Would you buy an otherwise perfect, fantastic house w/ very little backyard and on a main street?

[Anonymous]

We have found a home which -- with 2 exceptions -- we absolutely love and is perfect for our needs, in that it is smack-dab in the neighborhood we want to be in AND has a rare, separate, above-ground & light-filled, spacious (1100 SF) 2 BR in-law suite w/ full kitchen, bath, etc. -- my MIL is retiring later this year and moving down here to live w/ us and help take care of the kids so this istruly PERFECT for her, and almost impossible to find where we're looking. The upstairs is still sizable (2200 SF) w/ 4 BR, 2.5 BA, office, a brand new addition w/ an open kitchen and family room w/ vaulted ceiling, a great deck, and lovely old wonderful character (it's a beautifully rehabbed historic home), great front sitting porch, etc.

The 2 exceptions are significant, however: (1) the front of the house is on a main road (though the in-law suite is on the back-side road, which is quiet and leafy and lovely, and the deck is on the side), and (2) there is very little, if any, backyard (there is a decent front yard and wide, maybe 10-12 foot"side" yard, but in the back it's mostly a drive way for 2 cars that can pull up to the in-law suite, and then greenery around the sides of that).

We currently live in a much smaller home in a not great neighborhood, BUT we have an incredible backyard which we've redone and tailored to our likes/needs over the past 7 years, putting in a nice high privacy fence, adding a brick patio and lawn, landscaping, adding an herb/veg garden, and DH built a treehouse and a big, covered sandbox for our kids who are now 3 and 1. We LOVE our backyard, even though there are many months when we can't really use it due to the heat, mosquitos, etc.). We've been looking for a year, though, and haven't found anything as perfect as this house in the pretty specific neighborhood in which we want to live.

Would these 2 exceptions be deal-killers for you, notwithstanding the other "perfectness" of the equation? We've been looking almost a year, and have only seen one other house in this neighborhood w/ a decent in-law suite, and it was nowhere nice as this one. But, I feel like we (and our kids) might really miss the yard, b/c we've been so spolied having the one we've had. Then again, the yard has partially been our salvation in an o/wise limited neighborhood--and the new neighborhood has tons of parks, including about 1 block from the house, and cafes, restaurants, etc., to walk to, and a million other wonderful things about it.

I feel like no house is going to be perfect, and we should just bite the bullet b/c this one is SO close, and uniquely perfect for our needs, w/ the in-law suite. It would be difficult to build on an in-law suite in a different house, I think, both permitting/zoning and cost-wise (this one is in a historic district involving significant permitting limitations, and this house was already zoned for multi-family). But the thought of not having the yards for the kids, and us, is so sad (though maybe we will just adapt, use the park more, etc.?).

The main street issue doesn't bother me as much, as it's a main street but not a hugely busy one. Plus, the house is recessed from the road a good 30 feet, w/ a nice amount of landscaping in front, and a deep front porch. Though it could be a resale issue, I fear.

Sigh....torn. WWYD?

[Anonymous]

If it has good schools, go for it.

[Anonymous]

We are in a very similar situation wrt your current house (I had to reread it - sounds exactly like our home!), but haven't found the perfect new house yet ourselves.

Is the new house close to playgrounds?

Your children can ride bikes/scooters on a driveway. So it might not be entirely bad.

[Anonymous]

The traffic would be the only issue holding me back. Driveways are great for kids to play on so that would be a great play space. You will spend a lot more time indoors than out. Traffic to me is a big deal. I don't like noise and pollution, but if it doesn't bother you then I would go for it. Sounds like great quality of life with MIL coming down. It is really hard to find a MIL suite, or one that is decent, so this sounds really good. Having a smaller yard will get you to to parks more--it can be more social.

[Anonymous]

Depends how old your kids are, and what you expect your MIL to do with them when she comes. We wouldn't. But maybe you feel you can't compromise on the house bit, and then you have to compromise somewhere.

[Anonymous]

How old are your kids? After a while they won't need that much yard.

[Anonymous]

I live on a busy street, mainly because it was the best we could do on our budget with a short commute and good schools. I'd do it again for the right situation. It's not ideal, but how many of us get ideal when we buy a house? We will probably add on to our current house rather than move, because to get a slightly larger house on a quieter street would cost more than double what we paid - just not possible or justifiable to me.

One cavet: Our house has enough backyard for the kids to play, however, and as they are older I find that crucial, although I think some of that is my personality (lazy!) Can you fence every bit of the land you have (incl the driveway, so they can scoot, skate, play basketball/hockey/etc)? That would help; kids don't need acres of land, just enough to get some fresh air and burn off some energy.

Only you can say whether the pros outweigh the cons, however. Spend some time walking around the neighborhood; see what traffic conditions are like at rush hour as well as on a weekend; talk to the neighbors and see what if any community feeling exists (busy streets make that hard.) None of these issues need to be deal-breakers, but it's always better to go in with your eyes wide open than to realize something after the fact. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Could you tear out all or part of the driveway? Do you really need a two-car driveway for the in-law suite?

[Anonymous]

A good 1st floor in law suite seems so rare that I would go for it I think.

[Anonymous]

Hmm.

1. Are there sidewalks on this busy street, or does walkability simply not matter to you?
2. Do you have to back out on this busy street (this will matter)?
3. Are we talking Arlington Boulevard busy, Lee Highway/Columbia Pike busy, or Washington Boulevard/Wilson Boulevard west of Glebe busy (use Maryland equivalents if need be)?

My wife and I passed on a house that was at the corner of one of the three-syllable streets and Wilson Boulevard (facing the three-syllable street) in 2002. I think it was in Bluemont.

However, the noise of a TH backing onto Columbia Pike was too much for my wife, so we did get skittish. I do regret not doing it, as we bought in a less-than-great area in South Arlington and my wife now considers Arlington a swear word.

OTOH, we're right outside downtown Leesburg now, and have found happiness for our situation.

OP, if you were intolerant of noise when you were in a condo/apartment/TH, I'd be VERY leery of pulling the trigger.

[Anonymous]

I agree: What do you mean by "busy" -- I live on North Glebe Road way up by the Chain Bridge and it's a "busy" road but only about twice a day. Otherwise it's surprisingly quite. It helps that the driveway/garage face a side street (we live on a corner).

Noise isn't really a problem, except for the occasional siren.

[Anonymous]

I live on a busy street (think wash blvd/ lee highway/ columbia pike) with basically no backyard. We love our house, are in a great school district, and are walking distance to the metro. Its all about tradeoffs, and how you personally value different things.
We don't really miss the backyard, but we never had one-- and we both work full time so the time we would use the backyard is limited.
OP it sounds like you have been spending alot of time in your backyard, and that you enjoy doing things like gardening/ building tree houses--- are you ready to really give that up??

The noise concerns about being on a busy street I think tend to be overstated. We never really notice noise (but we are not all that sensitive). We have good windows, which makes a huge difference.

In terms of backing out-- I wouldn't want to backout onto our street. We go out facing out-- its never really a problem except during rush hour, and then I can't turn left. Never have a problem going straight.

[Anonymous]

I would buy it if there were sidewalks and if I could fence the entire property. I think digging up part of the driveway, or making it a play space only, sounds like a great idea. However, it would also depend on how busy the road is. Can you give us an idea? Is it a four lane, three lane?

[Anonymous]

OP here, and thank you everyone for the great feedback. Very much appreciated. To answer a few questions:

(1) the house is in Takoma Park/MoCo, so a good school district, and this is one of the key reasons we are moving there (I know some people will criticize the TP schools as not "as good" as others, but we have vetted them, are impressed, and feel most at home there overall, are in preschool there, have lots of friends in the immediate neighborhood, etc.);

(2) the busy street is only 2 lanes wide (one way each direction) so that helps (it's not Arlington Boulevard busy) and, like the 12:33 PP, it's only very busy twice a day, at rush hour, at which time you have a pretty constant stream of traffic; it's one of the main arteries through the neighborhood (Takoma Park) so it can be decently busy at other times, too (i.e. Saturday), but not so busy that it totally turns me off;

(3) there are indeed sidewalks (decently wide ones on which you can walk 2 abreast) and coffee shops, restaurants, etc., within a block/two of the house (yet it feels VERY residential), plus it has a deep front yard, and deep front porch (the house sits probably 30 full feet, maybe more, from the street);

(4) the driveway is on the back side, on the small street, so there is no need to pull out into the main street at all (the house is almost to the tip (2nd to last house) of a triangular junction of two road (one main road, one small one-way quiet road), hence the lack of backyard and entry to main house on front and in-law suite on backside);

(5) our kids are 3 and 1, and we use our backyard a lot right now--I am indeed having a hard time seeing that want/need change unless it has to b/c we don't have the backyard any longer b/c we've decided the other great elements of this house outweigh the "luxury" of a big, lovely backyard; there is a park 1 block away, and many, many playgrounds, and sligo creek, w/in immediate walking distance; also the quiet, one-way street on the back-side has sidewalks and is perfect for riding bikes, throwing a ball around, etc.;

(6) it's not that noisy (we've spent much time in and on the porch of the house--noise just isn't an issue, prob. b/c it's only 2 lanes, and it's such a "quiet" area, i.e. Historic Takoma), that's not really a concern to me;

(7) we could probably take out the driveway and fence what limited green space there is out back--that's a good suggestion; we'd have to go through the protracted process of getting a permit to do so in the Historic districtm and prob. keep the fence/wall low, in keeping w/ the other fences in the neighborhood, but we would do that anyway; the only issue would be need for the driveway; w/ MIL having a car, and DH and I each having one (I know, I know, not very Takoma Park to have 3 cars to one family!) we might need the parking spaces, but w/ us being suddenly walking distance to the Metro, we could conceivably go down to 2 cars (i.e. MILs, and one for our nuclear family); I'd have to go over and visualize what that would give us and what we'd lose; it will never be what we have now, in the way of our large, lovely backyard (no room for treehouse, sandbox, lots of people over for BBQs, etc.) but I know it's unrealistic to imagine we can find the perfect house WITH the perfect in-law suite IN our precisely desired spot WITH the perfect backyard.

I can get over the main street (it seems a lot less "main" after thinking about places like Arlington Boulevard, Philadelphia Ave, or the like), I think I'm just really struggling w/ giving up the backyard...but leaning toward doing it, as the other factors weigh so heavily...

Thank you again for the thoughts/suggestions, and I would appreciate any further thoughts PPs or others may have. Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Have you checked where it is vis a vis the proposed Purple Line?