ᐅ Instead of a detached house, perhaps consider buying a townhouse now?
Created on: 27 Jul 2016 19:40
M
miniflexalexM
miniflexalex27 Jul 2016 19:40Hello everyone,
I’m glad to have found this great forum and would like to start by asking my first question.
I need some help making the decision “townhouse, yes or no.”
My wife (36 years young) and I (40 years old) have been searching for a suitable house for our small family (one child, 10 months old, and two large dogs) for quite some time.
Our dream has always been a detached house on a large plot of land (>5000 sqm (1.2 acres)) somewhere in a remote area. The house should be about 180 sqm (1900 sq ft), with no specific energy efficiency requirements, move-in ready without major renovations, a beautifully landscaped outdoor area, a large double garage or small workshop as I enjoy working on cars, and ideally no neighbors nearby… etc. I think you now have a rough idea of our dream.
Well, as I said, we have been searching for almost a year without success… until a few days ago when we viewed a property that is being sold privately. We have known the owners for over 10 years, and the house is not listed with any agent.
The house meets and even exceeds all our criteria except one… it is a townhouse. It was originally a detached house until the neighbor decided to close the gap (about 5 meters (16 feet)) between their house and my friend’s house in order to gain additional living space. Now it’s basically two detached houses sharing a wall at the end.
What a dilemma—it’s our dream house, inside and out, with a great plot, everything perfect... except for the lack of physical separation from the neighbor. The plot is mostly private and only a few areas are visible to the neighbor, so I don’t think that would be an issue. What worries me more are the horror stories you hear about disputes between neighbors.
I intend to live in this house until I pass away. Another move due to a nightmare neighbor is out of the question.
So my question to the community: Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you decide, and looking back, was it the right decision?
Thank you for what might seem like a strange question, but this concerns me a lot, and I need some neutral input. Logically, I probably should let this dream go, but everything else is simply perfect and exactly what we want. No other house has come close to having as many advantages as this one.
One last note: the price of the house fits perfectly within our budget.
Thanks in advance.
I’m glad to have found this great forum and would like to start by asking my first question.
I need some help making the decision “townhouse, yes or no.”
My wife (36 years young) and I (40 years old) have been searching for a suitable house for our small family (one child, 10 months old, and two large dogs) for quite some time.
Our dream has always been a detached house on a large plot of land (>5000 sqm (1.2 acres)) somewhere in a remote area. The house should be about 180 sqm (1900 sq ft), with no specific energy efficiency requirements, move-in ready without major renovations, a beautifully landscaped outdoor area, a large double garage or small workshop as I enjoy working on cars, and ideally no neighbors nearby… etc. I think you now have a rough idea of our dream.
Well, as I said, we have been searching for almost a year without success… until a few days ago when we viewed a property that is being sold privately. We have known the owners for over 10 years, and the house is not listed with any agent.
The house meets and even exceeds all our criteria except one… it is a townhouse. It was originally a detached house until the neighbor decided to close the gap (about 5 meters (16 feet)) between their house and my friend’s house in order to gain additional living space. Now it’s basically two detached houses sharing a wall at the end.
What a dilemma—it’s our dream house, inside and out, with a great plot, everything perfect... except for the lack of physical separation from the neighbor. The plot is mostly private and only a few areas are visible to the neighbor, so I don’t think that would be an issue. What worries me more are the horror stories you hear about disputes between neighbors.
I intend to live in this house until I pass away. Another move due to a nightmare neighbor is out of the question.
So my question to the community: Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you decide, and looking back, was it the right decision?
Thank you for what might seem like a strange question, but this concerns me a lot, and I need some neutral input. Logically, I probably should let this dream go, but everything else is simply perfect and exactly what we want. No other house has come close to having as many advantages as this one.
One last note: the price of the house fits perfectly within our budget.
Thanks in advance.
M
miniflexalex27 Jul 2016 19:58Exactly, the houses share a wall. The rooms in the neighboring house that are directly adjacent to the shared wall are a bedroom, a dressing room, and a boiler room. In my possible future house, these rooms would be a kind of garage and storage room.
Umbau-Susi27 Jul 2016 21:36If you choose a semi-detached house, you should think it through carefully and, if necessary, install soundproofing measures that reduce noise transfer before moving in.
We live in one half of a semi-detached house. Unfortunately, we only had a soundproof wall installed on the upper floor. There, you can only hear the neighbor’s piano playing faintly, nothing else. However, you can’t attach anything to that wall (such as parts of a cabinet or similar).
Downstairs, you can hear every word spoken in the neighboring house, for example the TV. It’s annoying and only bearable because no one sleeps downstairs in our home. If we had known how loud it would be, we would have installed a soundproof wall downstairs right away. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
Otherwise, having a direct neighbor isn’t necessarily a disadvantage if you get along well. If not, it can become quite stressful.
We live in one half of a semi-detached house. Unfortunately, we only had a soundproof wall installed on the upper floor. There, you can only hear the neighbor’s piano playing faintly, nothing else. However, you can’t attach anything to that wall (such as parts of a cabinet or similar).
Downstairs, you can hear every word spoken in the neighboring house, for example the TV. It’s annoying and only bearable because no one sleeps downstairs in our home. If we had known how loud it would be, we would have installed a soundproof wall downstairs right away. Well, hindsight is always 20/20.
Otherwise, having a direct neighbor isn’t necessarily a disadvantage if you get along well. If not, it can become quite stressful.
M
miniflexalex27 Jul 2016 22:22Sorry for the unclear description; semi-detached house is probably the correct term.
According to the current owner, the neighbors are quiet, and there is a good and friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Unfortunately, these neighbors are only tenants in that house, and that situation could change at any time.
How extensive is the construction work required to convert a standard wall into a soundproof wall? Apart from the noise from the neighbors (which apparently can be mitigated with a soundproof wall), are there any other reasons against a semi-detached house?
According to the current owner, the neighbors are quiet, and there is a good and friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Unfortunately, these neighbors are only tenants in that house, and that situation could change at any time.
How extensive is the construction work required to convert a standard wall into a soundproof wall? Apart from the noise from the neighbors (which apparently can be mitigated with a soundproof wall), are there any other reasons against a semi-detached house?
Similar topics