Re: Townhouse v detached
 

This was the reason we went with a detached house as well... except that I was worried that it would be MY family that was the feuding one...

4 noisy kids in a townhouse would be hell for the neighbours!

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Give me an apartment any day :thumbsup:

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

I like apartment living, but I wouldn't buy one. The advantage of renting when you have neighbours that are only a wall away is that you can move when they inevitable turn out to be noisy twats.

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Ever been to the Greater Toronto Area?

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

I agree with Kiwilass - have lived in a townhouse, mid-terrace and one unit above. Never heard a peep from either side, but could hear arguements, or laundry etc from the people above.

Personally, when I come back I'd like to buy detached, but I may start in a townhouse just for costs initially. And on the plus side of a townhouse, as mentioned elsewhere, you don't have much gardening or snow shovelling to do etc - although you give up some outside space and often a bit of privacy compared to detached.

On Klahanie - I don't live out that way, but I do have a friend who owns in this development. She used to live quite near downtown, and moved out here around a year ago. She loves it

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Yes, I know Klahanie, really nice.

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Sort of... I saw a sliver of it from a train window (I got on the train somewhere north of North Bay), I didn't feel the urge to explore more and the thought of relocating there (GTA) just never occurred to me.

That Ontario visit was my first trip to Canada and I really don't remember any "wow factor" (although I really liked some parts of North Ontario). Why anyone would move to GTA for anything other than a career-based life, although none of my business, makes me wonder who it is they're trying so hard to please... and why.

Although I've lived in and around a few cities and enjoyed my time there (I suppose, for the most part based on fun times with work colleagues and friends rather than any particular activity only a city can offer), these days, being in, or anywhere near a city repulses me so much now I just can't wait to leave.

(Sorry for rambling in an off-topic direction there, but my ignorance is obviously showing and I'm not sure how else to respond.)

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Depends how it's constructed - I own a duplex which I rent. The dividing wall is poured concrete, so sound transference is not an issue between the 2 properties.

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

we just had a townhome built three years ago. Fire regulation demand that a special wall is put between so fire doesn't spread; also 'party wall' is common term for sound-deadening construction between.

The pros: we have a 2000 square foot (all above ground) home that is HUGE and less expensive to heat as we chose our neighbour to be on the north west wall. The insurance is less, the mortgage is less and most importantly, in many neighbourhoods they are building the detached houses so bloody close together that they are detached 'psychologically' but only really have 8 feet between. You pay a premium for that 'detached' but in reality you are living right on top of your neighbour.

If the option is between a good sized lot with a *truly* detached house (ie: you can drive a car between the houses) then I would choose a detached again. If, however, you are looking @ newer suburbia, I would not pay $150,000 extra for the *illusion* of a detached home (although you get it back in resale, I guess).

If you get a townhome, look for an outside unit (windows on three sides), no rear neighbours if you can, a great builder. We are happy with our home but I miss the light afforded by a detached and am not sure I would choose attached living again purely for the neighbour issues -- too many people, too close by. In addition, we have to give our neighbour rights across our garden so he can access his. At one time he was crossing our garden 20 times daily and we had to call our lawyer to get that reined in a bit.

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

I agree about the newbuilds Lillipud. Was visiting friends in a new community in Walnut Grove, langley a few weeks ago - they have one of the only lots with a decently sized yard and space between houses. Some of the other 'detached' homes literally took up the whole tiny lot, with just enough room for a sliver of a driveway in front and an opposing grass sliver at the back of the house. There was some air between them and their next door neighbours' homes, but not much else.

However, the big advantage to detached here is that they generally aren't strata. If you're not into that there aren't many other options than detached.

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Kiwilass -- exactly! Air between the houses and not much else. I've heard people say they can't even push their lawn mowers between the houses, which is beyond ridiculous. For those neighbourhoods, we would seriously pass up a 'detached' in favour of a townhouse. Psychologically, you are living on top of others in both scenarios. Not sure the $$$ is worth it for detached in that case.

Re: Townhouse v detached
 

Older detached houses in Toronto are usually just an inch apart, the walls were built from inside the houses and the gap is just that you'd find in a cavity wall in the UK. One would, of course, have a mower for the front and another for the back.