Would you live in an apartment?

[imnotcooking]

We've always lived in houses I had my own apartment before I met OH and had the kids and I really miss it.

Have been looking at some but OH doesn't like the idea of it. Only thing is it means the kid won't have there own garden.

Would you do it? Or am I crazy.

Wouldn't do it with kids if I had the choice.

I would hate not having some outdoor space.

How old are your children? Are they old enough to go to the park on their own? I think you're under-estimating the luxury of them being able to run in and out, with you on hand but not supervising directly so you can still do other things.

No I really wouldn’t. It isn’t just the outdoor space, it’s the noise issue as well. Neighbours complaining because you have walked across the room too early on the day etc.

Yes, and I do. Out of curiosity, why 'apartment' and not the vastly more commonly-used, in the U.K., 'flat'?

I wouldn't.

The service charges, lack of outdoor space, lack of being able to build an extension if required, not having a parking space or garage attached to your property, not being able to dry clothes without it taking over an entire room would all put me off and that's before you get to the neighbors.

Why not a garden flat? I live in one and it works well for us

We live in a duplex apartment, part of a converted old building. We have a communal courtyard and our own private parking places. Some of our neighbours have garages. Three of them have children of various ages. We don't hear any more noise than when we lived in our previous terraced house. We had no designated parking there, and no private outdoor space and we raised our children there. Funnily enough, those houses would be described as perfect family houses, where this one, with its many advantages, wouldn't.

I miss waking up looking at the city sitting in my balcony just the little things. DD is 9 months and DS is 2.

I'm not enjoying having a whole house to clean and taking care of a garden I hate it.

I have lived in one with small children ,it was a nightmare, there was no storage space the walls were paper thin, ,we live right next to the communal front door which people used to bang shut at all hours, there was a communal garden but people frowned upon children playing in it .

No, not if I had another option and not with two young children. I'd value the space for them to play almost over anything.

Over almost anything.

Depends what flat. We lived in a fantastic place, a big like what leno describes, only purpose built. Own front door, own shed, massive shared garden with a gardener ( someone else mowing the lawn is bliss)!
There were lots of children and it was lovely-always someone to play with and no more noise than in our previous new build semi.
That's a bit different to being in an urban high rise. Although my gp lived in one and I loved it as a kid-the views!

I would and have. It’s easy living. We had outside space. It was communal but we didn’t life a finger for it to be beautifully maintained. We had a pool, gym, porters, on-site maintenance, and we could have been serviced if we want... cleaned daily or weekly and even had the beds changed and the laundry and dry cleaning taken away.

It was like living in a hotel and I miss it.

I'm hoping to go back to flat living once the DC have left home and the dog has died (quite a few years left for both of those things). I really miss being up high with a long view and having on-site facilities like a pool, gym and concierge. However a house is much easier while the DC are young.

We lived in a flat until the DC were 5 and 2, and it was harder to do simple things like bring the shopping and a non-walking DC up to the flat from an underground carpark. A couple of times the lift broke for a whole day and that was a pain in the neck. And the DC couldn't go out onto the terrace on their own as we were 5 floors up and I was constantly worried that they would either drop something over the edge (pedestrian path directly below) or climb up and fall over. It was definitely a relief to move to a house with a secure back garden that they could amuse themselves in.

"I would and have. It’s easy living. We had outside space. It was communal but we didn’t life a finger for it to be beautifully maintained. We had a pool, gym, porters, on-site maintenance, and we could have been serviced if we want... cleaned daily or weekly and even had the beds changed and the laundry and dry cleaning taken away. "

That's definitely not your average apartment.

If Dh and i was to split i would probably be looking at apartments as i couldn't mortgage a house i like the idea of living in a really nice apartment maybe i will when i retire anyway

Sure, but only in a large, well laid out and well built apartment with outside space (large balcony or terrace fine). Would want designated parking space.

You get what you pay for - lack of storage and thin walls - equally applies to shitty houses not just shitty flats! Nice apartments are fab.

Unfortunately the service charges in nice blocks are crazy high - it does cost to keep a bank of 4 elevators running, 24h concierge etc

having a whole house to clean

Surely you'd want a flat with just as many rooms as you'd want a house?

So the only saving would be hoovering the stairs.

I love our apartment. It's got a big balcony, lots of shared amenities (e.g. gym) that we wouldn't otherwise have, lots of green space and it's right by a lake with walking trails, picnic areas and play spaces. We don't get loads of neighbour noise as there's decent sound insulation. Plus, it's cheaper to run and way less cleaning and upkeep to do.

I'd like my own outdoor space, but I don't really want to live in a huge house.

I would and do, but I was picky about the style of apartment. No high rises - can be too impersonal to know your neighbours, risks of lifts breaking down etc. Plus all the units often have long, boxy layouts. No conversions - dodgy soundproofing, lack of parking/outdoor space.

Ours is a purpose built, three story block, with a balcony, parking and a huge communal garden. Our flat has windows along two walls in the living area, so heaps of light. There’s no lift so we’re not paying lots of maintenance (and a few flights of stairs are fine for most able bodied people - free gym). There’s a nice sense of community.