To find it hard to adjust to this kind of home?

You write as if you've never seen this type of terrace even on TV?

Yes a completely ordinary terraced house.

You are fine not to buy one, and some people don't buy them because they like to have the buffer of a garden, but they are completely ordinary.

In plenty of areas straight onto street terraces are extremely desirable as they are in conservation areas. High price per square metre!

Do you think Coronation Street is horrendous then?

"Horrendous"?! That's my street, and rhe one next to it, and the one connecting them. I live in a very popular area. None of us is filled with horror!

Not where I live. It sounds horrendous. Even when I lived in 2 bed terrace, there was a front garden to separate the house from the street.

Since you haven’t bought a house of this type yet, I’d recommend holding off unless it’s the only option within your budget. In that case, your best bet is to buy it and focus on making it as secure and private as possible. People have shared some helpful suggestions, and I’d also suggest doing more research on ways to feel safer.

I’m not fond of this style of terraced houses either.

#1, always lock your door. Doesn't matter how safe you think the neighborhood is, or if you've never done it before because you think it's unfriendly, always lock your door. Get into the habit. Even if you're just going out for a minute, lock the darn door.

#2, you can get one way mirror film, the same stuff that you can purchase for your cars if you're so inclined for that, and put it on your windows that face the pavement. Typically it's a silver color sort of like a mirror, and in daylight when you're standing outside facing the mirrored surface, you cannot see inside.
But if you're on the inside, looking out, during the daytime, you can see everything outside, it just looks kind of dark like it's really overcast.
BUT the one thing you need to know about that is as soon as it gets lighter inside and darker outside, at this time of year that's a common occurrence, everyone outside can see you but you can't see them. Which of course is less than ideal, so, you have to be sure to shut your blinds, curtains, shutters whatever, as soon as it starts to get dark.
It's a bit of a liability in the winter time because there is so much dark time in winter, but not a problem at all in the summer.

#3, if you don't get the one way mirror film, limit the time you walk around your house naked. You'll end up giving your neighbors, casual passers by, solicitors, and mailman quite the thrill... And get bruises from the amount of times you throw yourself to the ground out of sight, suddenly realizing that oh, I'm not on the second floor and these people can see me!!

My house is like that. My front door opens onto the pavement and into the living room.

It takes a little getting used to, but I love my house.

Anyone could bonk you on the head at any time, regardless of your house. I doubt a determined criminal would be particularly encouraged by the front of the house - it’s more about whether there are other people around and in London there tends to be plenty of people even at night, eg neighbours and cars?

Houses around here are mostly like those. What's the area like?

We are a low crime area, the people around here are the elderly or young professionals so noone dodgy peeking through the windows up to no good.

Wouldn't want to feel like a goldfish in a bowl though, so most of us have voil, nets or blinds in our windows. No one can see in in the daylight. Then close curtains in the night when the lights go on.

As for having your back to the street as you are unlocking the door, I get this as I'm a bit paranoid for safety. But my street is quiet. If I see someone I don't know is in close range as I get close to my house, I either do it quickly if they are further away, or slow my pace so they would have past my house by the time I get there. It really is no issue to live in these houses. Unless you want a drive, which I now do so hoping to move soon

Your being very clear and yes it is a very normal house, maybe not in the leafy MC wealthier suburbs but in everyday English industrial working towns they are extremely normal.

Growing up no one locked doors if they were home, women would be on doorsteps chatting or cleaning their doorsteps, kids playing in the street, everyone’s nets were gleaming and white. Nobody looked in houses or if they did they’d see nice net curtains, maybe an ornament or 2. This is why many people spent all their time in their back rooms or kitchens. Using the back door as a main entrance was very popular and still is for lots of people.

These days people keep doors locked. Most windows on our street have some form of blind up, but I’d never dream of staring in peoples windows, maybe cause it’s so normal to me it wouldn’t cross my mind.

Like Coronation Street?

So these are like coronation style houses? Really common in town centres.

I grew up in houses like this...

It's correct that you're less likely to have burglars as it's so open to passing people seeing

But people will naturally look in..

People sometimes used net curtains (yuk!)

Or tilted blinds...
Or partially reflective film..
Or partial wooden shutters...

I used to light in the window facing out..with a bunch of flowers in window... So it was really difficult to see around the light /flowers for casual passing pedestrians ...

I liked this ok.. As it felt if there were any emergencies I was literally a couple of metres away from passing people... Rather than up a drive /behind gates!

I’ve lived in houses like that and it didn’t occur to me to think of the risk of someone attacking me as I entered the house.

I’m pretty easy going about risk, but even so - that’s a rare crime and one I’d have thought would be far more common in a block of flats than in a house (though I can see that a concierge might make it less likely). If you have those sorts of concerns you should probably only look at places with security like the flats you’re currently in.

Houses right on the street can be noisy, though, and if you live in an area with a lot of kids who play out the chances of them playing Knock Down Ginger or the like is probably a lot higher.

@Doingtheboxerbeat That sounds frightening.

I know the kind you mean, like they have in Coronation Street 😳 we have loads of those in my city and they're not that bad.
I live in a ground floor flat and my bedroom window is huge and faces out to a busy walk way - I can't have my windows open in the height of summer and I keep a hammer under my mattress.

It sounds like a normal terraced house. Many people have lace or net curtains for privacy.
If someone stood staring in your front window, they would probably draw the attention of your neighbours, whose own front door and window are just a few feet away. Also, streets of terraced houses are often busy thoroughfares, so a window-starer would be very noticeable.

You need to look around you more, plenty of houses are like this.

There are literally millions of homes like this. There’s no “managing” or having to adjust, you just get on with your life.
I have lived in such a home for 30 years. Most of my street is the same, as is large parts of the village.

If someone was following you, then you'd walk past your house to an occupied one (or a shop if you can) & knock on their door.

I find this thread truly bizarre. OP what you’re describing is a basic terraced house. I lived in houses like that for 15 years, from student to early 30s. It never entered my head to feel vulnerable.

I understood, I’m slightly confused by your unease with them. Where I live houses without front gardens etc can sell for up to a million.

Do you mean houses where the front door opens both directly on to the pavement and into the living room? No pathway outside at all, no hallway? If so, I do kind of see where you’re coming from.

My house is like that, but I live in a village, so people are discreet. I've got a huge back garden with 2 large gates leading to it from the street. I don't think it's that odd to have a home like that in a city or town. There are plenty of them. Mind you, I've had people staring in through thr windows

This is why net curtains were so popular. Moving to our current house was a watershed - the first house I'd lived in since childhood that didn't "need" nets or equivalent. It took me until I was 40!

You're spending a lot of money on your home and it's hard to change it. You need to trust your gut. Does it really have to be a house? Your money should go further and you d get more space in a flat usually.