If your house backs up to a busy highway...

[Anonymous]

Do you get used to the noise? I mean like 495, 66, or Toll Road noise with a decent buffer of trees.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure you would...I used to live in the city and when I first moved there the street noises were so loud and within no time I actually cracked my window so that at night it would lull me to sleep. During the day I didn't even notice them.

[Anonymous]

I lived in apartment building near the beltway. There was a large buffer of trees. I needed to sleep with a large fan running all the time. Inevitably a large truck would run over the rumble strip and wake me up. If you're looking to buy a house, I personally would avoid it. It's an unchangable flaw. If you realize it's not for you, you're stuck.

My house doesn't back to the beltway, but it's about 2000 ft. from the beltway. I can't hear the noise from inside, but I get small cracks in the drywall near door frames. I got painting estimates, and the painter said he sees this all the time in houses that are close to the beltway. There's constant vibration that takes a toll on the house.

Also, there's no guarrantee that the tree buffer will always be there.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/02/AR2008070201252.html

[Anonymous]

I did get used to the noise, although sometimes it was a pain if I wanted to have folks outside on the deck for a cookout or something. And the noise would change depending on weather for some reason.

One thing to possibly watch for -- is the house below the highway level? I had friends who lived in a house like this, and even with a (short) noise wall, they got a lot of black dirt all over their house. I don't know what it was, like exhaust dirt or something.

[Anonymous]

We used to live in a high rise next to a major highway. The only time we noticed the sound was when it began in the morning (it dies down during the night) and when a large truck or something would hit an uneven part of the road and the bed would make a loud noise. During the day, it was white noise so not a problem. Same thing with an apartment near a busy road. We noticed it in the morning when it got started but otherwise it was ok. One problem I see with living near a well traveled roadway is the dirt and pollution from vehicle exhaust fumes.

[Anonymous]

We live on a major road. Our house is raised up a little, but we are maybe 30 or 40 feet from the road. Inside, with double glazing, you barely notice it. It is something we are used to and it doesn't really bother us much. We are certainly much less bothered by noise here than when we lived in DC near Logan circle - the occasional noise of drunks, fire engines, car alarms etc was much worse than the continuous dull thud of traffic.

Based on what nearby homes further from the road were selling at, we probably paid 15 or 20 percent less for our house because of the road. This was worth it for us, but I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone. The other thing to consider is that it can take much longer to sell such a house. but as we plan to live here 20 years that isn't much of an issue.

[Anonymous]

We live across the street from the Beltway (i.e., the houses across the street from us back up to the Beltway). Inside the house there is no noise at all. Nor do we ever feel vibrations. In the backyard, there is road noise, but usually when we are out there we are usually entertaining anyway and the conversation etc. masks it. Front yard, yes, there is usually some road noise but we are used to it. But a realtor told me once, in our area (Bethesda) there are so many busy roads, most houses have some road noise, for what that's worth.

[Anonymous]

I would just be concerned about resale.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Yes, I'm not so worried about the drone of traffic noise, but when Metro is going up the toll road I'm wondering if that will be even worse...

[Anonymous]

I too would be thinking about exhaust, etc.

[Anonymous]

We are not directly adjacent, but in a community that is in close proximity to 95. If it will bother you and you know that now, then I woudn't do it...