Why do none of the new development townhouses have tiny yards?

[Anonymous]

I've noticed a trend on Zillow/Redfin. Most old townhouse developments, even in close-in areas (Fairlington, Cameron Station in Alexandria, Del Ray) have very small, but still private, fenced backyards. This doesn't seem to be the case with any of the new developments that are being built - all new developments seem to have the garages built around the back of the house, so there is no private outdoor space. As dog owners it's a bummer because a house without any place to let a dog out is a nonstarter, and these developments are otherwise attractive. Any thoughts on why this feature is not being prioritized anymore?

[Anonymous]

Because everyone is expected to have a car, but necessarily to have a dog

[Anonymous]

They can build more homes in the same space if they cut out the yard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They can build more homes in the same space if they cut out the yard.

This is the reason, and this is why when we bought our townhouse we looked for those built in the 80s/90s which tend to have the garage on the front and a yard in the back.

[Anonymous]

the yard was a postage stamp. So now the builder adds in more park and trail areas in the community.

[Anonymous]

I am with you OP. I have a little dog, so I wouldn’t consider a townhome without a little yard.

[Anonymous]

Agree with this. We have a new TH with a yard, but there were only a few models/sites in our development (maybe 50 houses out of 600) that included yards. And in other developments, none of the THs included yards - this is definitely the current trend. We have a dog - and I wanted a little bit of space for gardening - so no yard whatsoever was a deal breaker for us.

On the other hand, there are a ton of dog owners in our neighborhood and most of them seem to be just fine with walking their dog every time the pup needs to go out, so this must not be a major factor in market demand.

Also, to be honest, it looks nicer to have the garage in the rear rather than the front of the house. But in most cases, a rear garage TH means that you lose the option of having a yard - unless you have a very wide TH or a detached garage.

[Anonymous]

Most of those old townhomes have attached (rotting) decks. The counties stopped approving attached townhome decks because its hard to get them repaired on a regular basis as a group without having a assessment sent to the entire townhome association group.

Anyway, now most new townhomes have roofdecks. It solves the problem of repairing rotting wood, no eyesores from decks being unsafe/old, and the townhome developers needed to buy less land since they have to devote less space to the plot allotment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of those old townhomes have attached (rotting) decks. The counties stopped approving attached townhome decks because its hard to get them repaired on a regular basis as a group without having a assessment sent to the entire townhome association group.

Anyway, now most new townhomes have roofdecks. It solves the problem of repairing rotting wood, no eyesores from decks being unsafe/old, and the townhome developers needed to buy less land since they have to devote less space to the plot allotment.

They're still approving back decks here in Loudoun. Also, in both of the THs that I've lived in, the THs are individually owned, not condos, so each owner is solely responsible for their own decks, as well as any other external repairs. I've never had an assessment because of anyone else's deck.

I like the concept of roof decks, but I also know that some of my neighbors have had issues with the roof decks leaking, so would be a bit wary of them.

I do agree that no back yards means less land needed for the development. Maybe that's ok if the developer uses some/most of that saved land for public space, but it's much less pleasant if the lack of yards means that the homes are all sited very closely together with no extra green space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of those old townhomes have attached (rotting) decks. The counties stopped approving attached townhome decks because its hard to get them repaired on a regular basis as a group without having a assessment sent to the entire townhome association group.

Anyway, now most new townhomes have roofdecks. It solves the problem of repairing rotting wood, no eyesores from decks being unsafe/old, and the townhome developers needed to buy less land since they have to devote less space to the plot allotment.

They're still approving back decks here in Loudoun. Also, in both of the THs that I've lived in, the THs are individually owned, not condos, so each owner is solely responsible for their own decks, as well as any other external repairs. I've never had an assessment because of anyone else's deck.

I like the concept of roof decks, but I also know that some of my neighbors have had issues with the roof decks leaking, so would be a bit wary of them.

I do agree that no back yards means less land needed for the development. Maybe that's ok if the developer uses some/most of that saved land for public space, but it's much less pleasant if the lack of yards means that the homes are all sited very closely together with no extra green space.

Good municipalities will require it. We also have a minimum amount of land per home, even for multiple units.

It's places without restrictions, or very limited restrictions (ie county, versus a city or town govt) where they really pack them in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of those old townhomes have attached (rotting) decks. The counties stopped approving attached townhome decks because its hard to get them repaired on a regular basis as a group without having a assessment sent to the entire townhome association group.

Anyway, now most new townhomes have roofdecks. It solves the problem of repairing rotting wood, no eyesores from decks being unsafe/old, and the townhome developers needed to buy less land since they have to devote less space to the plot allotment.

They're still approving back decks here in Loudoun. Also, in both of the THs that I've lived in, the THs are individually owned, not condos, so each owner is solely responsible for their own decks, as well as any other external repairs. I've never had an assessment because of anyone else's deck.

I like the concept of roof decks, but I also know that some of my neighbors have had issues with the roof decks leaking, so would be a bit wary of them.

I do agree that no back yards means less land needed for the development. Maybe that's ok if the developer uses some/most of that saved land for public space, but it's much less pleasant if the lack of yards means that the homes are all sited very closely together with no extra green space.

Fairfax approves back decks too. The newer developments with the roof top decks have a totally different aesthetic than the neighborhoods where each townhouse has its on small yard. Definitely better for the builder since they can get more homes per acre and good if people don’t want any outdoor space. It wouldn’t appeal to us to have a roof top deck. We would prefer kids and dog to play in our own private yard without worrying about the safety from the outdoor space being above the third level.

[Anonymous]

for the same reason new townhomes are narrow 4 or even five levels. to save space and make more profit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can build more homes in the same space if they cut out the yard.

This is the reason, and this is why when we bought our townhouse we looked for those built in the 80s/90s which tend to have the garage on the front and a yard in the back

+1
we were also looking at older townhomes only - not only do they have yards, but are also built on 3 levels and are much wider (ours is 26 feet). all the new builds were so narrow unless you are going for 1.5+

[Anonymous]

I think it’s nice to believe that people will just let their dogs out to pee quickly and take them on walks, but in practice people will leave them out and let them bark at people.

[Anonymous]

I actually prefer living in a TH community with a nice park area less than an block away. People can still have pets (but fewer do) but pets aren’t left out in a tiny yard, barking at every little thing. Pets are kept inside and when they are outside, they are down the street at the park.