To think a great big semi or detached house must be SO lovely?!

[NeverYouMind123]

Terraced here. It's okay most of the time but I dream of living in a house with no fucking neighbour noise whatsoever. These walls are so thin I can hear the microwave next door. I dream of buying a semi detached in a few years with hallways next to each other separating the living rooms or when I'm really feeling ambitious I dream of a detached house, which must be the mother of all awesomeness. I know there is still 'area noise' but I'm not really a garden person so kids playing outside and lawnmowers etc don't phase me so much. But oh to wake up with no 'house noise' and to know I can sit in the lounge or lie in bed and have PURE SILENCE all day and not hear a dog bark or a door slam or an argument or a television. Is it as great as I think it is?

Our current semi is great, very little neighbour noise, they've confirmed that they can't here us, despite there being four primary aged boys between us. Our last semi was a similar layout, similar in size, but the neighbours were awful, late, loud parties every weekend, a dog that never stopped barking, shouting, teenagers playing loud music all day, noisy motorbikes etc. We sold it very soon after moving in.

It's not just the house, the neighbours play a huge part. You couldn't pay me enough money to go back to our last house!

@Tabitha005 how exciting! We've been in our house nearly a year and it's the first time we've had a driveway, so lovely to not worry about finding somewhere to park and not having to drag stuff miles from the car to the house.

We're in a big semi, upgraded from a medium semi. Our old house was 30s built and now we're 60s built. Defo thinner walls now! Can't hear anything going on like microwaves but can hear the guy next door shouting fairly clearly! We are looking to get some sound blocking when we decorate, either a wall of books or an added layer of something!

Yep. I grew up in a terrace and never, ever want to go back to that or having close neighbours. I remember being woken up at 7am every single Saturday and Sunday morning by the rough next door neighbour who played “i will always love you” at full volume. When I go back to my mums house now you can often smell the weed the next door neighbours smoke.

One thing that’s been helping me get through lockdown is thinking of those in apartments/small cramped houses with little or no garden. I know I’m so lucky in comparison as we have loads of space and a big garden with no immediate neighbours. I genuinely feel for those with little space, especially with young children.

I've lived in flats, (horrendous) and terraces, semi with awful loud neighbors that screamed at the children like banshees and now I'm in a detached and it's bliss. I realise I'm extremely fortunate.

What was really nice in the house was being able to sing. It was so well insulated (double joining wall), you really couldn't hear anything from the neighbours or vice versa. Can't do that in this flat.

I didn’t read all the comments but I’d anyone missing living in a terrace? I grew up in a small flat and I miss the noises around me. The upstairs neighbours’ washing machine, the tv of the one below? The feel of safety that someone us going to hear me if shit goes wrong?

I wont lie, it amazing, We lived in a semi d previously and had horrible neighbours who scarred me for life though but I have friends who would never live where we live ( rural)

We dropped really lucky with our house. We bought it during the recession and it had been on the market a few years, and left empty as the lady went in a home.

It was 10k over our max budget but decided to put an low offer in....and it was accepted. We couldn't believe it. Next door is quite close but it was so lovely living in a detached house than our flat.

The only downside is the back garden is tiny, but lots of room in the front. Plus we are in a cul de sac.

My old terraced house was ever so warm - we didn't have the heating on that much. The walls were old and quite thick, but didn't really drown out the sounds of the psychotic cannabis-addled twat next door shouting at his girlfriend.

We're in a 20's semi now and actually, the walls are fairly thin. I can usually hear next door's tv going and sometimes their baby crying. Mind you, DS2 is a noisy little sod so I dare say she hears him a lot too. I thought I'd hate being able to hear the tv, music etc next door but I find it's quite friendly-sounding.

I am extremely noise sensitive and I love living in a Victorian terrace. Yes, I hear the neighbours a bit but it doesn't bother me at all. Semi's in the same price range just do not have the luxury of space and high ceilings and period features that Victorian terraces offer. In my area anyway.

I am mid-terrace and cannot hear a sound from either of my neighbours!

I've lived in a flat and a terraced and am so happy to have a detached now. As PP have said it makes a huge difference in what you can hear and the curbs you put on yourself to not play music etc.

I have no idea of OPs finances but if you're in the south remember a move up north could be the answer. In a decent small town: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-78376042.html

Yep! We are really lucky and have a detached house with no neighbours within a quarter of a mile. We have zero neighbour noise and can make as much noise as we like.

Ironically I think the semi where I now live is the place with the most neighbour noise. It's a whole street of 3+ bedroom semis, so most households have children. Even if you're inside with windows open, you'll always be able to hear someone screaming.

An old terrace with really thick walls was probably the quietest.

I agree that what your neighbours are like plays a huge part too. Despite living in a detached house I still cant stand my neighbour on the one side and will consider moving on in a couple of years.

I agree it must be so lovely. Maybe one day...

There's one thing that makes me sceptical though... My parents live in an old house and you can hear everything because they have loud disruptive children and are shit neighbours, parents aren't bothered by it and say "noise is to be expected in old houses". Then I have a friend who is in an old house and she says it's "great the houses are so old" because she can't hear anything?!

It makes me think it doesn't matter how old or new the house is it makes no difference, if you have wanky neighbours you will get noise and the only reason the friend in the old house doesn't hear hers is because they fortunately live quietly.

I’m in a 1950s semi, but it’s double fronted, where living room and bedrooms have adjoining walls with next door - we ended up having to get soundproofing installed as you could hear everything.

I'm in a large semi - the attached house barely hear any noise unless you're next to the adjoining wall. Sadly get far more noise from the house the other side. I grew up in a terrace so know how noisy they can be (we could hear our neighbours putting their lights on or a plug in the socket!) My first house was an end terrace, but it was at the end of the road, so only 1 neighbour, and he lived mostly abroad so was only there about 6 weeks of the year - and very quiet when he was.

My next house will be set in the middle of a large plot, so I'm always at least 30-50ft away from people!

I grew up in a semi detached house and moved to a flat in a tower block. I really struggle with the noise and often have to remind myself the neighbours aren't doing it to annoy me, especially at the moment when we are all stuck indoors and lots of the kids are using playing in the car park under my balcony as daily exercise!

I live somewhere with no facilities at all, but the house is detached, I only have one neighbour and they are 60m away. I can have a bonfire and they don’t even realise.

Yes! We've been in flats and terraces and we are now in a detached and I'm not sure I would manage going back. If anything I now want to live more rurally and have less neighbours!

That said our mortgage, bills, and council tax are huge and tricky and it's hard to make savings on utilities.

We didn't intend to end up here and didn't hoist in the cost implications fully! But now we're here I'd find it hard to leave.

We've recently moved from a tiny Victorian mid terrace where I could hear the neighbours entire conversations through the walls to an Edwardian end of terrace where I can't hear the neighbours at all. The walls are so thick, they have two young children and I haven't heard a sound. So you don't have to move to a semi or detached, maybe just one with thicker walls.