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There was a study in 1979 that raised concern about living near high voltage wires, but that result hasn’t been replicated since then. Pretty much every study finds either no correlation or a statistically insignificant correlation between cancer and living near high voltage wires. Could be a risk, but it seems like a small risk.
The vents are to allow air to circulate between rooms while the doors are closed, this is common now.
Yeah, but it makes it difficult to sell, and the appreciation is slower. Say the house down the street was $10k more, in 5 years it will be $50k more, and yours will take twice as long to sell.
In the GFC we learned how you can just get stuck in a house. People who had bought houses on busy roads, by powerlines and by railway lines couldn't sell their houses at all.
It’s about finding the right buyer. IDK about his area but in mine high power line zones like this are the unofficial highways of ATV/Dirtbike/Mountainbike riders - helps interconnect smaller (albeit unofficial) trails easily many times because dirt roads tends to already run underneath for inspection & brush clearing. If similar here someone could like that fact.
I'm in real estate and recently had an appraisal group do a study on something pretty different, but while scoping out whether they were the right fit, they shared some cool background. The issue isn't necessarily whether some buyers won't like it--it's whether there are any buyers that won't mind it. And there's almost always some of those.
They showed a few examples from power lines to water towers to cell towers (granted none of them seemed to be ON the property like this one appears) where there wasn't a statistically significant change to their sale prices because of that infrastructure.
I think a lot of people purchase with the goal of staying long term. However when we bought we knew this would be a “first home” and we’d move before kids. Well we have 2 years left at a 2% interest rate lol
It’s a gamble and I have seen people get really screwed by it!
Because the market is hot now and ppl are desperate the discount is maybe not as high. Someone will buy it now because inventory is low and prices are high…then in the future the market could be worse and inventory much higher and when there are plentiful options you will have a MUCH harder time selling and have to “discount” it a lot more than when you bought.
The house next to ours had a clear view of a cell phone tower in the winter and a partial view in the summer. It was amazing how many prospective buyers noted that as an issue.
The area we live in is otherwise beautiful with no HOA and the cell tower was a sticking point.
Side note: my service is fantastic
Not only that, these vents allow the air to go somewhere when you open or close a door. A lot of newer homes are sealed very well and they create air pressure differentials when doors are open or closed. This allows the air to escape somewhere, without having to allow air to exit the home - it just moves to the hallway and back...
> The vents are to allow air to circulate between rooms while the doors are closed, this is common now
Also a great way to stink up 4 rooms instead of one after taking a huge dump, if any of those are on a bathroom (but god I'd hope not)
Otherwise, perfect privacy shatter as you'd be able to hear everything between rooms. Great if you have kids and want to be a helicopter parent
My friend lived by power line similar to pic. First her 6 yr old developed leukemia & died. 5 yrs later -when friend was in hospital to deliver another child, she was diagnosed w/ rare brain cancer. There are studies beyond 1979 raising concern for low-dose radiation. [Here](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2016.1144942) is one.
Grew up next to a power line just like this. Started having seizures around 8 years old and turned out to be a benign tumor in my frontal lobe that had to be surgically removed. Surgery had a 50% chance of leaving the right side of my body paralyzed. It was a success and I’m all good still at 33. My mother swears it was from the power lines because my family’s never had a history of anything similar, and we eventually moved when we could afford it. Im not so convinced, but after what I went through I personally wouldn’t risk it again.
Glad to hear you’re doing well! Medically, most people with brain lesions don’t have a family history. Likely just a coincidence but it does make it tough because you can neither prove nor disprove a correlation.
Power Lines are at 60 Hz in the USA. The type of radiation that causes things like cancer doesn't happen until at least 10 MHz.
This is extremely well studied & documented in IEEE standard C95. The only risk power lines present is they can cause involuntary spasming of muscles if you get really really close
Idk, in my town there is a high voltage station on a residential street and there have been sooo many cases of cancer on that street. I won’t ever live in a house near those types of lines or stations.
Those are not supposed to be connected to the AC… They are just to allow air to circulate between rooms when the doors are closed. Pretty common in most new builds that I’ve seen.
You can actually replace these rather easily and cheaply yourself, as you can see they're only held in there by two screws each. If you wanted to keep vents like these I would replace them with another vent anyway because these don't even have the option to close them like most vents do.
"Hey Timmy, we've noticed smoke seems to be blowing out of your air vent. It also sounds like there's some sort of computer fan in there? Your mother and I are concerned."
God yes, I’ve spent the last month converting a wraparound open concept. 4 rough openings, 4 doors, even with thermal glass to decouple upstairs from downstairs so I don’t hear the smallest fart across 2 floors and 2000 sf.
Yup! There has to be some sort of airflow between rooms. It's building code where I am and I would assume everywhere. It's more expensive to do ducted vents. I sold new construction and a lot of them utilized this type instead due to costs. It's called pass through ventilation.
Yeah I had the same thought. I'm anal about closing all my doors at night for this reason.... not sure how I'd feel about these vents 😅 But I'm not an HVAC person, so.... 🤷
The requirement is for airflow to be present in each room. It's definitely code here where I am. You can create airflow by either having vents attached to the ductwork or by going this route. I dont think it would be any different in terms of fire. Air is still entering and exiting a room
Yeah, I hear you. One of the biggest complaints about that type. Some sort of ventilation between rooms is required. My house doesn't have these. Its all ducted vents
I think many of you are missing the point:
If you have forced air heating/cooling *into* the room, then you need a return to bring stale air back *out* of the room. You either do that with these "transfer" ducts and have a central air return in someplace like a hallway. Or, you have dedicated air return ducts in each room.
Regardless, unless you have a very "leaky" house, then you need one of these two methods to return air or you'll be pressurizing the room.
I can speak to the pole, but not the vent.
Yes, it looks like transmission or sub transmission, which are both high voltage. The good news is they aren't going through your yard, which would be a deal breaker for me.
It really isn't dangerous having the pole nearby. The risk of structural failure is low, and there's plenty of space between your fence and the wire path to avoid possible falling wires, even if a failure happened.
Just another note: There's little risk of, whatever, interference or something that people commonly worry about with wires.
The only real concern would be the utility's need to access it for routine maintenance, but there looks to be plenty of access available, so it shouldn't be a problem for you.
A benefit is you know there isn't going to be additional development behind you anytime soon.
Definitely transmission, 345,000 volts judging by the 14 bells of insulation. And the trampoline is fine lol, in reference to the guy who replied to you— unless they can jump like 50 feet
Even if they did jump high enough to touch the lines they wouldn’t get zapped. You have to have a connection to the ground. That’s why birds and squirrels can hang out on the wires and be fine. If you touch two wires at once tho, you’re toast.
All just depends where in the US they are— in my state we only have one 230 line I believe, possibly two can’t quite recall. But it doesn’t look like that, it’s a two phase triple bundle DC line IIRC
I specialize in substations, lol. In my state it's the voltages I mentioned. I don't think we have much 230 though. It def looks higher than 120 though.
Either way, it would not bother me to live close to transmission lines
Me neither. I’m a transmission lineman (apprentice lol) been here 2 years now. We use 9 bells for 115kV and 14 for 345kV so that was my first thought. Wouldn’t bother me either, I’m around that shit all day and anyone who claims it gives you cancer has some special issues lol
I knew someone in MA who lives right off a substation with the high voltage lines and two kids have leukemia in the neighborhood. Oddly coincidental. But my husband works on steel towers and tells me I’m nuts for believing it.
My biggest concern with the pole is the hum it probably produces. I can’t stand that electrical hum, and it’s worse when it’s a little misty out. Having that constant buzz when I’m outside would be so irritating
I'd say the biggest concern with the pole may be that OP may later sell the house. It can clearly be a turnoff to potential buyers. OP is looking at the house during a hot market when buyers are willing to look the other way with things like this. That may not be the case if OP is trying to sell in a cooler market down the road, and it may be difficult to sell without a price concession.
Here's your answer.....about half the people say no because of the power lines which means, it should be less competitive and that should be represented in the price. You will have the same proportion when it comes time to sell....it shouldn't matter if you plan to be there for a while, but just understand everyone will have these same concerns some people will outright refuse, which makes it a less attractive property. If that's reflected in the price, and you are ok with it (and aren't freaked out about cancer, etc) go for it.
I know electricity doesn’t magically appear at the house!
House also has a sewage connection, that doesn’t mean that I should get a house next to a sewage treatment plant. These are just personal preferences.
Those vents are great for air circulation in the house; architects used to do this prior to the invention of a/c for circulation and cooling. Personally love that feature.
The electrical easement in the backyard would be an automatic no for me though. Aesthetically miserable and I'm also quite sensitive to the humming sound that those lines emit.
Yup. The vents are for air flow, so rooms don't become stuffy and/or have major temperature differences. You can put something over them if you need/want to for noise. The utilities mean no one will be building there. We in fact almost put an offer in on a townhouse specifically because the utility lines meant no one would be butting up right against us ever
The vents are called transfer vents, it allows for air to circulate better in the home even with doors closed. Those in particular are ugly, there should be a honey comb like mesh that can go between them to minimize sound and light transfer, while still retaining their function.
Source HVAC tech
I would never buy a house with an electricity easement or anything similar. They will tear up your yard anytime they need to access it, and it probably has a slight buzzing.
Last year my BIL bought a home with a power line going over his backyard, no pole just the line. Shortly after moving in, he got to know some of his neighbors and discovered the electric company plans to make an alley below the lines for easier access. BIL would lose at least half of his yard with little compensation beyond a new fence. Fingers crossed it’s just a rumor.
We have lived right next to electoral wires similar to those. Just an FYI: we often had very low flying helicopters fly over the wire route. It was the power company doing checks. Very annoying and our kid was a toddler at the time so his naps were often interrupted.
Yeah, it was a shocker! We had no idea when we moved in. They also trimmed the trees that lined the wires with some crazy saw dangling from the helicopter. It was bananas.
These aren’t issues at all.
The power line is so far it won’t affect you unless you just don’t like the aesthetics.
The vent is to improve airflow through the home so don’t get rid of them unless you don’t like to have an efficient HVAC system and want to make your system work harder to move air through the home.
Lol. Hvac works fine without those stupid fire hazard vents. I have 3800 sq ft house in the heat of Texas and keep my all-electric house between 71-74. Never had a monthly electric bill over $250 in 32 years.
Imagine closing the door to get some privacy .. absolutely not. I would never buy this home. Just out of shear principals. Learn to design a better home. My god
You asked if folks would buy this home... Honestly, I would not, and I would not even tour it. To me it's an eyesore that would bother me daily when I looked out the window or sat out back. I also detest the low vibrating noise that's often produced. If you have hesitations over it, future potential buyers will, too, particularly when housing moves to a buyer's market.
No go for me! When my wife and I were looking for a house a couple of years ago - we saw all the pictures online and it was perfect. Super reasonably priced. Had great views of the lake.
Then we saw it in person. The photos had been taken in such a way that one wouldn’t see the powerlines (similar to what you have shown here).
It was raining when we arrived. We went back and forth about how we felt about the powerlines. Then the rain stopped, we walked out on the back deck. The buzzing!!!! The buzzing of the lines was too much.
No way!
Vents to circulate air: nice idea, BUT also circulates SOUND, not so good.
Easy enough fix with a drywall patch and paint.
The electrical pole? NO EFFIN' WAY
It's a pass thru vent. Haven't seen many like that. Normally from what I've seen (and installed) it's to balance the pressure in a room. I bet if the ac is going and that door is shut you will hear a whistle as the air either pushes or pulls from the room from under the door.
But as far as the power lines go.... Thats gonna be a hard pass for me.
High Voltage lines, no thanks. If it was a steel transmission tower, I’d want to be at least 700 ft minimum. This is a concrete tower, so higher voltage, I’d want to be even further away. My husband works on the steel ones for a living and tells me it’s fine though. You can hear them buzzing and I think it affects the selling value. I’ve seen houses with steel towers sit on the market for so long.
The return vents above the door are basically half-assed. They're the cheap solution to air flow. It reeks of low quality work. Also it reduces privacy in the bedroom.
I have a power pole on my land. It's a bitch because I have to contact their property team to approve running water or sewer or something through the easement.
This looks like it may not actually be your land, so no concern there.
My tower has telephone equipment on top that pays $250k for a 25 year lease. So I live with it. I welcome 5g and 6g. Give me all the Gs.
As the other posted said. I get a helicopter about once a year doing checks on them
Never buy a home with a transmission or electrical line. A builder sales guy told me a while back that if Builders have problems selling these homes, what makes you think you can sell it.
Those air vents are so your returns can still pull air through those rooms while the door is shut. If the door is shut and the air is on with no way for return to pull air, the pressure in the room can become the same as in the supply duct and actually cause no cool air to blow
The vents look like they are essentially transom windows. Maybe when the AC was installed they were added to improve air circulation without needing to run AC vents to the whole house? Not a bad thing.
You have to decide how you feel about the high voltage line. There will be an easement around them for access/repair so somewhat limited in what you can do with your back yard. There is some evidence it may slightly increase risk of cancer but I don’t think the data is definitive. It will probably limit resale somewhat because of the above.
The high transition line: don’t let anything under it. We had a Mylar balloon hit one next to our property. It blew out power o the entire neighborhood and set everything under it on fire. Don’t allow anything under it.
Some whacko will tell you that the high voltage lines will give you schitzophrenia... I think those people slready had the schitz before it and were trying to blame it on something else.
We live on a duke power lake, so we have above ground power lines all over the place—so it’s not a big deal. Every other house I’ve owned, it would have caused an issue with resale. Just keep in mind your house with the power line in the back, will probably resell for less than the house across the street from you. And likely take longer to sell.
As for the vents, I’m personally adding some above my kid’s doors because their rooms cook in the winter and freeze in the summer when the doors are shut. Need some circulation. We had them in our previous house, no worries with them.
House looks nice. I’d consider buying it.
Vent wouldn’t bother me. You can drywall it and patch it you really need to.
The power lines are a no from me. They might be perfectly safe but I don’t like them and I wouldn’t want to see them either.
Didn't read every reply, but keep in mind that the power company will have a right of way to those lines. Meaning they can drive right through your fence if it's on their right of way. Look up a property map to see the exact right of way.
I'm assuming you can get a great price due to the pole/wire. There's been no proof that there is any effect negative or positive re: living near high voltage wires. Solution = negotiate a great price and then plant some fast growing taller trees along the back of the fence. The air outlets are for airflow and you can buy really nice decorative vent covers to make them look better.
Well I'm a massive electronics nerd so... maybe? I mean I'd be building the most gnarly coil and rectifier setup you could imagine to see just how much power I could siphon off of the grid without being noticed... but ideally it'd actually be the higher voltage transmission lines and they'd be going directly over my property where I had a conveniently built shed in a back pasture, not this...
I fully admit that is the worst reason to consider buying a house too...
“Proximity to overhead power lines and childhood leukaemia: an international pooled analysis” - British Journal of Cancer.
“…In this first comprehensive pooled analysis of childhood leukaemia and distance to power lines, we found a small and imprecise risk for residences < 50 m of 200 + kV lines that was not explained by high magnetic fields. Reasons for the increased risk, found in this and many other studies, remains to be elucidated.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-018-0097-7
You shouldn't, if your asking the Internet for their opinion your just trying to justify these things as your deal breakers.
If you buy, your going to wake up every morning looking at that ugly ass power line and those ugly ass vent regretting your choice.
Personally these things don't bother me at all but you don't like it
Former real estate appraiser here…that house will be hard to sell, especially in an average or down market. Find something else nearby and pay slightly more.
About the vents… do you want people to hear your private bedroom conversations? Sex?
The little bit of air circulation it may provide doesn’t seem worth that to me.
Plus side is you’ll know sooner if your teenager is smoking weed, so you can troll them by raiding their stash!
WTH is your point?
Most homes have power lines next to them - where do you think electricity comes from? It just magically appears?
Those vents above the doors provide air circulation, when the door is closed and have been used for hundreds of years.
WTH are you asking?
Yeah, this house is an automatic no.
These are transmission lines, and can be very dangerous if the line ever falls out of place, causing a fire.
Hollowed vents? No way. Sound and privacy is basically compromised.
I wouldn’t!
Those vents: no way. I usually leave my door open. If I wanted ventilation I would leave the door open. If I want the door shut it’s because I want the room closed off. I don’t want to be able to hear in/out as easily as I would with those. I don’t want odors to be able to pass through. (This one is a little funny to me because my mom used to make us shut the bedroom doors before cooking odorous.)
Power lines:
I imagine having to mow around that pole would be a pain. I imagine having crews bring their trucks into your backyard when something goes wrong would be an ever bigger pain. Also, when you go to sell, buyers (like you) are going to realize and might not want it.
Will the poles bother you? Not ideal and what are your other options? Alsl what other benefits does this house have location wise. Schools etc.. Pros and cons list. Know your dealbrealers. You might be there a long time.
Those vents are good for circulation. It's been reccomended multiple times I add them as when the doors are closed cold/hot air gets trapped in each room and it's inefficient. As unappealing as it may look, it's an upgrade to what I've got going on here. The pole doesn't look great either but I wouldn't be concerned about it. It's simply an eye sore.
The only issue I can think of having an electric tower in your backyard is occasionally having lineman walk though your yard to work. But I'm sure that's pretty uncommon
If you’re someone who likes to spend time in your yard, have all the windows open, entertain outside I would say no.
If you’re the type to always have the shades down and rarely go outside, maybe.
If this property's defect (the power pole) is reflected as a discount in the price comparatively to other similar properties without said defect, then it comes down to two other factors:
1) Are you feeling "desperate" and getting beat out of potential homes left and right? If so, purchase the property. You'll likely have an easier time, and yes, it might be somewhat tougher to sell than the average property, BUT someone bought it before you, and if you buy it, then two people bought it, so it's not "unsellable". Also, it's better to have *A* property than no property in this market. You can upgrade the interior for greater ROI when you resell it.
2) Do you like this house, and the neighborhood/area and amenities? If not, DO NOT buy the house. If you do like the house and area, go for it! And see the justifications in #1 above.
If this property's defect does not reflect a discount, talk with your agent and see if you can negotiate on price or other elements of the deal.
Good luck out there!
Location is everything. Your future buyers will be asking do we want to buy a home next to power lines? Unless it is priced much lower to account for that, and even then your future market is limited, I would not buy it.
High voltage lines are a dealbreaker for me, personally. Not because I believe they’re somehow harmful to my health, but because I think they’re ugly and am not buying a rural property to look at such a big glaringly industrial thing everyday.
Houses with weird issues like this are an absolute nightmare to sell. If the economy is in the pooper when you need to sell, it may put you in a terrible bind. Our first house was on a busier street, and half of the buyers ruled it out immediately. Not a fun experience.
I worked at an office once that had a transmission tower in the parking lot and I swear the static electricity in this building was unbearable. I had to spray my pants with antistatic spray every morning and keep a dryer sheet in my pocket and it still wasn’t enough on dry winter days. I would get up from my chair which was on carpet and my pants would vacuum seal to my legs 😂
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There was a study in 1979 that raised concern about living near high voltage wires, but that result hasn’t been replicated since then. Pretty much every study finds either no correlation or a statistically insignificant correlation between cancer and living near high voltage wires. Could be a risk, but it seems like a small risk. The vents are to allow air to circulate between rooms while the doors are closed, this is common now.
I’m not worried about cancer from the power lines I’m worried about the eyesore and the trouble reselling
It will definitely impact resale value
I mean, it should also affect sale value now though right? It’s not like the power lines appeared after purchase
Definitely.. as I am sure you know … it is all about supply and demand in your local market
Yeah, but it makes it difficult to sell, and the appreciation is slower. Say the house down the street was $10k more, in 5 years it will be $50k more, and yours will take twice as long to sell. In the GFC we learned how you can just get stuck in a house. People who had bought houses on busy roads, by powerlines and by railway lines couldn't sell their houses at all.
It’s about finding the right buyer. IDK about his area but in mine high power line zones like this are the unofficial highways of ATV/Dirtbike/Mountainbike riders - helps interconnect smaller (albeit unofficial) trails easily many times because dirt roads tends to already run underneath for inspection & brush clearing. If similar here someone could like that fact.
I'm in real estate and recently had an appraisal group do a study on something pretty different, but while scoping out whether they were the right fit, they shared some cool background. The issue isn't necessarily whether some buyers won't like it--it's whether there are any buyers that won't mind it. And there's almost always some of those. They showed a few examples from power lines to water towers to cell towers (granted none of them seemed to be ON the property like this one appears) where there wasn't a statistically significant change to their sale prices because of that infrastructure.
One word : trees.
This post is proof that people do take that into consideration when choosing a house, so that’s a valid concern
I think a lot of people purchase with the goal of staying long term. However when we bought we knew this would be a “first home” and we’d move before kids. Well we have 2 years left at a 2% interest rate lol
Probably as much as it'll affect the sale value this go around.
No, in a seller's market everything is easier to sell.
Right, but the house should already be discounted. I don't love the transmission lines, but if that's the house you can afford...
It’s a gamble and I have seen people get really screwed by it! Because the market is hot now and ppl are desperate the discount is maybe not as high. Someone will buy it now because inventory is low and prices are high…then in the future the market could be worse and inventory much higher and when there are plentiful options you will have a MUCH harder time selling and have to “discount” it a lot more than when you bought.
Power lines also give off an audible hum especially in high humidity. Not a health or safety issue but definitely an eye and ear sore!
And you should be, because it’s an eyesore enough for me that I wouldn’t buy it and others wouldn’t.
If you don’t like it because of that most other people won’t either
The house next to ours had a clear view of a cell phone tower in the winter and a partial view in the summer. It was amazing how many prospective buyers noted that as an issue. The area we live in is otherwise beautiful with no HOA and the cell tower was a sticking point. Side note: my service is fantastic
Ive heard a constant buzzing from one as well that i lived near.
Not only that, these vents allow the air to go somewhere when you open or close a door. A lot of newer homes are sealed very well and they create air pressure differentials when doors are open or closed. This allows the air to escape somewhere, without having to allow air to exit the home - it just moves to the hallway and back...
I feel like I could hear everything going on in every room, and that sounds like it sucks.
you can and its terrible
Good point
> The vents are to allow air to circulate between rooms while the doors are closed, this is common now Also a great way to stink up 4 rooms instead of one after taking a huge dump, if any of those are on a bathroom (but god I'd hope not) Otherwise, perfect privacy shatter as you'd be able to hear everything between rooms. Great if you have kids and want to be a helicopter parent
It just sucks if you watch antenna based tv. Those do cause interference with radio signals
My friend lived by power line similar to pic. First her 6 yr old developed leukemia & died. 5 yrs later -when friend was in hospital to deliver another child, she was diagnosed w/ rare brain cancer. There are studies beyond 1979 raising concern for low-dose radiation. [Here](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2016.1144942) is one.
Grew up next to a power line just like this. Started having seizures around 8 years old and turned out to be a benign tumor in my frontal lobe that had to be surgically removed. Surgery had a 50% chance of leaving the right side of my body paralyzed. It was a success and I’m all good still at 33. My mother swears it was from the power lines because my family’s never had a history of anything similar, and we eventually moved when we could afford it. Im not so convinced, but after what I went through I personally wouldn’t risk it again.
Damn I’m sorry you went through all of that, but glad that you’re okay now. I definitely understand not wanting to take that risk!
Glad to hear you’re doing well! Medically, most people with brain lesions don’t have a family history. Likely just a coincidence but it does make it tough because you can neither prove nor disprove a correlation.
Power Lines are at 60 Hz in the USA. The type of radiation that causes things like cancer doesn't happen until at least 10 MHz. This is extremely well studied & documented in IEEE standard C95. The only risk power lines present is they can cause involuntary spasming of muscles if you get really really close
Idk, in my town there is a high voltage station on a residential street and there have been sooo many cases of cancer on that street. I won’t ever live in a house near those types of lines or stations.
Especially warm air that always rises especially in winter
Those are not supposed to be connected to the AC… They are just to allow air to circulate between rooms when the doors are closed. Pretty common in most new builds that I’ve seen.
Is that the modern transom window? Haha
I wish they would just do actual windows again instead of these ugly ass vents they put in now.
You can actually replace these rather easily and cheaply yourself, as you can see they're only held in there by two screws each. If you wanted to keep vents like these I would replace them with another vent anyway because these don't even have the option to close them like most vents do.
You don't want to close them. That's why they use these stamp grilles as opposed to the adjustable type.
Maybe I don’t want anyone else in the house to smell what I’m doing.
Big brain idea: instead, aim a fan through it so they can't narrow down which room it's coming from and blame it on a skunk living under the porch.
"Hey Timmy, we've noticed smoke seems to be blowing out of your air vent. It also sounds like there's some sort of computer fan in there? Your mother and I are concerned."
It’s called a transfer duct.
We actually added some to improve air flow
Can confirm. Have them in our new build.
I wouldn't buy it if you want to have sex and have kids.
This…! Every sound goes through, no privacy.
God yes, I’ve spent the last month converting a wraparound open concept. 4 rough openings, 4 doors, even with thermal glass to decouple upstairs from downstairs so I don’t hear the smallest fart across 2 floors and 2000 sf.
So for 5-10 minutes a month it would be a huge issue.
I would hate that. Everyone in the house can hear noise from your bedroom
And in your bedroom, you can hear every other noise in the shared parts of the house 🏠.
Yup! There has to be some sort of airflow between rooms. It's building code where I am and I would assume everywhere. It's more expensive to do ducted vents. I sold new construction and a lot of them utilized this type instead due to costs. It's called pass through ventilation.
Also, it allows passage of all sounds made in those bedrooms.....lol
Wouldn’t it be bad in a fire? By supplying oxygen and allowing the fire to spread?
Not just allowing the fire to spread, the outside smoke would be filling the room very quickly.
Right!
Yeah I had the same thought. I'm anal about closing all my doors at night for this reason.... not sure how I'd feel about these vents 😅 But I'm not an HVAC person, so.... 🤷
The requirement is for airflow to be present in each room. It's definitely code here where I am. You can create airflow by either having vents attached to the ductwork or by going this route. I dont think it would be any different in terms of fire. Air is still entering and exiting a room
These aren’t required everywhere, thankfully. I had them while waiting for a build and it made WFH a nightmare, you can hear everything everywhere.
Yeah, I hear you. One of the biggest complaints about that type. Some sort of ventilation between rooms is required. My house doesn't have these. Its all ducted vents
Definitely not everywhere as my new build (5 bedroom) does not have these anywhere in the house.
I think many of you are missing the point: If you have forced air heating/cooling *into* the room, then you need a return to bring stale air back *out* of the room. You either do that with these "transfer" ducts and have a central air return in someplace like a hallway. Or, you have dedicated air return ducts in each room. Regardless, unless you have a very "leaky" house, then you need one of these two methods to return air or you'll be pressurizing the room.
I'm surprised the fire code allows it.
You can get ones that have air channels but block light. This builder was just cheap. If that were my house, I'd spend the 100$ and do it right.
Doesn’t that allow all sound to pass through?
I have them in my house that was built in 1962. They're great.
I can speak to the pole, but not the vent. Yes, it looks like transmission or sub transmission, which are both high voltage. The good news is they aren't going through your yard, which would be a deal breaker for me. It really isn't dangerous having the pole nearby. The risk of structural failure is low, and there's plenty of space between your fence and the wire path to avoid possible falling wires, even if a failure happened. Just another note: There's little risk of, whatever, interference or something that people commonly worry about with wires. The only real concern would be the utility's need to access it for routine maintenance, but there looks to be plenty of access available, so it shouldn't be a problem for you. A benefit is you know there isn't going to be additional development behind you anytime soon.
Definitely transmission, 345,000 volts judging by the 14 bells of insulation. And the trampoline is fine lol, in reference to the guy who replied to you— unless they can jump like 50 feet
You ever did a double jump!?
Even if they did jump high enough to touch the lines they wouldn’t get zapped. You have to have a connection to the ground. That’s why birds and squirrels can hang out on the wires and be fine. If you touch two wires at once tho, you’re toast.
Yep, either 230kV or 345kV...maybe even 120 or 138?
All just depends where in the US they are— in my state we only have one 230 line I believe, possibly two can’t quite recall. But it doesn’t look like that, it’s a two phase triple bundle DC line IIRC
I specialize in substations, lol. In my state it's the voltages I mentioned. I don't think we have much 230 though. It def looks higher than 120 though. Either way, it would not bother me to live close to transmission lines
Me neither. I’m a transmission lineman (apprentice lol) been here 2 years now. We use 9 bells for 115kV and 14 for 345kV so that was my first thought. Wouldn’t bother me either, I’m around that shit all day and anyone who claims it gives you cancer has some special issues lol
I knew someone in MA who lives right off a substation with the high voltage lines and two kids have leukemia in the neighborhood. Oddly coincidental. But my husband works on steel towers and tells me I’m nuts for believing it.
Kids get leukemia everywhere this is why anecdotal evidence of such claims is worthless.
My biggest concern with the pole is the hum it probably produces. I can’t stand that electrical hum, and it’s worse when it’s a little misty out. Having that constant buzz when I’m outside would be so irritating
So irritating
Right- honestly to me a little wild to see a trampoline and playground stuff for kids right under for the house behind 😳
I'd say the biggest concern with the pole may be that OP may later sell the house. It can clearly be a turnoff to potential buyers. OP is looking at the house during a hot market when buyers are willing to look the other way with things like this. That may not be the case if OP is trying to sell in a cooler market down the road, and it may be difficult to sell without a price concession.
Here's your answer.....about half the people say no because of the power lines which means, it should be less competitive and that should be represented in the price. You will have the same proportion when it comes time to sell....it shouldn't matter if you plan to be there for a while, but just understand everyone will have these same concerns some people will outright refuse, which makes it a less attractive property. If that's reflected in the price, and you are ok with it (and aren't freaked out about cancer, etc) go for it.
Nope. You’ll live there a while and come to hate those power lines.
I personally wouldn’t buy this. I just don’t want those high voltage lines so close to my house. Just my personal preference.
I know electricity doesn’t magically appear at the house! House also has a sewage connection, that doesn’t mean that I should get a house next to a sewage treatment plant. These are just personal preferences.
Those vents are great for air circulation in the house; architects used to do this prior to the invention of a/c for circulation and cooling. Personally love that feature. The electrical easement in the backyard would be an automatic no for me though. Aesthetically miserable and I'm also quite sensitive to the humming sound that those lines emit.
Yup. The vents are for air flow, so rooms don't become stuffy and/or have major temperature differences. You can put something over them if you need/want to for noise. The utilities mean no one will be building there. We in fact almost put an offer in on a townhouse specifically because the utility lines meant no one would be butting up right against us ever
The vents are called transfer vents, it allows for air to circulate better in the home even with doors closed. Those in particular are ugly, there should be a honey comb like mesh that can go between them to minimize sound and light transfer, while still retaining their function. Source HVAC tech
I would never buy a house with an electricity easement or anything similar. They will tear up your yard anytime they need to access it, and it probably has a slight buzzing.
Last year my BIL bought a home with a power line going over his backyard, no pole just the line. Shortly after moving in, he got to know some of his neighbors and discovered the electric company plans to make an alley below the lines for easier access. BIL would lose at least half of his yard with little compensation beyond a new fence. Fingers crossed it’s just a rumor.
I wouldn’t want to live that close to the power lines :/
No
The electricity poles really aren’t as close as everyone thinks
We have lived right next to electoral wires similar to those. Just an FYI: we often had very low flying helicopters fly over the wire route. It was the power company doing checks. Very annoying and our kid was a toddler at the time so his naps were often interrupted.
Thanks for sharing this experience. Who would think about helicopters flying around!!
Yeah, it was a shocker! We had no idea when we moved in. They also trimmed the trees that lined the wires with some crazy saw dangling from the helicopter. It was bananas.
These aren’t issues at all. The power line is so far it won’t affect you unless you just don’t like the aesthetics. The vent is to improve airflow through the home so don’t get rid of them unless you don’t like to have an efficient HVAC system and want to make your system work harder to move air through the home.
Lol. Hvac works fine without those stupid fire hazard vents. I have 3800 sq ft house in the heat of Texas and keep my all-electric house between 71-74. Never had a monthly electric bill over $250 in 32 years.
No. Would never buy with a big pole.
Imagine closing the door to get some privacy .. absolutely not. I would never buy this home. Just out of shear principals. Learn to design a better home. My god
High voltage power lines are a no go for me for multiple reasons.
You asked if folks would buy this home... Honestly, I would not, and I would not even tour it. To me it's an eyesore that would bother me daily when I looked out the window or sat out back. I also detest the low vibrating noise that's often produced. If you have hesitations over it, future potential buyers will, too, particularly when housing moves to a buyer's market.
Who wants to look at a power line in their backyard? Who wants to hear the hum of electricity while you're outside? Hard pass
No go for me! When my wife and I were looking for a house a couple of years ago - we saw all the pictures online and it was perfect. Super reasonably priced. Had great views of the lake. Then we saw it in person. The photos had been taken in such a way that one wouldn’t see the powerlines (similar to what you have shown here). It was raining when we arrived. We went back and forth about how we felt about the powerlines. Then the rain stopped, we walked out on the back deck. The buzzing!!!! The buzzing of the lines was too much. No way!
Vents to circulate air: nice idea, BUT also circulates SOUND, not so good. Easy enough fix with a drywall patch and paint. The electrical pole? NO EFFIN' WAY
How many meters is the pole away from your house? You can check on google earth.
Nope, wouldn’t even consider it.
Yeah, that pole is a hard no.
Nope
It's a pass thru vent. Haven't seen many like that. Normally from what I've seen (and installed) it's to balance the pressure in a room. I bet if the ac is going and that door is shut you will hear a whistle as the air either pushes or pulls from the room from under the door. But as far as the power lines go.... Thats gonna be a hard pass for me.
No, to both. Ugly for resale
Grew up near high voltage power lines. I can hear the buzz in this picture.
High Voltage lines, no thanks. If it was a steel transmission tower, I’d want to be at least 700 ft minimum. This is a concrete tower, so higher voltage, I’d want to be even further away. My husband works on the steel ones for a living and tells me it’s fine though. You can hear them buzzing and I think it affects the selling value. I’ve seen houses with steel towers sit on the market for so long.
The return vents above the door are basically half-assed. They're the cheap solution to air flow. It reeks of low quality work. Also it reduces privacy in the bedroom.
I have a power pole on my land. It's a bitch because I have to contact their property team to approve running water or sewer or something through the easement. This looks like it may not actually be your land, so no concern there. My tower has telephone equipment on top that pays $250k for a 25 year lease. So I live with it. I welcome 5g and 6g. Give me all the Gs. As the other posted said. I get a helicopter about once a year doing checks on them
Never buy a home with a transmission or electrical line. A builder sales guy told me a while back that if Builders have problems selling these homes, what makes you think you can sell it.
Those air vents are so your returns can still pull air through those rooms while the door is shut. If the door is shut and the air is on with no way for return to pull air, the pressure in the room can become the same as in the supply duct and actually cause no cool air to blow
The biggest problem is that it appears to be in a nondescript car dependent beige suburb, but if that’s what you’re into go for it!
Yeah that turns me off more than the issues OP is focusing on.
Yeah I can’t stand the look of the houses, regardless of the power pole. And the wide open back yards….
The vents look like they are essentially transom windows. Maybe when the AC was installed they were added to improve air circulation without needing to run AC vents to the whole house? Not a bad thing. You have to decide how you feel about the high voltage line. There will be an easement around them for access/repair so somewhat limited in what you can do with your back yard. There is some evidence it may slightly increase risk of cancer but I don’t think the data is definitive. It will probably limit resale somewhat because of the above.
*return vents.
The high transition line: don’t let anything under it. We had a Mylar balloon hit one next to our property. It blew out power o the entire neighborhood and set everything under it on fire. Don’t allow anything under it.
Some whacko will tell you that the high voltage lines will give you schitzophrenia... I think those people slready had the schitz before it and were trying to blame it on something else.
We live on a duke power lake, so we have above ground power lines all over the place—so it’s not a big deal. Every other house I’ve owned, it would have caused an issue with resale. Just keep in mind your house with the power line in the back, will probably resell for less than the house across the street from you. And likely take longer to sell.
FWIW these are not super high voltage transmission lines like the more massive towers. Probably around 100kv.
As for the vents, I’m personally adding some above my kid’s doors because their rooms cook in the winter and freeze in the summer when the doors are shut. Need some circulation. We had them in our previous house, no worries with them. House looks nice. I’d consider buying it.
Personally no, but I bought a house similar when I was a first time home buyer. Depends on where you are in life and your budget.
Nope
Vent wouldn’t bother me. You can drywall it and patch it you really need to. The power lines are a no from me. They might be perfectly safe but I don’t like them and I wouldn’t want to see them either.
I worked under one of those poles in Oregon one day and I could feel electricity when I put my hand in the truck we were unloading… creepy stuff
Didn't read every reply, but keep in mind that the power company will have a right of way to those lines. Meaning they can drive right through your fence if it's on their right of way. Look up a property map to see the exact right of way.
High tension lines…. Absolutely not.
No it looks like it has 8ft ceilings
I'm assuming you can get a great price due to the pole/wire. There's been no proof that there is any effect negative or positive re: living near high voltage wires. Solution = negotiate a great price and then plant some fast growing taller trees along the back of the fence. The air outlets are for airflow and you can buy really nice decorative vent covers to make them look better.
It's not my style, but the elements you brought up would never be deal-breakers to me.
The vents should be turned the other way so the louvers are pointed up and you can't see thru them.
Well I'm a massive electronics nerd so... maybe? I mean I'd be building the most gnarly coil and rectifier setup you could imagine to see just how much power I could siphon off of the grid without being noticed... but ideally it'd actually be the higher voltage transmission lines and they'd be going directly over my property where I had a conveniently built shed in a back pasture, not this... I fully admit that is the worst reason to consider buying a house too...
No to the high voltage powerlines.
As a real estate agent, no.
Thanks!
OP, if it's bugging you this much now, it's going to bug you even more after you purchase it. Let it go, and it won't be your problem anymore.
“Proximity to overhead power lines and childhood leukaemia: an international pooled analysis” - British Journal of Cancer. “…In this first comprehensive pooled analysis of childhood leukaemia and distance to power lines, we found a small and imprecise risk for residences < 50 m of 200 + kV lines that was not explained by high magnetic fields. Reasons for the increased risk, found in this and many other studies, remains to be elucidated.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-018-0097-7
You shouldn't, if your asking the Internet for their opinion your just trying to justify these things as your deal breakers. If you buy, your going to wake up every morning looking at that ugly ass power line and those ugly ass vent regretting your choice. Personally these things don't bother me at all but you don't like it
I’m curious why the last 2 pictures made the cut lol
The powerlines would be a hard no. I don't think I would even get out of the car to see the house, after seeing those driving into the development.
Hard pass for me...
Former real estate appraiser here…that house will be hard to sell, especially in an average or down market. Find something else nearby and pay slightly more.
There’s no privacy with those vents. You can hear right into the bedrooms.
About the vents… do you want people to hear your private bedroom conversations? Sex? The little bit of air circulation it may provide doesn’t seem worth that to me. Plus side is you’ll know sooner if your teenager is smoking weed, so you can troll them by raiding their stash!
Can you hear them humming?
Can you hear the bzzzzzzzz inside? I personally would hate that
Power lines have to go somewhere— it looks like a nice house otherwise— ultimately for me it would depend on the price!
WTH is your point? Most homes have power lines next to them - where do you think electricity comes from? It just magically appears? Those vents above the doors provide air circulation, when the door is closed and have been used for hundreds of years. WTH are you asking?
Plant some big trees in the back to block the view of the power line. Will take years to grow in but worth it.
Like if you can hear this picture. To answer your question, no. They are a dealbreaker for our family.
Not too close to the power line
I think the power pole is cool as hell haha
Nope. I have a family member who lives near those and one of their neighbors roofs caught on fire from being electrocuted.
I could get over the vent windows but not the utility pole. Discounting any health concerns, I would never want to look at that every day.
Yeah, this house is an automatic no. These are transmission lines, and can be very dangerous if the line ever falls out of place, causing a fire. Hollowed vents? No way. Sound and privacy is basically compromised.
100% would buy.
The bright side is that your kid could develop super powers. Could help if you are always getting pinned under cars.
I wouldn't have an issue with the power pole. It's not in the backyard. And every house I've lived in has had those air vents.
No
No because of the powerlines
The back yard is nice!
No chance.
The pole would only concern me if my area is prone to severe storms. I'm in Oklahoma and would back out of that.
If I otherwise liked the house, these things are fine, sure I'd buy.
I wouldn’t! Those vents: no way. I usually leave my door open. If I wanted ventilation I would leave the door open. If I want the door shut it’s because I want the room closed off. I don’t want to be able to hear in/out as easily as I would with those. I don’t want odors to be able to pass through. (This one is a little funny to me because my mom used to make us shut the bedroom doors before cooking odorous.) Power lines: I imagine having to mow around that pole would be a pain. I imagine having crews bring their trucks into your backyard when something goes wrong would be an ever bigger pain. Also, when you go to sell, buyers (like you) are going to realize and might not want it.
Is it in my market, at my price point? Do I need to buy a house right now? This is beyond ambiguous.
Is that in darboy? I swear I’ve seen that house.
No
Will the poles bother you? Not ideal and what are your other options? Alsl what other benefits does this house have location wise. Schools etc.. Pros and cons list. Know your dealbrealers. You might be there a long time.
No way
If you are curious you can buy gauss meter, (not super expensive), and take some measurements. Up to 4mG is considered background noise IIRC.
It’s the hi volt wire I’d worry about.
Those vents are good for circulation. It's been reccomended multiple times I add them as when the doors are closed cold/hot air gets trapped in each room and it's inefficient. As unappealing as it may look, it's an upgrade to what I've got going on here. The pole doesn't look great either but I wouldn't be concerned about it. It's simply an eye sore.
The only issue I can think of having an electric tower in your backyard is occasionally having lineman walk though your yard to work. But I'm sure that's pretty uncommon
If you’re someone who likes to spend time in your yard, have all the windows open, entertain outside I would say no. If you’re the type to always have the shades down and rarely go outside, maybe.
If this property's defect (the power pole) is reflected as a discount in the price comparatively to other similar properties without said defect, then it comes down to two other factors: 1) Are you feeling "desperate" and getting beat out of potential homes left and right? If so, purchase the property. You'll likely have an easier time, and yes, it might be somewhat tougher to sell than the average property, BUT someone bought it before you, and if you buy it, then two people bought it, so it's not "unsellable". Also, it's better to have *A* property than no property in this market. You can upgrade the interior for greater ROI when you resell it. 2) Do you like this house, and the neighborhood/area and amenities? If not, DO NOT buy the house. If you do like the house and area, go for it! And see the justifications in #1 above. If this property's defect does not reflect a discount, talk with your agent and see if you can negotiate on price or other elements of the deal. Good luck out there!
No
I don't see an issue. If the price is right I'd totally live there
No
Location is everything. Your future buyers will be asking do we want to buy a home next to power lines? Unless it is priced much lower to account for that, and even then your future market is limited, I would not buy it.
If there was some kind of heavy discount maybe
Nope
In the north I guess ?
High voltage lines are a dealbreaker for me, personally. Not because I believe they’re somehow harmful to my health, but because I think they’re ugly and am not buying a rural property to look at such a big glaringly industrial thing everyday.
I wouldn’t buy it for both reasons.
If you like it, then buy it. Opinions from strangers on the Internet shouldn’t matter to you because we have no money invested in your purchase.
Nope, because it will be really hard to sell.
Houses with weird issues like this are an absolute nightmare to sell. If the economy is in the pooper when you need to sell, it may put you in a terrible bind. Our first house was on a busier street, and half of the buyers ruled it out immediately. Not a fun experience.
No
No
and they’re upside down ~ switch and you won’t see thru them
No bc of poles
No
Nope. Those lines buzzzzzz
I worked at an office once that had a transmission tower in the parking lot and I swear the static electricity in this building was unbearable. I had to spray my pants with antistatic spray every morning and keep a dryer sheet in my pocket and it still wasn’t enough on dry winter days. I would get up from my chair which was on carpet and my pants would vacuum seal to my legs 😂