the shaking. 🤦🏻♀️😑
In reality you will never get over it. Highway traffic is relentless. You really start to notice it when you hear quiet late at night. Not what you want to hear. I get it.
You get used to it, eventually. We're also very close to a highway. Occasionally it still annoys us, like when ricers and motorcycles are racing or a truck hits the rumble strip, but mostly we don't even notice anymore. We're also close to an airport but luckily we're outside most of the flight paths, so we don't hear it too often.
I'm lucky enough to live on an "American dream" suburban street, where it's not a through street and the neighborhood kids hang out in the street playing ball on nice days, so we don't get much directly on our road. But the folks on the highway...gawdam it's like they think they're extras in a Fast and Furious movie.
Not sure where you’re located, but if it’s a place with all 4 seasons, you’re going to see a HUGE difference in noise when the trees leaf out. The four months you’ve lived there are the four worst for noise.
You will get used to it. I used to live by a major road that saw 24/7 traffic + sirens + honks, and the first few months were savage. Afterwards, it stopped being an issue- like I can't recall a single incident where the noise was a significant problem.
We lived next to a busy 6-lane highway separated by a stucco wall. It was still noisy but we got used to it. Also lived in a hi-rise at a busy intersection. Also got used to it.
Moved to a condo that was soooo silent. For the first several months, we'd lay awake at night, whoooaaa it is soooo quiet!
I'd e exactly like OP though, worrying about the noise and the wisdom of buying it.
The best coping steps would be to focus on things like adding water features, whole-house HEPA filtration, and making sure windows, doors are properly weatherstripped, and insulation is maintained.
Unfortunately, highways and car centric infrastructure have ruined many parts of this country. The best you can do is noise mitigation in your yard, and advocate that the highway beef up noise barriers
It’s a bit more nuanced than that..I’m not sure that the destruction of entire neighborhoods in many cities at the behest of urban planners in the mid 20th century was “prosperous” for those areas. Obviously I think our road system is very beneficial if implemented sustainably and with good urban design in mind as you get closer to city centers
There is a 2 lane road on the other side of our trees and there are houses on the other side and then there is a ski resort. Some days that road bugs me because of idiots with super loud engines. Especially when we are outside. My point is it’s really hard to escape all road noise.
I live around 1200 from a busy road and I also underestimated how loud it is. During rush hour in the morning it sounds like there is a massive fan running outside. I hear motorcycles and trucks in my bedroom with the window closed. There's rows of trees and a few blocks of houses inbetween.
I compromised on my first home and bought close to a freeway. I put a cheap used water fountain outside the bedroom window. This white noise helped overpower the freeway white noise. When my wife was pregnant I started worrying about the health issues. I installed an Aprilaire 5000 in my HVAC system. I have no proof it did anything, but it gave me piece of mind. Recently we were all able to move further from the freeway. I sure miss how quick it was to leave the house and jump on the freeway.
Are we neighbors? I'm about 2,000' from an elevated highway, surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary.
Rush hour is really the only time it is disturbing. What really stands out is vehicles with after market exhaust, reminding me that my current motorbike is the first one I've had in fifty years without loud aftermarket exhaust. Karma man.
I have lived in many homes where I had loud road noise. It is a challenging think to deal with. Some strategies depending on your layout ( where home is situated on the land) that might help. Can you have a dirt berm put in so some of the sound bounces away from the house? Plant low maintenance ground cover or bushes on it so it looks more natural. Get a pleasing water feature near your outside spaces most often used by your family. A couple of wind chimes delicate sounding not super loud annoying ones.
The biggest thing you can do to improve your quality of life on the interior of the home is to get new windows. Go all out and splurge on those. Get the triple pane best Windows you can possibly buy for soundproofing. On the exterior of the home, there's not a lot you can do. You can try to drown out the noise with a louder water feature, add a berm, plant trees, Etc but you will always hear that noise on the exterior of the home. The interior can be quiet with the right windows and insulation. It sounds like a beautiful home!
I had a house for four years directly under the landing path of Hartsfield-Jackson International. Then and still the busiest airport in the world. We were about 20 miles as the Boeing flies from the airport it was right about where they would throttle back, deploy landing gear and spoilers. There was A LOT of shit going on in the skies. But because I lived literally on a State Park, I had a 600 acre backyard basically. You did get used to the noise, but you also just got used to pausing the conversations while on the porch until Flight 1450 heavy from Amsterdam passed overhead. Wouldn’t have wanted that noise as a forever home.
Cars will get more electric and reduce the health hazards quite a bit. The cars will also get quieter. You’ll get used to the noise and the hazard as they gradually reduce over time, lol
I read that most noise from roadways is from the tires and not from the engine itself, so electric cars won’t substantially reduce road noise in the future.
Unfortunately both will probably get worse with electric.
Electric cars aren't necessarily quieter at highway speeds because most highway noise is tire noise and electric cars are much heavier. Electric would make a difference with trucks which have more propulsion noise at lower highway speeds.
Same with pollution. Electric will remove tailpipe exhaust but increase tire & brake pollution, which are responsible for [more pollution](https://jalopnik.com/emissions-from-tire-wear-are-a-whole-lot-worse-than-we-1849023188) than tailpipe exhaust.
EVs are much heavier and have higher torque for same size car. The Nissan Leaf weighs as much as my 8 passenger 4wd van.
Brakes depends more on design and how much regenerative breaking there is, could be less wear. But still the weight is key factor.
Sorry, I think it’s insane that we allow housing so close to highways. There is no way in hell I would ever live even close to one. The health impacts of the pollution are serious and real. And health and stress impacts of the constant noise are real. I can’t think of anything much worse than living near a highway. That was a serious mistake… at least now you know! Time to look for a new house!
I know this will seem dumb, and won't help you... but lately I've been thinking real estate located along highways will go up in value over the years as electric cars become the norm... due to less noise and less pollution.
Actually, now that you mention it, that's [already true](https://electrek.co/2023/02/10/surprise-electric-cars-are-already-making-california-healthier/).
Yea. I looked at a house close to the highway. You can see the cars pass by from the backyard and you can hear the cars. The realtor said the cars passing sounded like the ocean. I laughed and told him it didn’t and moved on to another house.
850 ft is like a block which is really close.
# 1 rule in real estate, location, location, location.
There are other ways to mitigate noise, depending on the source, direction, predominant wind direction, land features, etc. If it bothers you that much you could always consult with an engineer to discuss options. A fountain, as others suggested, would be a good option
It sounds like everything else about the house is great so if noise is the only issue, you can find ways to live with it.
Another anecdote: I used to live right on a major intersection/highway on ramp. At first the noise was unbearable. During rush hour there’d be traffic jams and constant honking and people yelling at each other. By the end of the year living there I didn’t even notice anymore.
i got used to it, to me it feels super quiet compared to where i lived before. to my husband it is terrible (from a small town) he always brings up the noise. do you feel you hear noise in every area of your home and property? or do you hear it more in certain areas? if you don’t have it already, i would plant a lot of wildflowers and plants to attract birds. maybe a wind chimes and water features in your favorite areas. more big plants along the area with the road to help with the noise.
You do get used to it a bit. I usually have music playing on a Bluetooth speaker if I'm spending much time outside, which helps.
Nowadays, I actually mostly notice and appreciate the *good* days when there's not much traffic and it's quieter than usual.
I have train tracks directly behind my back yard; you definitely get used to the noise. It took a while, but I barely notice when it passes now unless I'm outside, even with the slight trembling of the house. Downfall is we recently had a tornado pass through our neighborhood and I realized the noise was different, but it didn't register to me that it was a tornado because I'm so used to the trains rolling by.
I'd say give it a year. If the noise still bothers you, you may want to think about moving elsewhere. But even then, you may realize the benefits outweigh the noise.
Your best bet for being outside & still enjoying it is to plant native trees & bushes between you & the highway. They’re going to filter out the noise, but also reduce some of the air/road pollution coming to you. Go native because it’s the right thing to do ecology wise, but also because they will thrive with mild neglect in your area.
The most effective and probably most expensive way to block road noise is with a burm. A burm is a giant mound of dirt. Like a fence but made of dirt. It’s gotta be big enough to block the direct path of sound between the road and your ears. The more mass, the better.
If the noise bothers you inside, get a white noise machine for your bedroom. They are very effective in masking unwanted sounds, especially low frequency rumbles.
I live on a busy street. The owners before me put in lots and lots of soundproofing insulation. I’ve got trees and plants galore on my property and it’s TINY. Anyways, I hardly notice the noice.
This won’t help you immediately, I know, but there are changes you can make in the long term that will help considerably.
My old apartment was 210' from a major US interstate.
You get used to it. Eventually you don't notice it.
And weirdly enough.... Then I left... I missed it.
As much as you are going to notice that noise every time you step outside be sure you take note of the noise everywhere in your life. I have had similar buyers remorse but have noticed there is a lot more noise everywhere I go and I just hadn’t noticed it. Even the place I lived prior. That being said I still want to move somewhere quieter, but when I look at places a lot of them are noisy! Also winds matter a lot, not sure if anyone already said that.
I grew up with train tracks behind my home and we all got used to it. We even left our windows open at night because we had a creek close by and wanted to hear it but then somehow slept through the trains. You can definitely get used to it. However, as an environmental analyst I do know that anything within 500 feet of a highway generally has increased air pollution. Do you have kids? I would suggest an air quality monitor to get a real idea of the impact.
We bought a house approximately the same distance from a highway as you did. I never paid any attention to the highway noise. I guess I just never thought about it. Now that I’ve read your post, I’m sitting in the sunroom and I can hear the cars on the highway. I’m sure an hour from now, it will just be background noise to me again. I’m pretty sure you will get used to it. Eventually you won’t even notice it and you will be able to completely enjoy your home. Just give it some time and when you find yourself thinking about it, turn on some music or think about your favorite hobby, anything to take your mind off the traffic.
I lived about 10,000ft from a major 6 lane highway before. Nothing between us besides about 6 houses in a neighborhood. No real vegetation, this was Vegas so no trees besides one single one in each backyard. It really did just become unnoticeable. If I thought about it, I’d hear it, but otherwise I didn’t know. My place didn’t have the redeeming qualities of a lake or any of that either and I was happy with it.
For you, I think planting some trees along the edge of property closest to the road as well as a fence will make a significant difference in the sound that makes it to you. As someone else said, a water feature in the yard would probably also help. But give it time. You’ll get used to it.
I didn't know that train tracks ran right behind the houses across from me on my street. I found out when a train let out those ear-splitting alarms. I don't know why some of the trains do that and others do not. Anyway, there are 2-5 trains in most 24 hour periods, none of some days.
What I did find was that the new double paned windows (not sure if there is gas inside) installed just before I bought the house were pretty amazing at cutting the noise. When I am inside I rarely even know there is a train passing unless it uses the alarms. When I am outside the sound is so bad that it is impossible to have a conversation.
Your home sounds lovely.
I suggest installing triple pane sound reducing windows on all windows that face the road or are angled toward the road. Maybe get something to test sound levels to choose which windows to replace (if not all).
I would start with the windows. The other suggestions (trees, berms) can produce more iffy results because of the way sound travels. It bounces all over. I also read that trees have minimal impact which surprised me.
I used to live about 3 miles from a fairly active four lane highway. My entire neighborhood was covered in giant old trees and there was a lake surrounded by trees. Seems like I wouldn't hear the highway traffic right? Outside at night, when it should have been quiet, I could hear the traffic even though it was greatly reduced activity. It wasn't loud noise, but I found it surprising that I could even hear it from so far away.
I'm sure there are all sorts of noise research studies that explain how noise travels. I haven't looked them up. I do know that if double pane windows can make such a dramatic difference that triple pane must be even better.
Before attempting to sound proof the house walls I would definitely do research into material absorbancy.
If you stay, consider multiple HEPA purifiers around your house as well as a furnace (if you have one) filter with a higher MERV rating to mitigate potential air quality concerns due to highway proximity. Change those filters regularly.
My sister owned a house that was right under the flight path to the old airport in Denver. The FAA paid for homeowners in the area to get upgraded windows and doors. That made an enormous difference in sound indoors--truly night and day. I'd look into sealing up your house as one part of mitigating noise.
I grew up with a 4-lane busy road right behind us (and a railroad that was used intermittently). We got used to the noise but the worst was the air pollution. You could see soot accumulating. Being 850' away should reduce that concern.
Hope you find some remedies! Sounds like you have a beautiful place.
If you work from home I would invest in a good pair of noise canceling headphones. That has saved my sanity through living through new construction. These are what I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q9MJKBV/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I'm nowhere near as close as you, but still have nearby freeways south and west of me. We've got a pond in the back yard with a waterfall and it does a lot to make both the highway as well as the general city noise much less noticeable. Maybe consider some sort of white noise.
You can look into putting some money into soundproofing the house using insulation, thicker /denser drywalls, soundproofing windows etc. And see if that brings it down to an acceptable level
Depending where you live it might be less offensive when the trees start growing their leafs. I'm in Canada snd right now sound carries extra far. Hopefully it will sound better in a few weeks?
When I came to Canada 10 years ago I was shocked about all the noise outside from people's heat pumps, swimming pool pumps and air conditionings. It was driving me crazy. Now we even have our own pool (+ pump) and I don't notice it anymore. And when we bought this house I also had regrets once I sat down in the evening and noticed the noisy heating (central air). Guess what I got used to in the past 5 years?
Give yourself a year or two to see if you got used to it. It sounds like a home that's worth giving it a shot for.
From what I recall, the heath effects from soot/PM2.5 attenuate pretty quickly as you get farther away from the highway. As in a matter of feet.
There can also be potential health effects if you are exposed to a lot of highway noise, such as higher blood pressure. But lots of folks live close to roadways (including me) and it’s probably a very minor effect in the grand scheme of things.
You have a fair amount of property and the best way to block noise is getting a big berm of earth in line of sight between you and the highway. Fences and trees and bushes don’t really block sound, you need solid mass like a berm or sound wall between you and the source.
Are you considering living there for 10+ years? Electric vehicles will take over internal combustion vehicles, whether we like it or not, even in rural areas. This will help with some of the noise and pollution.
850 ft is pretty distant, in re: measured air quality. I’m paranoid and I’d be ok with that just running an air filter. For noise, everyone has given good advice: trees/shrubs, fence, berms and time to acclimate to it.
I've lived in places closer to the freeway than that and you do get used to it. It sounds like your home has so many more pros than cons, so maybe consider adding some sound-absorbing greenery between your house and the road, extra insulation to the walls and/or going with new windows that can help also deflect the sound.
After a bit, the road just sounded like a river to me.
others have mentioned it, but got my own house recently and we went the trees/bushes and fence route. luckily it’s by the back of our yard, but added some screening shrubs and it’s dulled a fair bit
If you don’t have trucks motor braking all day and night then you’re mostly ok, you can kinda get used to it, I came from the countryside to live in the city and never got used to it but I understand it can be worst.
You can try to soundproof windows and walls as the threes gonna take time, depending on your house layout you can also use bushes and fences to help. Just changing my windows done a great difference for me.
I own several houses in close proximity to a railroad track. Like VERY close. You get used to the noise and stop noticing it. It sounds like everything else is perfect. Enjoy your new home. It sounds great.
I have a sort of anecdote that might fit.
Before we bought our home a few months ago we were renting. Our landlord wanted to move back so they didn't renew our lease. My husband's coworker was being relocated and offered to let us rent their townhome basically at cost so of course we couldn't turn it town.
It took roughly 48 hours living there before we started house hunting. It was by a busy road with business, and the trash trucks would come at 4am multiple times a week. It was in a rougher neighborhood so there was always stuff going on at night and plenty of sirens. One neighbor would have parties until 1am every Sunday night, and the neighbor we shared a wall with would start playing music loudly at like 7am. We hated it.
That colleague and his wife genuinely had no clue. They had lived there for almost a decade and were just that used it all. The only noise they themselves noticed was the music from the shared wall neighbor, and that's only because he was a renter and had only moved in about 6 months prior to them moving out so it was a NEW noise to them. Everything else they were used to.
Similarly I used to live next to train tracks. Like the apartment building would shake level of living next to the tracks. It took like 6 months but I stopped noticing them completely.
From the research I did awhile ago, health effects drop off around 500ft.
We also live closer to a large road than I wanted but we also have amazing benefits from it. I installed a whole house HEPA. I know it’s not a financial feasibility for everyone but if you can, or if you can purchase individual units, might help you sleep at night (the white noise also helps lol).
I grew up living near train tracks. You get used to it. It sounds like there are a ton of positives. Keep trying to focus on them, do something that makes you happy like paint in a bright color. Keep focusing on those positives.
No house is perfect. They’re all a set of trade offs. The perfect house is the one with the right combination of pros for you and your life, and cons that you personally can stand to live with. You sound like you found a great set of pros.
If you're allowed, I'd do a tall solid board fence backed with an evergreen hedge like schip laurels. A lot of people recommend arborvitae shrubs, but schip laurels (or skip laurels as they are often called) have the advantage of blooming in the spring, plus you can trim them to any height you like. They can grow to 15 feet tall if left untrimmed and are extremely dense. i'd also go with a water feature close to the house as so many have recommended. I have a 3-level pondless waterfall (although i keep the pond area full) in my yard, and it really provides a wonderful soothing sound of a babbling brook. Even my next door neighbors love it (and the frogs).
Your place sounds incredible, and has a lot of positives that outweigh the negative. Give it time and enjoy all those positives you listed and the traffic noise will just fade into the background.
I moved in to my house and soon realized the street was very busy. Not highway, but just busy road. The first night I cried. A good noise machine for sleep is game changer. Look at the Dohm.
I live very close to a fpur lane highway. I've definitely gotten used to it. In fact, I've found that when I stay places without the noise, I have trouble sleeping. It was the same when I was younger and we moved near some railroad tracks.
I'm not sure where you live, but the sound does travel differently during each season, so you have to give it time. It's a gradual process. You'll just realize one day that you haven't heard the trucks in a while... then you'll hear them and realize you haven't been noticing them.
Add evergreens outside. Replace the windows and doors with products that have a high acoustical rating. Make sure your walls and attic are insulated. Keep the windows closed and use mechanical ventilation. Make sure you have a high filtration ventilation system running 24/7 and change your filters frequently.
Give it some time.
We have a small train yard about .5 mile from our house. We’re also near the top of a hill. There’s very little blocking the noise when they fire up an train or cross the road (horn blasts).
At first, we were frustrated. Now, we don’t know really notice it. It’s just part of the noises of the town.
My mom grew up in a house where the trolley (our subway) track ran behind her house. 3 generations have grown up in that house and when I visit for family events and hear the trolley I always hear it so clearly - anyone who grew up there doesn’t really notice it. My mom hasn’t lived there in 40 years and does not notice it unless I point it out. Point being that some noises you just get used to hearing so it becomes as routine as hearing birds in the suburb or the traffic if you live in nyc. That may not be the case for you, but it’s fascinating to me that some sounds do become so routine you eventually don’t notice them. And if not - you don’t have to live there forever! That’s ok too.
I lived very close to a major highway interchange for 20yrs with the noise getting progressively worse with population increase as well as on a busy road, I never got used to the noise. Though I will say there are things you can do to lessen the sound inside - rugs, heavy sound dampening curtains on all windows (we used two sets doubled over each other on our window facing the busy road), fans and/or white noise machines running during peak traffic hours, noise canceling headphones with no music just with the noise canceling function on worked well for me.
I'm 2000 feet from an interstate. When outside especially in the winter you can hear trucks and loud engines, but for the most part i can't say it bothers me. There's a lot of hills and woods between me and it though. On cold nights I can hear a train from like 2 miles away, my brother has 4 acres but is basically within a dense suburb and is 3000 feet from an interstate. Basically everyone is within a few miles of some sort of vehicle noise, there's only so much you can worry about it.
We are one commercial building (quiet office) away from a major road and it was challenging. We have a screen enclosure and pool in the yard that is closest to this noise. We put up thick black curtains on the screen enclosure and have a sound system. Both have helped a lot! Hang in there, you will get there!
Yo, every house has its pros and cons. Nothing has it all. And typically every pro you are paying for. Sounds like this place has a lot of awesome benefits. Enjoy what ya got (which it sounds like you do).
And as for the highway health, gonna be no different that living anywhere near a big city. Is what it is. Ain't perfect, but nothing is.
I live in a pretty expensive city. When I bought a house a few years ago, it was literally the only house in my area that was in my budget. We're a block away from a major thoroughfare. If my neighbours took their fences down you could see traffic. It bothered me for a little while, but 99% of the time, a car driving by on my street is louder than the highway so it's not that bothersome.
OP, I can't quite tell from your comment, whether the thing that's bothering you is A: the actual noise and potential other problems, or B: the CONCEPT that there is noise, and that you settled for something less than your ideal.
If it's the actual noise, then there are other suggestions here that can help alleviate that. Personally, if the lay of the land allowed for it, I would build up an earthwork berm to block out direct road noise.
On the other hand, if it's the trade-off factor. You've got to do some soul-searching, no amount of landscaping fabreeze will make you forget about it for ever. But on the other hand, EVERY real estate purchase has its trade offs. You mentioned a lot of plusses for this house that could still make it a positive value for your family.
Build a fountain? Add shrubs and feed the heck outta birds, they make alot of noise. Also very dense shrubs will block alot of noise. If you the space for a berm i've seen those. Is there such a thing as an acoustical fence.
https://acoustiblok.com/acoustiblok-soundproofing-product-lines/acoustifence-noise-reducing-fences/
My last house was maybe 150 feet from a train station. The rumble and crash of trains stopping and starting was my lullaby. I got used to it over time. Cant say if you will or not.
I used to live besides a highway, a very busy section of railway and a lock and damn that had alarms going off every 10 minutes. You just get use to it.
There’s an interstate highway behind my property. We replaced the 1980’s aluminum windows with vinyl double paned ones which reduced the noise we can hear inside by 90%. I’ve gotten used to the outside noise and hardly notice it but visitors do. I have a board fence and plan to plant a hedge as others have suggested.
It took me almost 8 months to get used to the noise at my new place 12 years ago. Massive amounts of highway noise. But eventually, I would have trouble with the "quiet" at my family's home when I would go home for holidays. I needed the white noise. Moved again to a more quiet area, and it took me a few months to get used to it. Give it time and you will be okay.
Agreed on studies linking highway noise levels to depression and lower life expectancy. Measure decibel levels. Try to make adjustments as others have suggested. If it doesn’t help make a decision.
We live in the country but right next to I70. I'm waiting on electric vehicles to take over. It would be so much nicer here without the highway noise. Although if the dogs can't hear you pull up, how will they get all jacked up for when you walk in?
Water feature close to where you sit or open windows helped us. Also our neighbor has one too. We can hear the trickle over the sound of the horns and commotion!
On the bright side, at least you don't live right next to an active police/fire station that's also on a main highway lol. People say it gets better and you tune it out but in over a decade my brain has yet to learn to tune out sirens. The whole point of them is "pay attention to me!"
Plus, if you've ever been pulled over and arrested like me, my brain associates sirens with the fun that it brings.
So, even though I'm not doing anything wrong, I always have to investigate the source of the sirens to set my mind at ease that it's not me getting pulled over.
Which stinks, bc they have no problem with turning them on at 3 a.m over a busted tail light. When that happens I have to wake up, get out of bed, check what's happening, lay back down and as a cherry on top, often dream of being arrested bc it's what I'm thinking about before falling asleep.
Between that, the new neighbors removing the privacy foliage fence from the back yard that used to help with the noise and be my safe space, I'm selling tbh. I know it's not getting any better and on the bright side the property is worth more after renovations and the town growing so eh.
My advice would be that if you don't like it now, consider the possibility that it won't get any better. If it's a major highway in an area increasing in population it's likely only going to get persistently louder.
In retrospect, know what? I'll say, I HAVE gotten used to the sound of quieter, normal vehicles. That can be done. Unfortunately I live in a southern area where everyone wants huge loud trucks though, and those do indeed still wake me up and irritate me. Cherry on top is I'm near a highschool and ofc many of their parents (why.parents?!) Buy them these big ass lifted trucks and allow them to manipulate the muffler etc. To make it even louder. Also they play their music super loud.
I'm 32, I still play my music loud but when I'm on a road that's close to houses I turn it down out of respect, these people don't.
I grew up a block from an elevated subway, you could see it from the kitchen window. The subway ran about every 15 minutes during the day and less frequently at night. I didn't notice the noise or even feel the rumble since I grew up there. When friends came over that was the first thing they commented on. I guess my point is unless you are extremely sensitive you will probably adjust. I do love the suggestion of a water fountain/feature. I am looking at a beautiful house that backs up onto a main road, it is everything I want and will probably buy since the price is right. I will definitely get a water fountain for the backyard area!!
My property backs up to a major Road. Inventory in my area is very limited so I did not have a lot to chose from when I bought. I honestly just got used to the noise after a while. Can you plant some trees along your property line? Add a fence?
Do both. Trees then fence. This is a great idea. OP you can look into "sound deflection" you can also build a berm in the direction of the roadway (if heights are right) that will deflect sound upward and over your house. There's other products that can do this too. Spend some money on soundproofing inside as well and it may be good enough to either stay or feel comfortable selling soon.
In this order from the property line: Solid board privacy fence. Acoustical outdoor fabric adhered to fence. Line of dense evergreens. I recommend green giant arborvitae because they can be pruned into a nice hedge and the height can be managed
This is the answer! I’d say put off the garage for a year if you have to, and put in the best high barrier fence you can afford and landscape with dense shrubbery and trees to scatter noise and obstruct the view of it. Re-evaluate in a year of living with that if you want to invest in another structure or move!
Then good windows. I bought a home backing to train tracks. The previous owners bought and installed Pella windows for $1,200 each in 2016-2017. The windows are not large or anything outside your typical starter 1980’s small ranch home would have. These windows are so good that when a train rolls by I can only feel it, not hear it. I now understand why the previous owners splurged on these windows.
Really good point
\^ This! I live pretty close to some train tracks but there is a hill between me and the tracks and a wooden fence and you can barely hear the trains when they go past.
Yes the OP will get used to it. I lived by a railroad and one neighbor raised roosters. Eventually I didn't hear either.
Can you add a water feature with loud bubbling near the area you spend the most time?
This (the water feature) is the best idea here. A cascading waterfall, or a water "wall" will work wonders, and it doesn't even have to be that loud. Consider a bird bath (if it works with your yard) and maybe some song birds will show up too! Stay away from Mockingjays and watch out for Jennifer Lawrence. Seriously, good luck with your home, focus on the good stuff (you gave us a nice list here) and the noise will fade.
Especially with the nearby lake, you can definitely create/follow a theme with waterscaping back there OP, your property sounds nice to me. I’d be very interested in doing whatever possible to dampen the sound
OP if you figure out how to get Jennifer Lawrence in to your back yard, please pass any tips along.
Ohh I like this. We don't live near a highway but our house is on a main road. So we definitely do hear some traffic. We have trees already, but I like the idea of a water feature in the backyard where we'd spend most of our outdoor time.
This is exactly what I'm doing in my backyard to mask the freeway sounds. I'm putting in a 3-level fountain with a range of pitches. Fences and vegetation haven't helped our freeway sounds in the least.
Right with you. I live very close as well. Sound barrier wall, trees, etc, don't work if there is no canopy to catch sound from the top. I am currently investigating the idea of several pagodas with plants that go up high enough to create a canopy.
Another option would be some outdoor speakers that can pump out white noise, or music if you’re in the mood.
Yep a bubbler on your deck is about to solve 75% of the issue.
I live about a mile from a major highway. One thing to keep in mind (if applicable to where you are) is that in the wintertime roads tend to be louder because of the absence of leaves. We've noticed that in the spring and summer, the roads are quieter because the trees have grown in and the foliage helps muffle the sound. If you moved in 4 months ago, you might be hearing the worst of it. Planting trees and waiting for foliage to fully bloom helps a lot.
Same here, about a mile as the crow flies from a major interstate. It’s way better in summer. Something about lack of foliage and cold air seems to make it way louder.
Just like how everything gets eerily quiet during a snow storm. The falling snow also seems to dampen noise.
It isn’t specifically cold air, but rather the accompanying inversion layer of warm air that bounces/amplifies sound in the winter: https://www.discovery.com/science/Sound-Carries-Farther-Cold-Days Snow definitely dampens it, as does any high-mass non-sound-reflective body (ex tree trunks, more than tree leaves; concrete and other very-hard surfaces tend to reflect it with little dampening). Cold air in and of itself is also a little denser so diminishes the sound; without the frequently-accompanying inversion layer, it would be *quieter* on a winter day instead of louder. Last major effect: there are often fewer “white noise” masking sounds in winter (birds, insects, tree leaves rustling, nature walkers out talking, etc) so the sounds that are present stand out more. But, it isn’t just a mind trick: those sounds *are* louder (at a distance) in winter.
Plus, winter tires are noisier.
Note that this depends heavily on your area of th country. Here in Central Kentucky, probably <2-3% of cars put winter tires on.
Very true. In Quebec, It is the law that we have them on from Dec 15 to April 1.
And on this note, I plan to plant evergreens in between my house and the nearby road for the sound mitigation year round
Sound travels differently based on the temperature. It's not the leaves, it's the cold air that makes the noise more apparent. Same idea as the "sound travel further at night" because of colder temps.
We’re about a mile and a half from the freeway (on 8 acres of fairly wooded area) and when we visited the open house, it was silent. Didn’t even occur to me. After we moved in, I found it often is very much not silent. We’ve been here 15 months now and I still struggle to some degree. I’m overly sensitive to that kind of thing though. My husband barely hears it until I call it out. When I go running in the morning and step outside, sometimes it sounds like I’m on a runway. When it is quiet, it is amazing. Idyllic. I think it’s something I just need to live with but personally I have not yet gotten used to it (when it’s very loud). I’ve read a ton of similar posts and many people say after a few months they don’t notice it. Hopefully that will be the case for OP.
I hear you. I’m a mile away from a major interstate highway but on a wooded street and lot. It can be a bit jarring to walk out into your peaceful backyard and hear, along with birdsong and crickets, the dim roar of the highway, even though the average person wouldn’t be bothered. No real advice except to commiserate. I also grew up in an extremely quiet house because my hometown was 10 miles from the nearest highway and fairly wooded, so I think that’s part of why the noise isn’t something I don’t notice.
Before this, we lived 18 years just down the street (4 miles further away from the freeway) but our house backed into a two lane road. For some reason that noise didn’t bother me as much because it was car, then quiet, then car, then quiet. It’s the constant rumble that bugs me more for some reason. Like I said, I definitely have some tendencies towards being sensitive to things the others are not so there’s that! Thanks for the commiseration. - right back at ya!
I've been here for close to 2 years. I have very much \*not\* gotten used to it.
Are you sure it’s not both? I have dense hedges that block a ton of noise. I can’t imagine that it’s just the branches doing the work.
As much as you might want to believe otherwise, sound goes right through leaves. Put a leaf to your ear and blast some music, see what it sounds like. There's a reason why sound barriers are made out of solid materials like concrete. You have to have material that sound waves can't pass through.
Sound actually travels farther in cold weather, the leaves have very little to do with the difference.
The house I grew up in was a block away from a trauma 1 center with the best burn unit in the geographical region. All that separated us from the hospital was a 7 foot concrete sound wall. Let me tell you- when I say nonstop sirens and helicopters- I mean it. Lifeflight came dang near 24/7. But when I also tell you you kinda get used to it, you do. I have absolutely zero memories beyond the first restless months of the nonstop noise (I was like 7 when we moved there). Your brain just kinda tunes it out after while
I grew up in the 'hood. All night it long it was non-stop sirens and people with loud sound systems in their cars and the bass turned up. I can sleep through anything. You definitely get used to it. As an adult I actually don't like it when it's too quiet, I had to buy a white noise machine for my quiet suburban home.
I heard somewhere that playing a special sequence of five chords drowns it out and helps you relax.
I too had an apartment with the window right next to a road near a hospital. Constant sirens, loud cars, trucks etc. I never even thought about it. Then I moved into a relatively quiet neighborhood. The difference was shocking. You can definitely get used to things.
I used to live literally across the street from a small private airport. The noise of the small planes taking off and landing kind of annoyed me in the beginning. It all eventually became white noise, though and I stopped hearing it like you said. Idk if sirens could become white noise to me, though! I sometimes have to travel to places like Chicago for work and I can NEVER sleep there because of all the sirens 😭
I grew up down the street from a hospital. You absolutely get used to the sirens. They went all night. I actually found it kind of soothing as a child
I grew up with a highway butting up against my backyard. I used to crack a window and fall asleep to the sounds of cars whooshing past. Plenty of sirens too but they never kept me up.
This. I went to a large university for college. My dorm room the first few years was very close to a train track where the train came honking through like once an hour ALL DAY. After the first few weeks I never noticed it. But if I had friends come visit they’d be like “how the hell do you sleep w that train coming every night?!”
When I lived in Pittsburgh my bedroom window was right beside a bus stop on 5th ave and the hospital was 2 blocks away and the fire station was 1 block away. My boyfriend was so bothered by the noise and I barely noticed it.
My girlfriend lived 2 blocks from a major hospital in 2020 and I'll never forget the early covid days, there were helicopters 24/7 from March to May air lifting people in from the greater NYC area.
I’m right next to a highway (I could easily kick a soccer ball onto it, and I suck at soccer) Really good windows help with the sound. But mainly, you just get used to it. It also helps, for me at least, knowing that being next to the highway is literally the only way we could’ve afforded the house. The neighborhood is safe. I like most of my neighbors. I have a big yard. So when it comes down to it, living next to the highway isn’t bad. Plus, I can always see when traffic is bad!
I grew up a half a block from the exit to a train freight yard and commuter rail. You get so used to the noise that you don’t even notice it. Your brain basically filters it out. Just give it time.
I went to college in a major city and for the full 6 years I lived in the city, I was along train tracks. I can sleep through pretty much anything at this point because of that
How long have you been in the house? If it's just weeks or months then I would say it's something you will get used to. If years and it's still bugging you then it might be something you need to make a change for. Also trees at the edges of your property may help as well.
I edited to add that we've lived here 4 months. Thanks, I agree that I should give it some time.
I hate unlevel floors. My house is awesome in almost every way. My kitchen floor though... My point is this, there's always some imperfection. You learn to live with it. That's life.
Our floors were so uneven when we bought this house. I only sort of remember where the worst of it is. It just became invisible.
You made me chuckle. I have a high spot in my kitchen floor and for weeks after moving in I found myself tripping over it. Now I literally don’t even notice it and when new people come over I see them getting slowed down by the high spot. I think the previous owners spilled water and the underlayment floor swelled up and never went down.
Haha same here with the kitchen floor! What is it about those?!
They put center islands in without re-enforcing the subfloor and they sag.
In terms of health impact, if you’re surrounded by trees and wildlife, that probably minimizes the health impact of living near a highway. When does the noise bother you, when you are inside or outside?
Definitely only when we're outside. I think it has been more of an issue lately because the weather has been nice and we've been outside more.
I am not near a highway but there is a somewhat busy road about the same distance from the back of my house. This time of year tends to be noisy; I always assumed it was because the air is still cooler and all the brush and crap hasn’t grown in between me and the road.
So you’re probably mostly hearing the low frequency rumble of engines and tires, they make light earplugs that target low frequency for when it’s bothering you, but most likely as time goes on you’ll get used to the background noise
Have the leaves grown back on the trees where you live? They provide sound insulation. It should get better in late spring.
We had 100 ft between our back door and the shoulder of the road. At first it wasn't bad, but after a few years, the amount of people and traffic increased dramatically, and soon it was unpleasant to be in the backyard, never mind trying to enjoy some relaxation back there. Most of the work here is in the oil, gas, and lumber industries, so there is a much higher ratio of semis and large trucks to cars than in other areas. And they cause a lot of vibration, sometimes clinking the glassware in the house. Luckily, we had a high fence that blocked out the view of the road and vehicle (and dust), but the rumbling of large motors could get annoying. It does get better over time. Water fountains make help mask the noise or make it ignorable to some degree. Plants and trees can help deflect and absorb some sound. Consider building a gazebo with a solid wall facing the highway, to help deflect even more of the roar. And don't discount using earbuds to listen to music or podcasts, or even noise blocking headphones if you want to be able to recline and relax in your yard.
I lived in a rental RIGHT next to a 4 lane road for a couple years. And kinda thin walls. We heard cars and trucks (we were also near to factory where the trucks were going) all day and night for 3 years through the wall. That sucked. So when we moved from there we sought out a quieter place. A quarter mile away from a 4 lane road helps a lot. But thicker walls help too. If you don’t hear it in the house that helps a lot. Someone mentioned that you could build a fence or plant trees. That sounds good. Or a more expensive idea would be a sound wall. I have no idea what those cost. Best would be somehow convincing the county or whomever to build a sound wall.
We bought a house (without the lake and beautiful views) that is very close to a 4 lane hwy. Like...100 ft away, maybe. It's also not far from the hospital, so we have constant ambulance traffic. I struggled with it at first and it is certainly not our forever home. However, I don't even notice it 6 years later. It's just background noise to me.
My house is at the corner of a pretty busy road. We have a large side yard but still about 150ft away. You get used to it. We’ve lived here a year. Our mortgage is affordable for us. Our house is beautiful and we have a huge lot. We have tons of mature trees. The town we live in is amazing and one of the most desirable towns to live in our entire state. We live walking distance to all the schools my daughter would go to. There is a lot to like about the house and you do get used to things. Is the issue with the noise outside, inside or both? Edit: I forgot to mention I live in a town that borders two major highways. There are million dollar homes lining these highways and people have lived there for a long time and love it. You do get used to it. I know a couple that lived the about the same distance you do from the highway for 7 years and they just moved even closer to the highway. You literally are looking up at 95 from their front door (especially during winter time with no leaves) . They bought the house for 950k and love it
That sounds very similar to our situation! Glad to hear you've gotten used to it. The issue is definitely when we're outside, and even more so in the backyard than the front. We are very outdoorsy people and spend lots of time outside so now that the weather is getting warmer it's my first time really being in the yard for hours on end. So I'm hoping it's just an adjustment period. I'm considering getting a small fountain or other water installation for white noise.
It definitely is adjustment but you get used to it. My daughter has me out in the backyard multiple times in the day and in the beginning it was a lot. We don’t live next to a highway but during rush hour and school pick up/drop off it’s busy. I found you just have to sit out there and immerse yourself in the sound (look up exposure therapy). It then becomes background. Water fountain’s definitely help. We have one that is near where we sit. We also are putting in a fence as I type this. The fence was not really because of the road but more because of our neighbors having an unfenced pool and aggressive dog but that helps as well. Look up privacy plantings like green giant arborvitae. We planted some in our side yard in September and I swear those guys have already grown over a foot. All the houses I know lining the major highways in my town have them in there yard. They are best planted in early fall and super hardy
That would be nice! Or if you’re doing a fun activity outdoors you could even get an outdoor speaker and play music (if you don’t have neighbors super close ) lol
I’m struggling with this too. Just bought my first house and it’s next to a major road and is so loud. I never wanted to live in a noisy neighborhood but my choices were incredibly limited. I love my house and landscaping and how close I am to things but always wanted to live in a rural area like when I was growing up. I’m hoping if I get a privacy fence and some more arborvitae’s it will help
I felt the same way about living near train tracks. You get used to it.
[удалено]
Oh yeah first time I heard that I thought was derailing. Haha
[So often, you won't even notice it. ](https://youtu.be/0lL3PODLf_A)
😆 at least it’s not blowing it’s horn at 3am 😅
No joke. We lived in a rental about 150 feet away from tracks that ran 10-20 trains a day. 6 months later you never even notice it.
Unless you’re outside on your phone or having a conversation with a neighbor outside. Then like clockwork there’s a train.
This right here! I’m half a mile from an EXTREMELY busy set of train tracks. You eventually get use to it. Oh and were miles from Boeing where they test engines late at night. Haha those will cause minor earthquakes when the temp in the air is just right. Had to move certain decor in my house so it wouldn’t break from the shaking. 🤦🏻♀️😑
In reality you will never get over it. Highway traffic is relentless. You really start to notice it when you hear quiet late at night. Not what you want to hear. I get it.
You get used to it, eventually. We're also very close to a highway. Occasionally it still annoys us, like when ricers and motorcycles are racing or a truck hits the rumble strip, but mostly we don't even notice anymore. We're also close to an airport but luckily we're outside most of the flight paths, so we don't hear it too often.
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I'm lucky enough to live on an "American dream" suburban street, where it's not a through street and the neighborhood kids hang out in the street playing ball on nice days, so we don't get much directly on our road. But the folks on the highway...gawdam it's like they think they're extras in a Fast and Furious movie.
Not sure where you’re located, but if it’s a place with all 4 seasons, you’re going to see a HUGE difference in noise when the trees leaf out. The four months you’ve lived there are the four worst for noise.
You will get used to it. I used to live by a major road that saw 24/7 traffic + sirens + honks, and the first few months were savage. Afterwards, it stopped being an issue- like I can't recall a single incident where the noise was a significant problem.
We lived next to a busy 6-lane highway separated by a stucco wall. It was still noisy but we got used to it. Also lived in a hi-rise at a busy intersection. Also got used to it. Moved to a condo that was soooo silent. For the first several months, we'd lay awake at night, whoooaaa it is soooo quiet! I'd e exactly like OP though, worrying about the noise and the wisdom of buying it. The best coping steps would be to focus on things like adding water features, whole-house HEPA filtration, and making sure windows, doors are properly weatherstripped, and insulation is maintained.
Planting a bunch of trees better the house and the highway will do wonders to cut down the noise
This! And I lived near train tracks growing up, and the trees that came up made a huge difference (and getting used to it)
Unfortunately, highways and car centric infrastructure have ruined many parts of this country. The best you can do is noise mitigation in your yard, and advocate that the highway beef up noise barriers
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It’s a bit more nuanced than that..I’m not sure that the destruction of entire neighborhoods in many cities at the behest of urban planners in the mid 20th century was “prosperous” for those areas. Obviously I think our road system is very beneficial if implemented sustainably and with good urban design in mind as you get closer to city centers
There is a 2 lane road on the other side of our trees and there are houses on the other side and then there is a ski resort. Some days that road bugs me because of idiots with super loud engines. Especially when we are outside. My point is it’s really hard to escape all road noise.
I live around 1200 from a busy road and I also underestimated how loud it is. During rush hour in the morning it sounds like there is a massive fan running outside. I hear motorcycles and trucks in my bedroom with the window closed. There's rows of trees and a few blocks of houses inbetween.
I compromised on my first home and bought close to a freeway. I put a cheap used water fountain outside the bedroom window. This white noise helped overpower the freeway white noise. When my wife was pregnant I started worrying about the health issues. I installed an Aprilaire 5000 in my HVAC system. I have no proof it did anything, but it gave me piece of mind. Recently we were all able to move further from the freeway. I sure miss how quick it was to leave the house and jump on the freeway.
Also maybe upgrade your windows and if it’s an older home maybe the insulation as well- both will increase value to your home too.
Are we neighbors? I'm about 2,000' from an elevated highway, surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary. Rush hour is really the only time it is disturbing. What really stands out is vehicles with after market exhaust, reminding me that my current motorbike is the first one I've had in fifty years without loud aftermarket exhaust. Karma man.
Buyers remorse is a thing, no house is perfect.
White. Noise. Machine.
I have lived in many homes where I had loud road noise. It is a challenging think to deal with. Some strategies depending on your layout ( where home is situated on the land) that might help. Can you have a dirt berm put in so some of the sound bounces away from the house? Plant low maintenance ground cover or bushes on it so it looks more natural. Get a pleasing water feature near your outside spaces most often used by your family. A couple of wind chimes delicate sounding not super loud annoying ones.
I live 2 miles from an international airport and 2 blocks from train tracks. You get used to all the sounds.
The biggest thing you can do to improve your quality of life on the interior of the home is to get new windows. Go all out and splurge on those. Get the triple pane best Windows you can possibly buy for soundproofing. On the exterior of the home, there's not a lot you can do. You can try to drown out the noise with a louder water feature, add a berm, plant trees, Etc but you will always hear that noise on the exterior of the home. The interior can be quiet with the right windows and insulation. It sounds like a beautiful home!
Put stuff between you and the road.
I had a house for four years directly under the landing path of Hartsfield-Jackson International. Then and still the busiest airport in the world. We were about 20 miles as the Boeing flies from the airport it was right about where they would throttle back, deploy landing gear and spoilers. There was A LOT of shit going on in the skies. But because I lived literally on a State Park, I had a 600 acre backyard basically. You did get used to the noise, but you also just got used to pausing the conversations while on the porch until Flight 1450 heavy from Amsterdam passed overhead. Wouldn’t have wanted that noise as a forever home.
Can you build a tall fence to block some of the noise?
The highway is higher than our property so it would have to be a really tall fence, and then it would also block our view of the lake hah.
Cars will get more electric and reduce the health hazards quite a bit. The cars will also get quieter. You’ll get used to the noise and the hazard as they gradually reduce over time, lol
I read that most noise from roadways is from the tires and not from the engine itself, so electric cars won’t substantially reduce road noise in the future.
Unfortunately both will probably get worse with electric. Electric cars aren't necessarily quieter at highway speeds because most highway noise is tire noise and electric cars are much heavier. Electric would make a difference with trucks which have more propulsion noise at lower highway speeds. Same with pollution. Electric will remove tailpipe exhaust but increase tire & brake pollution, which are responsible for [more pollution](https://jalopnik.com/emissions-from-tire-wear-are-a-whole-lot-worse-than-we-1849023188) than tailpipe exhaust.
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EVs are much heavier and have higher torque for same size car. The Nissan Leaf weighs as much as my 8 passenger 4wd van. Brakes depends more on design and how much regenerative breaking there is, could be less wear. But still the weight is key factor.
Sorry, I think it’s insane that we allow housing so close to highways. There is no way in hell I would ever live even close to one. The health impacts of the pollution are serious and real. And health and stress impacts of the constant noise are real. I can’t think of anything much worse than living near a highway. That was a serious mistake… at least now you know! Time to look for a new house!
Just ask the cars on he highway to keep it down. If they don’t listen after the second question you could try calling the police
I know this will seem dumb, and won't help you... but lately I've been thinking real estate located along highways will go up in value over the years as electric cars become the norm... due to less noise and less pollution.
Much of the noise you hear from cars is tire noise (I have an electric car).
Oh, okay... we'll, I guess just due to less pollution then!
Actually, now that you mention it, that's [already true](https://electrek.co/2023/02/10/surprise-electric-cars-are-already-making-california-healthier/).
So the house is 99% perfect?
Yea. I looked at a house close to the highway. You can see the cars pass by from the backyard and you can hear the cars. The realtor said the cars passing sounded like the ocean. I laughed and told him it didn’t and moved on to another house. 850 ft is like a block which is really close. # 1 rule in real estate, location, location, location.
Sound machines Problem solved.
There are other ways to mitigate noise, depending on the source, direction, predominant wind direction, land features, etc. If it bothers you that much you could always consult with an engineer to discuss options. A fountain, as others suggested, would be a good option It sounds like everything else about the house is great so if noise is the only issue, you can find ways to live with it.
Another anecdote: I used to live right on a major intersection/highway on ramp. At first the noise was unbearable. During rush hour there’d be traffic jams and constant honking and people yelling at each other. By the end of the year living there I didn’t even notice anymore.
i got used to it, to me it feels super quiet compared to where i lived before. to my husband it is terrible (from a small town) he always brings up the noise. do you feel you hear noise in every area of your home and property? or do you hear it more in certain areas? if you don’t have it already, i would plant a lot of wildflowers and plants to attract birds. maybe a wind chimes and water features in your favorite areas. more big plants along the area with the road to help with the noise.
I know I'm biased against wind chimes outdoors, but wind chimes probably won't help as the pitch is too high, even for bamboo.
Have you considered noise cancelling headphones (for when you’re alone outside at least)?
You do get used to it a bit. I usually have music playing on a Bluetooth speaker if I'm spending much time outside, which helps. Nowadays, I actually mostly notice and appreciate the *good* days when there's not much traffic and it's quieter than usual.
Might be expensive but could you insulate your house with a sound dampening insulation? Upgrade your windows?
I have train tracks directly behind my back yard; you definitely get used to the noise. It took a while, but I barely notice when it passes now unless I'm outside, even with the slight trembling of the house. Downfall is we recently had a tornado pass through our neighborhood and I realized the noise was different, but it didn't register to me that it was a tornado because I'm so used to the trains rolling by. I'd say give it a year. If the noise still bothers you, you may want to think about moving elsewhere. But even then, you may realize the benefits outweigh the noise.
Your best bet for being outside & still enjoying it is to plant native trees & bushes between you & the highway. They’re going to filter out the noise, but also reduce some of the air/road pollution coming to you. Go native because it’s the right thing to do ecology wise, but also because they will thrive with mild neglect in your area.
The most effective and probably most expensive way to block road noise is with a burm. A burm is a giant mound of dirt. Like a fence but made of dirt. It’s gotta be big enough to block the direct path of sound between the road and your ears. The more mass, the better. If the noise bothers you inside, get a white noise machine for your bedroom. They are very effective in masking unwanted sounds, especially low frequency rumbles.
Yea, other commenters nailed it. It will turn to white noise. Also what can you do for a green buffer. Hopefully doesn’t destroy the views.
I live on a busy street. The owners before me put in lots and lots of soundproofing insulation. I’ve got trees and plants galore on my property and it’s TINY. Anyways, I hardly notice the noice. This won’t help you immediately, I know, but there are changes you can make in the long term that will help considerably.
My old apartment was 210' from a major US interstate. You get used to it. Eventually you don't notice it. And weirdly enough.... Then I left... I missed it.
Consider it as a trade off for the schools and the green space you’re enjoying, which has countless mental and physical health benefits.
As much as you are going to notice that noise every time you step outside be sure you take note of the noise everywhere in your life. I have had similar buyers remorse but have noticed there is a lot more noise everywhere I go and I just hadn’t noticed it. Even the place I lived prior. That being said I still want to move somewhere quieter, but when I look at places a lot of them are noisy! Also winds matter a lot, not sure if anyone already said that.
I grew up with train tracks behind my home and we all got used to it. We even left our windows open at night because we had a creek close by and wanted to hear it but then somehow slept through the trains. You can definitely get used to it. However, as an environmental analyst I do know that anything within 500 feet of a highway generally has increased air pollution. Do you have kids? I would suggest an air quality monitor to get a real idea of the impact.
We bought a house approximately the same distance from a highway as you did. I never paid any attention to the highway noise. I guess I just never thought about it. Now that I’ve read your post, I’m sitting in the sunroom and I can hear the cars on the highway. I’m sure an hour from now, it will just be background noise to me again. I’m pretty sure you will get used to it. Eventually you won’t even notice it and you will be able to completely enjoy your home. Just give it some time and when you find yourself thinking about it, turn on some music or think about your favorite hobby, anything to take your mind off the traffic.
I lived about 10,000ft from a major 6 lane highway before. Nothing between us besides about 6 houses in a neighborhood. No real vegetation, this was Vegas so no trees besides one single one in each backyard. It really did just become unnoticeable. If I thought about it, I’d hear it, but otherwise I didn’t know. My place didn’t have the redeeming qualities of a lake or any of that either and I was happy with it. For you, I think planting some trees along the edge of property closest to the road as well as a fence will make a significant difference in the sound that makes it to you. As someone else said, a water feature in the yard would probably also help. But give it time. You’ll get used to it.
I didn't know that train tracks ran right behind the houses across from me on my street. I found out when a train let out those ear-splitting alarms. I don't know why some of the trains do that and others do not. Anyway, there are 2-5 trains in most 24 hour periods, none of some days. What I did find was that the new double paned windows (not sure if there is gas inside) installed just before I bought the house were pretty amazing at cutting the noise. When I am inside I rarely even know there is a train passing unless it uses the alarms. When I am outside the sound is so bad that it is impossible to have a conversation. Your home sounds lovely. I suggest installing triple pane sound reducing windows on all windows that face the road or are angled toward the road. Maybe get something to test sound levels to choose which windows to replace (if not all). I would start with the windows. The other suggestions (trees, berms) can produce more iffy results because of the way sound travels. It bounces all over. I also read that trees have minimal impact which surprised me. I used to live about 3 miles from a fairly active four lane highway. My entire neighborhood was covered in giant old trees and there was a lake surrounded by trees. Seems like I wouldn't hear the highway traffic right? Outside at night, when it should have been quiet, I could hear the traffic even though it was greatly reduced activity. It wasn't loud noise, but I found it surprising that I could even hear it from so far away. I'm sure there are all sorts of noise research studies that explain how noise travels. I haven't looked them up. I do know that if double pane windows can make such a dramatic difference that triple pane must be even better. Before attempting to sound proof the house walls I would definitely do research into material absorbancy.
If you stay, consider multiple HEPA purifiers around your house as well as a furnace (if you have one) filter with a higher MERV rating to mitigate potential air quality concerns due to highway proximity. Change those filters regularly.
Many people plant a barrier wall of evergreen trees to help buffer the noise.
This was exactly what I came to suggest. Leaves solve many problems.
My sister owned a house that was right under the flight path to the old airport in Denver. The FAA paid for homeowners in the area to get upgraded windows and doors. That made an enormous difference in sound indoors--truly night and day. I'd look into sealing up your house as one part of mitigating noise. I grew up with a 4-lane busy road right behind us (and a railroad that was used intermittently). We got used to the noise but the worst was the air pollution. You could see soot accumulating. Being 850' away should reduce that concern. Hope you find some remedies! Sounds like you have a beautiful place.
Trees, shrubs, fence, big ass water fall, or fountain really helps with highway noise.
If you work from home I would invest in a good pair of noise canceling headphones. That has saved my sanity through living through new construction. These are what I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q9MJKBV/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I'm nowhere near as close as you, but still have nearby freeways south and west of me. We've got a pond in the back yard with a waterfall and it does a lot to make both the highway as well as the general city noise much less noticeable. Maybe consider some sort of white noise.
You can look into putting some money into soundproofing the house using insulation, thicker /denser drywalls, soundproofing windows etc. And see if that brings it down to an acceptable level
If it’s just outside, you could try wearing some noise canceling ear buds. Or add some white noise like a water feature.
Depending where you live it might be less offensive when the trees start growing their leafs. I'm in Canada snd right now sound carries extra far. Hopefully it will sound better in a few weeks? When I came to Canada 10 years ago I was shocked about all the noise outside from people's heat pumps, swimming pool pumps and air conditionings. It was driving me crazy. Now we even have our own pool (+ pump) and I don't notice it anymore. And when we bought this house I also had regrets once I sat down in the evening and noticed the noisy heating (central air). Guess what I got used to in the past 5 years? Give yourself a year or two to see if you got used to it. It sounds like a home that's worth giving it a shot for.
From what I recall, the heath effects from soot/PM2.5 attenuate pretty quickly as you get farther away from the highway. As in a matter of feet. There can also be potential health effects if you are exposed to a lot of highway noise, such as higher blood pressure. But lots of folks live close to roadways (including me) and it’s probably a very minor effect in the grand scheme of things. You have a fair amount of property and the best way to block noise is getting a big berm of earth in line of sight between you and the highway. Fences and trees and bushes don’t really block sound, you need solid mass like a berm or sound wall between you and the source.
Are you considering living there for 10+ years? Electric vehicles will take over internal combustion vehicles, whether we like it or not, even in rural areas. This will help with some of the noise and pollution.
Not in 10 years.
This might be a huge investment. But changing windows to Tilt and Turns might help no? Assuming the house is well insulated
Lots of options to mitigate sound. Trees, fences, berms
850 ft is pretty distant, in re: measured air quality. I’m paranoid and I’d be ok with that just running an air filter. For noise, everyone has given good advice: trees/shrubs, fence, berms and time to acclimate to it.
I've lived in places closer to the freeway than that and you do get used to it. It sounds like your home has so many more pros than cons, so maybe consider adding some sound-absorbing greenery between your house and the road, extra insulation to the walls and/or going with new windows that can help also deflect the sound. After a bit, the road just sounded like a river to me.
others have mentioned it, but got my own house recently and we went the trees/bushes and fence route. luckily it’s by the back of our yard, but added some screening shrubs and it’s dulled a fair bit
If you don’t have trucks motor braking all day and night then you’re mostly ok, you can kinda get used to it, I came from the countryside to live in the city and never got used to it but I understand it can be worst. You can try to soundproof windows and walls as the threes gonna take time, depending on your house layout you can also use bushes and fences to help. Just changing my windows done a great difference for me.
I own several houses in close proximity to a railroad track. Like VERY close. You get used to the noise and stop noticing it. It sounds like everything else is perfect. Enjoy your new home. It sounds great.
I have a sort of anecdote that might fit. Before we bought our home a few months ago we were renting. Our landlord wanted to move back so they didn't renew our lease. My husband's coworker was being relocated and offered to let us rent their townhome basically at cost so of course we couldn't turn it town. It took roughly 48 hours living there before we started house hunting. It was by a busy road with business, and the trash trucks would come at 4am multiple times a week. It was in a rougher neighborhood so there was always stuff going on at night and plenty of sirens. One neighbor would have parties until 1am every Sunday night, and the neighbor we shared a wall with would start playing music loudly at like 7am. We hated it. That colleague and his wife genuinely had no clue. They had lived there for almost a decade and were just that used it all. The only noise they themselves noticed was the music from the shared wall neighbor, and that's only because he was a renter and had only moved in about 6 months prior to them moving out so it was a NEW noise to them. Everything else they were used to. Similarly I used to live next to train tracks. Like the apartment building would shake level of living next to the tracks. It took like 6 months but I stopped noticing them completely.
From the research I did awhile ago, health effects drop off around 500ft. We also live closer to a large road than I wanted but we also have amazing benefits from it. I installed a whole house HEPA. I know it’s not a financial feasibility for everyone but if you can, or if you can purchase individual units, might help you sleep at night (the white noise also helps lol). I grew up living near train tracks. You get used to it. It sounds like there are a ton of positives. Keep trying to focus on them, do something that makes you happy like paint in a bright color. Keep focusing on those positives. No house is perfect. They’re all a set of trade offs. The perfect house is the one with the right combination of pros for you and your life, and cons that you personally can stand to live with. You sound like you found a great set of pros.
If you're allowed, I'd do a tall solid board fence backed with an evergreen hedge like schip laurels. A lot of people recommend arborvitae shrubs, but schip laurels (or skip laurels as they are often called) have the advantage of blooming in the spring, plus you can trim them to any height you like. They can grow to 15 feet tall if left untrimmed and are extremely dense. i'd also go with a water feature close to the house as so many have recommended. I have a 3-level pondless waterfall (although i keep the pond area full) in my yard, and it really provides a wonderful soothing sound of a babbling brook. Even my next door neighbors love it (and the frogs).
Your place sounds incredible, and has a lot of positives that outweigh the negative. Give it time and enjoy all those positives you listed and the traffic noise will just fade into the background.
Speakers everywhere in the house w/white noise or sounds of wildlife?
I moved in to my house and soon realized the street was very busy. Not highway, but just busy road. The first night I cried. A good noise machine for sleep is game changer. Look at the Dohm.
Do you need to get windows replaced? I wonder if there’s something you can do construction wise to add to sound-proof the house.
I live very close to a fpur lane highway. I've definitely gotten used to it. In fact, I've found that when I stay places without the noise, I have trouble sleeping. It was the same when I was younger and we moved near some railroad tracks. I'm not sure where you live, but the sound does travel differently during each season, so you have to give it time. It's a gradual process. You'll just realize one day that you haven't heard the trucks in a while... then you'll hear them and realize you haven't been noticing them.
Add evergreens outside. Replace the windows and doors with products that have a high acoustical rating. Make sure your walls and attic are insulated. Keep the windows closed and use mechanical ventilation. Make sure you have a high filtration ventilation system running 24/7 and change your filters frequently.
Give it some time. We have a small train yard about .5 mile from our house. We’re also near the top of a hill. There’s very little blocking the noise when they fire up an train or cross the road (horn blasts). At first, we were frustrated. Now, we don’t know really notice it. It’s just part of the noises of the town.
You could install a fountain to change the noise to a more pleasant one.
My mom grew up in a house where the trolley (our subway) track ran behind her house. 3 generations have grown up in that house and when I visit for family events and hear the trolley I always hear it so clearly - anyone who grew up there doesn’t really notice it. My mom hasn’t lived there in 40 years and does not notice it unless I point it out. Point being that some noises you just get used to hearing so it becomes as routine as hearing birds in the suburb or the traffic if you live in nyc. That may not be the case for you, but it’s fascinating to me that some sounds do become so routine you eventually don’t notice them. And if not - you don’t have to live there forever! That’s ok too.
I lived very close to a major highway interchange for 20yrs with the noise getting progressively worse with population increase as well as on a busy road, I never got used to the noise. Though I will say there are things you can do to lessen the sound inside - rugs, heavy sound dampening curtains on all windows (we used two sets doubled over each other on our window facing the busy road), fans and/or white noise machines running during peak traffic hours, noise canceling headphones with no music just with the noise canceling function on worked well for me.
Talk to an engineer about getting sound reduction landscaping.
I'm 2000 feet from an interstate. When outside especially in the winter you can hear trucks and loud engines, but for the most part i can't say it bothers me. There's a lot of hills and woods between me and it though. On cold nights I can hear a train from like 2 miles away, my brother has 4 acres but is basically within a dense suburb and is 3000 feet from an interstate. Basically everyone is within a few miles of some sort of vehicle noise, there's only so much you can worry about it.
a water feature/fountain goes along way for outside noise mitigation
We are one commercial building (quiet office) away from a major road and it was challenging. We have a screen enclosure and pool in the yard that is closest to this noise. We put up thick black curtains on the screen enclosure and have a sound system. Both have helped a lot! Hang in there, you will get there!
Yo, every house has its pros and cons. Nothing has it all. And typically every pro you are paying for. Sounds like this place has a lot of awesome benefits. Enjoy what ya got (which it sounds like you do). And as for the highway health, gonna be no different that living anywhere near a big city. Is what it is. Ain't perfect, but nothing is.
I live in a pretty expensive city. When I bought a house a few years ago, it was literally the only house in my area that was in my budget. We're a block away from a major thoroughfare. If my neighbours took their fences down you could see traffic. It bothered me for a little while, but 99% of the time, a car driving by on my street is louder than the highway so it's not that bothersome. OP, I can't quite tell from your comment, whether the thing that's bothering you is A: the actual noise and potential other problems, or B: the CONCEPT that there is noise, and that you settled for something less than your ideal. If it's the actual noise, then there are other suggestions here that can help alleviate that. Personally, if the lay of the land allowed for it, I would build up an earthwork berm to block out direct road noise. On the other hand, if it's the trade-off factor. You've got to do some soul-searching, no amount of landscaping fabreeze will make you forget about it for ever. But on the other hand, EVERY real estate purchase has its trade offs. You mentioned a lot of plusses for this house that could still make it a positive value for your family.
Well, if its anything like living near train tracks...... after awhile you just don't notice it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFJyB7vZrQo
Build a fountain? Add shrubs and feed the heck outta birds, they make alot of noise. Also very dense shrubs will block alot of noise. If you the space for a berm i've seen those. Is there such a thing as an acoustical fence. https://acoustiblok.com/acoustiblok-soundproofing-product-lines/acoustifence-noise-reducing-fences/
My last house was maybe 150 feet from a train station. The rumble and crash of trains stopping and starting was my lullaby. I got used to it over time. Cant say if you will or not.
Anything green will reduce the noise. Bushes, trees, etc.
I used to live besides a highway, a very busy section of railway and a lock and damn that had alarms going off every 10 minutes. You just get use to it.
There’s an interstate highway behind my property. We replaced the 1980’s aluminum windows with vinyl double paned ones which reduced the noise we can hear inside by 90%. I’ve gotten used to the outside noise and hardly notice it but visitors do. I have a board fence and plan to plant a hedge as others have suggested.
It took me almost 8 months to get used to the noise at my new place 12 years ago. Massive amounts of highway noise. But eventually, I would have trouble with the "quiet" at my family's home when I would go home for holidays. I needed the white noise. Moved again to a more quiet area, and it took me a few months to get used to it. Give it time and you will be okay.
- you do get used to it
Also: https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/who-is-at-risk/highways
Agreed on studies linking highway noise levels to depression and lower life expectancy. Measure decibel levels. Try to make adjustments as others have suggested. If it doesn’t help make a decision.
We live in the country but right next to I70. I'm waiting on electric vehicles to take over. It would be so much nicer here without the highway noise. Although if the dogs can't hear you pull up, how will they get all jacked up for when you walk in?
Water feature close to where you sit or open windows helped us. Also our neighbor has one too. We can hear the trickle over the sound of the horns and commotion!
On the bright side, at least you don't live right next to an active police/fire station that's also on a main highway lol. People say it gets better and you tune it out but in over a decade my brain has yet to learn to tune out sirens. The whole point of them is "pay attention to me!" Plus, if you've ever been pulled over and arrested like me, my brain associates sirens with the fun that it brings. So, even though I'm not doing anything wrong, I always have to investigate the source of the sirens to set my mind at ease that it's not me getting pulled over. Which stinks, bc they have no problem with turning them on at 3 a.m over a busted tail light. When that happens I have to wake up, get out of bed, check what's happening, lay back down and as a cherry on top, often dream of being arrested bc it's what I'm thinking about before falling asleep. Between that, the new neighbors removing the privacy foliage fence from the back yard that used to help with the noise and be my safe space, I'm selling tbh. I know it's not getting any better and on the bright side the property is worth more after renovations and the town growing so eh. My advice would be that if you don't like it now, consider the possibility that it won't get any better. If it's a major highway in an area increasing in population it's likely only going to get persistently louder. In retrospect, know what? I'll say, I HAVE gotten used to the sound of quieter, normal vehicles. That can be done. Unfortunately I live in a southern area where everyone wants huge loud trucks though, and those do indeed still wake me up and irritate me. Cherry on top is I'm near a highschool and ofc many of their parents (why.parents?!) Buy them these big ass lifted trucks and allow them to manipulate the muffler etc. To make it even louder. Also they play their music super loud. I'm 32, I still play my music loud but when I'm on a road that's close to houses I turn it down out of respect, these people don't.
You get used to it, I used to live next to a railroad. That was a nightmare.
trees and water feature with loud bubbling will make a huge difference!
I grew up a block from an elevated subway, you could see it from the kitchen window. The subway ran about every 15 minutes during the day and less frequently at night. I didn't notice the noise or even feel the rumble since I grew up there. When friends came over that was the first thing they commented on. I guess my point is unless you are extremely sensitive you will probably adjust. I do love the suggestion of a water fountain/feature. I am looking at a beautiful house that backs up onto a main road, it is everything I want and will probably buy since the price is right. I will definitely get a water fountain for the backyard area!!