Hey hey,
I’m new here and have a question for you.
We recently built a house in a nice new development in beautiful Bavaria. Unfortunately, the building plot is located on a busy main road through the town, which we admittedly underestimated beforehand.
The situation is that we have been struggling with the road noise for months (actually since the very beginning). It’s a constant up and down every day. The fact is, the traffic is sometimes so loud that it wakes us up in the morning or is even audible while watching TV. Especially trucks or motorcycles. It’s really starting to get on our nerves and is very draining mentally. Plus, we just weren’t used to this from our previous apartment. So we can’t really settle in properly. It’s wearing us down slowly but surely, and we simply don’t feel comfortable here. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a psychological burden over time.
The reason we chose this plot in the first place was simply due to the lack of alternatives. And we thought we wouldn’t hear the road noise. In hindsight, that was a mistake. You have to be very lucky to find something affordable in a perfect location here.
But now we are actually lucky… we were offered an affordable building plot in a completely quiet area of a new development with a great view and good infrastructure. The plot is closer to our jobs, has the same size, a reasonable price, and above all offers one thing: the prospect of absolute peace (apart from future neighbors, of course). The plot was offered to us by the local council, where we had applied years ago without success. Ironically, now that we have just built but don’t really feel at home here, we received an offer from the council.
So we are seriously considering going through the house-building adventure again and giving it another shot. This would mean financing the plot through the bank, selling our current house, and building on the new plot within the next 3 years. Apart from the renewed construction stress… we do feel somewhat uneasy, especially because of the financial risk. Although with the new house, we expect to come out significantly cheaper (we estimate €50,000–60,000 less), because the plot is easier to build on and the construction would also be less complex (for example, a gable roof instead of a hipped roof, slightly smaller exterior dimensions, etc.).
So we are facing a choice: try to accept the situation here or build new again and correct the mistake! What would you do in our place? As I said, the noise issue is wearing us down in the long run, and we don’t believe it can be permanently resolved. Has anyone had similar experiences? What pitfalls should we watch out for if we decide to go this route? How would you proceed?
I’m new here and have a question for you.
We recently built a house in a nice new development in beautiful Bavaria. Unfortunately, the building plot is located on a busy main road through the town, which we admittedly underestimated beforehand.
The situation is that we have been struggling with the road noise for months (actually since the very beginning). It’s a constant up and down every day. The fact is, the traffic is sometimes so loud that it wakes us up in the morning or is even audible while watching TV. Especially trucks or motorcycles. It’s really starting to get on our nerves and is very draining mentally. Plus, we just weren’t used to this from our previous apartment. So we can’t really settle in properly. It’s wearing us down slowly but surely, and we simply don’t feel comfortable here. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a psychological burden over time.
The reason we chose this plot in the first place was simply due to the lack of alternatives. And we thought we wouldn’t hear the road noise. In hindsight, that was a mistake. You have to be very lucky to find something affordable in a perfect location here.
But now we are actually lucky… we were offered an affordable building plot in a completely quiet area of a new development with a great view and good infrastructure. The plot is closer to our jobs, has the same size, a reasonable price, and above all offers one thing: the prospect of absolute peace (apart from future neighbors, of course). The plot was offered to us by the local council, where we had applied years ago without success. Ironically, now that we have just built but don’t really feel at home here, we received an offer from the council.
So we are seriously considering going through the house-building adventure again and giving it another shot. This would mean financing the plot through the bank, selling our current house, and building on the new plot within the next 3 years. Apart from the renewed construction stress… we do feel somewhat uneasy, especially because of the financial risk. Although with the new house, we expect to come out significantly cheaper (we estimate €50,000–60,000 less), because the plot is easier to build on and the construction would also be less complex (for example, a gable roof instead of a hipped roof, slightly smaller exterior dimensions, etc.).
So we are facing a choice: try to accept the situation here or build new again and correct the mistake! What would you do in our place? As I said, the noise issue is wearing us down in the long run, and we don’t believe it can be permanently resolved. Has anyone had similar experiences? What pitfalls should we watch out for if we decide to go this route? How would you proceed?
If it causes you mental stress and you simply can’t come to terms with it, you’ll have to get out of there.
From the perspective of options, selling without a loss or renting it out would be the best choice.
Otherwise, try to deal with the situation:
- install new windows and walls with better sound insulation (though this makes less sense in a new build)
- sound barrier walls (which may reduce natural light and the view)
- install sound-absorbing acoustic panels inside, which reduce room size but might help a bit
- other sound absorbers (there are some advanced high-tech solutions nowadays, so consider consulting an expert)
- just learn to live with it
In the end, you need to consider your financial situation, of course. And when you buy your next plot, it would be wise to spend a weekday night there (not a weekend) to better assess the new building site.
From the perspective of options, selling without a loss or renting it out would be the best choice.
Otherwise, try to deal with the situation:
- install new windows and walls with better sound insulation (though this makes less sense in a new build)
- sound barrier walls (which may reduce natural light and the view)
- install sound-absorbing acoustic panels inside, which reduce room size but might help a bit
- other sound absorbers (there are some advanced high-tech solutions nowadays, so consider consulting an expert)
- just learn to live with it
In the end, you need to consider your financial situation, of course. And when you buy your next plot, it would be wise to spend a weekday night there (not a weekend) to better assess the new building site.
raffa schrieb:
You mean a bit of greenery solves the problem? Exactly.
However, I’m not talking about geraniums for the balcony.
What is usually seriously missing in new housing developments at the start are sound diffusers (such as shrubs) and absorbers (like bushes, including ground cover plants), and even what I consider the rather unattractive modern gabions (which always look like oversized steel cages filled with coal chunks placed in the garden) can be useful here. Also, a “Tahiti à la Kleinkrotzenburg” combination (the three-part setup of a woven fence – reed mat – textile covering) may look unappealing but works quite effectively.
If you let sound waves bounce freely between bare walls and bare floor surfaces like players in a game of squash, they will behave exactly like that.
It seems that today’s builders are no longer taught this basic knowledge of biological acoustic construction.
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Kaspatoo schrieb:
If it causes you mental stress and you absolutely cannot come to terms with it, then you just have to get out of thereTrue words!
Regards, Yvonne
11ant schrieb:
It seems that today’s homeowners are no longer taught this basic knowledge of biological acoustic construction.After all, a truck is still just a truck, and no miracles should be expected.
@te
How do you explain this to the new owner when you sell?
So, if you ended up breaking even ... that would be quite lucky. The additional acquisition costs are lost, and a new build is like a new car ... if you have the money to spend, you can also build yourself. Incomplete exterior landscaping and possibly other remaining work would suggest to me as a buyer that something is wrong—bankruptcy, divorce, mold. That speaks more against breaking even in my opinion.
Maybe there is still room for optimization. The walls are set for now, but perhaps it would be possible to selectively swap the windows in the bedrooms? Of course, if the wall turns out to be the weak point in the end ... according to the development plan, is the house actually located in a noise exposure zone? How was the traffic noise impact assessed in the environmental report?
Maybe there is still room for optimization. The walls are set for now, but perhaps it would be possible to selectively swap the windows in the bedrooms? Of course, if the wall turns out to be the weak point in the end ... according to the development plan, is the house actually located in a noise exposure zone? How was the traffic noise impact assessed in the environmental report?
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