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Original poster

Detached or Semi detached - compromises

42 replies

bellamountain · 22/10/2023 18:25

There is a wreck of house semi detached for sale with a 150 foot garden so huge scope to extend and plenty of outside space for the children. The house needs A LOT of work though, it needs considerable extending loft conversion and single storey. It has 3 bedrooms, one of which is tiny. West facing, you couldn't live in it whilst it was being renovated though (would mean moving in with parents).

A dated detached house is on sale for nearly £200k(!!) more which is at the very top of our budget - aside from decorating, any works would need to wait (i.e. knocking through the kitchen and dining room). It has 4 bedrooms though, so no loft conversion needed and already has an en suite. It ticks a lot of boxes as it won't need any extending (necessarily), south facing but the garden is a lot smaller than the first house. Both my kids love to play in the garden and kick a ball about. Would a smaller garden be a deal breaker with kids? It's not new build tiny by any stretch, the first house is 1930s and second is circa 1970s / 80s. The garden has been very well maintained by the current owners but I worry there's not enough outdoor space and it's smaller than what we are used to.....

Sorry for being waffley!!

OP posts:
Heyhoherewegoagain · 22/10/2023 18:27

I’d ALWAYS go detached over semi if it’s doable financially. The level of renovation the semi requires could very easily eat up the 200k price difference with current build prices.

AdultingIncorrectly · 22/10/2023 18:28

Detached. Every time.
I’ve lived in 3 semi’s. I hope I never have to live in a semi again. The noise just travels too much and has the potential to make your lives a misery.

jiinglebells · 22/10/2023 18:29

Second 100%!

I wouldn't want attached neighbours. Especially ones who've had to live through your building works disturbing them for however long whilst you also have to move in with PIL - especially considering you might not even get PP for an extension / be able to get builders in quickly etc.

That 200k could get swallowed up easily doing a loft conversion + single storey extension!

Ilikewinter · 22/10/2023 18:50

100% detached ... I wouldnt ever consider anything else having experienced shitty noisy neighbours.

Lizzieregina · 22/10/2023 18:54

I’d prefer the detached if it’s still within your budget. Tiny garden doesn’t bother me. My kids loved it when they were really small, but didn’t take long till they didn’t care about playing in our own garden.

And agree that renovations burn through your budget faster than you think!

Floralnomad · 22/10/2023 18:55

Detached

Thegirlfromredfern · 22/10/2023 18:56

If I could afford detached I would buy detached

CobraChicken · 22/10/2023 18:57

The detached, definitely!

DarkWingDuck · 22/10/2023 18:59

Detached Detached. We brought a beautiful semi just like you describe, complete renovated it was the house of our dreams. In moved the worst neighbours imaginable. A year of hell and we ended up selling at a huge loss. I hope this is rare but if you have the choice I wouldn’t risk it.

Original poster
bellamountain · 22/10/2023 19:31

We've been so lucky to have quiet neighbours for so long in our current semi detached (although not sure they would say the same about our kids). Even though the detached needs modernisation, the thought of not having months and months of major building works and upheaval is very appealing. I need to find out how far the park is, that's a factor if the kids want a decent kick-about.

OP posts:
975zyx · 22/10/2023 19:34

Detached. We had a practically identical situation and chose the top of budget detached with smaller garden, haven’t regretted it and the kids adapted.

TheSugarcubes · 22/10/2023 19:34

I would not be moving in with my parents or my in laws even for a short time. Nope. I wouldn't even consider the first house for that reason. Otherwise I may choose it because of the garden.

ClematisBlue49 · 22/10/2023 19:42

+1 for the detached property. With the market as it is, you might be able to get it for less than the extra £200K, whereas the cost of renovating is rising, and open-ended, as you never know what you might uncover as you go along, or what might go wrong.

Original poster
bellamountain · 22/10/2023 19:42

The thing is, the big open plan diner kitchen is a very real possibility on the first house, just a Google of 1930s house renovations and kitchen extensions look amazing. Could have a Lantern ceiling. None of this is possible on the detached due to losing valuable garden space. The only option is to go sideways and knock through the kitchen to dining room and put in bifolds to open it up. The living room at the front of the house is huge however (very 80s), it's a definite design feature of that time.

OP posts:
ErroneousEntity · 22/10/2023 19:45

Detached every time.

Moved from detached to semi-detached when we had to move back to the South from the North West. Sadly there is no way we can afford detached around here.

I am constantly on edge worrying about our, normal, family-life related noise bothering our neighbour. She is lovely and insists we don’t bother her at all, but she is retired and lives alone and there are five of us in our house, so I think she is probably just being nice. Plus of course, if she ever moves there’s the risk of whoever moves in being noisy or moany, either of which would be a nightmare to live next to.

rwalker · 22/10/2023 19:48

Go Detached
As for garden we have over 130 ft garden kids loved it for approx 4 months of the year as only fun in good weather swings slide trampoline and 14 ft blow up pool

7 years on NO one sets foot on it sit on 10 ft patio and it takes hours to maintain
don’t let the garden be a decision maker

Original poster
bellamountain · 22/10/2023 19:50

How do people find their heating bills with detached?

OP posts:
Original poster
bellamountain · 22/10/2023 19:51

rwalker · 22/10/2023 19:48

Go Detached
As for garden we have over 130 ft garden kids loved it for approx 4 months of the year as only fun in good weather swings slide trampoline and 14 ft blow up pool

7 years on NO one sets foot on it sit on 10 ft patio and it takes hours to maintain
don’t let the garden be a decision maker

Yes to be fair, we don't let the kids on the grass in the wet weather (they only destroy lawn)!

OP posts:
mrsmacmc · 22/10/2023 20:06

Detached 💯

Potatomashed · 22/10/2023 20:35

I used to own a detached 30s house. We had really noisy neighbours who were into heavy metal, Smokey BBQs and had lots of cats. We now live in a really well designed terraced house with cavity walls and stairs in the middle of the properties. We don’t hear anything at all, even when they have their crazy grandkids staying.

We were really concerned about the terraced aspect but it’s so much more energy efficient and we hear nothing. So it’s not always clear cut

spitefulandbadgrammar · 22/10/2023 20:44

I’d go for the semi because of the garden, the 1930sness, and while the £200k gets eaten up on the reno, at least you can reno it to how you like it. Whereas the detached you can’t ever increase the garden size, and you can’t afford to improve the house.

I’ve always lived in semis and terraces and neighbour noise is entirely dependent on the build – could hear everything in our shit London terrace, can’t hear a peep in our current one. The walls are THICK. The neighbours are quiet through the whole street. Most neighbours are fine, people only talk about the horror stories so it goes skewed perspective.

Forget the semi/detached issue, the costs, the reno chaos/moveability for a second and imagine each house as it would be in two years time, ie the semi post renovation and the detached with nothing done: which do you want to live in?

DaisyWaldron · 22/10/2023 20:45

I'd go for the semi, but I've never lived in a detached house and have never particularly wanted to. When I go fantasy house shopping on Rightmove, I usually pick a terrace.

Baffled1989 · 22/10/2023 21:23

Detached everytime.

Heyhoherewegoagain · 22/10/2023 21:38

bellamountain · 22/10/2023 19:31

We've been so lucky to have quiet neighbours for so long in our current semi detached (although not sure they would say the same about our kids). Even though the detached needs modernisation, the thought of not having months and months of major building works and upheaval is very appealing. I need to find out how far the park is, that's a factor if the kids want a decent kick-about.

You have to remember that children are ever changing, and their years of having a kickabout are relatively short compared to how long most people will plan on living in a house….whilst you want some outside space for your children, it wouldn’t be my deciding factor on a house purchase

WildCherryBlossom · 23/10/2023 09:05

I would personally go for the semi. I know it's tough going through renovations but the result of doing it as you want it is really rewarding. It sounds as though the older property has more image character already. Also I love gardens. Not just a place for kids to kick a ball about - socialising, relaxing (a hammock and a good book), maybe some fruit trees...