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Original poster

Should I consider a mid terraced house?

59 replies

Coffeesnob11 · 27/04/2022 22:45

I completed on my sale ( 2 bed end of terrace) in Feb and my son and I are staying with my mum. We are looking to move to a specific village but as you would expect there are not a lot of properties coming up and the ones that do I am often beaten in a bidding war. I have always put down I wanted a end of terrace, semi or detached but a mid terrace is coming up and everyone seems to think I should consider it. I have always worried about noise on 2 sides.
Have you gone from a semi or end of terraced to mid terrace and if so have you had any issues or would you recommend it?

OP posts:

user50and · 27/04/2022 22:47

Yes. I've gone from a semi to a mid terrace, and from a detached to mid terrace. No problems at all. Myself and two small dc at the time. If you like the house and it's in the right area, go for it!

TeddyBeans · 27/04/2022 22:48

My parents have always lived in a mid terrace so I might be immune to the noise but I can honestly say I've never noticed every day noises from either of my parents neighbours. Drilling, shouting and other loud noises travel - of course but not a normal level conversation or next doors evening TV.

DP is dead set against a mid terrace as his parents live in a semi detached house so I guess it's a pretty common mindset if that's what you're used to

GreenLunchBox · 27/04/2022 22:48

I don't think it would be too much of an issue

Neverreturntoathread · 27/04/2022 22:54

I’ve been mid terrace and wouldn’t do it again. It’s double the neighbour noise.

I was im a Victorian house though - noise travelled!! Even smells crossed at floorboard and attic level! Hopefully you’re looking at something better insulated.

PissedOffNeighbour22 · 27/04/2022 22:55

It's a long time ago now but we went from a semi to a mid terrace. I suppose it all just depends on what sort of neighbours you end up with but we didn't have much noise.
On one side we had an older single man who never left the house and on the other was a young family with 1 child. We heard them if they were being particularly loud but on the whole it wasn't a problem. They did ask us on several occasions what we'd been watching on tv as apparently they could hear us laughing clearly through their walls (it didn't bother them though).
I moved back to a semi and ended up with the noisiest most disruptive neighbours I could ever have the misfortune of living next door to.

ozymandiusking · 27/04/2022 22:56

I think it's a matter of luck as to what your neighbours are like. We had an old lady next to us on one side. She was very deaf so would have the volume of the tv very loud, and fall asleep with it on, she died recently.On the other side a young couple who are no trouble at all.
Would it be possible for you to find out? Go and sit in your car and watch.
Also useful to know what the parking is like if there is no off street parking, if that is off concern for you.

cafedesreves · 27/04/2022 22:57

Grew up in 2 and live in 1, zero problems at all. And I live in a "rough" area 😂

Threetulips · 27/04/2022 22:58

There will be stairs on one side - unless it has the middle of living room/dining room arrangement.

the stairs appear to muffle the noise levels form next door.

But we had elderly neighbors and they often had the tv on loud, but as it was by the stairs it wasn’t too over powering.

HairyBum · 27/04/2022 23:00

Can always sound proof it

HarrietSchulenberg · 27/04/2022 23:06

I live in a Victorian mid terrace and don't really have any noise apart from my newish neighbours who do loud performance shagging with their windows wide open. The problem would be the same if we were detached as you can hear them from across the street.

Big bonus is insulation as it's toasty warm.

user375242 · 27/04/2022 23:06

I think it's a bit extreme to rule it out if you aren't only looking at detached. I went from a rented semi to a rented mid terrace, and then was so happy with the mid terrace I had no qualms about buying one last year. The semi had more noise issues than either mid terrace. The walls were thinner, though. The semi was a late 90's build and the mid terraces have been Victorian. I think that makes a difference.

I have auditory processing issues due to a hearing condition and neurodiversity, and my neighbours noise really doesn't bother me in the slightest as it is muffled. A house about 5 doors down has had major renovations being done for the last several months and the noise and disruption from that has bothered me significantly more, you really can't rely on being only attached one one side as a means to achieving a peaceful and quiet house at all times. You could have a loud raver who chain smokes so you can't have windows open in the summer on one side of a semi or two quiet neighbours either side. Go and view it and ask about the neighbours.

Hellocatshome · 27/04/2022 23:08

Our 1900s mid terrace house is a lot quieter than our 1960s ex council semi-detached.

Louise0701 · 27/04/2022 23:08

Oh god absolutely not! Where do you park? How do you access the garden? What about if you have loud or not very nice neighbours?

TeddyBeans · 27/04/2022 23:12

Louise0701 · 27/04/2022 23:08

Oh god absolutely not! Where do you park? How do you access the garden? What about if you have loud or not very nice neighbours?

On the drive and via the back alley? Not all terraces have puny front gardens

yourestandingonmyneck · 27/04/2022 23:19

Yes, I have lived in a few mid terraces over the years. Some have been better than others (just like the other flats / houses I've lived in) but nothing has been particularly due to being mid terrace.

All things being equal, yes, I would probably choose semi or end terrace, but you really can't predict these things - you could end up in a semi with awful neighbours. These things are outwith your control.

If the house is suitable and it's in the village you want I'd say go for it.

What era was it built? You might find it's very quiet. If not, look into soundproofing.

Good luck XxX

SlightlyJaded · 27/04/2022 23:23

Louise0701 · 27/04/2022 23:08

Oh god absolutely not! Where do you park? How do you access the garden? What about if you have loud or not very nice neighbours?

I park outside my house
I access my garden through my back doors of via tmy back gate which is accessed via the back alleyway
The neighbours we had on the 'detached' side of our previous semi were ten times noisier than the perfectly normal neighbours we are terraced between.

Seriously - the hysteria is unwarranted.

We are in an Edwardian terrace and the most we ever hear is next door's DD doing piano lesson once a week and only ever so faintly. I quite like it actually...

Original poster

Coffeesnob11 · 27/04/2022 23:24

Thank you everyone. It's a 1960s house (last house was 1950s ex council which was really solid. I will send ask my amily to find out about the neighbours and potential noise. The front has parking (was a garden I guess). The back has an alleyway to the back of the gardens. It has a detached garage in a block.

OP posts:

Louise0701 · 27/04/2022 23:26

Didn’t know about back alleys, have never seen them!!

Mossstitch · 27/04/2022 23:26

Mid terrace with stairs up the middle, pre1900 I think, can hear EVERYTHING! What I didn't realise when I bought it was both sides were rented so would try to check out the neighbours first. Ours were horrendous, loud drunken domestics and constant shouting, police there a couple of times. Fortunately they moved out and now a very quiet single man, so quiet you can hear a pin drop..... Bliss😊
It is cheap to keep warm though as insulated both sides or I'm benefitting from their heating 😂

Poopootatty · 27/04/2022 23:27

Our mid terrace is ace. The only noise we ever really here is one neighbour sneezing occasionally. We probably make more noise (two small DC) and I know that one side do hear our babies crying but if it bothers them they’re very kind about it.

I certainly wouldn’t rule it out!

CorsicaDreaming · 27/04/2022 23:37

We moved from a Victorian terrace with lovely quiet neighbours on both sides - and v warm as shared so many walls - to a semi det Victorian-

I've had words with one neighbour about his loud late night shenanigans and back to the eighties revival discos... It's split into flats and the other neighbours are fine and v quiet.

Moral is I'm not sure you can guarantee anything either way... you could have a yapping dog next door driving you to distraction even if you were detached.

CasperGutman · 28/04/2022 07:03

We've had two mid terraced houses. One with students one side and a family with tweens the other, the other with only a single woman living alone both sides. No problems with noise except one to two parties a year from the students, but then we had more noise issues in a detached!

The first terrace had no access to the back garden except through the house, and this was a bit inconvenient but not insurmountable. The second was built in the 1969s and had the road at the back and a traffic-free walkway* at the front, so no access issues.

I'd be wary of this sort of arrangement in general but in this case it was fine: the fronts were well kept and it was near the town centre with plenty of foot traffic, so felt safe.

evilharpy · 28/04/2022 07:43

We're in a 1960s ex council mid terrace. Elderly neighbours on both sides and we never ever hear them apart from on one side I can hear noise from the pipes if he's running water in one of the bathrooms. They say they can never hear us either.

We did have previous neighbours on one side and we could hear their dog barking constantly every time they left him alone in the house, it drove us nuts, but very little noise from TVs or the family themselves.

Parking is far more of an issue than noise.

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 28/04/2022 07:49

I went from 1930s semi to Victorian terrace last year. I said I would never buy a terrace for the noise reasons but this had 3 double bedrooms (I have two teens) and i was struggling to find a semi with the same. I have been here 10 months now and the only noise i have heard is my neighbour sneeze around 4 months ago, apart from that it is like we are detached. The other side were very noisy with two young kids but luckily sold up and a single woman lives there = no noise at all. I suspect we are the noisy ones, as pp said it really is down to luck on the neighbours front.

tableandchairsgreen · 28/04/2022 07:50

If you like the house and it’s in budget then you can get sound proofing added in noisy rooms. Easy enough and once it’s done you are neighbour proof

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