Ground Floor Apartment: Advantages/Disadvantages

ian_m

Can anyone highlight the advantages and disadvantages of living in a ground floor apartment?

Thanks

cornbb

I'm living in a ground floor apartment so I'll give my 2 cents... to be completely honest I can't think of that many differences. My apartment is at the back of the building (which contains only 5 apartments) and doesn't get much passing traffic from other residents, so it is reasonably quiet and private. Our upstairs neighbour never creates much noise, although the building is quite modern and soundproofed. One disadvantage is the lack of a decent view. In another complex disadvantages might include lack of privacy from passers-by. Thats all I can think of really.

How Strange

I live in a ground floor apt and the advantages as I see them are - no hassle lugging groceries etc up, easy to bring in furniture.

Disadvantages - No privacy, less secure, no/very little view.

If I were buying again I wouldn't particularly buy a ground floor. My preference would be one on a higher level but I wouldn't rule it out either. It depends on whether or not you have a garden (I do) or a small enclosed area with the ground floor apt. Some developments gave no thought at all to that so those on the ground floor are disadvantaged compared to higher levels with balconies.

Also, think of security. Would it be possible for someone to break into your apt without being seen? Mine (touch wood) is very safe but that would be my primary concern. You don't want to live somewhere with bars on your windows.

daniel3982

Its easier to get the shopping in, though I always had to keep my curtains drawed.

jubi lee

benefits of living on a higher floor:

as regards the issue with lugging groceries etc up to it - no problems, there's a lift so it's no diff from a ground floor apt.

high floors have better security, nobody looking in your windows. several of my friends living in ground floor flats have been broken in to.

i can leave my curtains and windows open if required.

i am on top floor, so nobody above me = so less noise.

better views

i'd go for an upper floor apt any time

eth0_

There's a reason apartments on higher floors cost more :P
No way would I live in a street level apartment. I was renting one earlier this year and my bedroom was at the front, I didn't feel at all comfortable sleeping with the window open, it would be so easy to break in.

billyblanks

I specifically looked for a ground floor apartment....Advantages, well they usually cost a little less. Own door entrance, the way the block is designed I have no apartments attached to mine, only above so its very quiet. I'm into cycling so no problems bringing dirty bikes in and out. The only real disadvantage is privacy, but for me it is not really an issue as my bedrooms look out onto a private garden and at the front where the sitting room is very few people pass by...mainly my neighbours who never bother looking in.
Security, yep less secure than the apartments above me but just get the proper alarm system and it is as secure as any house!!

patrickolee

ground floors tend to be darker (less light), even in relatively low rise apartment blocks. Having your own entrance can be handy though as a previous poster pointed out, for bikes etc.

Dandelion6

I was in a ground-floor flat for four years. I wouldn't have felt secure at all without the bars on the window (which didn't bother me, but I can see how some people wouldn't like them).

I have exercise equipment and it was nice being able to use it wherever I wanted to without having to worry about the neighbours below me complaining about the noise.

MrVostro

i have lived in different apartments on different floors. i much prefered the ground floor one. own door. easy to insure. no stairs or lifts - especially when getting furniture delivered. no ringing intercom for other people. It was no different to living in a bungalow really.

musicfan

How can people say a ground floor apartment is not secure?? Is it not the same as living in a bungalow etc??

I personally would not live in an apartment block (been there done that!) but if my apartment had its own door that it so much more acceptable........like the ground floor of a duplex.

Dandelion6

musicfan wrote: »

How can people say a ground floor apartment is not secure?? Is it not the same as living in a bungalow etc??

I wouldn't feel secure in a bungalow, either.

Eurorunner

Just to put another angle on it, a mid floor apartment will get an extremely good energy rating (might not be a consideration right now but it will be soon enough) whereas ground floor or top floor are the opposite extreme. Particularly true of a midfloor with only one side exposed (ie only 1 external wall).

DublinDilbert

I live in a ground floor apt and have to say it feels very secure, i'd even say more secure than a house....

For starters there's less windows ( no bathroom or kitchen windows ).... also there's always people around (during the day & night ) coming and going from all the apartments....

musicfan

Dandelion6 wrote: »

I wouldn't feel secure in a bungalow, either.

Would you not feel secure in a two storey house either? The only way you feel secure would be in a high rise apartment block????

Dandelion6

musicfan wrote: »

Would you not feel secure in a two storey house either? The only way you feel secure would be in a high rise apartment block????

No, the only way I feel secure is being high enough off the ground that burglars can't break into my place without either (a) using a ladder, which would be rather obvious, or (b) having two doors to have to get through, the building door and then mine.

I'm on the second floor now and feel totally secure.

I take it you haven't been burgled or lived in burglary-prone neighbourhoods before.

traceybere

I live in a ground floor apartment - its handy because I have a young daughter so I have no worries of her falling over the balcony. Its handy for bringing groceries and shopping in and out. Also when I moved in it was easy to get furniture in and out.

But I do notice people passing my window so there is the privacy factor

smurfbaby

I lived in a ground floor apt for 2 years, here are the pros and cons I experienced:

Pros:
-Easy to get furniture & appliances in when we first moved in (people upstairs had a nightmare trying to get stuff up stairs/lift, most who sold afterwards left the furniture as part of the sale)
-Could hoover my car, just had to reverse up to our patio doors
-Easy to unload large amounts of shopping, again just reversed up to patio doors
-In general very handy to nip in and out to cars/bins

Cons:
-Security was a major problem, we had several attempted break ins
-Privacy was another major issue, we never opened the bedroom blinds
-Slightly lower value than upper floors (although it was bought for less so suppose thats not really an issue)
-No views apart from car park etc
-for the first year we had the heating constantly on (new build) and it never seemed to be warm, whereas the guy in the penthouse never needed to pout his heat on! So less energy efficient than higher floors-heat rises

If I were to live in an apartment again I would definitely buy one on a higher floor, it's worth the extra cost to offset the security/privacy issues

Dandelion6

Another thing is that the windows on the ground floor apartments where I live seem to be frequently covered in egg yolks, courtesy of the lovely young sociopaths-in-training who live in the flats across the road.