Townhouse Units

[*NikkiBell*]

I'm still struggling to get a house and am starting to cave on some of my "musts." For those of you who either live or have lived in a townhouse, can you hear noise from your neighbors if you are not in an end unit?

 

[xanphylus]

So, technically, I am in a condo unit- upstairs and in the middle. I personally will never buy a townhouse or condo again. I hate my downstairs neighbor, but as you specifically asked- I don't hear too much from my side neighbors right now. But that really depends on who you live next too. The guy that used to own next door to us, we heard his music daily and other.... uhhhh... things you don't want to really hear people doing if you catch my drift. Try explaining those yells to an 8 year old.... Right now, I have old people living next to me, and I love them! They are quiet and don't complain about my kids outside. But you also have to think about the HOA. Our fees were $100/month when I bought the place. Pool and tennis courts and decent landscaping. Now they are $225 month and we lost our pool and tennis courts when our Home owners assoc split into two sep groups..... utter crap. Can't wait to move!

 

[PinkBudgie]

We lived in a townhouse condo (rented) for several years before we moved to the house we are in now (which we ended up buying after renting). It was a two story end unit. We didn't hear our neighbor like we did when we lived in an apartment. One downside of an end unit was it made our heating bill higher because there was no neighbor on the other side to help keep in heat.

It was a nice place and much better than an apartment. However, the biggest down for us was the parking. We had two parking spaces assigned to us but people were constantly parking in our spots! Then we had to park way down the street in on of the unassigned spots and walk back to our condo. This was a constant problem for us and a huge relief when we moved to the house.

 

[disneym2m]

I think it depends on the building. As you probably know some buildings are poorly insulated and some are great.

I couldn't hear the next door neighbors unless they played music really, really loud. If I walked outside in the front yard I could hear the music, but inside it was fairly quiet.

If you are looking at town home, and if possible, visit during a weekend day or later in the evening when you know the neighbors are home. Walk around and look at everything slowly but in reality you are listening to the neighbors. If you know of a town home for sale, drive by from time to time and see if you can see who the neighbors are. I know it is not the most enjoyable thing to do and it will take up some of your time, but it might be worth it.

I now own a home and really want to move back into a town home. I don't care for yard work and I like having someone else doing the upkeep.

Good luck on your choice and future home.

 

[Kimberle]

We live in a ranch style. 3 units stacked, we are on the top. I'd never be below anybody. We rarely hear our neighbors. We've been here 13.5 years. Be careful where you buy as corruption runs rampid in condo boards and management companies.

 

[Cherinva]

I lived in an end unit of a townhouse....I constantly heard the neighbor next door every time they went up and down the stairs....It all depends on how the unit is built. My friend bought a townhouse a couple of years ago, and I haven't heard her complain about noise at all.

 

[mel&me]

I never owed one.
I have Friends that do. I spent enough time there to know
I would never buy one. Heard everything. Including what a previous poster
said about going up and down the stairs.

 

[myweegirls]

We're in a three-story townhouse in a development that's about 7 years old. We don't hear a thing. When the boys next door were younger adolescents, we'd once in a while get the bass from their music, but that was rare. We've been lucky for the most part with the folks on our street; I think it comes down to construction and the neighbors' lifestyles. Good luck!

XO
Liz

 

[christygobar]

I owned a condo before DH and I got married and was on the lower floor - I had an upstairs neighbor and next door neighbors attached on one side.

So of course I could always hear my upstairs neighbor, but that is not an issue if you owned a townhome with no one above you. That said, his stairs were inside his home, next door to my 2nd bedroom - so I could always hear him walking up there. However, I could almost never hear my other next door neighbors. Maybe faintly through the bathroom wall (that is where it was connected), but they were super quiet people.

I honestly didn't mind the noise. I was a single female in my late 20s and I almost found it comforting to know when someone was home next to me just in case there was an emergency. If you have lived in an apartment, it is similar.....only you own the interior walls

I enjoyed it because there was virtually no yard maintenance (I did have my own backyard though, it was just small), and it came with pool and individual courtyards. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a condo or townhome.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

My mom lives in a townhouse in Central NJ, and never hears the neighbors.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Of course a lot depends on the neighbors--
We lived in a Townhouse for several years. Couldn't hear the neighbors much on "normal" days, but when they played music or had a party--really noisy. Screaming kids could also be easily heard.

If I were you I would check and see what sound conditioing they have between the homes. Good sound conditioning material does exist but most home builders don't use it.

And for goodness sake don't let them tell you there is a 8" or a 12" cinder block wall between units. There probably is, and it's great for fire protection. But it's virtually useless as a sound conditioner.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Alot depends on the construction of the townhouse, but the biggest thing I don't like is that you never know what you are going to get with neighbors. A friend of mine lived in a beautiful condo, when she moved in her neighbor was an elderly lady who they really never head except sometimes when she had her TV really loud. Then she moved and a couple with a teenage son moved in. They could hear him all the time, he was just a loud kid who liked loud music. Then she got in the situation of being the complaining neighbor. So you can check out the neighbors, but people move and you don't know who will move in next.

 

[DisneyKevin]

When considering a town home / condo / villa, construction is definitely something you will want to consider.

I would ask about the construction of "shared walls".

I'd want to know that each dwelling has it's own wall with a "dead space" in between. This will help deaden sound.

I'd also want to know about the construction of the firewall between the units. In FL, it's usually concrete block to the first floor and then wood the rest of the way. In better built homes, the firewall between dwellings is concrete block from the foundation to the roof line.

 

[eeyorelvr09]

I'm still struggling to get a house and am starting to cave on some of my "musts." For those of you who either live or have lived in a townhouse, can you hear noise from your neighbors if you are not in an end unit?

You just don't trust Lisa or I do you. LOL. Like I mentioned to you before, I lived in a townhouse with my family for almost 15 years and had no complaints of noise from ether of our neighbors.

These are good things to consider, but also remember that you will make this place your own. Try to see the excitement in that.

 

[sc9500]

Like its been said -- it depends on the neighbors, you also have to consider the 'outdoor sharing space' like is there a balcony right next to yours or a deck. I hear my neighbors but its not overwhelming... there are trade-offs, I dont like paying the monthly fee.. but the 3 bathrooms come in handy a lot of times.

 

[LSUmom4kids]

We've stayed in "middle" units and have never heard our neighbors on either side. However, past 10 p.m., we have heard the "back" neighbors swimming outside and talking/laughing, etc.

If you can get a TH with no back door neighbors, you should have a quiet and peaceful time. Better yet, go during winter or to a place with no backyard pools, and that would be ideal!

 

[Alison_in_Wonderland]

We've lived in an end unit for 6y+ and never hear our neighbors. For the past 5y, we lived next door to a couple of teen boys and never heard them!

 

[princessbride6205]

We can't hear our side neighbors, but we can hear our behind neighbors. It is not bothersome usually, but it can be freaky when I'm home alone, as it sounds like the noise is in my house! It's mostly their vacuum and they sound like elephants going up and down their stairs (which are against our shared wall).
More problematic for us has actually been the little sound tunnel our development has. Our townhomes face the next set and are very close. The outdoor sounds seem to magnify in the small alleyway, but this is also annoying neighbors I suppose. The old couple with multiple giant windchimes, the guy that works on his cars at 11 pm, the frat boys who play games in the street at midnight... Those are all my complaints though, it really isn't bad - not issues that make me regret the townhome every day or week.

 

[auroralark]

My in-laws lived in an end unit and we lived with them for a few months while we were looking for a house. Never heard the neighbors. They bought their place brand new - it was built in 2007.