Would you buy or rent an apt without a balcony?

Spanish Eyes

I am amazed at the number of apartments around the place that have zero outside space.

I am in the early stages of thinking of downsizing from a house to an apartment for security and maintenance reasons. But honestly, there are very very few apartments in my price range that have a balcony.

Does anyone know why this is the case in Dublin?

I really could not live in a place where I could not have a cup of coffee at a little table (I know balconies can be small) outside any time of the year.

How do people dry their clothes, dare I say it - let off internal wind, or have a smoke?

Does not having a balcony work for you?

athtrasna

In most apartment developments you are not allowed to dry clothes on balconies, or hang anything off them. Some development even restrict what you can have in terms of furniture and plans on them too.

Personally I couldn't live without all three of mine. Tiny two person one off the sitting room, ideal for smokers. Bigger one off the main bedroom with room for a bistro set, well two if you actually needed two tables and four chairs...and a massive one off the kitchen that is bigger than some sitting rooms, perfect for entertaining outdoors.

I'd feel totally claustrophobic without the balconies, wouldn't give any of them up.

dudara

I used to live in an apartment without any outdoor space. After that, some form of outdoor space is now an absolute must. When moving recently, we viewed a lot of apartments, but rejected all that we saw. There are a lot out there that aren't really built for long term living.

Spanish Eyes

athtrasna wrote: »

In most apartment developments you are not allowed to dry clothes on balconies, or hang anything off them. Some development even restrict what you can have in terms of furniture and plans on them too.

Personally I couldn't live without all three of mine. Tiny two person one off the sitting room, ideal for smokers. Bigger one off the main bedroom with room for a bistro set, well two if you actually needed two tables and four chairs...and a massive one off the kitchen that is bigger than some sitting rooms, perfect for entertaining outdoors.

I'd feel totally claustrophobic without the balconies, wouldn't give any of them up.

That sounds exactly what I would like. Are you in Dublin?

Outside space is so important. Especially on long sunny evenings, having your dinner al fresco, surely is one of life's pleasures. Even if it is on a small balcony... every little helps!

Re the drying of clothes on balconies, I understand that in apartments it is verboten, but surely, like on the continent, as long as the clothes airer thing is not visible to others, i.e. is below, or flush with the balcony wall, that should be ok surely.

athtrasna

Yes, Waterville in D15

Our balconies have railings not walls so there's no hiding stuff on them.

Spanish Eyes

athtrasna wrote: »

Yes, Waterville in D15

Our balconies have railings not walls so there's no hiding stuff on them.

Ah, I get you re the clothes drying. If visible, it's verboten!

No offence, but if I was anyway overlooked (another of my criteria!) I would prefer a solid wall on the balcony.

Yours sounds great though, three outside spaces, wow!

Anyway, I am just looking and thinking at the moment. But I know what I want, and coming from a house with a big back SW facing back garden, I know what outside space means.

Thanks for the info.

Spanish Eyes

dudara wrote: »

I used to live in an apartment without any outdoor space. After that, some form of outdoor space is now an absolute must. When moving recently, we viewed a lot of apartments, but rejected all that we saw. There are a lot out there that aren't really built for long term living.

I would agree. Imagine not being able to go outside your own home in privacy at all! I think it would be very claustrophobic. But each to their own and all that.

It baffles me the number of apartments that have been built in Dublin that do not have ANY outside space at all. Strange, or maybe the developers built them that way to save money or something!

athtrasna

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

No offence, but if I was anyway overlooked (another of my criteria!) I would prefer a solid wall on the balcony.

Not found very often alas...drainage issues

Spanish Eyes

athtrasna wrote: »

Not found very often alas...drainage issues

That's interesting, how so?

They seem to be able to build them that way abroad, no bother!

Ipro

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

That's interesting, how so?

They seem to be able to build them that way abroad, no bother!

Have you seen the weather abroad ? :-)

Spanish Eyes

Ipro wrote: »

Have you seen the weather abroad ? :-)

Ah yes, of course.

But I was referring to the actual construction of the balcony surrounds/walls here.

riclad

Maybe 2 months a year it might be possible to sit on a balcony ,without being cold,
or rained on,

People buy apartments cos they are cheaper ,more secure,
for a single person it makes no sense to buy a 3bed house .
IF you really want to sit outside,
buy a 1/2 bed house with a back yard .
IT maybe easier to get a loan on a 7 year old apartment than a 30 year old house .
OR buy a ground level apartment with a small space for table, chairs ,
at the back, acessed by a back door .with a small fence around it .

I know someone bought 2 apartments ,
ground level,
there,s a large green space ,common areas ,
at the back,and the front .
in 5 years i have never seen 1 person sitting outside on a chair .
even in the height of summer .
That block has no balconys at all ,3-4 storey units .

Every building is designed differently ,
if you want to pay for it you,ll get a unit with a large balcony .

awec

Apartments also tend to be surrounded by taller buildings than housing developments, there is a fair chance that the balcony on most apartments will only see the sun for an hour or two a day at most, while some may not see any at all.

We have a balcony that runs the entire length of our living room, but we only get the sun in the summer from about 3pm -> 7pm. Before and after that it's covered by buildings, while apartments lower down than us would get it for much less time.

As mentioned earlier, most private apartment buildings don't let you hang clothes on the balconies. In ours you aren't allowed to use them for storage either.

DivingDuck

Ownership of outside space holds no appeal for me, so yes, I would. I would never use it enough to justify the costs in terms of cleaning, painting, etc.

Then again, I've never much liked sitting or lying outside. I'd enjoy a walk on a bright day, but just sitting around outside is something I'm not terribly interested in.

MarkAnthony

If I want outside space I'd walk into the Phoenix Park rather than sit on a 6x4ft plank staring at one of my neighbours. It pisses me off when one of them is smoking out of the window, let alone half a dozen standing there creating a cloud of stink and noise.

I've never really understood apartments in Dublin, where there's space to do nice ones, you'd easily buy a house. Where space is at a premium we don't build high enough to make them decent. As for balconies specifically, great for eating breakfast for 30 minutes 3 days a year, the rest of the time they're just getting rained on.

ec18

What bothers me more than outside space is not having some sotrage facilities for bulky items

Teyla Emmagan

Stayed in a hostel once for 2 weeks that had no outside space. I nearly lost my mind. Even on a little balcony you can have a pot garden haven, or just somewhere to leave the door open to in the evenings. Windows are not the same. Think outdoor space very important for us as human beings.

MrWalsh

I live in a ground floor apartment and my patio doors open onto a small concrete section that is "mine", beyond that there are communal gardens. Im not hugely comfortable sitting out there tbh, its just too public, people walking by with dogs off leash who come running over interested in your dinner (I like dogs but I like my dinner uninterrupted!). Id love a private outdoor space to call my own.

jayjay2010

To me it comes down to compromise. It depends where the apartment is. I really liked a ground floor apartment in Smithfield that had no outdoor space, but the city centre lifestyle appealed to me so I didn't mind.

The apartment that I am hoping get has a large balcony, which can be accessed from the living room and the 2 bedrooms. Its quite long but a bit narrow so only space for a small table and 2 chairs. Its also overlooking a busy road so I don't imagine that I'll be using it often, but just having the option appeals to me.

Depending on where you'd like to buy -my friend lives in Carrigmore Court in City West D24, I really like his balcony, nice views and enough space for a table, chairs and a few outdoor plants. I love having a cup of coffee in the (albeit freezing) mornings, and the apartment above keeps the rain from getting in too much.

miezekatze

For me, no outside space would be a deal breaker. A lot of people aren't really bothered though I think. I used to live in an apartment with a big balcony, I grew veggies in pots and we had patio furniture up.. but most other apartments had completely bare balconies without even any chairs on it, they never seemed to use them.

tHE vAGGABOND

When I bought my apartment nearly 6 years ago, having a balcony was a must have in my eyes. It was among the collection of things which I would not compromise on.

Now nearly 6 years later, I reflect that I have used it in a meaningful manner about 4 times [where using it to store crap is not counted as meaningful!]

riclad

The further you go from the city centre , the more space you get .
And you,ll probably get free parking ,
Some places have balconys, some have a small space for each unit, at the back,
i would have no desire to sit on a balcony ,
i,ll go to a park, or for a walk , .
IF You want lots of storage space buy a large apartment ,
or a house with a garden/ yard.

I Know a woman lived in a large 3bed house,
with 2 front rooms, large garden,
now she lives in an 2 bed apartment .its very nice,
she maybe has 1/3 rd of the space he used to have .
but she,s happy to live there .

Spanish Eyes

riclad wrote: »

The further you go from the city centre , the more space you get .
And you,ll probably get free parking ,
Some places have balconys, some have a small space for each unit, at the back,
i would have no desire to sit on a balcony ,
i,ll go to a park, or for a walk , .
IF You want lots of storage space buy a large apartment ,
or a house with a garden/ yard.

I Know a woman lived in a large 3bed house,
with 2 front rooms, large garden,
now she lives in an 2 bed apartment .its very nice,
she maybe has 1/3 rd of the space he used to have .
but she,s happy to live there .

At the moment I have a 3 bed semi in a nice area close to the city. But in time, I think I would like the low, or NO maintenance of an apartment.

I have a big garden now that is high maintenance, but I love the fact that I can go outside and be in a private space in the fresh air.

All I need is a bit of outside space and privacy aswell!

I have time to think about it, which is good.

riclad

i Think balcony ,are mainly used ,for storage, to hold a satellite dish,
most of the time its too cold to sit outside,
also sometimes used as a place to smoke,
like some people are told to smoke in the garden,
at least if its not dark.
Some people don,t wont smokers in the kitchen,front room .

eg if you have to smoke ,go outside.

worded

Id like a swimming pool balcony :-)

check these out:

https://www.google.ie/search?q=creative+balconies&biw=1280&bih=604&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SbpbVdi4I4i17AaX7IGQAQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

Spanish Eyes

worded wrote: »

Id like a swimming pool balcony :-)

check these out:

https://www.google.ie/search?q=creative+balconies&biw=1280&bih=604&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SbpbVdi4I4i17AaX7IGQAQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

This would be my fave,,,, (garden 22)

https://www.google.ie/search?q=creative+balconies&biw=1280&bih=604&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=SbpbVdi4I4i17AaX7IGQAQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgrc=wtxFUn3DRkG9DM%253A%3Bd778nv_i4jeX9M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbeacont.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F08%252FCreative-Balcony-Ideas.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbeacont.com%252F22-balcony-ideas-enjoy-the-fresh-air-in-spring%252F%3B570%3B380

miezekatze

A lot of people here seem to assume that balconies are too cold. My former balcony had a few glass panels at the side for protection and it was west facing. It was really hot out there during the summer in the evenings, warmer than on the street. You just have to look around and find the right place for you.

worded

Build your own Balcony?

A few discarded pallets, an angle grinder a hammer and a few nails and you will be flying!

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-build-a-balcony#b

Michael D Not Higgins

worded wrote: »

Build your own Balcony?

A few discarded pallets, an angle grinder a hammer and a few nails and you will be flying!

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-build-a-balcony#b

the_syco

Have always rented a house, but wouldn't rent an apartment without a balcony. Also, it couldn't be on the ground floor; has to be on the first floor or above, just so I have the option to open the balcony door on the hot days.

worded

Some more ideas ....




BBQ anyone?

http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nnqt9UApTQg/Ueb3jkgNCsI/AAAAAAAAK8A/TkOfS8oJTFQ/s1600/neighborfire.jpg&imgrefurl=http://shadowsteve.blogspot.com/2013_07_01_archive.html&h=853&w=1280&tbnid=qw33I77awJ0jaM:&zoom=1&docid=FFT5NLq0M39lqM&ei=OpdcVca0HOmd7gatu4HwDQ&tbm=isch&ved=0CCoQMygmMCY4yAE


http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1203453/thumbs/o-BALCONY-GRILL-570.jpg%253F16&imgrefurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/balcony-grill_n_3474719.html&h=570&w=570&tbnid=Jl47QOEMMa7MvM:&zoom=1&docid=HGmwQU-hEAvygM&ei=zJZcVfL6L-re7Abtz4GICA&tbm=isch&ved=0CC8QMygQMBA


Alt design

http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/thumb/msid-45610870,width-300,resizemode-4/10-01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/civic/Jer-Mahals-dangerous-balconies-dismantled/articleshow/45610868.cms&h=356&w=300&tbnid=G2eXc4-NamVo_M:&zoom=1&docid=dNQ2yS3vxbarRM&ei=zJZcVfL6L-re7Abtz4GICA&tbm=isch&ved=0CCYQMygHMAc