Disadvantages of 3 Bed Terraced vs. 3 Bed Semi-D?

Galwayhurl

As per title, besides size, what are the disadvantages of a terraced vs. a semi-D?

Do all terraced owners have to keep their wheely bins at the front of the house or is there somewhere else they can keep them? I'm talking in terms of new builds estates.

Anything else to consider?

D3V!L

Galwayhurl wrote: »

As per title, besides size, what are the disadvantages of a terraced vs. a semi-D?

Do all terraced owners have to keep their wheely bins at the front of the house or is there somewhere else they can keep them? I'm talking in terms of new builds estates.

Anything else to consider?

Noise !

I lived in a end of terrace for years and had a neighbour 3 doors down that liked slamming their front door. They would shake the block.

gourcuff

in a semi d and keep the bins out the front

terraced you obv adjoin neighbours on both sides, i can really hear next door so wouldn't want that on both sides, if there was better noise barriers it probably wouldn't be an issue.

Im a bit more relaxed having music or tv loud in the living room as it doesnt adjoin next door so having people both sides might be a bit annoying..

awec

The main issue is lack of access to the back garden except via the house, which means bins out the front and bikes either out the front or brought through the house.

Obviously you're joined on both sides so if they're poorly built there'll be more noise.

An end of terrace is basically a semi d, there is no difference.

GingerLily

I'm end of terrace and I hear as much from the neighbour bringing bin etc down the side passage as I do from the connected house. It obviously depends on the neighbours but apart from when our neighbours are building furniture I don't hear them at all.
We get more noise from the gardens!

Disadvantages are - no side passage!!

AndrewJRenko

Bikes - having to bring bikes for adults or kids into or through the house is a PITA. But you can't generally leave bikes in a front garden and expect them to be still there next morning.

Galwayhurl

GingerLily wrote: »

I'm end of terrace and I hear as much from the neighbour bringing bin etc down the side passage as I do from the connected house. It obviously depends on the neighbours but apart from when our neighbours are building furniture I don't hear them at all.
We get more noise from the gardens!

Disadvantages are - no side passage!!

If you're end of terrace, doesn't that mean that your neighbour is mid terrace? So how are they bringing their bin down the side passage?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding

Gumbo

Side entrance.
Washing cars.
Kids bikes.
Lawnmower.
Garden works access.
Kids toys, bouncy castle. Trampoline etc

Cant put a price on a side entrance, invaluable.

Galwayhurl

Gumbo wrote: »

Side entrance.
Washing cars.
Kids bikes.
Lawnmower.
Garden works access.
Kids toys, bouncy castle. Trampoline etc

Cant put a price on a side entrance, invaluable.

That list really sells the side entrance.

I saw on one new build estate that the terraced houses had a walkway/passage that ran along the back of all the terraced gardens and then around on to the street. Not many other new build estates have that unfortunately.

I live in a 3-bed mid-terrace, we have a lane out the back that you can drive down, and a garage so access isn't an issue. The absolute main problem for me is noise, we have asshole neighbours on one side who blast music at all hours and just generally don't give a **** who they bother.

If we didn't have rear access it would nearly be enough to put me off though I have to say. We use the back of the house probably more than the front, the kids buggy just stays in the garage, all the shopping comes in the back, it's a pay-and-display street so we always have a parking spot available.

anplaya27

Have a detached house. 2 side entrances. Its mainly for access reasons it's good. Am Deaf ( profound) so noise doesnt bother me.

Tazium

I'm in a mid-terrace, well insulated and we don't hear neighbours. We've only grass at the back so no need for mower through the house. Lack of a side entrance isn't an issue for us anyway, an advantage may be considered as more secure and warmer too. Bins have a purpose built bricked storage section to the front so not a problem and less movement on them when they are due too.

Not faced any issue so far anyway, we're having one of those log cabin yokes installed in the summer hopefully and they've no issue marching the needed equipment and fixings through the house.

Gregor Samsa

I grew up in a 3 bed mid-terraced house.

As said above, main issues are potential noise from neighbours, and access to the back garden. The noise thing really depends first of all on the neighbours themselves, and secondly on the construction of the house. But clearly, having two direct interfaces with other households, rather than one or none, is going to increase the chance of noise. We were lucky on that front. We had elderly single women living in both houses either side of us, and never heard a peep from the,. We (as a family) were probably a source of noise for them, though (we never had any complaints). My brother lives in the house now, and one of the neighbours is building an extension and doing internal renovations, and he's plagued with the noise (although he knows it'll only be temporary).

About the access, we always kept our bins in the back, but it means wheeling them though the house. Same with the lawnmower and bikes. Out house did have a gated private lane at the back, so there was the option of not very convenient access around there, but if you don't have that, then you should also take access into account for construction or landscaping in your back garden. Anything like blocks, topsoil, plants, decking, patio slabs etc. will have to be taken in though the house, and you won't be able to get a mini-digger, or possibly some shed kits, back there. In fact, access to the back garden depends on the internal layout of your house. If you have a run straight though from front door to back, it can be ok. But if there's a sharp turn into a room off the hallway, it might be very difficult or impossible to get some things though. We used to have to move a sofa each time we bought the bins in and out (don't know why my father insisted on keeping them out back, but he did). Running a hose from the back garden to the front is usually much easier than running it though the house.

Another thing is that a semi-d usually gives you a wider front and back garden - you gain the space of the side passage. You can always build a lean-to in the side passage too, meaning you still have most of your back garden access, while saving the space for a traditional shed back there.

I live in a semi-d now and wouldn't go back, but I realise that some locations (particularly older and more central parts of cities), there isn't an option - so it'a a matter of weighing up the disadvantages of the terraced house against the advantages of the location. But all other things being equal, I'd go for the semi-D (or end of terrace) over the mid-terraces house every time. Truth be told, my next house will definitely be detached (but I live in a part of the country where that's financially feasible).

maxsmum

We are in a terrace, had extensive renovations done and were surprised at no issues for tradespeople without side entrance, don't have bikes but neighbour has a shed thingy built for his in the front, ours are very old and no noise issues, think walls are very thick.
Advantage as pointed out when one neighbour in the terrace died (who used to have heating on all day) was that his neighbour's house became very cold as a result! I am not sure if it's true that a terrace is warmer but that's what she said!
Room to extend on side of a semi d would probably have been nice. Where we live a 3 bed semi d is unheard of but end of terrace has a nice extension done on the side.

Bold Abdu

Lived in a terraced house for a long time.


Access to sewer pipe is at the back of the house. When that gets blocked Dynorod has to run a hose all through your house to get the blockage cleared. Not nice!


Have moved since.

GingerLily

Galwayhurl wrote: »

If you're end of terrace, doesn't that mean that your neighbour is mid terrace? So how are they bringing their bin down the side passage?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding

I can hear the adjacent end of terrace neighbour bringing the bins out. Our side passages are beside each other.

rightmove

End of terrace might seem the best middle ground with having side access etc but with nominated (not owned!) parking and usually a footpath in front of the house (thinking estate terrace not street in a town) its still a PITA. Ppl will park in your spots because they are not REALLY yours. They are for you but you dont own them. And neighbours will often leave their stuff outside your house because you dont own the street part either even if you have a patch of grass the far side of it.

In this country try and avoid having to share anything in a communal fashion. Not everyone has the common sense gene

I'm mid-terrace and while yes, the lawnmower is an inconvenience - and the gutters if your neighbour doesn't clean theirs - I like the added sense of security it brings.

My neighbours on either end of the terrace have had intruders at the sides of their houses and in their back gardens at times, and sheds have been broken into and items stolen a couple of times. but I've never had an issue. To get to the back of my house or my shed a thief would have to leapfrog across three gardens on one side and two on the other. Its not worth the bother to them.

If I were to move, I'd go fully detatched.

(eta) I keep my bins out the back and bring them through. Each bin only goes out about once a month, so not that big a deal. I get them steam cleaned a couple of times a year, too, so its fine.

Dunston

All else being equal, what's the general premium applied to the pricing of detached units v semi-d v mid-terraced units in new build developments?

Bio Mech

Dunston wrote: »

All else being equal, what's the general premium applied to the pricing of detached units v semi-d v mid-terraced units in new build developments?

in our estate a mid terrace 4 bed is about 10% cheaper than the equivalent 4 bed end of terrace. The 4 bed semis are again about 10% more than the end terrace. The 4 bed end terrace and the semis are almost identical in terms of the actual house but the semis have a driveway. The end of terrace have a designated space outside and a small planted area but not a proper driveway and front garden like the semis do. so in and around 390k for the mids. 440k for an end and 480 for a semi. give or take depending on the actual house.

JustAThought

I wasn’t aware until I started binge watching renovation & buying homes programmes during the lockdown that end of terrace houses - particularly older ines - are known to have issues with bulge - the outer wall being probe to issues from being the ‘only’ freestanding one in the terrace that has no supporting other sode or opposing counterweight.

Re terrace if I was buying I’d buy detatched if possible so that I would have no neighbours. Having said that all the issues with having neighbour issues are multiplied somewhat in a semi-d or detached - they are likely to have more cars, more (noisy) children, more people over and parties in the garden - even more noise & car parking issues.

That being said our family home always had two cold sides because it was freestanding ( not attached).

That being said a side passage is invaluable but as everyone will tell you is a magnet for thieves and issues - most burglaries from the 80’s and 90’s were from back door/ side passage entry. I guess cctv and sensor lighting has fixed that somewhat.

Re bins you’d be shocked at how dirty and inconsiderate people with full size front gardens can be - leaving them at out outside the gate or leaving them in the toad all day or steaming dirty along a public path - it just goes to show money can’t buy you class.

As for terraces and bins and as one OP hs said, they can only go out once a month and be cleaned by contracters regularly. Many people now have wooden camaflague houses for them in their terraced front gardens. Personally I’d prefer them round the back for security and convenience but who wants their BBQ & loungers along black bins! First world problems!!

I think the biggest issue with terraces old or new is parking & inconsideration by neighbours parking their cars outside your house or badly parking so you are squeezed too tight or their kids and guests taking your spaces for their convenience - even if allocated. Thats the biggest headwreck and one that will drive you insane in ways you could never have imagined no matter how convenient or well priced the terrace.

Terraced houses shre the warmth and for newer ones are definately cheaper to heat and warmer!

seamus

Gumbo wrote: »

Side entrance.
Washing cars.
Kids bikes.
Lawnmower.
Garden works access.
Kids toys, bouncy castle. Trampoline etc

Cant put a price on a side entrance, invaluable.

This.

I'm mid-terrace. The only way I would buy mid-terrace again is if the house and the rear garden were absolutely pristine and required nothing but simple maintenance.

Bikes I can handle. They're not heavy. And there's a certain amount of comfort in knowing that someone has to vault multiple walls to steal stuff from the back. I've stored a bike outside for years and it's never been touched.

It's the big jobs that kill me. Anything that needs equipment and building supplies moved from front to back (and vice-versa). You can either pay a premium for builders to do it all by hand (and wreck your house), or you can do it all yourself by hand.

For example, imagine you want to pour a concrete base out the back. You can either hup 50 bags of cement through the house, or you can wheelbarrow fresh concrete through your house, no doubt spilling some on the way. You might be able to get it pumped, but for such a small amount of concrete it would be insanely expensive.

So yeah. If you're sure you'll never need to do any large works out the back, it's worth considering. Otherwise, go with the semi-D.

brocbrocach

Side passage has other functions that aren't missed until you don't have one. If you wanted to change heating, ventilation or plumbing layout in a mid-terrace house, for example installing the boiler in a different room or putting a new toilet in the middle of the house then the piping/outflow all has to come through either the rear or the front. If you're unlucky, the combination of pre-existing features and building regulations might force you to put these in a place you really don't want at much greater expense. We had to put a flue up through a flat roof as the regs meant we couldn't put it through the rear wall.
A side passage offers really easy options for pipes and flues.

Elessar

rightmove wrote: »

End of terrace might seem the best middle ground with having side access etc but with nominated (not owned!) parking and usually a footpath in front of the house (thinking estate terrace not street in a town) its still a PITA. Ppl will park in your spots because they are not REALLY yours. They are for you but you dont own them. And neighbours will often leave their stuff outside your house because you dont own the street part either even if you have a patch of grass the far side of it.

In this country try and avoid having to share anything in a communal fashion. Not everyone has the common sense gene

100% agree. If you drive at the very least buy a house with a private driveway (seem to be rarer these days!).

As these new estates mature and car numbers grow you're in for a headache imo.

Oh and forget about owning an electric car without a driveway.

GingerLily

Regarding the pricing in new estates anyway, the detached and semi detached tend to have nicer gardens / orientations so it's hard to know the premium for just the detached status without factoring in the aspect and size of the garden

Elessar

Elessar wrote: »

100% agree. If you drive at the very least buy a house with a private driveway (seem to be rarer these days!).

As these new estates mature and car numbers grow you're in for a headache imo.

Oh and forget about owning an electric car without a driveway.

Personally, a private driveway would be more important to me than a side-entrance. But both would be good.

maxsmum

Deleted User wrote: »

Personally, a private driveway would be more important to me than a side-entrance. But both would be good.

I think a lot of this depends on whether it's a new estate with no private driveway, terraced older houses that open straight onto street, etc

We have an old house with private driveway in middle of terrace. So we don't notice a lot of the disadvantages but as someone said we couldn't move our boiler, I forgot about that! it worked out in the end but it literally could not be moved despite a big renovation being done.

JustAThought

maxsmum wrote: »

I think a lot of this depends on whether it's a new estate with no private driveway, terraced older houses that open straight onto street, etc

We have an old house with private driveway in middle of terrace. So we don't notice a lot of the disadvantages but as someone said we couldn't move our boiler, I forgot about that! it worked out in the end but it literally could not be moved despite a big renovation being done.

My parents house has the boiler in its own little ‘house’ in the garden!

House Hunt

Interesting, 3 beds in my place were 490/500/525/545 for mid/end/semi/detached, and detached had a bigger floor space & garden.
Semi D's were probably the worst value of the lot as the gardens & floorspace were identical to end of terrace units plus priced out of the HTB bracket

Kerry25x

I live in a 1940's terraced house, literally have never heard the slightest noise from either of my next door neighbours and there's 6 or 7 of them in a house share on one side. Old thick stone walls I guess?

We keep our bins out front, we have a big willow tree in the front yard so kind of tuck them in behind that so they're not really too visible.

We did a big DIY garden renovation during the first lockdown, put down new paving, artificial grass etc. Thats when we really felt the hassel of living in a terraced house, we had 5 tons of sand and gravel dropped over the front wall which we then had to transfer one wheelbarrow at a time through the house!

hmmm

Terraces strike me as having all the disadvantages of apartments and none of the advantages. The point of them I presume is slightly lower cost and meeting density requirements from planners.

maxsmum

hmmm wrote: »

Terraces strike me as having all the disadvantages of apartments and none of the advantages. The point of them I presume is slightly lower cost and meeting density requirements from planners.

It depends when they were built. We live in an old terrace, totally soundproof walls. The sound of someone running across the ceiling overhead (as in an apartment) would drive me batty.
Have own front door and driveway, back door and garden, stairs, attic converted, no annual maintenance fees, no lift breaking down! Lots of advantages.

jayjay2010

I live in a mid-terrace home near the city centre (property circa. 1850s)

Pros:
.Added sense of security: less potential entry points for break-ins
.I assume the property is warmer as it is sandwiched between 2 properties

Cons:
.No side garden for bins, but as I live near the city, we don't have wheely bins anyway and we use city-bags instead so this isn't much of an issue for me.

No kids, eldery neighbours so no noise. So far, so good!

hmmm

hmmm wrote: »

Terraces strike me as having all the disadvantages of apartments and none of the advantages. The point of them I presume is slightly lower cost and meeting density requirements from planners.

I can't think of a single advantage to an apartment, over a terrace?

hmmm

Deleted User wrote: »

I can't think of a single advantage to an apartment, over a terrace?

No external maintenance, security, usually better views, lower heating bills.

I don't want to get into a one vs the other because it's off-topic, but every type of property has its pluses and minuses.

theteal

I've seen a few mentions of security. I've genuinely never once had it as a consideration with any of my house moves. Well, maybe I'd avoid an area completely if it looked dodgy but never as regards the type of house.

Anyway, I grew up in a 1950s Dublin terrace. Good size and we never heard a peep from either side. As has been mentioned a few times, bikes, lawnmower etc had to be lifted through the house - I'm having flashbacks of the mother giving out as I type.

Its only been older semis since (actually was sale agreed on a terrace at one point but pulled out) and the convenience is a massive bonus. Garden cuttings, hoses e.g stuff I would never really thought about, all carried around the side.

I would stress that I prefer older houses for sound proof reasons. I have 2 friends with much newer semis in different parts of Kildare who have terrible issues with adjoined neighbour sound - they both mentioned they can hear when stuff is plugged/unplugged on the adjoining wall :eek: