What type of housing would you not want to live?

[WomenHour]

House , Flat Penthouse , Caravan etc

I would probably not want to live on the top floor of a massive block of flats, couldn't be bothered.

Anywhere high density with lots of noisy neighbours. I couldn’t bear that!

New builds.

In fact anything built after WW2

Semi detached, terraced or a flat

A flat/apartment, or caravan. I don't mind a terrace or a semi as long as the neighbours are reasonable!

With regard to bungalows and flats as a way to avoid using stairs - for the able-bodied I think they are a bad idea. It's a case of use it or lose it. My Mum moved into a bungalow when she was 50 and she has had the most terrible amount of trouble using stairs from a relatively young age in her latter years. My DB (63) lives in a modern town house and I (57) live in a Victorian terrace on 4 levels. For many years it has been an issue her coming to visit us because of the stairs, and now unfortunately it is no longer possible . So I'd say keep using stairs as long as you can. Don't avoid them until you have to, they are an everyday way of keeping fit and mobile.

I wouldn't live somewhere that wasn't private, ie where people could look over into my back garden and where neighbours gossiped. I also wouldn't live on a road where kids played out in the street. Obviously nowhere that had thin walls, a surveyor can tell how solid they are (mind you I am not noisy). I'd want somewhere within walking distance of decent shops. A flat would suit me if it was ground floor, secure (gated/entryphone), and I had my own little outside space.

Any of those Grand Designs places, with vast bare white spaces and acres of glass with no blinds or curtains. Horrible!

Funny how Kevin never goes back to visit them on grey, miserable, rainy days - it’s always sunny daytime.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER I know someone who rented a Grand Designs house, the owners moved out because they hated it. It was open plan with lots of glass and hard floors, the noise was apparently horrendous. They’d had another child and it wasn’t big enough for them as well.

Houseboat. I know someone who does. Damp. Rats.

Re bungalows and ‘use it or lose it’ - my (able-bodied) folks downsized to one in their mid 60s - not because they particularly wanted a bungalow, but because it was all they could find in their chosen area.
Roll on 3 years and they decided they didn’t like the area after all, and moved again - to a house.

They were startled to find how the lack of stairs had affected their fitness - it took them a while to find stairs no effort at all again.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

Any of those Grand Designs places, with vast bare white spaces and acres of glass with no blinds or curtains. Horrible! Funny how Kevin never goes back to visit them on grey, miserable, rainy days - it’s always sunny daytime.

It does seem that programmes such as Escape to the Country are only filmed on glorious sunny days so that the countryside looks its most enticing!

@Chicchicchicchiclana counterexample, DM lives in a Victorian terrace with awful stairs, and that hasn't stopped her getting more and more infirm. Physical fitness doesn't overcome arthritis and side-effects of medicines. She goes downstairs in the morning and upstairs in the evening and can manage no more than that. I'm concerned she's going to reach the point she can't even do that before she's able to move.

Lola as has been pointed out repeatedly, no-one has said it's wrong to have preferences. In particular, yes with homes of the same value it is obviously purely down to preference. However that isn't what people found entitled. I wonder why you're so keen to pretend there is zero snobbery on this thread?

Mid-terraced house

Any flat or attached house, any neighbours overlooking. We have total quiet and privacy at home and I'm away at the moment in a busy seaside town and whilst it's lovely it's overlooked and noisy!

I think I'd like to be in a top floor flat as I'd feel really safe at night as if i had a really strong front door there'd be no way of a burglar getting in. I'd also like the views and fresh air. Would want a working lift and fire escape.
I wouldn't want to live in an isolated house as I'd feel vulnerable at night.
I live in an end of terrace Victorian. The walls are really thick and the neighbours reasonable so we don't have neighbour noise problems. When my non ajoined neighbour was away i worried a bit about burglars. I'm a widow but worried about security when dh was alive too. It's just something I've worried about since i was a toddler.

I just think it's funny that on the first page people have said a range of things such as:

I would probably not want to live on the top floor of a massive block of flats, couldn't be bothered

A bungalow or a town house

I couldn't live on the top floor of a tower either, I don't care if its a £2,000,000 penthouse. 45 floors up? No chance

A park home. A bungalow of any kind in fact. A house that was massively too big

Caravan.
Mobile home.
Cottage with beams and low ceilings.
Maisonette or flat unless sound insulation was brilliant.
Mid-terraced

New builds. Always seem like the walls are flimsy and room proportions off. I much prefer a nice solid period house

For me - isolated in the country- too creepy! I need street lights...
Weirdly I could live in a caravan or bungalow but cba with all the stairs of a townhouse

On page 2:

In the middle of thick woodland. Too dark too silent. Freaks me out. DParents say I’ve been scared ever since watching The Wind in the Willows aged 3 blush. Give me nice sunny open rolling fields any day

Not a terrace or somewhere I couldn’t make a cosy space where I wouldn’t be seen by someone outside.
Or any building built on a slope with other building below it - irrational fear if the lot sliding down the hill

And on page 2 you already started with the claims of snobbery and people don't want to live in poor people homes. It smacks of looking to find offense.

Flats, don't want to have anyone above or below me

When we used to stay in caravans on holiday they had an ensuite loo so we had more loos than we have at home

I don't think there is a problem with people expressing where they would like to live but there is a difference between that and making personal judgements or being sneezy about those that do. For example: New builds and super conventional "little families" is extremely rude and judgemental.

I'm old, I've lived in lots of places. House share, bedsit, London flat, rural country cottage, period house. They all have their drawbacks but all suited our pockets and lifestyle for that period in our life and we had fun in them all. But I wouldn't want to go back to any of them.

Personally I'm a townie. I like pavements and streetlights and noise, I like to see people living their lives, being able to get about with no car. The location is way more important than the property.

Sneezy* should say sneery

Old flats. Top floor is a pain in the arse lower floors have to listen to every damn thing going on above including the toilet noises.
I hated it.

Wouldn’t like a flat, a townhouse or a converted barn

High rise towerblock in a rough area of a city is my idea of hell.

Less extreme is just anywhere in a city / town anyway. I need rural, small village living for my own sanity and mental well-being. I like quaint country pubs, countryside walks where you can walk for miles without seeing anyone, views of livestock and fields. All of which I have and for that I am eternally grateful.

My heart honestly goes out to people in scenario 1 of my post. I’m sure some may live there through choice, but the majority won’t and it’s the children brought up in that situation that I feel sorry for