Can't find detached, go semi with and extend?

[Ladyof]

I have been looking for a 4 bed detached house and we are really struggling, either sell instantly or minute a dodgy area.

I keep thinking would we be best to find a 3 bed semi and then extend to make a 4 bed semi ir would we end up massively out of pocket.

Would you wait for detached? I cant decide what to do!

I can't advise about house prices etc, but if you can't find as opposed to can't afford then personally I'd wait for detached.

You only have to spend 5 minutes reading threads on here to realise the horrors of living in a semi! I mean, obviously, most people get on just fine with no problems. But the flip side is nightmare neighbours (or being lumped as nightmare neighbours because your kids are... well kids), party wall arguments, disputes over fences/damaged shrubs, living with construction noise, neighbours complaining about your construction, etc etc.

MN threads frequently make me eternally grateful that DH insisted we buy detached in the arse end of nowhere!

It depends on your reasons for wanting detached as opposed to a semi, but having previously moved house solely to escape a neighbour I echo everything @Muststopeating has said. You have no real way of really knowing what a neighbour is like before you move in, or how thick the walls are, and sound proofing isn't always successful. Its hard to describe just how much of an effect an anti-social neighbour can have on your quality of life and mental well being if you haven't experienced it first hand- it comes up constantly on this board. I know buying detached doesn't completely eliminate that risk, but it definitely reduces it a lot. I would also add that the combination of Brexit and Lockdown has meant that not only have building materials gone up in price but builders are more in demand than ever, so finding a builder can be a frustrating, expensive process.

@Mustopeating is right about soundproofing. I spent several thousand pounds and it has done v. little to reduce the noise and it's made some noises even worse. If you can afford it, go for detached. You'll be glad you did.

I wanted a 4 bed detached, we ended up with a 3 bed detached but the garage had been converted so that is used as a bedroom by dd1. Previous owners had also built a detached garage (to replace the converted one) and the rear had been extended for a larger kitchen, utility room and downstairs shower room.

Like you we were having no luck with a 4 bed detached (plenty of extended 4 bed semis), so I had actually started to look for 3 beds with the potential to extend, and then we found the one we bought.

One of the reasons we wanted a detached was less because of noise from the neighbour but the potential noise from autistic ds. I feel sorry enough for my neighbours as it is in a detached (he becomes very loud and very sweary) it would have been intolerable (in terms of our stress levels) to be in a semi.

Loads of people live in semis or end terraces and are fine with their neighbours. Just look carefully at how they are laid out if you can eg are your stairs and bathrooms next to each other or is it bedroom to bedroom.

I'm in a 5 bed semi and am moving to a 5 bed detached. Our neighbours are lovely but are skilled musicians. Even though the music is good, I am sick of it. Particularly during my work meetings. No more bloody trombone!! And that is in an Edwardian property with thick walls.

I'd wait it out and find a detached. We eventually gave in and stuck with a semi (despite having some serious issues with our old neighbour).
Turns out the new neighbour is deaf as a post and our house is constantly bombarded with the sound of war films and barking dogs into the early hours.

As others have said, it could cost you more than you are expecting to build an extension so you might not be saving much on the total price anyway.

It depends doesn't it? Are you in surburbia or are you looking in a semi rural area? Here, most of the detached houses have perhaps a couple of feet between the house and the boundary. Obviously you don't get noise travelling through the wall like you may do in a semi, but all the issues @Muststopeating are still there - party wall / boundary disputes / construction noise etc plus loud music in the garden.

If you're looking at detached houses on a good sized plot - with lots of land between the houses, thats different but comes at a cost.

It depends on why you want the detached. We bought detached as we've had loads of issues with neighbour noise and wanted a break from worrying about it! But I get irritated by it quickly, plenty of people don't.

Detached every time. Lived in a semi once, never again. When new attached neighbours moved in it was a nightmare and we sold up within weeks. For me a smaller detached over a big semi.

All other things being equal, I'd go with the detached, but I couldn't make a decision without seeing the particular houses. There are plenty of three bedroom semis I'd choose over a poky four-bed detached on a small plot any day!

I’d honestly wait.

If you’ve found the perfect forever home and it’s a semi I’d say go for it, but if you don’t adore your home I’d wait it out.

You say some are coming up but are selling instantly. Can you work with those at all? Are you under offer yet or is that the problem? Or are they selling quicker because people are offering more than you? In which case then you can’t actually afford a detached I guess.

We were looking for 4 bed but ended up buying our current house (3 bed detached) due to nothing bigger suitable at the time. Our 3 bed had much more living space than 4 beds we viewed, it just lacked an extra bedroom. We only viewed the 3 bed to rule it out and were surprised at how well it could work for us. We always intend to extend, the house has previously had planning permission granted, and although it's expired would be easy to reapply. We never got round to extending, probably never will now, but the surprise was how much we loved detached. I don't think I could willingly go back to shared walls now.

I'd wait for a detached.

We are in a nice solid semi and for 20 years had a lovely quiet elderly neighbour. Our new neighbours seem to be a really nice new family but the baby crying wakes DD up early every morning.

No screaming or shouting but the noise really does transmit!

My parents have a detached and hear nothing.

Yep Im another in the camp of wait for a detached!

Seems to be an overwhelming wait for detached which to be honest I would prefer. It is only the lack of them in the areas I want that has made me think of other options.

We can afford detached if they go for asking price or just over but at the moment they are selling for like 20k over asking wth!!! So annoying.

Thank you for all your responses.

I'd definitely wait for a detached if you have the means to buy one & it's just a case of waiting for the right property to appear.

I hate to say this, but I think it sounds like you can’t afford one then. I don’t want you waiting for something that will never happen.

4pawsgood - in what way do you mean? Because we can afford but just dont want to pay 20k over asking price for a house that only ticks some boxes, if the perfect house came up ticking all or at least most boxes we would go for it in a heartbeat.

I think it depends how important detached is to you, if it's important and you compromise you might then start looking ahead to moving again because there's nothing you can do to make a semi detached, detached! For us it was a must have for the next move, no chance we were compromising on it, but that said it's an affordable area with large numbers of detached homes so it isn't quite the premium it is elsewhere.