Tell me about 60s townhouses

[HabitualLurker]

I've developed a bit of an obsession with 1960s townhouses - you know the ones: usually 3 floors, garage, living area on the next level, then bedrooms at the top. It's the fact that they always look so light and bright in comparison to the smaller rooms and long dark corridors that you often find in older terraces.

Could anyone who has or does live in them tell me what they're really like to live with? How easy are they to heat and are they generally quite bad at keeping heat? I'm wondering if those big windows are a drawback in practice. And what about having living space over 3 floors? Is it nice or a bit of a pain (particularly with young kids)?

Thanks.

I don't know the ones you mean, maybe it's different in different parts of the country, but I'm moving to a 60s house with big windows, of a type ubiquitous where I am. Builder friend says that era was when they started to get the hang of insulation etc so they're not too bad. Not like current houses but not awful. The big windows are wonderful though.

Hi!
We have recently moved out of a 60's townhouse (for area).

Heating wise it was very efficient. Even with the original single glazing our Gas bills were low. Kitchen on 1st floor didn't suit us brilliantly so we converted the garage and groundfloor room into open plan kitchen/living room which was fantastic.

Conversion wasn't particulary cheap but we recouped the cost on selling and I think made it more saleable as I think the layout does put people off. (hence more affordable price)

I loved it , you get great floor area for your £££ and the light and big windows were fabulous. Top floor did get hot in summer (unable to open windows more than a small amount as on chain due to children) and 2 flights of stairs bit of a pain but overall would love to buy one again. I miss it ...

Good Luck

I love ours, it keeps lovely and warm in the winter (helped by the fact the people renting the house next door having bills included!). We converted the garage into a music studio for dh and there's an extention at the back making a utility room that doubles as a guestroom when needed, the roof of the extension forms a roof terrace with steps the rest of the garden from the living room.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. You have all managed to fuel my ardour further!

I wonder if the roof shape makes a difference to insulation. Ruby29 was yours a flat roof or pitched? I lived in a victorian house with a flat roofed extension and it was brutally hot in the summer..

Any other opinions gratefully received. Bad points as well as good!

Thanks again.

Very good friend has one - i would definitely convert te garage otherwise it takes up a lot of space. Ground floor can be quite dark as well as all the windows are at the back.

The big windows are lovely and it's very easy/cheap to heat. I prefer not to be over three floors because the running and downstairs and aving te kitchen on a separate floor o te living room is a pain with mall chidren, but it's not a big deal.

Generally, I like them, I think they're efficient and good value for money.

Excuse rubbish typing!

We just moved into one though I think it is early 70s construction. I'm loving it so far as it feels airy and spacious due to its layout. It is also so much cosier than the 30s property that we were living in before, as it holds heat better.

Not sure how we'll find things when DD wants to be in the garden and we're one floor up in the kitchen, dining, living room area. The garden is accessed via our second reception room on the ground floor so maybe we'll need to transfer down there in nicer weather.

Ours had an EPC rating of C which is decent for a non newbuild.

Our garage has been converted btw.

for some reason, quite a few were built of timber-frame construction. The wall insulation was good for the standards of the time. Timber-frame is not as popular as brick and block, and it would be very costly to upgrade the wall insulation.

We used to rent one.
Huge windows tons of light.
Ours had oil central heating built in early 70s
Insulation must have been good because it was easy to heat despite huge open plan lounge diner.
Lived there for 2 years and it was a lovely house.
Kitchen utility and garage on ground floor though so access to garden was fine
Lounge diner, study and loo in middle
Bedrooms on top floor
Really big rooms and so light.
Lovely original wooden floors too.
Miss it .... now live in huge bloody barn of a house that is a pain to heat .

Gah, I really want one now!

Am liking very much everyone saying that they're pretty easy to heat. TuttoRhino that's interesting that you've found it much better than the 30s place you moved from, because I'm in a 30s flat at the moment and it's pretty awful for insulation, a bugger to keep warm, and very prone to condensation and damp. I would love to get away from all that.

Right, that's it. 60s/70s townhouse: I don't know where you are, but you will be mine!

So much better to heat than 1930s house we are now renting. Our Gas bills are shocking and I have never felt so cold in a house.
Really don't think you will regret it . Would love to find similar again where we are now.
Good Luck!

One of the best things about moving is not having to run the dehumidifier constantly. We had single glazed metal framed windows and they were awful. Our previous place also had hot and cold areas. Here the temperature is much more even and the windows are double glazed.

Good luck with the search.

We have new neighbours and trying to be accepting of them, but it's difficult. They have 2 young children and the youngest seems a little behind developmentally and screams a lot. What is worse, is the Mother screams at the children so much. She issues demands and orders and will not tolerate any delay in complying with these. The youngest gets shouted at immediately, no attempt at trying to interest him or explain what he needs to do.We have started timing the screaming fits of the youngest- 20-40 minutes for a pre-school child is too much, in our opinion. We hear all this because the sound insulation is very poor and in the warm weather windows are open or they are in the garden.I am frequently woken before 6 am with screaming and crying and have taken to sleeping with the windows shut, in hot weather. The worst bit is I am a retired social worker, though I didn't work with children. I do believe the family need help.

Can't give you experience, but I'm a fellow fan. Currently trying to buy a 3 story townhouse - more modern than 60s, but the same set up. I love the idea of having the Living room upstairs with huge windows (and in my case a balcony) where you can really appreciate the light and views. Also really like the flexibility of the living space, lots of rooms can be bedrooms or reception rooms depending on your personal needs.

There is an estate of them near us. I have had friends living in them. They are massively cheaper than the smaller 1930s semis. (30s 3 bed semi £700k, 4 bed terraced townhouse £500k). They have lots of space, usually a tiny kitchen off a massive living room on first floor. Garage on ground floor, shower room with washing machine and study or bed five downstairs. The downstairs bedroom however is also the only door to the garden so can’t be easily used.

The construction meant some of them have suffered from rotting timbers, some had plastic replacements that then sweated the joists and they are always undergoing repairs. They have a slightly slanted flat roof and very hot in summer. I would choose one in a nice area over a ‘prettier’ house in a less desirable area. Parking also seems a nightmare as each property has a tandem driveway which fits one large car or two small cars but often three or four car owners in the house and the streets are rammed and sometimes impassable. They seem popular with house sharers.

A friend who lives in one says she disliked going down a flight of stairs for every delivery and ring of the doorbell. Laundry was also a pain as washing machine was on ground floor and all the bedrooms two flights up. They kept their garage and put in a one way parcel door. She could also hear practically everything her neighbours said. It wasn’t practical once she had children as she couldn’t be in the kitchen while they were in the garden. I am sure a layout that had the kitchen downstairs would make a big difference as townhouses can have such a variety of layouts.