Price/Proximity to High Voltage Power Lines
I am looking at homes in Kirkland, where high-voltage power lines run through a bunch of neighborhoods. How far should a home be from these power lines/towers to minimize the hit on prices should I try to resell? If a home is 50 yards away, is that still too close? 100 yards? 200 yards? Aesthetically, it still sucks to see power towers in the distance, but aside from that...will the home sell just as well?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Comments
That said, if you're a buyer, you can get more home for your money by living near a power line...personally, I could never live near one that crackled, but otherwise I can see some advantages, such as the fact that you might feel like you have more space than you really do ( because the adjacent power line property may give you that impression)
Given this, even if there's a 10% chance that power-lines affect one's health -- I wouldn't risk it for saving 10-15% on my primary-home.
1) The circuit breaker box (goes to 0 about 6 feet away with just normal load...Fridge plus a few lights, etc)
2) The analog clock on the stove (goes to 0 about 5 feet away)
3) Hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, etc generate a HUGE EM field
4) Outdoor A/C compressor (goes to 0 about 7 feet away)
5) House air handler & fan (goes to 0 about 5 feet away)
We even took the meter to the grocery store and could deduce that power lines ran underneath certain isles.
Then one day we drove the car under those heavy duty high tower power lines. The field registered about 50 yards out and of course reached a peak directly underneath.
The debate may rage on....but why risk ANYTHING when you don't have to?
If you are interested in doing your own survey of your home or a potential home...get yourself a gauss meter.
This article is also worth a read as a starting point http://www.inspect-ny.com/emf/emfproc.htm
http://www.amazon.com/TriField-Meter-Electromagnetic-Field/dp/B00050WQ1G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1218828897&sr=1-3
I would steer clear of any instrument with the word "paranormal" in the description. Believe me, they are out there. As an electrical engineer I can neither confirm nor deny the paranormal. But devices to "measure ghosts"?
A famous PT Barnum quote comes to mind.....
" There's a sucker born every minute"?
Thanks -- this is useful info. Do you test it near a WiFi wireless home-router or a running microwave?
1. Dont buy a house within a hundred yards or so of power lines.
2. Don't buy a house on a road with a painted stripe down the middle (solid, double, or dashed).
3. Don't buy a house on a street with speed bumps.
4. Don't buy a house with a steep driveway.
It's all about quiet enjoyment - and being able to sell the place if you ever do.
I've lived on cul-de-sacs in my last two rentals and have learned the REAL meaning of "quiet enjoyment". It is priceless.
Good ones. Another obvious one -- don't buy a home that backs up to a freeway.
And where can I buy a freeway? (And why would I?)
I'm thinking about renting house just one house away from I-90. If the noise is tolerable what else might be a problem?
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health ... 01324.html
Below is a link to the same meter that I referenced previously. Except, this link has some technical info so you determine if the operating frequency of your WIFI router, cell phone, microwave, etc. is within the detectable limits afforded by this device. Usually the "Technical Specifications" portion of the devices (the one you are trying to measure) user manual has operating frequencies.
For low frequency electrically induced EM fields (electricity in walls and in outside lines, AC motor driven devices, etc.) this device should cover all your needs. Oh and remember that AC adapters (wall warts, bricks, etc.) ALL will generate some EM fields too as they transform line level AC into DC.
Since typically the place where you spend the most time in one place is your bed, THAT is the place you want as "pure" as possible to reduce any potential risk from long term exposure to any type of EM radiation. Again, the health debate rages on.....but why be a "lab rat"?
http://www.professionalequipment.com/alphalab-trifield-emf-meter-trifield-meter/emf-meter/
Thanks for the detailed info.
Now whether there is any issue with fully-grown animals (including humans) being affected in the long-term, I'm not aware that there is any hard evidence. But if you have a choice, why take the chance?
I suspect that you are talking about the transmission lines that run north-south along 124th Ave NE, correct?
A flat driveway is worth it's weight in gold. You don't know how nice it is compared to a steep one until you've experienced both. It is easy to wash your car, take groceries out, get in and out of cars, not worry about the parking brake, snow is not an issue, etc. It matters.
Regarding the garage: It is worth MORE than it's weight in gold. Examples: Rainy days and taking groceries from your car to the house. A place to work on your bike, refinish furniture, rebuild that old radio - in the dead of winter during a blinding rainstorm while you listen to your favorite music and enjoy a cup of coffee/tea.
Oh, and our 2001 Chrysler 300M still looks LITERALLY like a brand new car - and I have NEVER waxed it (We garage it at home and it is in a covered parking garage at work). And that includes the plastic headlights that still look as clear as the day we picked up the car - albeit with 130,000 miles of rock chips. And in case you haven't noticed, ANY brand of car with the new plastic headlights (I think it is actually lexan) ends up with VERY yellowed and foggy lenses after only a few years out in the elements. And it is IN the plastic, which absorbs the UV. You can't rub it out.
Regarding the other question:
If you are renting and can handle the noise, go for it. But if you are buying, just be aware that when you try to sell (or rent) it will affect both the price and ease of sale/rent. I just saw a spectacular home a few blocks from a pistol/rifle range. It was at around $500k but would have been worth $600K without the range. I personally have no problem with the range and would even find it convenient. My wife, on the other hand...
Uh, both are nice to be sure, but when saying something is worth it's weight in gold I tend to shy away from major constructions. I mean, how many tons does a concrete driveway weigh? Gold is $900 an ounce. If my guestimate is right, that's nearly $30,000,000 a ton. Even in this overvalued market you can trivially find a house with a flat driveway and a garage for less than either of their weights in gold.
8)
I know it's just a phrase, but sometimes I feel like being snarky.
Your post really does crack me up because I was thinking exactly the sme thing when I wrote my original post...
http://www.richardbox.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/3509651.stm
In our current house, we really MUST pull our cars into the garage to load and unload the cars. The driveway isn't even that steep, but the convenience is amazing. And then there is washing the car on a flat driveway and stuff like that.
I compare it to this: My wife used to say that a two story house is no less convenient than a one story, then I noticed that when cleaning house she sets piles of stuff at the bottom of the stairway for carrying up the stairs later. I asked her, "Gee, if this was a single story house would you pile up stuff at the end of the hallway in the same way?
Of course not!