Buying a house next door to a primary school.

CardinalJ

Hi all.

Looking at buying my first home and have come across a house that shares a boundary wall with a primary school.

Wondering is there anyone on here that has experiences of living very close to a school and the associated problems they might encounter, mainly noise and traffic in the morning and afternoon.

The house has come down a huge % in price since it has been on the market, almost a year, and I'm wondering is it's location really the main factor.

Anyone have any experiences?

Thanks.

J.

Theboinkmaster

CardinalJ wrote: »

Hi all.

Looking at buying my first home and have come across a house that shares a boundary wall with a primary school.

Wondering is there anyone on here that has experiences of living very close to a school and the associated problems they might encounter, mainly noise and traffic in the morning and afternoon.

The house has come down a huge % in price since it has been on the market, almost a year, and I'm wondering is it's location really the main factor.

Anyone have any experiences?

Thanks.

J.

No experience myself but to be honest there's no way I'd buy a house next to a school, for all the reasons you already suspect.

quad_red

CardinalJ wrote: »

Hi all.

Looking at buying my first home and have come across a house that shares a boundary wall with a primary school.

Wondering is there anyone on here that has experiences of living very close to a school and the associated problems they might encounter, mainly noise and traffic in the morning and afternoon.

The house has come down a huge % in price since it has been on the market, almost a year, and I'm wondering is it's location really the main factor.

Anyone have any experiences?

Thanks.

J.

Every location is different but the only way to see for yourself is to be there for drop off in the morning and pickup in the afternoon and see how bad traffic is.

crisco10

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

No experience myself but to be honest there's no way I'd buy a house next to a school, for all the reasons you already suspect.

Depends though. My house backs onto a school, but the entrance is on the otherside of the school facing another estate - So no traffic impact at all.

The only "noise" that we get is a bit of laughter/shouting floating through the air from the yard at break time. Which given we both work is really not a big deal.

mahoganygas

A friend of mine lives a few doors down from a primary school.
On street parking is already difficult at the best of times. But mornings and afternoons are chaos for getting in and out.
Plus the constant fear of a child running out in front of you from behind double parked cars.

I honestly didn't believe him till I seen it but some parents have the cheek to park IN his own driveway! When confronted they say sure it's only a minute.

Wet days in particular are the worst.

I'd avoid against it.

Not trying to be funny, but you already listed the problems you'll face.

The question really is will they affect you? If you work 9-5 you'll never notice the kids, for example. If you're on the sex offenders list, then chances are you'll be majorly inconvenienced by them being there :pac:


In all seriousness though, Aside from noisy lunch breaks and such, and the traffic at the open and close times, I don't see a real downside. During summer they'll all be off, so you'll have a bit of a break from them, there, too. If it's cheap and cheerful, then why not. Hang around outside the school for a few days with a camera documenting the noisy times and such.

L1011

I'm beside two primary schools. Traffic gridlock for ~30 mins in the morning - not as bad in the afternoon as they have different times for junior and higher classes and that splits the load a bit. Illegal parking everywhere at both ends of the day, council dare not enforce it or it'll be over the papers as a scandal.

witchgirl26

There's a school at the end of my road & to be honest it is a pain when the kids are getting dropped off/picked up. Parents parking all over the place (sometimes just in the middle of the road!). The hours I work though mean I'm gone before the worst usually in the morning & home after the afternoon bit - only time it ever really affects me is days off & when I work from home. To be honest, I just work around it on those days as it doesn't affect me that much.

I do think it'd be worth maybe trying to pop out at the busy times & see what it's like at the house you're looking at but I wouldn't ever rule it out solely on that.

HelgaWard

Grew up on a road with 3 secondary schools. Rubbish in the garden was the main issue!!
If you ever have kids in primary school it could potentially be really handy! You need to think about if you will be coming & going from the house at the school drop off and pick up times. If you will, you need to decide if you can put up with the hassle of the traffic, if not the school proximity may not effect you at all.

endacl

mahoganygas wrote: »

A friend of mine lives a few doors down from a primary school.
On street parking is already difficult at the best of times. But mornings and afternoons are chaos for getting in and out.
Plus the constant fear of a child running out in front of you from behind double parked cars.

I honestly didn't believe him till I seen it but some parents have the cheek to park IN his own driveway! When confronted they say sure it's only a minute.

Wet days in particular are the worst.

I'd avoid against it.

I have that, plus a crèche next door. My solution was to park on the street, wait till somebody pulled in, park in behind them, and head off out for a few hours. I only had to do it once.

garhjw

my house backs onto a primary school. the only thing that bothers me is traffic in the mornings. the school doesnt have a carpark for parents while they drop their kids off so people just abandon their cars everywhere. i only drive to work 1 morning a week so its only a minor irritation to me at present. if i was driving every day i think it would be a problem

Ken.

No noise in the evenings and no noise for 2 months of the summer and at other times of the year. I'd love it as long as I was working during the day. If you do night shifts I'd imagine it would be torture.

Orion

L1011 wrote: »

I'm beside two primary schools. Traffic gridlock for ~30 mins in the morning - not as bad in the afternoon as they have different times for junior and higher classes and that splits the load a bit. Illegal parking everywhere at both ends of the day, council dare not enforce it or it'll be over the papers as a scandal.

Also for those two schools separate starting times - 8:30 for one and 8:50 for the other.

Victor

How secure is the school? Is the a graffiti / vandalism / anti-social behaviour problem? Does the school compromise the security of your property?

I work on a street that has a school and there is a litter problem.

bri007

I would advise against buying a house near a school. I live beside a primary school and it is so so busy every morning. I have people parking their car outside driveway and I am unable to get out sometimes!

Then as other people said already kids running out in front of cars etc. Then noise and rubbish.

I suppose it depends how close but I would not recommend it, it's very tiring and frustrating with the traffic!

CassieManson

Deleted User wrote:

In all seriousness though, Aside from noisy lunch breaks and such, and the traffic at the open and close times, I don't see a real downside. During summer they'll all be off, so you'll have a bit of a break from them, there, too. If it's cheap and cheerful, then why not. Hang around outside the school for a few days with a camera documenting the noisy times and such.

Be careful about hanging around outside a school with a camera, might look abit suspicious!😊

CassieManson

CassieManson wrote: »

Be careful about hanging around outside a school with a camera, might look abit suspicious!😊

T'was merely a bit of a joke

jungleman

Right now I live beside two primary schools, one across the road from the other. The noise isn't bad at all, but the traffic is. Twice a day, five days a week, the parents come down with a case of "I'll park wherever the f*ck I like" syndrome. That can be really annoying. So just be prepared for it!

jungleman

L1011 wrote: »

I'm beside two primary schools. Traffic gridlock for ~30 mins in the morning - not as bad in the afternoon as they have different times for junior and higher classes and that splits the load a bit. Illegal parking everywhere at both ends of the day, council dare not enforce it or it'll be over the papers as a scandal.

Think we might live in the same area!

Toots

I wouldn't bee too worried about noise because they'll only be outside for about 15 mins in the morning and about 30 at lunchtime. There'd be nobody there weekends and during holidays, which is when you'd most likely be out in the garden anyway.

It's the traffic that you'd want to watch. There's a primary school in an estate near me and the roads are narrow enough there anyway. When it's drop off and pick up time the whole estate grinds to a halt - nobody can get in or out of their houses due to parents parking like assholes right across people's driveways. It got so bad that the residents in the estate ended up getting the guards involved because the bin lorry couldn't get down the road to collect the bins. Now they have a 1 way system around the estate and the community garda is up quite regularly enforcing it. It hasn't solved the problem completely, but it is much improved.

Go and see for yourself what the traffic is like during those hours, particularly on a rainy day. I'd suspect that of the house has been on sale a long while, that it might be an issue.

The Randy Riverbeast

I lived across from a primary school before. The sound of school bells still haunts me but the school itself caused no problems. The only concern I would have is the traffic and parking. As has been mentioned there are parents who will have no problem blocking you in or parking in your driveway "for a minute"

Victor

Toots wrote: »

Now they have a 1 way system around the estate

This can be problematic as it allows people to speed at off-peak times.

Jen44

I live directly across the road from a primary school. Its the back entrance though so no issue with traffic. The noise is actually quite nice just laughter and playing at lunch times. We both work during the day so only hear it when we are on annual leave etc. If i were you and you are going to be home during school hours have a drive around 9 and home time and get a feel for the traffic, the noise is not really an issue at all.

CassieManson

Deleted User wrote: »

T'was merely a bit of a joke

Me too!

Toots

Victor wrote: »

This can be problematic as it allows people to speed at off-peak times.

It's only between 8:30 and 9:30 and 1pm to 3pm but the main problem is that there can be some people who just choose to ignore it and go round the wrong way. There isn't enough room for 2 cars to pass, so it causes mayhem.

inforfun

I doubt you can have better neighbours than a school if you work yourself mon-fri during day time

How many days a year are they going to school nowadays? 160?

No noise in the evening, weekends and 2 or 3 months in the summer.

CardinalJ

Thanks for all the replies so far.

The house has off street parking so that's a plus. We both will be working so I'm not too concerned about afternoon traffic.

I'll pop by and check it out this week. Obviously there will be times we would be there in the morning. Drove by last night and there's double yellow lines everywhere, but I wouldn't expect parents may much attention to them.

Slunk

I recently bought a house opposite a school. Traffic is an issue for around 30 mins in the morning and a little longer in the afternoon as the just drop in the morning, no waiting. I do have an issue getting into my driveway as I work shifts and arrive home around 2.30 and more than likely someone is parked across it. I just leave the car down the road a bit and move it later. This may be a huge inconvenience for some but I'm not going to let it bother me too much. My friends suggested putting a no parking sign on my gates as it worked for them but likewise people don't consider 10 minutes as parking so I'm not sure if it would make a difference.
As for noise, I can hear them on lunch breaks but that doesn't really bother me at all. I'd be awake anyway.
Just take note, where I was living previously had a school behind it and the used a tanoy and bell system for breaks etc and was quite loud and annoying. Just go and check it out for yourself.

pwurple

It depends on your circumstances, and the school itself.

I live very near a school, a few doors away. I love it, and it suits us, because my children can walk to school. I go to work usually before any traffic. And any days I'm off, I can hear playing and laughing in the school yard... which is a lovely sound.

I grew up across the street from a school. Again, it was great, because we could pop home for lunch some days.

Penny Dreadful

endacl wrote: »

I have that, plus a crèche next door. My solution was to park on the street, wait till somebody pulled in, park in behind them, and head off out for a few hours. I only had to do it once.

I used to live near a train station and after paid parking was brought into the train station car park I came home from work one day to discover someone had parked their car in my driveway.
I was not very impressed and so parked behind them and went off for a long long walk.
When I got back they were outraged that I had the cheek (:rolleyes:) to block them in and head off. No apology or anything.
They didn't do it again though.

mad m

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I used to live near a train station and after paid parking was brought into the train station car park I came home from work one day to discover someone had parked their car in my driveway.
I was not very impressed and so parked behind them and went off for a long long walk.
When I got back they were outraged that I had the cheek (:rolleyes:) to block them in and head off. No apology or anything.
They didn't do it again though.

That's crazy, I would of gone for the night let alone a long walk.

L1011

jungleman wrote: »

Think we might live in the same area!

The other two primary schools in the town aren't opposite each other, so yes.

Mrs OBumble

inforfun wrote: »

INo noise in the evening, weekends and 2 or 3 months in the summer.

Check out the school's policies re community use of the facilities, though: this is true in some places not others.

I lived next to a school for a year, a few years back. I've never called the cops (it was overseas) as many times as I did that year. It might be different here if the grounds are secured after hours - but even so there will be some degree of break-ins and vandalism.

seamus

Yeah, never underestimate the ignorance of someone on the school run. Both our estate and the one beside ours used to have shortcut walkways through to the back entrance of the local school.

I say "used to" as both were barriered by the local council after residents complained due to the volume of pig-ignorant parking taking place by parents who didn't want to go around the front.

This is a relatively recent phenomenon - I went to the same school and the shortcuts were open for 20+ years with no traffic issues.

I'd be inclined to say that putting up gates is a must, but counter-intuitively this tends to encourage people to park in front of a property ("sure, the gates are closed, I'll only be a minute"). The only real solution is probably parking your car in front of your own driveway. But this isn't always convenient.

AlanG

I live near a primary school and the noise is not an issue - a short time during the day and it's just the happy noise of kids playing.
Traffic is a bit of a pain for 10 minutes in the morning. The principal in our school is really good however and will often be outside making sure drivers behave to a point, there is also a lollypop lady so people are less inclined to park right at the school. Houses 5 to 10 doors away actually have it worse.

pc7

While you work 9-5 now, what if you are off sick, on holidays or maternity leave, it could get really annoying. Do they have basketball courts/football courts? they could be used out of hours. Wouldnt be for me.

endabob1

pc7 wrote: »

While you work 9-5 now, what if you are off sick, on holidays or maternity leave, it could get really annoying. Do they have basketball courts/football courts? they could be used out of hours. Wouldnt be for me.

I live next to a primary school and there are normally zero noise issues. The exception is if I happen to work from home or be off sick, then it's noisy before school starts, break time and lunch time, but nothing completely intolerable.

I generally leave home for work before the drop offs happen, but as I live at the back of the school, next to the playground, I'm not really affected by the traffic anyway.

I wouldn't have an issue buying next to a school again, in fact it's been a plus point for me, when I worked away and rented my place out, the school was a big selling point.

Dyr

I'm a bit confused..I don't have kids and I grew up in the 80s. Why aren't parents just pulling up beside the school..letting the kids out and driving off?

Do they have to sign the little darlings into the class or something?

Bambi

Bambi wrote: »

I'm a bit confused..I don't have kids and I grew up in the 80s. Why aren't parents just pulling up beside the school..letting the kids out and driving off?

Do they have to sign the little darlings into the class or something?

That is what they are doing but just imagine potentially hundreds of cars dropping off outside each taking a few moments to do it - it all creates a traffic jam.

I looked at the plans for a new country school recently - the biggest feature was a large one way drop down pick up area taking up a load of space.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Ush1

The road I live on faces the side of a primary school and I have never had any issues. Prefer to have a school there than more houses.

I leave at 8am and home at 6 from work, never notice a thing. My wife doesn't work and is at home during the day and actually likes to hear the kids when they're in the yard.

Victor

Oh, my place overlooks a school sports ground, that isn't attached to the school. They have rugby practice at 8am Saturday morning.

Although I was woken one morning at 5:30am to the sound of someone practising their drop kicks. :mad:

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

I used to live near a train station and after paid parking was brought into the train station car park I came home from work one day to discover someone had parked their car in my driveway.
I was not very impressed and so parked behind them and went off for a long long walk.
When I got back they were outraged that I had the cheek (:rolleyes:) to block them in and head off. No apology or anything.
They didn't do it again though.

Did you charge them the car park rate?

Wesser

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Hang around outside the school for a few days with a camera documenting the noisy times and such.

Whatever you do, do not do this. You will get arrested.

CardinalJ

Wesser wrote:

Whatever you do, do not do this. You will get arrested.

Luckily I'd ruled that out! Haha

Mrs OBumble

Wesser wrote: »

Whatever you do, do not do this. You will get arrested.

What for?

Wear a hi-vis, hold a clipboard, and no one will bat an eyelid.

athtrasna

Back on topic please