What’s so bad about living in a townhouse?

[Anonymous]

Townhouses are all built differently but here is why I have started to hate mine:

Less light (even with an end unit)
No storage for kid bikes, scooters
Smaller living space
Small entryway
No open space; tight hallways and stairways

But yes the social stigma has become harder. Part regret at not buying a SFH when we should have. Part frustration that my TH has not appreciated as much as Sfhs. My kid started at Catholic school last year and I’ve found myself embarrassed to be the family that lives in the type of house everyone else lived in before kids.

The house has served us well but it’s time to move on.

[Anonymous]

When we moved to DC 2 years ago, we happily swapped our SFH for a close-in rowhouse. Knowing the kids would be off to college in a few years, we wanted less home maintenance, and closer access to arts, dining, etc for our empty nest phase.

We are so happy with our decision. Have never heard a peep from our neighbor and he swears he doesn't hear our dogs (I ask him often). As an added bonus, the house stays warmer/cooler so our bills are lower. Maybe it is more about the quality workmanship of a 1920s brick house vs a newer condo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we moved to DC 2 years ago, we happily swapped our SFH for a close-in rowhouse. Knowing the kids would be off to college in a few years, we wanted less home maintenance, and closer access to arts, dining, etc for our empty nest phase.

We are so happy with our decision. Have never heard a peep from our neighbor and he swears he doesn't hear our dogs (I ask him often). As an added bonus, the house stays warmer/cooler so our bills are lower. Maybe it is more about the quality workmanship of a 1920s brick house vs a newer condo.

See, I think this makes sense given the age of your kids. I don’t think I would’ve been able to keep young kids quiet but now that mine are teens, less of a big deal. Also have a dog who is pretty good but does bark here and there. I’d feel bad if we disturbed anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in a townhouse for 10 years and it worked great for us. Then it stopped working great and we moved.

I do see posts here about people who are priced out of SFH but can't seem to contemplate a TH. That's a shame. But I understand not wanting to move once you're established.

In our area the THs are more expensive FHS. Many of the SFH. Just depends.

[Anonymous]

Our TH is worth $400k more than what we paid for it.

[Anonymous]

I'm highly allergic to cigarette smoke, pot smoke, incense, etc.

I'm also sensitive to noise.

If it weren;t for those two issues I would love to live in a townhouse because I couldnt care less about having a yard and I would like a smaller space.

What I really want is a smallish SFH with a yard that miraculously takes care of itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm highly allergic to cigarette smoke, pot smoke, incense, etc.

I'm also sensitive to noise.

If it weren;t for those two issues I would love to live in a townhouse because I couldnt care less about having a yard and I would like a smaller space.

What I really want is a smallish SFH with a yard that miraculously takes care of itself.

I also have sensitivities and haven’t had an issue. We live in a very nice neighborhood with no problems like these. We have an end unit and even have a small fenced in yard for our kids. It’s honestly great. Affordable, low maintenance and pretty spacious for a TH in Montgomery county. We have a garage, finished “basement” for the kids playroom.

[Anonymous]

I don't see an issue with a rowhome/townhome, especially if you live in a denser area with public transit and other amenities. I don't get this concern with smell and noise, if the home is built well, that shouldn't be an issue and hasn't been for us.

Though if I lived out the far our exurbs and anyway had to rely on my car, I'd at least want a big yard - otherwise what is the point of living so far our?

[Anonymous]

There is nothing wrong with it, but we went with a house because we wanted more outdoor space and to not share walls ( i often exercise at home and my husband used to keep odd hours).

But I love the layout of some townhomes. They seem roomier because the rooms are on different levels, so you can have a little more privacy.

[Anonymous]

We love our townhome and its location. In hunting we did see a fair amount of TH with strange layouts though so you do have to know which neighborhood has good floor plans.

I also agree that parking is an issue in some communities but we did find one where it’s reasonable too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Simple, shared walls. So, shared noise, shared screaming / crying kid, shared music blasting, shared barking dogs, etc etc. It was always something.

Lived in 2 THs and never heard anything. Depends on the quality of building.

[Anonymous]

Would return to a TH in a minute. Better choice all around.

[Anonymous]

I’ve never had the neighbors “smells” come through unless we both had windows open. Noises sometimes. The only ones I would say are really disruptive and you wouldn’t hear in a SFH are loud bass from watching a movie or playing a video game with a sound system. It really depends on the construction of the townhouse and how your neighbors are. We saw some when we were buying that seemed to have much thinner walls and were louder inside as a result.

[Anonymous]

They didn’t grow up this way and it makes them feel downwardly mobile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They didn’t grow up this way and it makes them feel downwardly mobile.

Ding, ding, ding