To presume Victorian terraced houses are hard to live in

[Allinadaystwerk]

I know they look pretty with great character but imagine they are cold and difficult to heat with the high ceilings...and the layout with downstairs bathroom is awkward. Anyone that lives in one beg to differ?

TBH there are lots of different terraced houses. Some are tiny and always have the downstairs back bathroom, and a tiny back yard, some are much more roomy have a small bathroom upstairs at the back, and a garden. The smaller the scale, the more noise From neighbours. Depends on where you are in the county.

I lived in one - the main problem was parking on the narrow street.
And the kitchen was tiny, as was the outside space, and not much space for storing shoes and coats. The bathroom was upstairs and very spacious though, and the bedrooms were spacious too.

DH lived in one with a downstairs bathroom, that was a bit of a pain.

But it's not like they are all the same size, even if they are similar layout. Just a little bit of a wider plot makes a big difference to room sizes.

They are very often huge inside and like a tardis really

Ours looks tiny from the front but open the front door and it’s just so much house behind

I moved from a mid terrace home to a detached modern home and there are benefits and disadvantages to both. I love knowing I'll never have to hoof my shopping from the car from down the road to my front door, not hearing the neighbours and the convenience of several showers and toilets but I miss my bay windows and large fireplaces, especially at Christmas when this place feels like it falls short of the character and charm.

We are also lucky that we have side access as we are end of terrace and a long 100ff garden which I know is rare with these

If you find one that someone had sorted the windows in its all good. We installed bi glazed sashes in ours to solve the drafts. Lovely and cozy now.
Very low noise from neighbouring terraces...The wall thickness and building methods mean that the paper thin walls you have to suffer with in new builds are not a problem. Personally I prefer the high ceiling and decent room size, I find new builds boxy and pokey with tiny windows. I guess it's a preference thing loads of people prefer the 'safety' of a new build (knowing what you're getting and standards etc). Around here the Victorian and Edwardian terraces go for a premium. The massive Georgian terraces in the posher postcode even more so

I loved mine - wish I had never left

Mine had an upstairs bathroom as bedroom had been converted. It originally just had an outhouse. I loved the fireplaces and sash windows. Gosh it was beautiful.

No problems with noise whatsoever, couldn't hear a thing from neighbours as walls were so thick.

Parking was tricky, but I had to learn to parallel park like a pro.

I would jump at the chance to move back to one.

Lots of Victorian terraces around here, most with downstairs bathrooms or third bedrooms that won't fit a bed because space has been used for an upstairs bathroom. We have an Edwardian semi, all the charm, high ceilings, features etc but more space , bathroom upstairs 3 good size bedrooms and a long kitchen (evidently the previous owners got rid of the downstairs bathroom and extended the kitchen into the whole space). Also a wider road and a drive , friends of ours who live in a Victorian terrace a fifteen minute walk away often leave their car at home and get Ubers or trains because of the hassle of getting parked, their front garden is two or three paces at best so no drive option and the road is narrow. It's often renters, students or FTB in the terraces and families in the semis around here

I’ve owned three terraced houses. Only one had the bathroom downstairs, you get used to it very quickly. I loved all three of mine and would buy another in a heartbeat if I wasn’t married to a snob.

Lived in one for most of my life, without central heating. In the main part of the house it was quite cozy as we got some heat from the houses on either side. The bathroom was upstairs but it was only attached on one side and that did get colder, but we had an electric heater and that was fine.
Room sizes were better than modern houses and had a lovely long garden.
Moved out at the point it started to need a lot of work doing though. They can be expensive if not maintained properly.

I didn’t find living in a Victorian terrace hard at all. Didn’t find it too hot or cold etc.
We extended the kitchen in ours and turned a cupboard in to a downstairs loo, so it was quite spacious for a young family.

The main downside was navigating the narrow entrance hall with a buggy.

I'd definitely want one over a new build though!

@sashh that one for £1000 has got to be worth a punt surly?!

Personally it’s my dream. I want to buy this:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71625882.html

But then currently I live in a flat conversion made out of two rooms on one floor of a terrace house built around 1800 and we aren’t allowed double glazing as it’s a conservation area. So Victorian will seem modern to me!

If I won the lottery (not that I play!) then I would definitely be spending my winnings on a big Victorian house.

We had a Victorian cottage when we lived on a farm, it was awful - coal fired Rayburn which cost a fortune, downstairs bathroom the other side of the porch from the kitchen which was freezing. All the heat from the Rayburn went straight up the chimney through the bedroom which was like an oven, so was the kitchen but the rest of the house froze. It cost a fortune in coal as well - £50 a month c. 25 years ago.

My parents live in one and you can hear people talking next door.

When next door's daughters brought their boyfriends home my elderly parents knew more about their sex life than anyone would want to.

I prefer Victorian to new build. (Actually most stuff to new build). Ours is solid- it's going nowhere. Decent sized rooms. Useful storage. Cellar, ground floor, first floor attic... So lots of stairs to keep you fit.

It's got less plug sockets, steep stairs and the curtains cost a fortune for the massive windows.

I've lived in this one for 20 years and I love it. I'm always surprised when people on here complain about noise through the walls as they are generally well built. I hear very little (the odd emotional meltdown from next door's adult daughter but that's about it).

Outside is different as the neighbours two doors down have no concept of the physics of sound travelling over fences and they have some VERY noisy kit and a garden sound system. Until they moved in it was always really quiet out there. But at least they're not horrible people.

Bathroom was moved downstairs when previous owners had a third child so the upstairs bathroom was converted to a third bedroom. There are only two of us and we have no plans to move so we might put it back to being a bathroom at some point, or at least a toilet.

Parking is a PITA which it never used to be. I blame kids losing the use of their legs as soon as they turn 17

They are much better to live in than most new builds, in my experience.

I absolutely loved our Victorian terrace. The walls were really thick and the house stayed lovely and warm in the winter and was cool in summer. Certainly didn't hear noise from neighbours either. I wouldn't want one with a downstairs bathroom though.

I live in one! I love it. The previous owners had knocked through the bottom two rooms to make a big one though. The kithcen it out the back and we converted the under the stairs cupboard to a loo which is good. One bathroom for all of us but that is fine.

It's not that cold.... but we live at about 19 degrees by choice in winter which I know alot of people find really cold.

I live in a Victorian 2 bed semi. The bathroom is upstairs and there is a toilet downstairs at the end of the kitchen.

It has been modernised inside and I have a log fireplace. It has central heating and warms up very quickly.

I don't own a car so parking isn't an issue for me.

It is noisy. I can hear the neighbours. Not much privacy, we are overlooked from all angles. But as a single parent on a low wage I can't afford to be picky. I am proud that I have been able to buy a house on my own and I love it.

Ours was lovely, too small for our growing family and how I managed the almost vertical stairs with three under three I don’t know. Shared backyard (corner houses) was a pain. The only noise we ever got was when the guys next door fixed a dartboard on the wall behind our bed head. Took us ages to figure out what it was!

My daughters three-bed Victorian terrace is sweet. A lovely first time home. Good sized kitchen breakfast room leading out to a small, but pretty city garden. The garden is only about 50ft but it’s big enough for a table and chairs.
It’s over four floors as one bedroom and bathroom is a loft conversion but that’s fine when your young. It gives people staying some space and privacy.
It’s never felt cold and thick walls means it hold at roughly the same temperature year round.
They’ve only neighbours on one side and they’re an old single person, so not noisy at all. No parking though. On street permit parking seems to be fine and the norm for city centres.

I've lived in various victorian houses throughout my life, and love them. As long as they are maintained well, with double glazing and roof insulation they are better than modern houses retaining heat, especially if part of a terrace. The thick walls mean they stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Any inconveniences are outweighed by the character and size- I love high ceilings and grandeur!