Street noise repellants? (Pittsburgh, Washington, Media: lease, house, neighborhood)

[Kippy]

Originally Posted by algia

Believe me..."street noise" would be the last thing on my list when buying a house! LOL

Why? If it is something that is important to you and affects your quality of life, then it should be a parameter for you home search.

[Kippy]

Originally Posted by algia

Aaaaa Thank you...we used to call those "shrubs" LOL, and had them in FL actually based on your description, but not for sound purposes, just cosmetic.

While I have never lived in Florida, I am pretty sure nobody refers to mounds of dirt or mulch as shrubs. Shrubs are the living, bushy plants that grow in the dirt.

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by algia

We didn't "buy" yet...and we also didn't have a choice in renting...finding a rental long distance (some 1200 miles) is not as easy as it seems. But that's Off Topic.

Where did I say it was a "new issue"?

Believe me..."street noise" would be the last thing on my list when buying a house! LOL

You didn't say it was a "new issue", but I meant it as this isn't something that has just recently developed. The road noise has been there since well before you chose to live there, and it will be there long after you move out. It was an open and obvious situation. Even looking for the rental long distance, you could've figured out it was on a pretty busy road. And I believe you either made a visit here before moving or had a good friend in that area that could've told you about it.

If I recall correctly, you had very specific and narrow requirements for where you wanted to rent, including that it HAD to be in this particular area (which is a very popular area). Unfortunately, you have some trade offs as a result, and this is one of them.

[algia]

ohhhhhh no dirt....sorry....I thought you meant raised shrubs...I can't picture it.

[DomerJen]

OK, maybe this is obvious, but it's almost spring and more houses will be coming up on the mkt in Mt. Lebo. Are you in a time crunch that you can't wait?

I wouldn't buy on any of the streets you mentioned - it sounds like you have little kids?

I don't think wooden blinds will block noise - I think they'd amplify it. Stick w/ the thick drapes, and hang them "high and wide" on rods for a more current look.

Also, try not to buy on a brick road - they are very noisy.

[algia]

Actually the "road noise" hasn't been there all along...most these areas are 50 years old, or older when traffic was definitely not what it is today. These roads were not meant to withstand this kind of traffic....Baptist road comes to mind, along with two lane Brownsville which has buses, trucks, and all sorts of cars on it.

Of topic again.

We could NOT make a visit prior, time did not allow. I don't know where you got that from. & even if we did...the choices were limited. I started looking last January (2011).


I was looking for suggestions as to how to block the noise. We knew thanks to Google Earth it was a 4 lane rd

I changed my opinion as to "ppl are nice here"...I don't understand why all of you hurry to judge ME, my circumstances, (which you know nothing off) and fail to stay on TOPIC??? is this your way of being NICE? I don't get it! why are you judging me exactly here? sorry you think your city is so perfect...and you never had noise issues, nor ever lived elsewhere and have something to compare with!!! seriously?

I asked at the beginning of the thread that unless you actually have a suggestion to not HACK my thread. Please respect that, and also the CD rules.

Originally Posted by Burghgirl17

You didn't say it was a "new issue", but I meant it as this isn't something that has just recently developed. The road noise has been there since well before you chose to live there, and it will be there long after you move out. It was an open and obvious situation. Even looking for the rental long distance, you could've figured out it was on a pretty busy road. And I believe you either made a visit here before moving or had a good friend in that area that could've told you about it.

If I recall correctly, you had very specific and narrow requirements for where you wanted to rent, including that it HAD to be in this particular area (which is a very popular area). Unfortunately, you have some trade offs as a result, and this is one of them.

[BrianTH]

There is such a thing as "soundproof windows", if you want to make a significant investment.

Heavy drapes are your best choice for window treatments. You don't want something rigid like wood blinds.

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by algia

Actually the "road noise" hasn't been there all along...most these areas are 50 years old, or older when traffic was definitely not what it is today. These roads were not meant to withstand this kind of traffic....Baptist road comes to mind, along with two lane Brownsville which has buses, trucks, and all sorts of cars on it.

Of topic again.

We could NOT make a visit prior, time did not allow. I don't know where you got that from. & even if we did...the choices were limited. I started looking last January (2011).


I was looking for suggestions as to how to block the noise. We knew thanks to Google Earth it was a 4 lane rd

I changed my opinion as to "ppl are nice here"...I don't understand why all of you hurry to judge ME, my circumstances, (which you know nothing off) and fail to stay on TOPIC??? is this your way of being NICE? I don't get it! why are you judging me exactly here? sorry you think your city is so perfect...and you never had noise issues, nor ever lived elsewhere and have something to compare with!!! seriously?

I asked at the beginning of the thread that unless you actually have a suggestion to not HACK my thread. Please respect that, and also the CD rules.

The road noise has been there for about 50 years prior to you moving in to your home. I think that is sufficiently "all along" for your purposes.

You can't post on an internet message board and demand that people only respond to your liking. You post questions, and when you don't get the responses you like, you flip out. I have posted many pieces of helpful information to you over the time you have been here, but you usually ignore those and do what you want anyway. Your posts just tend to complain about anything and everything, and then get ticked when people don't side with you or give you exactly what you want. If you want to talk about respect, how about you yourself responding in a respectful manner?

You could just as easily Google this topic. Actually, if you want to start saying people aren't following the CD rules, etc. etc., this whole thread is in the wrong forum because it has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. There is an entire forum on CD that deals with home issues where you could probably get great advice on absorbing sound.

I never said the city was perfect, that has nothing to do with the topic. This has nothing to do with Pittsburgh, it has everything to do with your personal choices. I have lived places with noise issues- Oakland, Shadyside, right of West Liberty Ave, etc. But I knew that going into it.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

A mound is a lumped up area of soil and most will plant it with trees and shrubs for privacy and a sound barrier. You sometimes see it in suburbs. There are some nice ones on Fox Chapel Road in Fox Chapel that create a very private/quiet setting for the people living on that road.

In Florida I've heard them called "Buried Elephants" or "Elephant Burial Grounds." They work fairly well as long as you don't have lots of trucks or buses on the road.

[BrianTH]

I've always called earthworks like that a "berm".