Living in a terrace house

[Tom_ed1987]

I've lived in several small-medium sized Victorian terraces (rentals) & thinking back, none of the experiences were good.
A problem with Terraces/Flats in general is that you are just too dependent on what your neighbours are like. "Do you believe in fate, Neo?"... Neo would 100% sacrifice to live in a detached house.

Op raises another point - I honestly have no idea why Victorian terraces are seen as desirable. They are badly laid out, badly built, inevitably have damp problems, noise problems, pretty minimal period 'character' to offset it all and really should have all been demolished during the slum clearances. But a bit of chalky paint & an arty shot on Pinterest goes a long way.

 

[koolpc]

I've lived in several small-medium sized Victorian terraces (rentals) & thinking back, none of the experiences were good.
A problem with Terraces/Flats in general is that you are just too dependent on what your neighbours are like. "Do you believe in fate, Neo?"... Neo would 100% sacrifice to live in a detached house.

Op raises another point - I honestly have no idea why Victorian terraces are seen as desirable. They are badly laid out, badly built, inevitably have damp problems, noise problems, pretty minimal period 'character' to offset it all and really should have all been demolished during the slum clearances. But a bit of chalky paint & an arty shot on Pinterest goes a long way.

So, other than Victorian, what would you opt for?

 

[JasonM]

I live in a 4 bedroom detached house that's back from a quiet road. During lock down I actually ran a Zoom on-line disco, and we would party till 4am sometimes. My front room speakers are pretty loud yet no one bothered me. Reading some of these posts makes me realise how fortunate I am.

 

[Amplus]

Forgot I started this thread. Can happily report I have since sold the terraced house and now live in a semi detached built in the 70's. Have good neighbors, the walls are solid with cavity walls and insulation between myself and the adjoining wall. Can hear minimal noise, sometimes can hear next doors TV but it's muffled and doesn't feel like I'm watching it with them like it did in the terrace.

In the terrace house always felt I had to watch what I say as the neighbours could hear every word, now I can relax and talk normally without fear of neighbours listening. Don't feel as 'squashed' in now like I did in the terrace. It has made such a massive difference to my mental well-being not being in the terrace house. Another thing with terraces is they are so DARK. Seem to struggle to let natural light in compared to detached or semi detached houses.

All you are ever told is 'they don't build them like they used too'....yeah that's true,.they build them better now.....the Victorian terrace was just a solid brick wall with no insulation or block work separating us and the neighbours...the new builds have to have 'robust detail' specs which is the minimum sound barrier between neighbouring walls. In between the brick work or the stud wall, have to have solid block work as well as sound proof insulation between the walls.

So from my personal experience DON'T BUY a Victorian terrace....yeah they look pretty inside, yeah they have character but they are a nightmare to live in.

 

[Rroff]

Biggest issue with living in a Victorian terrace, which I did for a few years as a kid, was damp. The one I lived in had solid walls so barely heard the neighbour and the windows were big enough lighting wasn't an issue.

pretty minimal period 'character'

The one I lived in as a kid had a ton of character with lots of original era external decorative features - can't say I'd rush to live in one though due to the seeming inevitable issues with damp even if you dodge the other likely complications of a building of that era.

 

[Xur1990]

Are all flats to be avoided. Has anyone had any luck with living in or currently living in a flat.

 

[mid_gen]

Are all flats to be avoided. Has anyone had any luck with living in or currently living in a flat.

I lived in apartments for years while living abroad, no problems at all...even tiny shoebox HK apartments (and flashy big ones).

Living in an apartment for a while in London sucked though, cokeheads downstairs partying all hours. The snobbery around flats in the UK means you're probably going to end up with the less sociable and considerate parts of society in them.

Shame really, as apartment living European style makes so much more sense from a practical point of view, to concreting over fields to build awful shoebox new build estates.

 

[Xur1990]

I lived in apartments for years while living abroad, no problems at all...even tiny shoebox HK apartments (and flashy big ones).

Living in an apartment for a while in London sucked though, cokeheads downstairs partying all hours. The snobbery around flats in the UK means you're probably going to end up with the less sociable and considerate parts of society in them.

Shame really, as apartment living European style makes so much more sense from a practical point of view, to concreting over fields to build awful shoebox new build estates.

Would be nice to live abroad I think its cheaper too could probably get a detached house for the same price I'm paying for this place I'm renting. I'm paying £900 a month. I don't think it'd worth it

 

[Shocky-FM]

Terrace houses are bit of a gamble, as it depends on your neighbours.

Thankfully our walls are thick enough that I don't hear too much, one of them is a single parent and I rarely hear to peep from them.

Had neighbours in the past that used to have parties quite often, that was annoying.... thankfully they didn't stay long.

 

[manic111]

I'm in a maisonette in an old Victorian terrace - the walls to the sides are great, and I hear no noise at all. However, there's no insulation whatsoever in the ceiling, and I get no sleep as the man above me snores like a train. Absolutely losing my mind over it

 

[oggiet]

I'm in a maisonette in an old Victorian terrace - the walls to the sides are great, and I hear no noise at all. However, there's no insulation whatsoever in the ceiling, and I get no sleep as the man above me snores like a train. Absolutely losing my mind over it

Tried white noise during the night ? I have a fan running all year round as can sleep in quite room, something like that should drown out all the noise.

 

[manic111]

Tried white noise during the night ? I have a fan running all year round as can sleep in quite room, something like that should drown out all the noise.

Yeah - it works. It's just the stress of having nowhere quiet to go that really gets me

 

[koolpc]

Yeah - it works. It's just the stress of having nowhere quiet to go that really gets me

Do you own the flat? If so, how about insulating the ceiling?

 

[MatsyLR]

I could never live in a terraced house, its already bad enough living in a semi or end terraced but you are doubling your chances of bad neighbours in a terraced.

 

[ants83]

I could never live in a terraced house, its already bad enough living in a semi or end terraced but you are doubling your chances of bad neighbours in a terraced.

Same posted on here about my neighbours a while ago. Moved from a semi to a detached and will never ever move back. Best 50k extra I've ever borrowed for the mortgage.

Most of the country live adjoined just fine so I do think it's perhaps certain people with noise issues that can't cope as I couldn't.
It's just so intrusive it's unreal, I'm not thr biggest people fan and in a semi it's like your sharing your life with strangers. Honestly it made me feel mentally ill.

 

[ants83]

Yeah - it works. It's just the stress of having nowhere quiet to go that really gets me

As said get a white noise machine. Look into bose sleepbuds for sleeping, expensive but it depends on how much you value your sleep.
Also noise cancelling headphones work a treat, again I have bose ones.

These things combined will make life more bearable but you want to get out of there at some point.

 

[koolpc]

Not everyone can afford a detached house. I cant these days...

Camper van sounds good to me. I like that idea.

 

[moon man]

not my first post here as living next to scum in Yorkshire took its toll, i am in a quiet semi now but if that changed i would have a sleeping pod in the garden ,cheap summer house but insulated out inside maybe ,but also always fancied a hobbit house

 

[Haze]

Moving in to an end of terrace in Jan, will report back

 

[steve5424]

We currently live in a newly built terrace house and you can't hear a thing from either side. Must be built really well.