To think halls adjoining semis are all nice and quiet?

[NotJustACigar]

DH and I are house hunting and, while we could potentially stretch to a detached house, would rather get a smaller mortgage and not have to worry about money as much. So we're thinking about buying a semi, but we're both fairly sensitive to noise. Therefore we're looking for one with halls adjoining.

So please could you tell us, if you have a halls adjoining semi, how noisy is it? And what period is it from? We're thinking of a Victorian house with cellar but would noise travel through the cellar? Any advice would be brilliant as we made a mistake on our last house and can't afford to make another one.

No question....if you can scrape the money for a detached then go for it. It just avoids so many potential issues and although it will cost more it will also be worth more

X post !

And if you can stretch to a detached then do. I grew up in a detached house and we never had to worry about neighbours and noise. My DM still plays music really loud and hoovers at silly o'clock. I'd love to be able to!

I have a hall adjoining semi, late victorian. Don't hear the neighbours at all and wouldn't have any other sort of semi.

Actually I lie. Our third bedroom is dhs office. It's next to teen boy neighbours bedroom. Dh was trying to work the other afternoon while teen neighbour and gf were going at it loudly.

My Mum and Dad have a really solid Victorian end of terrace and you can't hear any noise even though the houses adjoin on the room side rather than the stair side.

The trick is to go for a house without a cellar. Not having a cellar dampens all the noise.

We live in a Victorian semi with adjoining halls and we really don't hear much at all. Occasional footsteps up and down stairs and front door shutting . If I'm in the hall and my neighbour is calling up the stairs to her kids I can hear her, but not when she's talking at a normal level

While its tempting to feel a detached will solve everything , it comes down to how considerate your neighbours are tbh
We stayed with friends in the summer who live in a detached and their neighbours had music blaring through open windows and it was really unpleasant sitting in their garden , and even going inside we could still hear thump thump thump. Was glad to return to our quiet semi!

My experience is of a 1930s semi and a victorian end of terrace. I found I could hear the neighbours much more in the 1930s semi than the vic terrace as thinner walls

Grew up in a 1950's semi, lounge and dining adjoining, mum still lives there. Dad always used to say they were built to withstand another Blitz. Rarely hear a thing from next door. We were next to a family of 5 ( all the kids were musicians they had piano in lounge ) and we were 6 ( sporty so a bit boisterous , the boys throwing balls in house and mum being a bit shouty because of it).
Young family next door now and mum on her own and still don't hear much. In fact I think it's only when they knocked out one of the chimney breasts to extend a room did mum say there was a bit of noise but that stopped so must have been temporary.
Detached the only guarantee though.

Btw where on earth do you buy turquoise bathroom suites? I'm not in the market for one but I'd love to see that company's brochure.

It depends on the property. I have lived in houses and flats. I am currently in a semi and the only noise I hear from my neighbours is when they knock on their little girl's door to get her up from school and then only in the room that backs on to her room.

There is a cat however who seems to be in love with my cat and spends hours crying for her.

I lived in a terrace with neighbours rooms adjoining mine at both sides. This was a victorian stone built terrace. The only thing we ever heard were light switches. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? If I went to bed before my neighbours I knew when they came to bed because there would be a click of their bedroom light switch. I never heard voices or children even though they had a toddler and in the time I lived there a second child.

Btw where on earth do you buy turquoise bathroom suites?

In the 1970s. We had one when I was a kid, it had a separate toilet (thee thing in 1970s new builds) and my mum painted the walls purple. It was often remarked upon.

OP

Just looked at the link. Do you have a desire to be near the British Lawnmower Museum?

I must stop by that lawn,owner museum and report back. Maybe I would gain a lifelong appreciation of the things? Maybe they are much more fascinating than we can even imagine??

Sounds like a range of views and experiences. At the moment we're renting a 1930s semi and can hear the next door neighbours every move- and their constant off key bad singing drives us round the bend! but this one is lounges and bedrooms adjoining and the party wall seems particularly thin.

I dont think we would mind the ocasional sound. things like light switches or a bit of noise on the stairs. loud music and dogs barkng would be awful but as pps have said you can get that in a detached as well. SeaSick, I had heard that before about the cellar so your post confirms what I was thinking.

I love the turquoise and prefer bright colours to modern muted tones. Tacky, over the top and out of fashion? Bring it on .

We are currently in an Edwardian terrace and the side with adjoining halls is far quieter than the side with adjoining living/bedrooms. We hear next door's baby and the piano as though they are in our house, although we don't hear their TV, hoover etc. I would never live in a terrace again but would definitely consider a halls adjoining semi.

I live in a 1980s semi and can hear everything next door if it's near to the party wall - when they get up, if they talk loudly and if the dog yelps or whines.