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?

I've lived in three over the years.
First had a downstairs bathroom off the kitchen which was very cold, and prone to mould, but otherwise I loved it. Well built, solid, big , equal, sensibly shaped rooms ( it was a house share) and room for all our bikes in the brick outhouse, accessed by a tunnel between us and next door.
Second had an upstairs internal bathroom (warm, but prone to mould) so the second bedroom was only a single, which is the disadvantage of the move of a bathroom to upstairs unless there is a two-storey extension. But it was easy to heat, in a cul de sac so no problem parking, and had the sunniest private back yard for sitting in. Loved it.
Third was a 3 bed with upstairs, non-mouldy bathroom with window. Huge rooms, bay window, back yard with a fig tree. But also a huge very damp cellar, which I didn't like.
Now still live in an old house, but not a terrace. Still have huge rooms and no off-road parking, but have a garden too. It is harder to keep warm than any of the terraced houses, which huddle together for warmth.
Honestly, give a terrace a try!

Our victorian terrace was actually built with an indoor toilet and bathroom too! Again, alot of different types of house can come under 'victorian terrace'.

I live in a Victorian terrace. It’s had a loft conversion and rear extension so it’s actually quite roomy, bathroom is upstairs. It started life as a house, got converted to a small shop, then back to a house. No issues heating it, walls are fairly solid so noise isn’t a massive issue. Only downside is there’s no parking.

@kpo58 my Victorian terrace had no storage. My new build has a huge cupboard in the kitchen which could be used as a pantry or utility store and a huge cupboard in the bedroom which would make a great walk in wardrobe.

My mum remembers 1970s new builds getting described as soulless boxes now they tend to be sought after.

We are thinking of downsizing, ours is Edwardian though.
Terraces or semi's are lovely, but money pits for maintenance.
Although unless you are end terrace you get heat from both sides or at least one.
They do cost a bit in heating and you need a constant drought through either fireplaces or vents on outside walls.
Not a good idea to have them insulated, except for roof as moisture is then trapped in the walls and causes damp. We had to have our cavity wall insulation removed.
No noise from neighbours unlike modern/ new builds.
The internal walls are brick not like flimsy cardboard stuff. You get privacy in each room, unless you pull walls down and go for open plan.
The bedrooms are bigger than new builds, there's just generally more space for your money.
It's what you want though, new builds have never appealed to me, I see them as the 70's song "ticky tacky and they all look just the same"

@Devlesko I've lived in 3 new build semis (2 an independent developer one a well known national one, oldest 2007) and not had a noise issue in any of them, most are designed these days to have sound insulation and much better than a lot of houses built previously, we had nightmare neighbours for a short time in our Victorian terrace as they played music and the noise snuck in just fine! Walls perfectly sturdy, nothing I haven't been able to do with our new build walls that I couldn't do in our Victorian house, except put wall paper up more easily!

I live in a tiny Victorian semi. The bathroom is upstairs but it means that the third room that's laughingly called a bedroom isn't big enough for a standard single bed so DD2 can't sleep in it and keep stuff in it, only one or the other. There's no parking and I hate every moment I spend in it. Yes it has lovely fireplaces but I'd trade those for space any day.

Have rented and owned Victorian terraces and loved them. One had a downstairs bathroom which was weird for about a week, the great. Teeny sitting room but loads of space in the kitchen which was very sociable.

I loved my owned one madly and only moved out as 2 beds just wasn't enough. It was solid, cozy, cool in summer, full of character and odd spaces. All the neighbours were considerate about parking in front of your own house. I moved there from 3 bed 60s build which had a drive and a huge lounge but it had paper thin upstairs walls, no soul and was basically a bit ugly.

We now live in a refurbed 30s semi and love it. High ceilings, huge windows, massive garden, solid walls and lots of nooks and crannies plus a tiny driveway.

Seems like there’s a lot of variation between Victorian terraces! Ours is lovely and spacious with a double reception room and kitchen/diner (previous owners had extended into the side return). We have an upstairs bathroom and the walls are thick so no noise issue. It’s lovely and light with high ceilings.

We also have a decent garden for London. It’s overlooked which doesn’t bother me but the walls are also very low. We can chat with our neighbours from 3 doors down easily and my kids were sat up on the wall chatting with our elderly neighbour for nearly an hour this morning.

The street is very friendly as a result and people are very considerate of one another. I love it here!

Ours is Edwardian (1907) - slightly different layout to the Victorian ones on the other side of the street, upstairs bathroom but small kitchen (previously the scullery) so we’ve knocked through sideways into the dining room and kept the formal front sitting room seperate (rather than the typical 7Os lengthways knock through).

I love our house, it was built for workers at was then the new nearby industrial estate so it was nothing special then and it’s nothing special now, but inside the proportions are really elegant, high ceilings, curved walls and original arts and crafts style motifs on the bannisters (acorns). The windows are bigger than typical Victorian terraces and the hallways wider, our rear alleyway is shaped like a capital I so we are far away from the house that backs onto us and not directly overlooked. It’s cheaper to heat than the 30s semi I lived in before (mid terrace, not so many external walls) and terraced streets give a sense of community that you don’t get if you have a big front garden‘drive or if you live in apartment blocks. I feel very safe here.

We often sit out the front of ours (West facing) with a glass of wine in the evening, everyone waves at each other and kids play out together (it’s not a dead end but it doesn’t lead anywhere that isn’t easier to get to via the streets either side).

We could do with another bedroom but we’re probably going to go for a loft conversion rather than move.

@Allinadaystwerk

They do look lovely I agree. I've never lived in one but might potentially. There is an upstairs bathroom but it has taken up too much of the bedroom so I'd need to reduce it to a shower room and install a bath downstairs in the utility space. Which I guess is doable. No driveway, decent street for my budget but narrow. Would a 1950's semi with a bit more space and driveway but in need of total renovation be better?

I grew up in a 50s semi and much prefer raising my own kids in a terraced (for all the reasons in my above post).

I would have a think about the social aspects of living on a terraced street, which aren’t for everyone, and make a decision on that rather than the renovation aspects - unless you aren’t planning on staying for the long term?

Our 50s semi was very modern in floor plan (L shaped living room, front door at the side, storage cupboards in the eaves, utility room/downstairs loo and storage shed integrated in the layout) and had a big garden, but you couldn’t do much with it in terms of adapting the layout or utilising loft space, the bedrooms were functionally square so easy to furnish but didn’t have the airy elegance of my terrace.

The only pro I would say it had over my current house was the plot size, but it made for less of an integrated community so I’m happy with that trade off. I sometimes fantasise about living in a 60s/70s super modernist open plan glass house with a sunken living room but the 50s semi was all function and hardly any form, gotta love a dining hatch tho!

As PP have said, ‘Victorian terrace’ still describes quite a large range of houses.

We live in one. It’s had a two storey extension so the bathrooms are upstairs. I love the high ceilings and the fact it stays cool in summer. We can rarely hear the neighbours. Even when we can it doesn’t disturb us (and it’s not even a halls adjoining property). It does require maintenance but nothing really dramatic.

For us the biggest niggle by far is the lack of private parking. But you do get used to that - and we don’t drive to commute, so tend to use the car only at weekends anyway.

We LOVE ours. Victorian terrace. Easy to heat/keep warm. Solid walls between us and next door. Upstairs bathroom. Small easy to maintain garden. Easy walking distance to town. Fantastic neighbours.
Only potential issue is that parking is a pain but I don't drive so that doesn't bother me.

Now I'm just confused
You all sound so positive about your Victorian houses
Can a 50s semi even compare?

Lived in one in London for 26 years and loved it. Moved out of London when I retired - bad choice - wish I could afford to move back to my Victorian house in London but can't afford it.

Grew up in a victorian terrace house, was built for the miners so very small and modest with a down stairs bathroom adjoining the kitchen.

I absolutely loved it! Was lovely and warm in the winter and we rarely had the heating on as we had the warmth from the adjoining houses. The walls were super thick so hardly ever heard the neighbours.

Live in a 1970's semi now; if there was an earthquake I think the terrace wouldnt budge but this one would topple! They made houses to last those days.

Would a 1950's semi with a bit more space and driveway but in need of total renovation be better? Remember wartime restrictions on house sizes of new builds weren't removed until some time in the 1950s, so late 40s or very early 1950s may be a little more cramped than a later one - may not be a problem, just something to be aware of.

This thread has made me want a Victorian terrace which is ideal as they’re in our price range whereas newer houses are unaffordable!

(I think it’s because the Victorian properties have on street parking and the new properties have garages and driveways)

New houses have a new house premium too making them less good value compared to older properties

People often think a Victorian terrace seems expensive compared to its 50’s and 70’s equivalents because one the outside they look smaller.
But generally the space inside is larger as they go back much further normally

Ours is 1920 and it's hard to heat but other than that it's fine. I've spent the last 32 years with a downstairs/same level bathroom so I can't imagine having to keep going upstairs during the day. Or having visitors trooping upstairs. I prefer my current layout.

@Rebelwithallthecause

People often think a Victorian terrace seems expensive compared to its 50’s and 70’s equivalents because one the outside they look smaller. But generally the space inside is larger as they go back much further normally

Yes, some are really deceptive from the outside!

Love them, lived in them most of my life. The stairs keep you fit. The first one I lived in I was born into. It had an outside lav and no bathroom. We stunk a bit.

Problem is that 3 bed new builds are also quite narrow (currently live in one and have developed an obsession with house widths!)

I love ours! Very warm in winter - we barely have to put the heating on. If you have bare floorboards or old windows you might need to beware of drafts.

We've got a huge downstairs bathroom and I wouldn't want to go back now. We have our washer and dryer in there too and it just makes so much more sense. My husband showering no longer wakes me up, and you can shower off muddy kids and pets after playing in the garden.

Our neighbours are loud but we don't really hear them through the walls after asking them to move their tv from the chimney breast (next door is a HMO with several families including x3 deaf old ladies who love kung fu movies at unreasonably loud volumes) because it was funnelling the noise through our fireplace upstairs.

Downsides = tiny garden, not much parking (we don't drive so fine for us) and loads of slugs, weirdly. Oh, and a few ghosts.