Thoughts on 10ft wall? (2015, investments, accept, property)

[LordSquidworth]

New idea. Looking for feed back. Specifically atheistically and effectiveness, as well as from real estate gurus on value added, so I've added extra info. I'll do more research as well.

Thoughts would be a 10ft brick one, though might have to go higher on the bottom portion of the property. The base of the house is brick, same with neighbors. The steps around it are granite. Rock wall would likely be far more expensive.

Property is a beautiful property (photos are from 3+ years ago, doesn't look so ratty anymore, been repainted, etc). Purpose of the wall would be a little privacy, but more so noise reduction. The house and garage blocks a lot of the noise for the back yard. Inside the house you don't notice it so much. But I'd like to make more of the yard usable without noise.

I was looking at vegetation for noise reduction, but at this point I feel going to look crowded in some areas and just not as clean and nice as a wall.

What I've learned after making this real estate purchase (being my first) making me hesitant from investing too much:

- walls are great investments when the other houses have them in the neighborhood. Nobody here does.
- it's better when houses are in neighborhoods with similar houses. mines the biggest and the oldest (1918). most of the rest are probably 1960s onwards. bunch of 1-2 bedrooms in the back of the neighborhood. nicer 2-3 bedrooms on the roads coming off rt 1. paid $335 for it. The ones in the back are $150ish. The ones coming off rt 1 are $225 - $250ish.
- it's on rt 1. which is where the commuter traffic comes by.

These I feel make it unlikely to recoup much of the costs. And either way the house would probably take awhile to sell. So it'd have to be purely a project to appease myself if I keep it long term.

Positives:

- well maintained with unique features. coffered ceilings. textured walls. granite steps.
- has the last two build lots available in the neighborhood, can't put any more houses in. when i moved in everyone was checking to see if I was going to develop them. appeases my rural upbringing. Really don't feel like you can separate the lots. It's sorta a package deal with this place.
- location. half mile from the highway ramps. takes 5 minutes to get to the states (albeit little) major city

Given this would be a large investment... it'd come down to my long term plans for the home, which I'm still trying to figure out. I'm going to see how the next 5 years shape up then make a decision. I'll likely have a lot of the tools needed. May or may not have access to labor below market rates. Could get contractor pricing on material.

[WorldKlas]

I don't think a brick wall would enhance the property value. However, some varieties of privacy landscaping could help. If it were me, I would embrace the high profile visibility of the house and give the house tons of curb appeal from the street and accept the home as a show piece on Main Street.

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by LordSquidworth

I was looking at vegetation for noise reduction, but at this point I feel going to look crowded in some areas and just not as clean and nice as a wall.

Vegetation. I would consult with a landscaper. The proper hedges/trees would look gorgeous and once they're established, regular grooming will keep them neat and tidy. In my opinion far more aesthetically pleasing than any brick wall.

[OscarTheGrouch]

What is the noise source you are truing to reduce? The road right in front of your house?

A 10' tall brick wall on a lot that size is going to be crazy expensive as it will require a full footer and may make it look like a crazy compound. Another option would be sound deadening panels/fabric attached to a wood or even chain link fence, and then plantings to hide the fence. The plantings alone will do next to nothing for sound transmission.

While the noise is a real physical phenomenon, some of the annoyance from the noise is psychological and can be addressed through a fountain to distract you with a more pleasing sound, and sight barriers to the cars. This would be far less expensive than a physical sound barrier.

[OscarTheGrouch]

I agree on the aesthetics, however you need to realize the vegetation really won't do anything to physically reduce the noise. To make a noticeable reduction in noise (say 5dB) you need a ~100' thick curtain of dense vegetation.

Originally Posted by STT Resident

Vegetation. I would consult with a landscaper. The proper hedges/trees would look gorgeous and once they're established, regular grooming will keep them neat and tidy. In my opinion far more aesthetically pleasing than any brick wall.

[need4speed2012]

A 10 foot brick wall would would take away from the beauty of this property and make it look like a prison.

Better landscaping would be my choice.

Read the below site.

Blocking Road Noise with Trees and Shrubs - Fence Specialists

[LordSquidworth]

Originally Posted by OscarTheGrouch

What is the noise source you are truing to reduce? The road right in front of your house?

The road in front of the house in general. Specifically the corner with the flag pole.

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by OscarTheGrouch

I agree on the aesthetics, however you need to realize the vegetation really won't do anything to physically reduce the noise. To make a noticeable reduction in noise (say 5dB) you need a ~100' thick curtain of dense vegetation.

Have to disagree there. Bought a 20+ acre horse farm years ago in CT and although the barns were set way back on the property, the old house was just a few feet from a quite busy main road (much closer than the OP's house is to the road). It was really noisy so we had the roadside section planted with dense quick-growing bushes and the difference was amazing. I wish I could remember now exactly what we planted but it was some sort of very dense perennial/evergreen.

[willow wind]

Check with zoning /building dept. first on what you can do. Many places don't allow a fence over 4-6' in the front of a home.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Your town may have code requirements about line of sight and other fsctors. Check with them first! Any tall wall will require permitting.