To not want to live in a ground floor flat

[Tiredeypops]

Currently flat hunting with DP and saw the most gorgeous flat today (huge for our budget) and he is really keen but the bedroom window looks directly onto the car park and the lounge is onto a communal garden so for me it's too much of a compromise. Has anyone ever lived in a flat like that? Am I overreacting or does having to have curtains drawn the whole time just drive you mad?

When looking at flats we discounted any on the ground floor, largely because of security/being unable to have bedroom windows open at night, especially in summer, when I want them wide open. I know a lot of people aren't bothered by this, though.
I would think a reasonable outlook is important. I'd hate to have to have nets to stop people looking in, or to disguise an ugly outlook. But then I hate nets anyway.

I bought my first home at 23 and it was a ground floor flat in London. The windows looked out on to other flats and our quiet road. I did shut the curtains early sometimes but it wasn't too bad. I had nets too. When I viewed the flat your concerns did occur to me but I'd say fin ita bugging you then look again.

How would you feel if you rang tomorrow for another viewing and it was sold. Disappointed or fine?

Kids kicking balls in the communal garden at the windows. Not being able to have the back door open in the summer because people can see straight in and lack of privacy.

Sounds exactly like my flat. Does it begin with A OP?

I lived in one for 11 years and was happy. The noise of cars outside my bedroom was a bit annoying and also noise from the communal hallway but apart from that it was good. But, I have now moved to a slightly smaller flat with it's own front and back doors and front and back gardens. It is a four in a block type flat. Much quieter and feels more like being in a house. I love it, no one can be near my windows. Feels much more private.

How quiet is the block? My first flat was ground floor, straight out onto the garden, and we were the only people who used it. It was lovely. Also, is it purpose built? Because with a conversion, if it's been done cheaply, as most of them seem to have been you will hear everything from upstairs having a shit or a wank to chairs scraping on floors, doors shutting and general conversation.

I live in a ground floor flat that looks onto the car park.

I’d rather that than the terraced houses with no front garden or yard so their living room windows are right on the pavement for any sod to nosy through. My building isn’t huge so the car park is pretty quiet so not many people to stare through my windows.

When I viewed it I was initially slightly concerned that I’d hear everyone coming and going as my flat is closest to the front door. But my bedroom is the part of my flat furthest from the door, and even in my living room if I’ve got the door shut I can’t hear the buildings front door.

Thanks for the responses - good stuff to show DP. We work shifts so the busy car park noises in a morning after a night shift might be the nail in the coffin. And much harder to re-sell as lots of people clearly have strong feelings. Lots of mumsnet wisdom :D

It's a single-glazed conversion with maybe 16 cars in the carpark. Shutters wouldn't be enough to help with the noise - even if they would be fine with double glazing

I would never buy a ground floor flat after renting one many moons ago. And this was in semi rural Scotland!

Now I live in a first floor (top) flat and even the random noise i hear from downstairs annoys me! I need to win the lottery and fuck off away from civilization.

You'd get used to it if you had to live there. We're first floor, but there are 46 flats in our court so obviously peace and privacy is limited. We just get on with it.

However, given a choice I wouldn't choose to live somewhere we were crammed in like sardines.

Depends how much of a bargain it is compared to a flat in a converted house I guess.

I bought (shared ownership, so sort-of bought) a ground floor flat. It was the only one left in the building, but also the smallest.

It's OK actually. No noise from upstairs, and at least you only have one direction of neighbours to worry about. Easy to nip to the bins. Easy to let visitors in and out as the gate is right there. Easy to go to the shops right across the street, in a few seconds flat, and back again. No stairs or lifts! Easy to move furniture in, and easy to carry shopping and stuff home.

You do hear the gate slamming, but I very quickly learned to tune it out.

Downside - not being able to open the windows at night. It gets extremely hot, but one window faces onto a road with lots of pedestrians, and the other onto a communal garden, so wouldn't be safe to keep them open. Not that I'd really want to because of bugs, but I could have had a screen or something if I'd been upstairs. I'm even worried about getting a portable air conditioner, because I don't know how I'd vent it out the window, without it compromising security, so even that couldn't be on at night.

Traffic noise and pedestrians. It can be disconcerting to have loud and drunk pedestrians right on the other side of the windows (big glass windows rather than walls) at night, even though I know they can't get in. Delivery lorries for the shops nearby can be very noisy. I don't know how much difference being upstairs would make for this.

Visibility. My job working from home is actually better to be in view of the street, so that works well for me. I would like to get something a little more private though, some kind of nets or blinds I guess, for the times when I'm not working. It is quite nice to people watch, being able to see everything! I don't like that I can never open the bedroom curtains, even though I'm hardly ever in there anyway. But it would feel weird having people on the street see in to my bedroom, even in the day, somehow. I don't know quite why. Maybe some kind of nets would help in there too.

Overall, it works for me, partly because of the work issue, and combined with the visitors (also work related), and not having to climb stairs/use the lift all the time. The visibility is tolerable. The heat in the summer is awful. But having the windows open only helps a small bit anyway.

Cons: You'll hear the noise from the car park in your bedroom.
More chance of being burgled on the ground floor.

Pros: No stairs or lift to negotiate with shopping etc.

There is a reason it a cheap.

I'm renting a ground floor flat with views over the communal garden. There are no families here (due to the type of flats, 1 bed at most) and I almost never see people in the back garden despite there being about 20 flats with access to it. I, however, make liberal use of the garden because I have a dog, and I don't have to maintain it because the landlord gets a gardener in.

Mind, the bars over the windows do add a certain sense of prison chic to the experience, but I've not been burgled yet.

I will not even stay in a ground floor room on holiday. Less noise above a ground floor and a better feeling of security.

It really depends on how busy the garden is. If you're lucky, it'll be fine, but if you're unlucky you can have a pretty miserable time with it - people talking or smoking directly outside your window, kids playing, excitable dogs being exercised - and all of them with a perfect right to be there.

Yes I forgot about smoke. That was another significant drawback, as the corner outside the communal gardens used to be a smoking corner for the builders on the nearby site. However, after complaining to the company, that's been stopped, and I've not had a problem since. You could equally end up with issues from other flats smoking on their terraces, so I don't know if it's totally a ground floor issue. But it is a potential problem.

On the other hand, fire safety is better, and I'd have no problem escaping in any direction if needed.

But cheaper than the rest was an excellent reason for me to buy it, as it was my only hope of getting somewhere, so I knew there would be compromises no matter what. Luckily it's mostly been tolerable, apart from the heat one.

Buy it! Do it for Mumsnet imagine the endless AIBUs, parking, noise, cheekyfuckerdom etc etc

I’d rather ground floor than above. I rented a first floor flat years ago and it was a pain in the arse. Lugging shopping up and down. When the buzzer broke and I’d hd e to keep running up and down the stairs. Drove me crazy. I’d go for ground floor with blinds or shutters every time.

other pros - things like prams, bikes, Christmas trees, and other random things that you might move in and out but don't always fit well in a lift - much easier on the ground floor.
Also some people in our building have pets, and they would likely find it much easier on the ground floor - they have to go up in the lift all the time, which I imagine is a bit of a hassle. We do have balconies, though, which might help.

More cons - patio/balcony more likely to get weeds, and also gets mossy as it doesn't have the same sort of build in roof/walls that the upstairs balconies do.

Random pros - people can leave things for me in the patio (protected by a glass barrier) if I'm not home (obviously nothing valuable, as someone could still jump the barrier to get it, but other things are fine). Or drop things off, as I can stand on the patio and talk to them on the street, which is convenient as there is no parking near here, and they would otherwise have to park a distance away, come up to the flat to drop something off, and that woudln't happen.

We lived in a ground floor flat for a hour a year and would have bought one had chain not fallen through. Advantages are that no stairs to walk up! No windows for kids to fall out of! If you have a door to the communal gardens - you'll use them more!! I loved being in the ground floor flat! It's fine! Some blinds or net (I know not a great look? But functional!) curtains keep the privacy!

The car park would put me off. As others have mentioned the constant comings and goings and the headlights would bother me. When I lived in a ground floor flat (actually they were all ground floor) I slept with the window open and never felt in danger. It was a very quiet, leafy suburb though which made all the difference.

'about' not an 'hour'!!!