Living in Port Solent?

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ds797

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Anyone here got experience/opinions on living in the houses in Port Solent? I'm looking at purchasing there and interested in some "local knowledge".....

For example.... How well are the houses constructed? Is there much intrusive noise from the motorway? How efficient is the heating system of the houses? Any major advantages or disadvantages of living there?

Thanks.
 
Used to live in Portsmouth pre Port Solent. The land is reclaimed - basically it was the local land fill dump so who knows what will happen with settling in years to come.

Isn't the RN Firefighting school very close? On a good day you can smell the fuel oil burning and get the black smoke.

Wouldn't be my choice of ideal home!
 
ds797 said:
Anyone here got experience/opinions on living in the houses in Port Solent? I'm looking at purchasing there and interested in some "local knowledge".....

For example.... How well are the houses constructed? Is there much intrusive noise from the motorway? How efficient is the heating system of the houses? Any major advantages or disadvantages of living there?

Thanks.
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Spend quite a lot of time at Port Solent, the motorway noise is quite intrusive I think.
 
I was in charge of construction of the lock at Port Solent so I can confidently say that the lock is built like the proverbial brick facility.
The houses and flats were under construction at the same time. They're timber framed on reinforced concrete raft foundations on imported chalk fill. A lot of work was done on the quality and compaction of the chalk to avoid the need for piles under the buildings; they even built and tested a full scale trial foundation. The larger timber framed blocks had their complete roofs assembled and tiled at ground level and then lifted on by crane! With timber frames you have to get the full weight of the roof on before you do the brick cladding or the window openings don't line up when the frame compresses. There was a lot of fuss in the press about timber frames at the time but from what I saw of the Port Solent blocks quality control was very good. I know a couple of local building surveyors and I've not heard of any serious problems with any of the buildings there and they've been up now for the best part of 20 years.
 
DJE said:
I was in charge of construction of the lock at Port Solent so I can confidently say that the lock is built like the proverbial brick facility.
The houses and flats were under construction at the same time. They're timber framed on reinforced concrete raft foundations on imported chalk fill. A lot of work was done on the quality and compaction of the chalk to avoid the need for piles under the buildings; they even built and tested a full scale trial foundation. The larger timber framed blocks had their complete roofs assembled and tiled at ground level and then lifted on by crane! With timber frames you have to get the full weight of the roof on before you do the brick cladding or the window openings don't line up when the frame compresses. There was a lot of fuss in the press about timber frames at the time but from what I saw of the Port Solent blocks quality control was very good. I know a couple of local building surveyors and I've not heard of any serious problems with any of the buildings there and they've been up now for the best part of 20 years.
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Wow - even after 10 years on this board I can still be astounded by the depth of knowledge contributors have about all sorts of things!
 
My boat is berthed at Port Solent and I suggest you visit a few times to assess the background noise levels from the motorway.

Things that affect the noise level are wind direction, orientation of the house, temperature, water on the motorway surface and speed/density of the traffic. It is a complex model!

Nightlife activity in the bars across the water is a shadow of its former self since Gunwarf has drawn away the young clubbing crowd, so this is a lesser concern.
 
Funnily enough I was thinking about investigating there as well ... went down on Sunday and watched the lock working ... only perused the houses on Rightmove so far but was wondering about living with motorway noise ... it didn't seem too obtrusive from over by the lock gates or Newlyn Way but I suspect that Tintagel Way and anywhere between there and the block of flats would be pretty noisy .. also thought as far away from the pubs etc would be a good idea. One or two of the houses currently on the market seem to have sold their end of garden berths, at least they're not in the ads so assume they must have done .. how silly is that? Would you want to live there if you weren't a boating enthusiast?
 
Smelly at low tide, long way from harbour entrance, often heavy road traffic congestion getting to Port Solent, too close to Paulsgrove/Cosham otherwise not too bad.
 
We live there

We (SWMBO and I, no kids) rented an apartment for 18 months on Lock Approach (facing out to Portchester Castle) several years back and loved it.

After several years away, we've moved back to rent a similar apartment and it's just as good as we remember it. When we find the right property, we will be buying down here - it's definitely a lifestyle choice for us (I'm not an estate agent, honest!)

In our experience it is only occasionally smelly when the tide goes out and, for us, the motorway noise is not normally intrusive - but then we about as far from the motorway as you can get in Port Solent.

Never seen any black smoke from the RN training place but then we both work full-time so are rarely around during weekdays.

A number of the restaurants have closed down over the last couple of years, partly due to Gunwharf but also as, IMHO, they just weren't very good. Other restaurants that managed stay open did so because they served better food and provided better service. Several new restaurants have opened again recently and now that Gunwharf is not such a novelty, things seem to be picking up again - although as an earlier poster said not so much the young clubbing crowd.

I read somewhere that living at Port Solent is like being on holiday 52 weeks a year. Many of the apartments and marina houses have historically been second homes so people tend to be a bit more relaxed when they're there and lots of other people just go for a nice walk and a bite to eat. This does give rise to a "holiday" atmosphere. Having said that, occupancy rates seem to be higher now than when we were there before - with a higher percentage of lights on during the week in both houses and flats.

I think that, provided you can get over the PO6 (Paulsgrove) post code and the fact that part of Port Solent is built on a municipal tip and the rest on reclaimed land, they offere excellent value for money. We have fantastic water views from our apartment but would have to pay up to 3 times as much to buy the same thing in somewhere like Hamble.

Just my 200000 cents' worth
 
On a more positive note Ma' Kellys serving the best fish and chips for miles around is just round the corner.
 
DJE said:
I was in charge of construction of the lock at Port Solent so I can confidently say that the lock is built like the proverbial brick facility.
The houses and flats were under construction at the same time. They're timber framed on reinforced concrete raft foundations on imported chalk fill. A lot of work was done on the quality and compaction of the chalk to avoid the need for piles under the buildings; they even built and tested a full scale trial foundation. The larger timber framed blocks had their complete roofs assembled and tiled at ground level and then lifted on by crane! With timber frames you have to get the full weight of the roof on before you do the brick cladding or the window openings don't line up when the frame compresses. There was a lot of fuss in the press about timber frames at the time but from what I saw of the Port Solent blocks quality control was very good. I know a couple of local building surveyors and I've not heard of any serious problems with any of the buildings there and they've been up now for the best part of 20 years.
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Terrific. Specific relevant information from someone who knows. The web can be a wonderful place. September's post of the month IMHO, I've certainly learned something.
 
p.s. Don't trust the agents who specialize in this market.

Overheard yesterday at Port Solent, two blokes had paused at the agent's display window... "Look! I told them to take the property off the market and now they are listing it as under offer. I am not happy about that."
 
Fire-fighting school at Horsea closed some years ago. Now all that is on that site is a Dive Centre (joint military and some civilian - did my PADI there).

FF School moved to Whale Island I believe and now the "smoke" is actually steam... not burning diesel that used to turn all halyards black!
 
flaming said:
Spend quite a lot of time at Port Solent, the motorway noise is quite intrusive I think.
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If you lived there your head would simply filter it out. I live in a lovely town, more lovely because of its bypass. This dual carriageway is fairly near to the end of my garden, certainly very audible and I just don't hear it. Someone walks up the drive and it wakes me so I'm not deaf!
 
And theres a Tesco just round the corner so you can get your cheap 'pensioner' lunches as well ;)

Tim (who will be at Port Solent for a hour or two tomorrow, and quite likes the feel of the place)
 
Was going to say the firefighting school closed years ago but Puffin Billy beat me to it. As far as motorway noise I live near Port Solent but a little closer to the motorway and it is no problem to me,mind you after reading the message from curve living in Paulsgrove maybe I shouldn't be reading this forum let alone posting on here.
 
Portsmouth FC

I live in East London, but Port Solent always make me feel at home when we go onboard our yacht. Never feel it is exclusive, despite the high cost of berths.

Check out the situation on Portsmouth FC about relocating their stadium on the land next to Port Solent. Last I heard it had been "postponed", but not abandoned.

Counted 8 Retail outlets being empty last month. No convenience store for your morning paper or a pint of milk. More of a leisure centre than a marina with the majority walking around having nothing to so with being afloat.

Guy was killed outside the Lloyds Bar not so long ago.

Property prices have come down more than the local average in the last year.

Outside walls of the high rise properties look like they could do with a good clean.

You will need a car for tescos and to pick up your fish & chips. Nothing much within walking distance.

Berthholders Association are meeting with the marina management this Sunday, 4th October, 1100hrs at the Quayside Club House. Open door to everybody - good chance to get a feel for issues facing the marina itself at the moment.
 
I would be asking how tall is the newly created mountain range of rubbish going to get, it will need a triangulation point on it soon! I wonder if I can bag it as a Munro?
 
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