How much is a garden worth to you.

mariaalice

If you were a couple and has two small children and you were give a choice of

(a) A proper family sized apartment with good storage and a playground and park near by, with good public transport etc, in the area you want. It would be more mixed socially as it would have at least 20% social and low income homes.

verses

(b) outer suburban area where you would have a house with your own garden, a green for the children to play on more privacy, a commute to work.

So basically would you be willing to sacrifice a garden to live in your desired area if you had small children.

the_syco

House. You don't have to be with them to keep an eye on them. Also, they can go out to play without having to go far.

smash

With a family, I'd have a house over an apartment. At least you have people just on maybe either side and not on all sides. Plus it means the kids could make friends on the road. In an apartment that wouldn't happen as much.

kneemos

Don't think I've ever seen children playing in their garden.

coffee_cake

kneemos wrote: »

Don't think I've ever seen children playing in their garden.

Do you watch their back gardens a lot yea

Shakespeare's Sister

kneemos wrote: »

Don't think I've ever seen children playing in their garden.

They're probably playing in the back garden.

House for sure OP. I'd say most will go for house and those who go for apartment might be more likely to be from the European mainland.

Kim Kardashi Un

1. Sell the children
2. Buy the apartment
3. Buy the house

Duggy747

Wouldn't matter to me, I'd keep the brats in cages anyway.

kneemos

bluewolf wrote: »

Do you watch their back gardens a lot yea

Well not since the incident...

But if they're anyway hardy they're generally playing on the local green patch,a park or the road.

mariaalice

But surely Irish people could learn to like family apartment living if the apartment were good enough and you had a playground near by.

Green Mile

I would absolutely pick a house with a garden over an apartment. Think of the BBQs during our 3 day long summer.


Also there’s no maintenance management fees with house owners. You’ll have to fork out a lot per year for apartment maintenance of the premises such as painting halls, lights in corridors etc etc and from what I know, the property management makes a bomb on this and doesn't provide a whole lot in return.

Lalealea

mariaalice wrote: »

If you were a couple and has two small children and you were give a choice of

(a) A proper family sized apartment with good storage and a playground and park near by, with good public transport etc, in the area you want. It would be more mixed socially as it would have at least 20% social and low income homes.

verses

(b) outer suburban area where you would have a house with your own garden, a green for the children to play on more privacy, a commute to work.

So basically would you be willing to sacrifice a garden to live in your desired area if you had small children.

If the apartment has a playground and park nearby I don't think it makes a difference.

Lalealea

Garden's are nice though. But I don't think it makes a huge diff.

The Backwards Man

I couldn't live in a house without at least half an acre with it, kids or no kids. Nowhere to grow my spuds and other vegetables, nowhere to put up a turf shed, nowhere to put up a garage to service my cars, nowhere to let my dog run about, nowhere to sink a well and harvest rainwater.

I'd rather be dead.

PauloMN

mariaalice wrote: »

So basically would you be willing to sacrifice a garden to live in your desired area if you had small children.

House without question. Children don't stay small for long either, so the bolded bit won't be relevant for very long - unless you're only talking about holding on to this property for a short time?

Are you talking about buying or renting?

Also I've never seen what I would consider a proper family apartment in Ireland. Seen plenty on the continent, but apartments are a relatively new concept in Ireland and any I've seen have most definitely not been suitable for families.

Lalealea

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I couldn't live in a house without at least half an acre with it, kids or no kids. Nowhere to grow my spuds and other vegetables, nowhere to put up a turf shed, nowhere to put up a garage to service my cars, nowhere to let my dog run about, nowhere to sink a well and harvest rainwater.

I'd rather be dead.

That's the ideal maybe. But...you can improvise.


You can use an allotment.

And the best tomato I have ever tasted came from ones grown out of a window box.


And i could use my parents garden to grow stuff.


I like your harvesting rainwater idea though.

And living off the land. Feck it lets move to sherwood.

Lalealea

You make do with what you must.

Shakespeare's Sister

mariaalice wrote: »

But surely Irish people could learn to like family apartment living if the apartment were good enough and you had a playground near by.

Apartments aren't built with families in mind here though.

Teyla Emmagan

A million times the house. I have so many friends stuck in apartments with small kids who would give anything for a garden where the kids could play. The old thing of being able to make the dinner while keeping an eye on the kids at the same time. parks are fine but you can't get a few jobs done at the same time. Even having a paddling pool or a sandpit. And apartments have no storage for all the stuff kids need. And if you are home all day with the kids an apartment would drive you mad.

Shenshen

Depends which areas has the better non-denominational schools?

endacl

Apartment for me. House for the kids. I'd allow them monthly access, once they behaved and cleaned up after themselves.

Tokyo

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I couldn't live in a house without at least half an acre with it, kids or no kids. Nowhere to grow my spuds and other vegetables, nowhere to put up a turf shed, nowhere to put up a garage to service my cars, nowhere to let my dog run about, nowhere to sink a well and harvest rainwater.

I'd rather be dead.

A thousand times this. Except change that to 50 acres.

galah

Detached house, always! Even just for the fact that apartments here are ****tily built, so you (and your neighbours) hear everything. (Same goes for estate houses). I'm very glad we dont have neighbours that close so our three year old can have tantrums in peace, and our baby can teethe, without anyone calling social services :P same applies to the invariably noisy toys other people insist on buying your kids

Garden is essential, even on a "sunny spells" day you can go outside and play until it rains, basically popping in and out, you wont do that if it's a trek to the playground/park. And you can teach your kids about gardening, growing things, weeding, garden animals etc - and dont forget the space for the bouncy castle :P

Summer wind

House with garden is always better than an apartment.

Irish Steve

House,

If for no other reason that that right now, even with all the supposed changes, apartments in Ireland are not even close to being suitable for family living. There's no storage for the many items that are part of children's growing up, and in most cases, there's not even enough space for properly storing the now essential 3 different wheelie bins. There are plenty of other issues, and some were mentioned already.

Management companies, they seem to be a nightmare, as is the whole issue of communal services, lights, etc. Then there's the problems of adequate internet, phone, and satellite cabling, water, which will become a much bigger issue as time goes on due to the whole metering scandal, and depending on the nature of construction of the block, there will be issues with heating, you may have to use gas, without the choice of other fuels.

In larger blocks, if there are gates on the area, getting deliveries in and out can be a problem too.

A lot needs to change before apartment living with children will become a viable option in Ireland.

mariaalice

Irish Steve wrote: »

House,

If for no other reason that that right now, even with all the supposed changes, apartments in Ireland are not even close to being suitable for family living. There's no storage for the many items that are part of children's growing up, and in most cases, there's not even enough space for properly storing the now essential 3 different wheelie bins. There are plenty of other issues, and some were mentioned already.

Management companies, they seem to be a nightmare, as is the whole issue of communal services, lights, etc. Then there's the problems of adequate internet, phone, and satellite cabling, water, which will become a much bigger issue as time goes on due to the whole metering scandal, and depending on the nature of construction of the block, there will be issues with heating, you may have to use gas, without the choice of other fuels.

In larger blocks, if there are gates on the area, getting deliveries in and out can be a problem too.

A lot needs to change before apartment living with children will become a viable option in Ireland.

If all those issue were over come, children are brought up in other countries in apartments.. and it was a proper community and most importantly it was the area where you want to live as opposed to where you could afforded, would anyone else consider it.

PauloMN

mariaalice wrote: »

If all those issue were over come, children are brought up in other countries in apartments.. and it was a proper community and most importantly it was the area where you want to live as opposed to where you could afforded, would anyone else consider it.

People probably would. But this is Ireland, so "proper" doesn't come into it with apartments. The apartments I've been in in France, Germany etc. have storage for bikes, freezers, washing equipment and so on as well as decent fitted storage in each room. In Ireland people put their bikes on the tiny little balconies. I've been in an apartment block in Santry with ample underground parking which is empty. Everyone parks on the road which is crammed with cars. Why? Because cars have been burned out in the underground car park. Same old story with everything in Ireland.

c_man

House with the garden. Plenty of room for the kids to play in, muck around and be coming and going with no bother.

Also a little shed down the bottom of the yard, where I could try my hand at home brewing and maybe growing some stuff for personal use.

the evasion_kid

A suburban house with a garden that would make the front cover of better homes and gardens

iguana

mariaalice wrote: »

If all those issue were over come, children are brought up in other countries in apartments.. and it was a proper community and most importantly it was the area where you want to live as opposed to where you could afforded, would anyone else consider it.

Not me anyway, even the best, most well thought out apartment would never suit my lifestyle. I recently moved, with my nearly 2 year old, from a house with a small concrete garden to one with a great big garden and the difference in our lives is immense. On our very first morning here I opened the backdoor and he ran around squealing with joy while made breakfast. Then after breakfast I washed up while he ran around outside. Then all day I unpacked, painted the kitchen doors, washed floors, etc, while he ran around having great fun.

That would be impossible in an apartment. You can't send a toddler off alone to the complex/nearby playground while you get on with your chores. What happens is they pester you to take them out, they get under your feet while you try to work, you give up as you aren't getting anything done and take them outside. After half an hour you start remembering all you have to do and try to take them home. They cry, which is awful but understandable because of course a small child wants more than a half hour of outside play. Eventually you take them home, you feel guilty for spoiling their fun, you know it wasn't enough for them but you have to get on with things. You go home, they are cranky and still full of energy and every little job you have to do takes longer because your child needs so much of your attention to amuse them.

Sure as things go, that's a first world problem and if an energetic, frustrated toddler getting between you and your housework is the worst of your problems you have it damn good compared to most people to have ever lived. But it is still a problem for both you and the child and it wouldn't be in a house with a garden.

lanos

House for 6 reasons
Pets
Unloading shopping from car
Real open fire
BBQ/shed/kids pool/cutting grass
back yard burning
No rules to observe