Hm, title sounds like a euphemism.

Anyway, saw a house at the weekend that we love, but the only way to access it is via an exceptionally narrow road.

I think most cars, and small vans would get up it fine – but say, a sprinter, would be right out (need to go back with a measuring tape).

I’m a bit concerned that having things delivered or getting work done would be all of the painful. Wondered if anyone had any relevant experiences they could share?

We went to look at a house and check out an area recently. Very narrow steep road and blocked by two people parked stupidly. That was as much as we needed to see. No point buying into existing problems.

Would you own the road? If so, cost to maintain? If not, who does and will they maintain it?

The road is council owned – it seemed to be in good repair, so I’m not too concerned about that.

Lived somewhere where you could only get to the main road and that was about 75 metres away
Basically it will annoy you from time to time so the issues is does the 4 times a year this annoys you outweigh the joy?

Deliveries you could solve with say a trailer and bringing it home yourself- ie washing machine, double bed. However moving in will be a major pain though

I guess if you needed masses of building supplies you might have a serious problem

Would not stop me buying again but i would really have to want it as poor access is on no ones must have requirements of a home which, I assume, makes it cheap

Ours is a dead end and quite narrow due to parked cars. Most delivery drivers make the effort to get to the door, probably because they are lazy. I sometimes have to walk to the end of the road and meet them if they turn up in something very big. We’ve got a very narrow lane to the rear and the cement lorry drivers have made a good effort to get close. Basically pull the mirrors in then reverse with me guiding them.

In my experience, delivery drivers are usually up for this sort of challenge 🙂

Ours growing up wasn’t that narrow but had a very steep and tight turn on. It meant lots of things were just a little bit more annoying. Taking the bins out meaning pushing them a few hundred metres down the road as some of the bin drivers wouldn’t make the turn, delivery drivers refusing to come to the house, a real faff when building supplies came up. Not the end of the world by any stretch but it was occasionally annoying.

It’s quite narrow, and has stone walls either side – I’m pretty dubious that large vans would actually fit 🙂

Love it, helps keep the riffraff at bay. Can be a ball ache if doing building work, when the lorry driver pronounced he’d got 11 tonnes of roof tiles for me, i jumped with glee at the thought of getting em up the driveway. 😥

We live on a narrow cul de sac- its difficult but not impossible for the rubbish truck but tbh the benefits FAR outweigh the negatives:

Its not a through road
Anyone driving/walking up it is coming for a reason (beit thief or visitor) so they stand out a square mile.

Its quieter
Its nicer

Any neighbour dispute can be amplified.

Yep things allays going in the ditch on our drive, usually deliver drivers, checking their phone or looking at the next delivery. Last one was worst yet, a lorry with 20tonne load of hardcore for the drive. But he did try and reverse up in the dark with no reversing lights. Blocked it for 16hrs.

Reasonably steep too, reversing up it really would not be an option!

(But there is plenty of turning around space at the top).

Reversing used to be the only way to get up very steep hills. I remember my mum doing it in the old Ford Popular.
I think you need to measure between the walls, things are often not as narrow as they look.

I think you need to measure between the walls, things are often not as narrow as they look.

Yeah – I think we’re going to pop up sometime this week with a measuring tape.

We know it’s been extended at some point, so it must be *possible* to get things of reasonably significant size up…

We know it’s been extended at some point, so it must be *possible* to get things of reasonably significant size up…

If the owner looks like Popeye, then you’ll know how…. 😉

I think most cars, and small vans would get up it fine – but say, a sprinter, would be right out (need to go back with a measuring tape).

If I car driven by the average car driver can get through, a Sprinter driver should have no problem 🙂

I live at the top of a narrow and steep road with two quite tight hairpins. The delivery drivers always make it up. The only ones who weren’t up for it were Yodel, so avoid them, but all the others are fine.

Does the bin wagon get up the road? If it’s adopted, then it should. Or will you have to take your bins down to the end of the road.

A Sprinter cant get up?

Who built the house?

Who put in the drainage etc?

Packhorse Mules?

Reasonably steep too, reversing up it really would not be an option!

Reversing up gives far better visibility for a van.
Normally the better option when it’s narrow.

As for size, a sprinter is only about 15cm wider than a Passat, so if your average driver gets through without too much trouble, a decent van driver will be up there in no time and hardly slow down.

A Sprinter cant get up?

Well, I was approximating, based on paces – admittedly that’s going to be prone to error. Guess we need to actually measure before making a call one way or the other.

slightly different scenario but we used to stay at the ‘end’ (then there were gates into nursing home) of a private cul-de-sac in Edinburgh, surface was non-existent, was quite safe to let children play outside as no vehicle could manage above much over walking pace anyway due to potholes. We bought it because it was quiet and had a cracking view over the city, there were no other bidders (presumably put off by the potholes) and when we came to sell, the same thing – only one couple bid on the house..

Lorry drivers will find a way

Lived up a single track road but that was just hedges, verges etc. Wasnt a huge problem as it wasn’t used much. Would a fire engine or ambulance get up if its narrow with walls? Could be a concern if it was a long way.

I work for an online supermarket, there aren’t many houses we can’t get to. Hebden Bridge being one of the worst areas for access.

Yeah, good point. I doubt a fire engine would make it up.
An ambulance might squeeze in.

Kcal I’d have been that bidder

and when we came to sell, the same thing – only one couple bid on the house..

Yeah, I’m somewhat aware that if we buy it, we might well be stuck with it.

We bought a house with tricky access – elevated semi (fnarr fnarr) with “poor” rear access. Access to the back is by means of a private road which is generally flat but then becomes steep, narrow and badly surfaced towards the end we live at typically! Access to the front is up steep steps.

The moving guys took it in their stride – parked on the flat bit and handballed the lot from there without complaint. We had a small extension done and the builders managed ok, though they had a good natured moan every now and then. We’re having another, larger extension done soon and no-one has seemed phased by the poor access.

So, I reckon most trades/drivers etc will just crack on and manage just fine. Keep the kettle on and help out where you can 🙂

You could always hire a wide van and pay the damage waiver and demolish the wall…then get them to rebuild it a bit wider 😀

From experience on a narrow road, neighbour moves out and other neighbours un officially claim his parking space as theres, or just park awkward.

What do the existing owners say about access?

From experience on a narrow road, neighbour moves out and other neighbours un officially claim his parking space as theres, or just park awkward.

Parking doesn’t look like it’ll really be an issue – can’t park on the actual road without blocking it completely, and all the houses (all 3 or 4 of them) on it have plenty of driveway space.

What do the existing owners say about access?

We didn’t think to ask about larger vehicles/deliveries.
We did ask if it was annoying for them at all or if poor conditions made it ridiculous, and they seemed to think nothing of it (but then, they are trying to sell).

I would be regarding it as a bonus. Keeps all sorts away and anyone has to get there has their own problem. Bet its not as bad as it seems.

I lived down a 3 mile single dirt track in the glens for a year,

Loved it.

Was total privacy. Bar the postie i could see no one for weeks..

Only unexpected visitors i got were a father an son out of trail bikes – they looked as surprised to see me as i was them.

Yep, our access is narrow, coal man gets a hilux up and I get the golf in. Transit size it depends on the driver, some can some can’t
Never been an issue, removals carried or trolled everything (it’s not far enough to shuttle in a small van) deliveries have always managed as have builders and ground workers
Nothing they haven’t seen before

…and youm thinkin’ “‘ello, what’s a tree doing ‘ere?”

Just measured, 2.1m at the narrowest point – although there’s a bit more space higher up. So might *just* squeeze a sprinter up.