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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
melody921
member
Tell me about your townhouse/twin home
melody921
member
DH and I are officially starting our house search. YAY! We were originally thinking of a single, but with our budget, we're thinking we may get more out of a townhome or twin. If you have attached neighbors, tell me what you like/don't like. We saw a townhouse yesterday that seriously felt like a single home once you were inside, and the entryways were angled so it wasn't all front doors lined up in a row.
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Re: Tell me about your townhouse/twin home
We rented a townhouse for over a year and it was set up sort of the way you said the one you saw was.You can hear loud noises and sometimes see through windows if you do not have blinds and so on.The TH we lived in had three floors-so that was a lot of steps with a baby.So think a lot of baby gates and so on.
Our floor plan was not the best-it was sort of chopped up.I am sure there are better TH out there, it did not bother us too much since we were just renting,I would not have bought that TH. But we are also house hunting and if we find a TH we like we would probably buy it.
GL
Our TH feels like a single once you're inside. I personally love our house and neighbors. The shared walls block out any neighbor noises. I live next door to a young family with a and 6 year old and I never hear them, unless they are outside.
My only complaint is that you feel like the neighbors are on top of you (in the backyard).
We love our townhome. There is occasional noise that we hear from next door - we do not hear talking, it sounds like something large got dropped, and it is infrequent, so my guess is that is what is happening. We love that we are not responsible for snow removal and landscaping, etc. We also have one that is 3 levels - and while yes, there are a lot of steps, we like it because it separates living spaces.
We're in the process of getting the place ready to sell - we just need more space, as we constantly have out-of-town family in. But if our situation were different we'd stay here a lot longer!
Our townhouse actually has a really nice set up. We have 3 levels--3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. The entrances are staggered so like a pp said, the front doors aren't all lined up and it feels like we are a little more separate from the others.
We also have a large back porch and since we are in an end unit, we have a huge yard in the back and on the side of the TH. We rarely hear our neighbors. It works perfectly for us now while the kids are little!
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"Karma1969: If baking someone a birthday pie/cake is romantic, I must be a slut."
My baby is two!!! Baby girl 9/17/09
My other baby is still a baby! Baby Boy 11-30-11
Things to consider:
1. Are you allowed to fence the yard? Leave toys out? Put up a kiddie pool? Some of our biggest issues with our townhouse are related to the yard. We are not permitted to fence - we actually don't have a yard. Our property ends at our deck. So, it makes it difficult to have outdoor play areas for DD. It also causes major figthts at the annual meeting.
2. Is the driveway doublewide? Are you allowed to park your cars in guest parking? Do you have a garage? We have a single garage, with a single driveway spot and we are NOT allowed to park in guest parking. It's a major PITA - doing the car shuffle every morning and night. Especially in the rain.
3. Do you have enough room to call this your "forever home"? We thought this was our starter - but the way things are looking - this is our "forever home." If I had known that, I would have gotten the model that had 3 bedrooms instead of 2. Or I would have gotten a smaller single - where we could build up or out.
4. What is your tolerance for other humans? It sounds silly, but you have to be more tolerant living in a townhome. You will absolutely hear some noise. People will have parties. People will forget to weed their half of the mulch area. People will stop you in your driveway and want to chat for 30 minutes - EVERY SINGLE DAY. The neighborhood kids will come to see your LO every time you're trying to get into the house. People will fight at the board meetings - screaming and yelling - over parking, trash, cats, toys, speeding - whatever.
All that said - it works for us. But, am I kicking myself for getting us financially stuck in a townhome forever - heck ya.
This particular townhome that we saw won't work for us bc the yard was too small -- almost all of it was taken up by the patio, so even if we fenced it, it would be miniscule and wouldn't accommodate our dog. And this one wasn't in a HOA, so no fees. But I LOVED the inside of it. Even though it's pretty vertical, it felt like it could work well for our family and allow us to entertain bc it had a pretty open layout. It just got me thinking there are more options than we initially thought when we were starting out and thought we'd only consider singles. Thanks everyone for so much input! It really helps to hear from others who are living in similar circumstances.
I lived in a condo with dh and a townhouse with my parents and the WORST thing about them both is the HOA. I hated it. THey have so many restrictions and rules.
We had bad experiences so we always said that we would not do that again.
What state do you live in?
We have the same problem. We put a kiddie pool on our deck. So, last week I convinced DH that he and I should put on our suits, get some beers and sit in their with DD. We're not in there two minutes, and the neighbor kids come over and want to see the baby. Then their Mom comes over and talks to us for 30 minutes. It was so awkward and totally ruined the family moment.
I get what you're saying from the parent end, but just wanted to put in my two cents from the kid end. I grew up in a twin home and in a community where as soon as I walked into the backyard or jumped out of the car when we got home, there were kids everywhere. I LOVED it. Yes, we could hear the neighbors and yes, there wasn't really any privacy (we knew which neighbors fought all the time, could hear them through the open windows in summer, etc.), but as a kid, I never knew any differently. I was given a lot of freedom to play by myself in the neighborhood because my parents knew all the other kids and their parents. The parents really relied on each other, too. If someone was held up at work or something, their kids knew they'd find dinner that night at one of the neighbors' houses. (Admittedly, it was a totally different time, when latch-key kids were the norm.)
As an adult now, I honestly can't imagine trading all of that for a big backyard. But I guess it all depends on what you grew up with. I've never, ever lived in a single family home or in a suburb, so it's a totally abstract concept.
We're in PA
It probably totally depends on where you live and the community. I grew up in a rural/suburban neighborhood. Each home had 3-4 acres and there was a 100 acre wooded watershed area. There were about 25 houses in the development, so lots of kids. We spent hours on our bikes and in the woods. There were neighborhood Christmas parties and bbqs. It was a fabulous place to grow up. So, that's kind of my dream - privacy on my own property, but an area where kids can play safely.
I live in a twin and I really love my house. The only complaint and it isnt even a complaint is that I can hear my neighbor opening and closing her closet doors. We share our bedroom walls so when I am laying in bed at night, I can hear her in there. But otherwise, I dont even notice we share a wall.
I am also lucky in the fact that my neighbor is a single older woman who is rarely home. Our backyard is fenced in and I dont feel like anyone is on top of us if we are outback playing. And i have no issues with parking. We have a driveway and street parking.
Dh and I are looking to move next summer out of the city limits and if I could just lift my house and put it in the new location, I would.
We own a townhouse and it's been really nice for us. Compared to stand alone houses in the same price range, this house was a little bigger and didn't have as much updating. It was very livable. We are attached by a firewall through our closet, master bathroom, and garage and hear very little noise.
We love our neighbors and we got really, really lucky there. There are some people in the neighborhood that we would not have liked to be attached to, but the ones we have are very considerate and giving and we actually consider them family.
I can't see us staying here forever. When we eventually go to buy a forever home, we won't have to worry too much about selling this one. We could keep a hold of this, rent it, and be fine. But we got a really good deal, so that might not be an option with every townhouse.
In short, I love my house, but I can't see us living here for very long. I think it really depends on the market, the location, what you're actually buying (land and house wise) and who you'll be attached to.