We are in the city without a yard, and sometimes I wish we could just open the door for our son to play. But flip sides is that we are walkable to everything else so he is constantly burning energy that way. Like, most people with "yards" probably drive their kids to school. We walk 15 minutes both way - 30 minutes a day. If we lived in the burbs, would my kid play in the yard for 30 minutes every day? Maybe but maybe not. There are tradeoffs. Also, my son doesn't know any better (our friends are all without yards too) so he thinks it's awesome when he goes behind our house (just a small deck and parking spot) and plays in an inflatable pool or sprinkler or does chalk drawing.

In any event, I agree with others that if you are a single parent on a budget, I would far prefer to have zero yard to maintain. Also, it sounds like you're debating between a townhouse with no yard versus one with a yard (or a small house with a small yard). It doesn't sound like you're wavering between this and a house with an acre! In which case, a lot of the cons listed above (privacy, etc) aren't resolved by getting a house with a super small yard.

You'll be fine in the townhouse. There will be times where you'll wonder if you made the right decision, or regret it. But guess what? if you bought a house with a yard and had to mow once or twice a week, you'd be ruing your decision every time you hauled that mower out. You can't win!

As a single parent, I think the maintenance time and expense might outweigh the convenience of having a yard.

I love having a yard, but my husband does the yard work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think, since you have a young child, you will really regret not having even a small yard for him or her to play in.

Thanks, that is one of my concerns.

You may feel that way but it's really OK. Is there a community playground?

We bought a house with 1 ac lot so kids can play. That was more than 10 years ago. The yard is totally unused except when I mow.

Having access to a playground would be more valuable. I have a yard now and my kid prefers the playground.

If I was a single parent, or a young person, no fucking way would I want a backyard. I hate spending so much money to maintain it, treat it for pests (like mice and mosquitoes), and landscape it out with flowers every spring and fall. I would just enjoy looking at the view if someone else maintained it, and go hang out somewhere fun like Lincoln Park.

In a perfect world you would have a house you like with a flat yard that you can afford in a location that works for you and you would also have time to maintain and play in said yard.

However, it sounds like you are a single parent of a young child. What would you have to sacrifice to have a yard? Time for maintenance, maybe time again if the commute would be worse, possibly money to buy a more expensive house. I'm guessing time and money are not things you have in excess. Buying a house is always about trade offs. If the townhouse is what works best for you, the kid will be ok without a yard.

We have a 6-year-old and a yard. She never wants to play in it by herself -- she would rather go to the playground! So for us, it's more trouble than it's worth.

I have a great yard in the City, so it is definitely possible. That would be the best of both worlds. If you live close to a park that works too. My kids love being walkable to their friends and visiting the playgrounds with them, which would not be possible in the suburbs.

Trust me, I've lived in the city without a yard and in the suburbs with one. My kids were SO MUCH HAPPIER once they had a yard to play in. It made a big difference in their quality of life. It also was great for me, since making a sojourn to a park every day was not possible and I felt guilty. Townhomes are great but, if you can swing it, I'd wait to find one with a small yard.

Pros:
No yard to maintain
Fewer pests (rats, mice, bugs)

Cons:
No outdoor space for your kid to play
Much less privacy/more exposure to your neighbors, the street, etc.
More noise and pollution (not blocked by trees and green space)
More heat (fewer trees and plants mean less shade and warmer environment)

We lived in a townhouse in DC with very little yard/patio space for almost ten years, including with a small child and I HATED it. Now have a huge yard in the suburbs and although maintenance is a pain, it's so much more peaceful and much, much cooler.

If you are a single parent you might appreciate not having the extra maintenance and yard work to manage. is there a safe green space or park nearby?

We bought a house on a tiny lot with little yard but a lot of community green space and thought it would be fine. We bought when DS was 1. It turns out that it would have been really nice to have a yard where he could play within my sight. If we want to practice baseball we have to bring all the equipment to a nearby park (like 100 yards away--not a big deal, but not the same as just going outside your own home). In retrospect I would have liked to have a little more yard space.

Anonymous wrote:I think, since you have a young child, you will really regret not having even a small yard for him or her to play in.

Thanks, that is one of my concerns.

I think, since you have a young child, you will really regret not having even a small yard for him or her to play in.

I'm currently looking for a house for me and my 6 year old. I've found a townhouse that has pretty much everything I want. The downside is, it's a back to back house so there's no backyard. There's a small patio in the front, but that's it. I just want to know what are the pros and cons to not having a backyard?