The problems with long distance commuting:
Waste of life
State of the UK road network
Need for a reliable car and back up method of getting to base
Car overheads and running costs
Most airlines require you to be 90mins from base when 'at home'
QED 2nd home needed, again expensive
or Digs/BB/Hotel expensive and depressing for standby blocks
Using days off to commute on the day before 1st duty.
I could go on, and I am talking from my experience right now. I'm very lucky as I'm on a long haul only roster and part time, but I would go back to living 10 miles from base and SH tomorrow. Sadly no opportunity to do this presently. This is not the same as taking a temporary base after promotion, which at least has a point and an end, assuming you have bid to get back to your home base. I know lots of pilots that have been forcibly relocated half way through their careers, choosing to commute rather than shift the family, it is honestly a recipe for discontent and fatigue. Avoid if at all possible.
Just to end on something more positive, I know a guy who commutes long distance so his family could stay where they grew up. He has lived in a caravan in a farmers field for over 20 years! He actually really likes his choice!