Before buying, pack a picnic lunch and go sit on the property & listen for a few hours - traffic noise is a killer, over time.

Tire noise (singing) at night is impossible to ignore.
I live about a half-mile from a major road -one that sits below grade and the noise at times is quite notable, even indoors.

YMMV

 

Before buying, pack a picnic lunch and go sit on the property & listen for a few hours - traffic noise is a killer, over time.

Tire noise (singing) at night is impossible to ignore.
I live about a half-mile from a major road -one that sists below grade and the noise at times is quite notable, even indoors.

YMMV

Very good advice!

 

I live in middle TN. Hiring contractors here is very difficult and expensive...when they show. I would make sure you can identify the help you need as you factor costs!

 

Same in N Ala

 

Is your driveway connected to the highway or a side road? If connected to the highway, I'd pass.

 

Plant Leland Cypress privacy trees in front and side every 6’ = 50 trees: $7k

That sounds really high, unless you are paying people to do it. You can get the trees for under $40 a piece. They grow very quickly, many feet a year.

 

Per above, driveway is connected directly to the highway, it’s a long stretch of highway with mainly farms on all sides and all around, and then there’s a driveway that goes from the highway up a steep hill into the trees and the house is behind those trees. You can see the house from the highway, it’s just a ways up and back.

 

I'd watch the highway during rush hour, and judge the difficulty getting in and out of driveway.

 

We’re in Tennessee outside of Memphis, we’d like to get further East.
We have family selling 2.5 acre 3000 sq ft home off a highway that’s fairly heavily traveled with a little town nearby, which is the area we want to live, and could maybe get a good deal.
The house is about 150 yards off the highway, on a large hill above it, and a bunch of large trees.
If we planted a row of 5’ evergreens in the front at the top of the hill in front of the large trees, you would probably just see the very top of the house from the highway below, if that.

The house is in great shape, new roof, etc, but needs updates as just old with wallpaper and wood paneling and such.

Can anyone tell me:

1) Is living anywhere on a major highway just a terrible decision?
2) If you think these figures below are way off or not:

Replace carpet upstairs 900sq ft: $3k
Remove wallpaper/paint 2 bedrooms and 4 closets: $3k (DIY: $1k)
Convert 30x21 room to bedroom: $25k
Replace all floors 1800 sq ft with laminate wood downstairs: $20k
Remove wallpaper/paint downstairs: $5k (DIY: $2k)
Remodel master shower (rest of bathroom ok): $10k
Total rebuild of kitchen cabinets, granite tops, island, knock down wall: $40k to $60k
Demolish and remove old mobile home on property: $5k
Plant Leland Cypress privacy trees in front and side every 6’ = 50 trees: $7k OR 150’ brick wall: $30k
Enclosed backyard wood fence 480’ with 3 gates (2 double & 1 single): $20k

I think your numbers are very generous for the area.

As for the location...
is the highway a commuter thoroughfare?
Is the highway the only/best connector to/from a major city.
If either of those are a "yes", may not be the best choice of you are considering folks spotting the house and coming by uninvited.

Could a driveway be made to another road? Disconnect the driveway from the highway.

Lastly, maybe this isnt your forever home. Maybe it's what you need to get into the area you want. You do some needed work while you are looking for something that is a better fit in a few years.

ETA: Pretty much anything to get out of Memphis area will be better.

 

Good question… getting out has been quite easy as we have been there many times for years. I’m terrible with #s, but would say at highest peak there may be 30 cars per minute total for both directions, and at lowest you may get 5-10. The highway is also already 4 lanes and split with a half way in between the lanes, so even turning left has been super easy and we’ve never had to wait more than a few seconds to turn either direction.

 

@Clifffalling … I would say 90%+ of traffic is commuter, and maybe 10% trucks or less.
There is a major interstate I-240 that runs between Memphis and Nashville about 5+ miles north so it gets 1000x more traffic than this highway, which mainly just connects a couple of small towns.

As for a driveway to another road, that’s a great point... There is 100 acre pasture zoned residential that sits between us and another neighborhood which has 1 acre estate lots. There’s a high probability that it will one day be a neighborhood and could be a connecting point for the house rather than the highway, soooo… not today but potentially in the future. Or if they ever sell part of that land where we could buy it, even better.

 

@Clifffalling … I would say 90%+ of traffic is commuter, and maybe 10% trucks or less.
There is a major interstate I-240 that runs between Memphis and Nashville about 5+ miles north so it gets 1000x more traffic than this highway, which mainly just connects a couple of small towns.

The I-240 loop is still so new that there's a lot of open land ...now. With it being a bypass to handle traffic for the eventual I-69 and Memphis already being a major transportation hub, I look for the area to build up significantly within the next 10 years.

 

The other thing to consider, is the health of the area. A major roadway produces more than just noise and fumes. Excessive tire dust and engine lubricants are found in the soil and air within a couple of miles of major roadways. Then factor in the actual physical damage to the area wildlife. Many studies have shown (It's old science nowadays) that wildlife populations near major roadways are at way reduced levels due to getting run over and smacked out of the sky.

Between that and the noise and smell, I'd run away.... at least a few miles. Then on top of everything else (If that wasn't already enough!), there's the security issue. "Only the top of the house will show to the hiway". It doesn't matter if the house is invisible behind the trees because the trees alone make it obvious to the predators eyeball. A prime target to a group of bad people. Remote, right next to the major hiway, nice looking place. Yum yum.

 

Yes, we have a 4 lane highway about 1/2 mile from our HOA, maybe 3/4 from the house. When the wind is north we can hear it clearly outside on the patio. Our house is super insulated so we don't hear anything inside. The south wind blows the sound away so we don't hear it half the year. Trees will help but not stop the sound. 150 yards, no way.

It usually doesn't bother me, but the other night there were a couple of very loud rice burners going at it on the highway during our walk, jeeze get a muffler. I told my wife, next house will be 5 miles from any highway and 1/2 mile from the neighbors. Just not sure how to afford that.

Nice thing is we can watch the cars at night, and if we hear sirens we can see who's going where.

As for reno costs, can I be your contractor? I could build a nice house for your reno budget.

 

As for reno costs, can I be your contractor? I could build a nice house for your reno budget.

I was thinking the reno costs were extremely high too. It is better though to estimate high and not be shocked later.

What do you do to an existing room (to make it a bedroom) to cost $25,000?

 

I guess it depends on a few things:

1. What is your sensitivity to noise and privacy?
2. I there likely growth in the area that wold likely increase traffic in your lifetime?
3. How good of a deal is the property vs comparable property that is further away from a main highway?
4. How long do you plan to live there and is it an otherwise great investment and worth owning for a handful of years and selling to move somewhere else?

I like the idea of visiting for a weekend or something. Sleep in a room with the window open or pitch a tent to get a feel for what it would be like being exposed the the noise for an extended period of time. Read a book on the back porch and see how relaxing it is.

If you did decide to move there I would explore the possibility of building a 6 or 8 foot earthen berm. Much of the noise can be reflected or absorbed by having a berm at that height. In addition you will have more privacy and safety from the potential of some moron at high speed exiting freeway and crashing into your property.

 

I'd take a pass on that property. You're looking at spending like $150,000 on renovations alone. And then it's right on a highway....nope.

 

REALM,

Definitely take risks but do not take chances (gambling).

"High probably" can readily change.

Have you studied and plotted out this area and hinterland on a large wall map ?

There are major efforts (and funded) to move the coastal Atlantic population inland. Factor this into your studies. Assign some significance for the nation's tallest building going up in Oklahoma City.

Don't gamble; Study.

 

LOL... What???

Seriously???

How about RESEARCH?

 

I would do some research with your local fire dept., office of emergency management and state highway dept. Is the highway a transport route for hazardous materials? Is there a risk assessment you can request under FOIA? If there would be a hazmat release on the highway are you in the path of the plume? Have you alternate escape routes if the highway is blocked due to an accident. I don't want to be within 5 miles of an Interstate highway or freight rail line.

 

to me Peace and quiet are priceless. I'd have to pass on that deal

 

I considered buying a cabin that ran parallel to an interstate. I ended up passing because of the noise and I was worried my dogs might run on the road. Now that I have a 5 year old that fear of traffic is just as bad if not worse.

 

Personally, I don't want lots of people passing by. Not so much because of noise, but because of security issues.
Most of the traffic on my road is people living here, the UPS driver or the USPS carrier. The fewer random strangers, the better.

 

You stated there are farms all around. It's merely a guessing game, but those farms could sell and become major residential areas or even commercial properties with that much road nearby.

 

The $25k for the new room is actually quite a few things as it’s a huge space which already has heat and air, but the plan was to create in that space…
1) Mudroom spot for entryway next to garage
2) 4th bedroom with a little closet
3) Extend the laundry room
4) Build a walk in pantry
5) Sitting area for the rest of the space
The not in the $25k plan but under consideration… was to build stairs on a wall and finish the attic space above it into a movie room or another huge bedroom/bath, as it’s an equally huge space with a window.

 

It'd be a hard pass for me.

Just like living near the airport.

Resale would probably be tough too.

 

You should probably take into account that if it is on a major highway, sooner or later a politician will buy up adjoining land, rezone it for a new WalMart, and you'll be stuck living next to Wally World 24/7.

Happens all the time.

If you do buy it, be sure you have enough land so you can sell it later to Home Depot.

 

The last reply I made, did not really answer the question. My thoughts on this particular parcel are this.

Speaking from a survivalist standpoint, if/when, there is an emergency, the interstate will get blocked. Traffic will divert to the highway next to you. It will also likely to get blocked and by that time you'll have lots of 'company'. Later stages you'll likely have people on foot.

Sounds like you want to have a nice comfortable home and not primarily thinking of survival times. Living that close to a major highway is risky. It's a long way from the choice I would choose but your priorities are going to be much different. Weigh the pros and cons carefully (your priorities) before you commit.

 

The noise and pollution would be a deal breaker. How much pollution does that constant traffic create. You're going to be breathing it a lot

 

Too close to a 4 lane hiway for my liking.
I only hear chickens, cows, and a donkey. Occasionally an oinker.
I would look elsewhere.