Please help....any suggestions appreciated. In October of 2007 a major live event caused me to buy a house under some duress. The house I bought is charming about 3000 sq ft in incredible condition on 1/2 acre of completely landscaped yard with fruit trees, paths fountain, etc. Really a magical garden. OK here is the....what have I done part. I bought the house in November and updated some things....new paint, bath remodel, new kitchen floor about $70,000 worth. I did not move into the house until Feb 2008. Since then I am losing my mind. The house slopes up and little did I know that the freeway noise would become a major issue. The whole back of the house faces the source of noise and I feel like there is no place to hide from the constant din.
What can I do? Should I fire sale the house? Should this have been disclosed to me? When I visited the house several times before buying it did not seem that bad. The master bedroom is the worse....the outside wall actually vibrates. Should I try to fix....insulate the bedroom wall and put a glass wall on deck?
Thanks!

I don't know but if I were you I'd copy and paste the question on the "General Remodeling" board...that's where the people hang out who can help you.

Good luck! I'm sure there's an answer.

I'd plant a tight row of very tall,dense bushes for starters. Ask on the "Landscaping" board about the type for your area of the country.

Also, carpet, heavy drapes in the MBR and any sound absorbing things like over stuffed furniture will help. You'll probably get used to it soon and it will be like white noise.
I have a small parrot that squawks and carries on and I don't even hear him. People who visit do though.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: My dog,

I don't think that something that should have been obvious to you as a buyer needs to be disclosed. The freeway didn't suddenly appear over night,and the sellers couldn't possibly hide a whole freeway !! it was there the entire time you looked at the home. If you buy near what some people term an incurable defect you suffer the consequences. In the future it would be best to visit the home at several different times to determine whether the noise is liveable or not if you're interested in any home near a freeway or train or school yard etc.

You can try to minimize the sound with some fast growing trees or shrubs, a fountain or water feature may also help to minimize the noise.

I do know that this is an expensive fix, but...good windows will go along way to drowning out the noise. I have a friend that lives a couple blocks from a major hospital and on a major street and when we are in her home, you never hear the street traffic, but when the windows are open, you hear all of that....

I live one house away from a major street. When you are outside, day or night, you can hear the traffic, especially sirens. Thankfully, it lessens somewhat at nights and on weekends (when I'm likely to be home and outside). However, when I step into the house, you can't hear it. I just moved into the house so I can't tell you why the house is quiet, but I suspect it is carpeting; it is good windows; and maybe it is good insulation in the attic. Maybe it is the bricks.

Since you said the walls move, I'm guessing you have a frame house and not a brick house. It would be interesting to find out what happens when a strong wind blows -- has that happened yet?