Detached vs semi detached.

theboringfox

We bought a Semi D in Cork City. I started off wanting a detached and based on my budget it pushed me to suburbs. But after few months when we thought about our lifestyle we wanted to be closer to city centre. We sacrificed house size and detached for location.

We went with a small 3 bed Semi D in a good area with view to extending to side and back in time. That'll allow us have main open plan living area and bedroom away from other half of semi D.

It's a 1950s build and I've been very surprised how little we hear from next door. We have very nice neighbours which is a plus.

Look it is a case of each to their own. I was very against semi D having grown up in countryside but to be honest I forget we were even in a semi D. I lived in Dublin for years in apartments and tbh never noticed neighbours much either.

Best of luck to OP. But based on question I would go Terrible if looking at in terms of investment

Grawns

Scribbler100 wrote: »

Completely agree with this. I have family in a 60's built semi-detached in Rathfarnham. It is solidly built and very little can be heard from the adjoining property - even with young children in the house. I also have family in 90's built detached houses, where the construction of the houses seems less solid and they are set so close together that loud conversations (not necessarily shouting), TV etc. can be easily heard if windows are open. To me they seem less private that the older semi-d.

My mother moved recently to a 90s semi in carpenterstown. You can hear the neighbours snoring when I stay and the TV sometimes. Luckily the neighbours on both sides are lovely.

One_Of_Shanks

No correct answer, it's completely subjective and also depends on stuff like neighbours.

Personally, I'd go for the detached home. That's just me.

At one stage we lived in an apartment. We wanted to live in Dun Laoghaire and couldn't afford a nice house there so we bought an apartment.
Loved it initially. Never a problem. Couldnt hear a pin drop.
After a while the couple living above us moved out and in moved a family with a mum who had a penchant for what looked like wooden clogs of some sort.
The noise was ridiculous. Drove us nuts. Kids made a racket too but meh, we were about to sell anyway so we got over it.
However, it was an eye opener how much your enjoyment of your own home can change depending on noise or lack of it from your neighbours changing.

Prior to that the shoe was on the other foot. I was a student living in a Semi-D in Rathfarnham in a house my Dad owned in a nice enough estate. Fairly modern well built houses so you'd be expecting a degree of quality sound proofing but nah.
Students being students we made a bit of noise albeit tame enough.
Even stuff like screaming my head off after Liverpool scored a goal in games there would be a bang on the wall to tell me to shut up.
And we'd have poker nights, music only moderately loud imo, cue neighbour ringing bell reminding us kids sleep at 8pm and stuff.
Equally we could hear said kids kicking off at 7am and the likes.
The neighbour probably felt annoyed having to share adjoining walls with students in such a nice estate, and fair enough. But it can happen.

Now we live in a detached house and I love it, nobody can complain about my kids making a racket inside (except me) and likewise on the very rare occasion that Granny takes the kids we can have people over and make as much noise as you like.

There's a peace of mind that comes with it that I like, not having to wonder did the neighbours hear herself calling me names or the smoke alarm going off

Of course it's all relative to the location/price stuff too. If you have your heart set on living in a certain place then go for it.

But I would advise against underestimating the damage a noisy neighbour can do to your daily life in an apartment or Semi-D.

Good luck whatever you do

Wesser

Location is so.important. where do you work and how will you get into work.


To me terenure has alot of character and Lucan not so much.

Of course if you get bad neighbours the semidetached could be awful but most Dubliners are great. You can always knock on their door and have a chat with them about the area and suss then out.

Personally I think location is most important but you could view houses in both areas and go for the house that 'feels ' right

the_syco

The semi-d I grew up in was fine (north east Kildare), until neighbour parents moved out, and one of their kids took over the house. Weekend parties until the wee hours. When they moved out, the next family were okay, but could still hear their TV at times.

Lived in a terraced house when in college (Carlow); had to keep the volume down so the neighbours wouldn't complain. Still got complaints if the kitchen got smokey and the fire alarm beeped for a bit. Current terraced apartment in Toronto is fine, but was built in the late 1800's/early 1900's (entire area is old), and I can hear the neighbours at the weekend (but I make sure they can hear my speakers too, if they get too loud during the week).

Personally, I'd prefer a detached house if I can. Most of my friends in Ireland would do the same.

GingerLily

When was the semi built?

fret_wimp2

Nobody here can really tell you OP, you need to know your own mind and priorities.

Start with a list prioritizing whats important to You
-short commute, smaller house probably terrace or semi, vs longer commute but bigger detached house.
-very large cost for house in an area long known to be fairly good (terenure) much lower cost in area that may be newer, not as well established or gentrified (note i did not say bad area, there are very few bad areas in Dublin).
-family in smaller house but you see them more vs family in larger house but you spend hours more commuting per day so see them less.
-smaller mortgage so less worry about keeping bills paid but more commuting vs larger mortgage with associated money worries in a more central area.

add more points you want to decide upon, thats just a suggestion list.

Then do some research, try to get into a house in the area and see what it feels like, can you hear sound through the walls and if so can you live with it? Noise that some would consider a non issue, would keep others awake all night. Can you get used to the noise?
Are they houses in need of a lot of work to bring them up to your standard?

Buying a house is too big of a decision to be asking unknown internet people for their opinions, get advice but use it only to back up your own findings and your own decisions.

the_syco

GingerLily wrote: »

When was the semi built?

Mine? I'm guessing 1970's.

ClubDead

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Nobody here can really tell you OP, you need to know your own mind

Buying a house is too big of a decision to be asking unknown internet people for their opinions, get advice but use it only to back up your own findings and your own decisions.

I know my own mind and I'm not basing my decision based on unknown internet people. I believe in seeking information from every source possible: relatives, friends, research.... and using that information to make an informed decision. Thank you for your input unknown internet person.

ClubDead

GingerLily wrote: »

When was the semi built?

The semi we viewed is a 1950s house. The walls seem very solid and the area is apparently made up of oap's.

fret_wimp2

ClubDead wrote: »

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Nobody here can really tell you OP, you need to know your own mind

Buying a house is too big of a decision to be asking unknown internet people for their opinions, get advice but use it only to back up your own findings and your own decisions.

I know my own mind and I'm not basing my decision based on unknown internet people. I believe in seeking information from every source possible: relatives, friends, research.... and using that information to make an informed decision. Thank you for your input unknown internet person.

you asked for advice, no need to get snarky when it's offered but you don't like it.

if you struggle with any other choices, don't hesitate to let us all know, only happy to inform your decisions.

DaveyDave

Just a word of warning OP, Lucan has gone downhill in the last few years. It's currently overcrowded with traffic and lots of houses being built in Lucan/Adamstown and it's going to be even worse with Clonburris having 8,000 houses built on top of the Griffeen/Foxborough side. You can't even get out of the estates in Foxborough at 8:30am due to the location beside the school at Balgaddy. Add to that, increasing trouble of stabbings due to social housing at Balgaddy in close proximity.

I've been living here for over 10 years in several different properties. Between Castle Riada, Finnswood and Foxborough, Foxborough is the only one where I've had issues with noise. My neighbours aren't noisy but you can hear the kids at times. Not a huge deal but keep in mind for yourself also if you like to watch TV late etc. There's some undesirable people living in these areas also, so you may have loud obnoxious neighbors.

I'm looking at buying a house next year and I was hoping to stay in the area but Clonburris definitely is going to be an issue and the east side of Lucan is a little worse for wear. Sorry I can't compare semi detached and detached, I just had to share my thoughts on Lucan.

ClubDead

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

you asked for advice, no need to get snarky when it's offered but you don't like it.

if you struggle with any other choices, don't hesitate to let us all know, only happy to inform your decisions.

No snarky. An appropriate response to my new internet bud. Cheers buddy

kerrylad1

ClubDead wrote: »

The semi we viewed is a 1950s house. The walls seem very solid and the area is apparently made up of oap's.

Take it from me.I lived in a estate for 30 odd years,mid terrace,best neighbors in the world,couldn't hear a pin drop.In one of the so called,worst estates in Limerick.I then bought a semi in a (well to do area),it was a nightmare.I could hear every argument,every, star wars episode,every piss in their ensuite,etc.Sold up,living in the country side now.Only thing that wakes me now is a bull,or a rooster.If you get lucky,like I did in the estate,happy days.If not,a semi,could end up being a nightmare.

thierry14

kerrylad1 wrote: »

Take it from me.I lived in a estate for 30 odd years,mid terrace,best neighbors in the world,couldn't hear a pin drop.In one of the so called,worst estates in Limerick.I then bought a semi in a (well to do area),it was a nightmare.I could hear every argument,every, star wars episode,every piss in their ensuite,etc.Sold up,living in the country side now.Only thing that wakes me now is a bull,or a rooster.If you get lucky,like I did in the estate,happy days.If not,a semi,could end up being a nightmare.

Cant beat country living

I have lived in every type of house at this stage and would never buy a semi detached forever home even though I bought one recently, I knew when I bought it was just temporary as cash purchase and prices increasing in area, otherwise not a chance

Nothing blocks impact sounds, not even thickest walls or insulation on your side

A semi detached thats a copy of each other is a nightmare, sitting rooms joining together, bedrooms together, nightmare.

Like below ones for 400k, they might as well live together

https://m.independent.ie/life/home-garden/four-on-the-market-perfect-for-first-time-buyers-in-north-county-dublin-35666299.html

When semi d are joined at stairs it's not too bad, can still hear things but not nearly as much, in one now but still annoying

Apartment living, did it for 5 months, how people can enjoy that, my god, horrible, constantly sounds from all directions, way worse than any terraced house or semi d have been in.

Detached is well worth paying extra

fret_wimp2

thierry14 wrote: »

Cant beat country living

I have lived in every type of house at this stage and would never buy a semi detached forever home even though I bought one recently, I knew when I bought it was just temporary as cash purchase and prices increasing in area, otherwise not a chance

Nothing blocks impact sounds, not even thickest walls or insulation on your side

A semi detached thats a copy of each other is a nightmare, sitting rooms joining together, bedrooms together, nightmare.

Like below ones for 400k, they might as well live together

https://m.independent.ie/life/home-garden/four-on-the-market-perfect-for-first-time-buyers-in-north-county-dublin-35666299.html

When semi d are joined at stairs it's not too bad, can still hear things but not nearly as much, in one now but still annoying

Apartment living, did it for 5 months, how people can enjoy that, my god, horrible, constantly sounds from all directions, way worse than any terraced house or semi d have been in.

Detached is well worth paying extra

this is a great example of what i mentioned previously, that its massively subjective.

This boardsie cant stand apartment living, dislikes sharing a wall and only sees a deattached house as their forever home. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Ive lived in apartments, semi detached, terrace and detached houses and have found almost all to be perfectly fine. Id happily live forever in the right apartment. ive found them warmer than houses, less maintenance and often safer due to being gated off with underground carparks. Thats just my pov based on my experience.

There is variation in each category of course, one apartment was an older house converted and just had wooden floors which were not good sound insulators. Another apartment done a great job of blocking neighbors sound and moments.
Same with semi-d's, I've lived in some great ones and some not so great ones.

Another consideration is your sensitivity to noise, some people can very quickly get used to background noise from neighbors, roads etc. Some could be in a well insulated detached house, but on a busy road so never get a wink of sleep, but live in a semi-d in a quiet cul de sac and have lots of peace.

Theres lots of advice on this thread now, I would humbly suggest hands on experience of the specific properties in the specific areas be visited and thoroughly inspected at various times of the day and week, and the information gained be weighted up using the thinking points generated in the thread, but weighted toward the OP's own preference.

Placid_Casual

As a proud Lucanite, I feel like I need to add some balance on Lucan. It's a huge area and there are different markets within it. If you're looking at a place in comparison to somewhere versus Terenure or Rathfarnham you'll be looking at the upper end of the market and the older more established estates near the village. These date back to the 60s and are more comparable to what you'd be looking at in Terenure/Rathfarnham, as opposed to the newer areas of Lucan. The main disadvantage is that is further from the city, and the traffic can be bad but I wouldn't dismiss it. It's a great place to live IMO and the village itself is lovely.

Some of the comments on here regarding Lucan are from people who clearly don't know the area. I had to laugh at the comment about "gentrification". A lot of Lucan has been gentrified for decades.

Cyrus

IMO you can’t compare a semi d in one area to a detached in another.

Pick the area you want to live in then buy the best house you can get for you budget buying the right house in the wrong area is a bigger mistake than the wrong house in the right area .

Eric Cartman

4ensic15 wrote: »

There are 3 things to consider in a property investment:-

1. Location
2. Location
3. Location.

if it was terenure vs finglas id say fair but Lucan is well connected by transport links, a nice place with low crime rates and only a handful of dodgy estates. Its always going to be desirable.

Also soundproofing in Irish homes is crap, you will have to be mindful of noise, your neighbours now might also not be your neighbours next week, could be let out to a load of students for all you know.

delly

Hi OP, my own experience is buying my first new build house in Swords in 2002. It was a mid terrace run of the mill house, which I ended up staying in for 2 years. As we were mid terrace we had two sides to worry about, with one side as quiet as a mouse, but the other was a family of 5 that would argue like there was no tomorrow. The mother was the worst of all and had no qualms about letting the world know who was boss, roaring at the kids to do X, Y and Z, or lashing the husband out of it. It was also like a free disco at times.

When it came to moving on to what would be my long term home, I knew that I 100% wanted detached. I ended up just outside of Drogheda in East Meath and have been very happy here since. Now that is fine for my lifestyle, but I know other people from old school days in Dublin who would not dream of moving so far, but for me moving to a more rural area was desirable, along with the draw of detached affordability. I commute to Dublin two or three days a week, but could never move back to the more compact and busy urban area. Again though, it's the experiences over time that shape what you want, so that has to be taken into account.

LG1234

Has there been any developments in sound proofing over the years? If so, its something you could factor in. I remember looking into it years ago but nothing really seemed to work.

I'd be choosing a semi-d in Terenure/Rathfarnham every day of the week

kaymin

Personally I'd go for Lucan - I've lived there for 15 years and never had any problems. Obviously Lucan covers a big area but the new part that I live is close to Liffey Valley SC / cinema, parks, M50, airport less than 15 mins drive away, variety of big supermarket chains (including a soon to be opened Tesco, M&S, SuperValu, Lidl, aldi), quick drive to the phoenix park, tons of bus routes pass 10 mins walk away on N4 etc. I'm not that familiar with Terenure but it always gave me the impression of being built up with not much green spaces.

GingerLily

kaymin wrote: »

I'm not that familiar with Terenure but it always gave me the impression of being built up with not much green spaces.

Definitely not true - with Bushy Park and the Dodder are between Terenue and Rathfarnham, you would have more than enough green spaces in a very easy walk.

OP, Terenue/Rathfarnham as an area would be the better choice when it comes to an investment - proximity to town and schools options mean it will always retain a certain value.

SuperS54

Full D is always better than a semi.

Ursus Horribilis

I think most of us would rather live in a detached house if we're honest. But if I was faced with the choice, I'd go for the better area every time. The phrase "The day you buy is the day you sell" springs to mind here.

ClubDead

kaymin wrote: »

Personally I'd go for Lucan - I've lived there for 15 years and never had any problems. Obviously Lucan covers a big area but the new part that I live is close to Liffey Valley SC / cinema, parks, M50, airport less than 15 mins drive away, variety of big supermarket chains (including a soon to be opened Tesco, M&S, SuperValu, Lidl, aldi), quick drive to the phoenix park, tons of bus routes pass 10 mins walk away on N4 etc. I'm not that familiar with Terenure but it always gave me the impression of being built up with not much green spaces.

That's good to hear. At the moment I have bus and rail links to the city and was worried that transport might be an issue in Lucan.

kaymin

ClubDead wrote: »

That's good to hear. At the moment I have bus and rail links to the city and was worried that transport might be an issue in Lucan.

Some parts of Lucan can be quite poorly serviced by bus links so that's something you should consider. I travel to work in city centre by motor cycle btw but generally bus journey to O'Connell bridge would take 50 minutes at rush hour from a pick up on the N4

ClubDead

kaymin wrote: »

Some parts of Lucan can be quite poorly serviced by bus links so that's something you should consider. I travel to work in city centre by motor cycle btw but generally bus journey to O'Connell bridge would take 50 minutes at rush hour from a pick up on the N4

The house I'm looking at is next to Vesey Park and there seems to be a few bus stops within walking distance. Is the area around Vesey Park a good spot?

kaymin

ClubDead wrote: »

The house I'm looking at is next to Vesey Park and there seems to be a few bus stops within walking distance. Is the area around Vesey Park a good spot?

Yes that's a good settled area - the village is within walking distance, plenty of bus routes stop nearby, st Catherine's Park is close by, quick journeys to most places - at least at off peak times. Bus corridor into city centre means travelling by bus is quicker than by car at rush hour.

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