Houses close to the road

Any tips on making houses close to roads work? There are two properties I've seen that have the acreage and price I'm looking for but are very close to the road (one is roughly 5-10 ft from the road, the other 10-20 ft). The roads are rural of course and speed limits of perhaps 35mph.

First priority would be safety (kids wandering into road), second priority would be appearances. What types of fences, trees, etc. should I consider?

I'd turn my back on the road and choose a new "front"side. Often homes are built without regard to solar gain and instead the street side becomes the front. You may be able to correct some of this. Plant a thick, tall hedge to obsorb sound. Some fruit trees can make a good hedge. Cedar absorbs lots of sound. Trees managed for coppice wood could serve a dual purpose. A straw bale wall would be ideal in a new build situation but then it would be simple to step back a bit. Something thorny on the inner edge pf the thicket could deter kids from going beyond.

Agree with the hedge idea. Make it a food hedge for a double win. Plant the whole "front yard" in shrubs making it a non-play area. Develop the area you want.

One of my Places sit ( EX lives in it ) about 30 Ft off the Road, What I did was plant Bushes ( tall thick full ones ) and trees and I made a barrier with them, in the spring summer and fall you could barely see the road, We used the front yard for plant gardens and the back was where we did our family stuff, there is plenty of land there and when the house was put in the road wasn't very busy.

I would strongly suggest looking at other property.

One fellow I know has a house in what we call a Coal Patch around here. It is an old " Company " house that was built by the Coal company for their employees in a line of houses that are all the same. The house sits up a bank and is very close to the road. His total property is over an acre. He has a high hedge along the road that not only blocks noise but also provides privacy. They live in the back of the house, they added a beautiful patio, have alot of flowers and other plantings from the driveway to the house. He raises chickens, has a grape arbor, many fruit trees and several gardens in his back yard. The border between his home and the neighbors is lined with tall decroative grass. He has made a very beautiful spot from what many people would consider a poor place to live. If the place you are looking at has alot of land with it at a good price, I would consider it, especially if the road is not very busy. The Fellow I am talking about lives on a very major road, His place is not on a hill, so the trucks are not gunning the engin to make a grade, but it is still a Major road. When I have visited him I have not noticed the road noise at all when we have walked around his back yard. As a mater of fact, I have not noticed the road at all and have felt like I was in an isolated spot out in the country. He has made a wonderful place to live and raise his family there. Being close to a road is a draw back in my opinion, but you can work around it if the rest of the property has potental. It may also be a good place to start and build equity that can be sold for a better place later. It is all about you and what you want, what you can live with, and what you feel you can do with the property to make it work for you and your family. For some people haveing the house too close to the road is a deal braker, to others it is no big deal. Think to yourself, can I be happy here, can I see myself living here, the answer to that question should make up your mind about buying the property.

Oooo, I know this one. This is a first, by the way.
I have wanted to do this for years, but live on property with no room for it: a "talus." It's a lovely little Earthen structure, almost a fence made of a hill, with trees on top of it. It can be made with the sides quite steep since the roots will hold it together. Apparently, they are, or were, very popular in rural France; I first read about them on the site frenchgardening.com. I do like the hedge idea very much, if it is done in the old way of pleaching the plants together. Hopefully, you have already found a satisfactory answer. I had to add my two cents, thank you.