Why are semi-detached houses built living and bedroom joining

Eric Cartman

I know in the older days it would be related to chimney's and fireplaces but in the A rated world of today, why are they bothering building semi-d's with living rooms and master bedrooms adjoining. For soundproofing its an absolute nightmare and just ruins the enjoyability of your home.

I saw an ad recently on Facebook for Ballintine Park in Naas, they seem to be the only ones doing it the smart way, hallways adjoining on the ground floor and the box room and bathroom adjoining on the upper floor. The living rooms and master bedrooms are as far apart as can be , no listening to your neighbours ride and no noise complaints if you stay up to watch a US fight etc..

Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman wrote: »

I know in the older days it would be related to chimney's and fireplaces but in the A rated world of today, why are they bothering building semi-d's with living rooms and master bedrooms adjoining. For soundproofing its an absolute nightmare and just ruins the enjoyability of your home.

I saw an ad recently on Facebook for Ballintine Park in Naas, they seem to be the only ones doing it the smart way, hallways adjoining on the ground floor and the box room and bathroom adjoining on the upper floor. The living rooms and master bedrooms are as far apart as can be , no listening to your neighbours ride and no noise complaints if you stay up to watch a US fight etc..

Thank goodness that I live in a detached house.

thequarefellow

Eric Cartman wrote: »

I know in the older days it would be related to chimney's and fireplaces but in the A rated world of today, why are they bothering building semi-d's with living rooms and master bedrooms adjoining. For soundproofing its an absolute nightmare and just ruins the enjoyability of your home.

I saw an ad recently on Facebook for Ballintine Park in Naas, they seem to be the only ones doing it the smart way, hallways adjoining on the ground floor and the box room and bathroom adjoining on the upper floor. The living rooms and master bedrooms are as far apart as can be , no listening to your neighbours ride and no noise complaints if you stay up to watch a US fight etc..

Builders and architects should be forced to live in their own designs for a spell. No accountability in Ireland either. Fear of litigation has people afraid to name and shame bad practice.

jimmycrackcorm

I'm grateful that my semi D was built before the era of cut corners that led to noise problems.

But u second the idea of architects being made to love in their creations. My roof design means it's impossible to cover the attic space unlike the row of houses behind me with their usefully converted attics

robinbird

It is something I have always wondered about. Assume historically it was because of chimney flues but a lot of new semis have false or no chimneys. And the ones with false chimneys are the ones most likely to have cut corners with soundproofing. Having stairs between master and living rooms make a massive difference.

Lizheen

College Park in Mullingar- a really nice estate - has the garages joined together. It seems like a simple idea that works well.

r93kaey5p2izun

I grew up in a terrace. It was hall stairs and bathroom adjoining on one side, sitting room and bedrooms adjoining on the other. The family on the hall/stairs side was quiet, a hardworking elderly couple, a grown up professional son, house privately owned. The family on the bedroom/sitting room side was lifetime unemployed, noisy, rowdy, teenagers, council tenants. But the worst noise carried from the quiet family on the hall/stairs side. I could hear every footstep on the stairs, hear them in the bathroom, and hear them on the phone. A professional couple have since bought that house and it's still the same. Very little noise on the other side even though they spent (spend!) most of their day screaming at each other in the garden and playing loud rap music. I don't see why a semi-d would be so different.

robinbird

Diego Salty Thriftiness wrote: »

I grew up in a terrace. It was hall stairs and bathroom adjoining on one side, sitting room and bedrooms adjoining on the other. The family on the hall/stairs side was quiet, a hardworking elderly couple, a grown up professional son, house privately owned. The family on the bedroom/sitting room side was lifetime unemployed, noisy, rowdy, teenagers, council tenants. But the worst noise carried from the quiet family on the hall/stairs side. I could hear every footstep on the stairs, hear them in the bathroom, and hear them on the phone. A professional couple have since bought that house and it's still the same. Very little noise on the other side even though they spent (spend!) most of their day screaming at each other in the garden and playing loud rap music. I don't see why a semi-d would be so different.

Very interesting. Maybe they put in better soundproofing on the adjoining living rooms but still. Would not have expected that to be the case. Particularly since you would expect that people would spend maybe 90% of time in living room. main bedrooms.

Cash_Q

Our terrace is designed so that every front door, hall and stairs is on the left of the house, and every sitting room is on the right, no chimneys back to back. Our neighbors whose hall touches our living room are so noisy it is hell on earth, so glad their sitting room doesnt touch ours as it's bad enough when they're fighting on the stairs/landing. From our bedroom we can hear them sneeze in the bedroom adjoining. We can hear them running up and down the stairs, slamming doors, playing music at a normal level can even be heard. Maybe I have supersonic hearing, as none of our other neighbours I've spoken to in a very big estate seem to have issues like us, but I mostly think it's because these are just noisy people. Houses built late 60s so they are solid but sound just travels so clearly from their side. The other side is a widow with noone ever visiting, and you'd never hear a sound. We would move over the noise if we could but who knows what the housing market is going to be like after the current situation.

lomb

Why even build semis now that ther are no fireplaces? Why not leave a 3 foot gap a no man's land so to speak?

Multipass

My guess is for warmth, rooms with outside walls are always colder.

sydthebeat

Sound proofing has nothing to do with A rating on dwellings.

Lack of sound proofing is a build issue, not a design issue. There are decibel levels to be met and if they aren't that's usually down to the builder cheaping out somewhere in the build.


And besides, many semi D designs have the stairs on the party wall anyway

salmocab

lomb wrote: »

Why even build semis now that ther are no fireplaces? Why not leave a 3 foot gap a no man's land so to speak?

Cost

Ush1

Irish people don't like their front doors too close together?

MrMusician18

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I'm grateful that my semi D was built before the era of cut corners that led to noise problems.

But u second the idea of architects being made to love in their creations. My roof design means it's impossible to cover the attic space unlike the row of houses behind me with their usefully converted attics

What era was that? Lol

Cuddlesworth

salmocab wrote: »

Cost

Pretty much. Semi D means more land to build on and more houses to be built. If they could, they would build terraced only. Or terraced duplexes.

We don't help ourselves out either. The scourge of cheap wooden floors will correlate closely with noise complaints in new dwellings.

seabelle

Ush1 wrote: »

Irish people don't like their front doors too close together?

It wouldn't be a deal breaker but I really dislike front doors too close together, I think it makes houses look smaller than they actually are and I've seen some newish builds (admittedly they were terraced) where if you and your neighbour went out for the post at the same time you'd be at risk of elbowing each other.

I think it would put a few people off especially as so many people find houses online and if the first picture has two front doors very close they might discount the property entirely regardless of what else it has to offer.

I live in an end of terrace and our neighbour's hall and stairs are next to our living area, we never hear a peep out of him that isn't DIY or his back door slamming shut. I think it really depends on the house and how it's built rather than the configuration of the house.

Mellor

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

But u second the idea of architects being made to love in their creations. My roof design means it's impossible to cover the attic space unlike the row of houses behind me with their usefully converted attics

People want cheaper houses, but aren't happy when their houses are built cheaper.

lomb wrote: »

Why even build semis now that ther are no fireplaces? Why not leave a 3 foot gap a no man's land so to speak?

Costs more money and produces a smaller house.

the_syco

lomb wrote: »

Why even build semis now that ther are no fireplaces? Why not leave a 3 foot gap a no man's land so to speak?

You'd then need to insulate that side. Also, for every 10-15 houses, you are wasting the space for another house.

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

We don't help ourselves out either. The scourge of cheap wooden floors will correlate closely with noise complaints in new dwellings.

I'll blame the lack of concrete structures. I do wonder what the wooden houses will be like for sound insulation.

Cuddlesworth

the_syco wrote: »

I'll blame the lack of concrete structures. I do wonder what the wooden houses will be like for sound insulation.

Mass helps regardless of type.

scwazrh

How can they say Ballintine park is in Naas it’s over 10 miles from Naas?

lomb

scwazrh wrote: »

How can they say Ballintine park is in Naas it’s over 10 miles from Naas?

Exactly it's in the middle of no where and no where near Naas. It would be like saying Clondalkin is in the Dublin 2 when it isnt.

GreeBo

You do see the odd semi-d built like this.
As long with chimney and cost I think its to keep front doors separate. For most houses if you join at the stairs your front doors are on top of each other and people dont like that.

r93kaey5p2izun

I think worrying about doors together is weird. How long do you actually spend standing at your front door?! Problem solved with a little porch with the door to the side anyway.

GingerLily

Diego Salty Thriftiness wrote: »

I think worrying about doors together is weird. How long do you actually spend standing at your front door?! Problem solved with a little porch with the door to the side anyway.

It's the weirdest issue, when I'm at my front door I'm outside my home and expect less privacy, certainly better to see a neighbour at your door than hear each other in your private living room and bedrooms.

I actually hear more from my non joining neighbours side passage and gate then I do from my joining neighbour!