small detached or a good sized terraced

[magicmania]

Hi Ladies,

We are looking to buy a property in a school zone. I would like to get some thoughts as we are not able to decide on a couple of properties. We have two choices, a small detached family with a small garden in the front and back, with no expansion potential.. because they have already expanded over the garage on the top floor and also the ground floor. But all the 3 extended rooms (2 on top and 1 on ground) are box rooms with no possibility to extend them. The house needs some decoration. There is another semi detached property, cheaper than the detached, but need extensions to add a ground floor bath, and make a good sized kitchen. This terraced house has a good size garden to both front and rear and 3 good sized rooms..we have two kids. I know most of it depends on what we need. I am hoping your opinions would help to make a decision.

@Natasha, that is a bit worrying. Can't you complain? My daughter are very light sleepers, there was a time, when we husband and I avoided using toilets/flush in our apartment for atleast 2 hours after my daughter went to bed.
@stepaway, yes we can go in the Loft. I don't think space (additional rooms) is going to be a problem. With 4 box rooms, when children grow up they can have one each..The living room is not wide enough 1612 and the kitchen is just about okay 108. It is bigger compared to my apartment, but most of the houses we have been to, have much bigger kitchen.

@Garden, the terraced house has a 100 ft garden.. it would be big even after expansion.
btw, is 40* 22 east facing garden very tiny to have a small tea table and trampoline?

Detached.

Detached every time for me. Having had a series 'noisy but nice' and 'noisy and also horrid' neighbours in flats and terraces over the years I am now in a detached house and would never willingly go back. We compromised (a bit) on style of house and area to get detached. But worth it to me. Having said that I do think the joy of a detached house is not such a big deal unless you've had a horrible experience with noise somewhere along the line!

Do you have extra money left over to get the walls sound proofed in the terrace?

Also, it's not just about other people's noise.

You can have someone horrid complaining every single time you sneeze or have loud sex or get a barky dog. Heaven forbid you watch Mamma Mia and sing along loudly after a glass of wine.
Some people live to make others' lives miserable.

Depends on how you they are attached too. I'm in a semi but its long and thin, so only two rooms (one on each floor) are attached to neighbour's house. I probably only hear them in the evening if I don't have TV or music on. My previous house was detached and I don't notice any difference really.

thanks all.

Title says terrace but description says semi detached? I'd be very happy with terrace as much cheaper to heat......fewer external walls

it is terraced..

40 feet doesn't sound like a tiny garden. It sounds fine.

I'd always look for a S or SW facing garden.

Detached, detached, detached.

We lived in a Victorian terrace for a year and it was awful, I am still haunted by the details of next door's love life (because he liked to tell his mother about it, loudly and by 'sex life' I mean, him talking about shaving his back before a date...)

I am NOT a people person and even a detached is proving a bit too close to other people!

Our detached is very well insulated - heating goes on for an hour or two in the winter - it can be done

I'd probably go for the detached.

Detached. I would kill for a detached house.

Detached it is then.

Is a 40*22 garden not small? I am not bothered by the fact that it is east facing and will be cold.. it does not matter to me.. I just need a place for my children to play and a promised trampoline.. 8inch may be.

Do you work?
Our garden is a massive and a jungle. Do not underestimate the time taken to keep a garden!!

No 40ft garden is fine.

We've always lived in a detached as we live rurally but are hoping to move into a town next year. I've been drooling over large terraces but you lot are putting me off!

Our garden is about 40' by 45' and takes a lot of care, the smaller the better for me.

bakeoffcake

I would find it so so hard to go from a detached to a terrace, when you are used to your privacy and freedom.

Take this morning, my kids were up at stupid-o'clock, so by 8:30 I had 2 loads of laundry drying in the garden, had cleaned and hoovered the house, the music is on in the kitchen (on low, the windows are opened), we've baked a cake, and I am now waiting for the 3rd load of laundry to finish before driving off to the beach. I know I can have an early night any evening of the week, and not be awaken by neighbours having friends around, or watching tv in their bedroom or just being noisy.

If I had neighbours in a semi (or worst terrace), I would have had to wait until at least 9:30am to start the laundry and everybody would have had to tip toe until then. If your neighbours are the same, it's not even that bad, everybody keeps quiet, but some people are awfully rude and noisy (piano practice at 8am anyone?, and that's far from the worst example)