Kids affected by apartment living?

Roselm

Hi all. Just wondering what people think about bringing up kids in an apartment complex.
I am looking at buying somewhere in the next few years and hopefully also starting a family.
Apartments seem cheaper for more space and newer property. Ideally I was thinking a ground floor duplex with a garden so that it feels like a house once you're inside.Have people found that apartment complexes have noticeably more antisocial behaviour/teenagers hanging around.
Was thinking Skerries/Swords/Donabate.
Thanks guys

The Corinthian

Roselm wrote: »

Hi all. Just wondering what people think about bringing up kids in an apartment complex.

Doesn't do any harm to many kids throughout continental Europe, where it's more common than living in the house.

Have people found that apartment complexes have noticeably more antisocial behaviour/teenagers hanging around.

Depends on the building. Some will be investment properties, rented out to, typically, younger people (twenties and thirties). Some are full of retired couples and widowed/divorced people for whom the family home was too large in their old age. Some are corporation flats, full of scumbags. And increasingly you're getting buildings with young families, or more settled individuals.

So the answer is yes, no and find out who your potential neighbours will be before you buy.

anncoates

Just consider the proposal that every kid ever brought up in a house is supposed to be fulfilled and happy and there's your answer. :pac:

There's no ideal place to rear children. People rear happy kids everywhere and in all kinds of dwellings.

Planemo

The Corinthian wrote: »

Some are corporation flats, full of scumbags

Nice :rolleyes:

hoodwinked

we are in a ground floor apartment and its home to our three year old, she has her room, with her bed and her stuff and her mum and dad who she knows love her,

she is the happiest girl i've ever met (i know im biased but everyone comments on it)

size really doesn't matter to them, there is only the 3 of us so we'd be lost in a three bed house, plus the extra time i would spend cleaning (as unused spaces tend to get dirtier than used space) i now spend playing with her


there are cons e.g if you expand your family will it still have the room? and being closer to neighbours means more noise levels.... but in general we've not had much issue,


there are council duplexs/apartments where we are we just tend to keep to ourselves anyway but we stay polite to everyone and they seem like nice people we have one or two troublemakers but one is a house owner and one is a council tenant so don't let that deter you, before you buy hang out in the area briefly at 8am 3pm 9pm...etc for a few days and see what its like, but remember too other families will have young children who will grow up and could be the 'gang' in 10 years time....
it goes in cycles so if you stay there for years you will see groups come and go.

syklops

Doesn't do any harm to many kids throughout continental Europe, where it's more common than living in the house.

Yeah but on the continent you are never much more than 5 minutes away from some kind of communal green area which is not always the case in Ireland. You are also usually given access to the basement and can store bikes, or skis, or any kind of outdoorsy equipment. Not sure if thats the case in Irish apartment buildings either.

As another poster said there are few ideal places to raise kids.

ElleEm

I wouldn't necessarily refer to a duplex with a garden as an apartment, as you have your own outdoor space and won't have to be concerned about the noise of your child running around as there is noone "downstairs" to p!ss off.

The Corinthian

syklops wrote: »

Yeah but on the continent you are never much more than 5 minutes away from some kind of communal green area which is not always the case in Ireland. You are also usually given access to the basement and can store bikes, or skis, or any kind of outdoorsy equipment. Not sure if thats the case in Irish apartment buildings either.

Completely agree. Ireland is way behind the continent in this regard - even the building quality is laughable, but I could say that equally of houses as I could of apartments.

I grew up in an apartment in Italy for my first six, or so, years and I was happy there. There were 'communal green areas', but you wouldn't let your kids play there alone because of the gypsies, and by the time you would let them do so they'd be too old for them and instead play sports at the local school.

Having a cellar for storage on the continent does make a big difference, I'd agree. But so do the regulations that deal with deposits, building maintenance, condominium charges and the rest, that don't exist in Ireland.

However, my advice would remain the same - a child can grow up quite happily in an apartment, but it really comes down to choosing the right apartment. Viable options may be thinner on the ground in Ireland, but that doesn't mean that they don't, increasing, exist.