Semi-detached house: Family living environment to rent, to buy or nevertheless a new building?

Semi-detached house – A semi-detached house can be a slightly cheaper alternative to whole houses such as a detached house or even the solid house, in addition to the terraced house. Often, you don’t even have to compromise on living space. Rather, the space is saved around the house. As a result, semi-detached houses can save you money. Additionally, you could be sharing garden space with neighbours. Does this sound like an option for you? Then read everything you need to know about spacious living options here. If you’re thinking about investing in property, you’ll also find tips and info on buying a home here. Click here to return to the overview: House types at a glance.

Inhabiting a semi-detached house: Neighbours, surroundings and more

A semi-detached house promises the optimum living comfort with the area of a house at a lower price. Sounds very appealing in itself, but any other option, this concept also comes with its own positive and negative factors, which we will discuss in more detail later. However, for now, we’d like to tell you a little more about what the living spaces of a semi-detached house might look like.

Tip! You’re planning to buy a house, but you don’t know much about financing, the process and so on? Then take a look at our article about buying a house! Here you will find facts and useful knowledge about buying a house.

Are you looking for the right house? Then check out our guide! Here you will find definitions, meanings and lots of information: House types from A-Z

Planning a semi-detached house: floor plan and room layout

Semi-detached houses are designed to be occupied by a household of several people. Accordingly, you can expect that this type of house often has three or more bedrooms. Furthermore, the houses are often stretched over several floors and for this reason equipped with multiple bathrooms.

Some semi-detached houses can even be divided into one floor for children, one for parents and live in, so you can give the little ones some responsibility and space.

Another great benefit of spacious homes is that they often come with garden space that is either shared or used separately by neighbors. However, when you have your own space, you can let your inner gardener out.

Advantages & disadvantages of a semi-detached house: garden, neighbours, price & co.

Choosing between two housing options can be difficult. Therefore, it is often useful to weigh the pros and cons to make the decision. How heavy you weigh the individual points, you can decide personally, to ultimately make the right choice for you.

Advantages: Living space and garden

Clearly, a semi-detached house offers more space than many other living options, but is it right for you? The answer is yes, if you value green, quiet living and can cope with rooms under the roof.

• Large living space
• Potential green area
• No upper and lower tenants

Disadvantages: Neighbors and location

You want to be in the middle of the action in the city? Then you probably won’t be happy with a semi-detached house, as these are often found in the suburbs or on the outskirts of the city. There are almost always exceptions to the rule, but if you want more choice, you’re not likely to find it here.

• Direct neighbours to the side
• Predominantly in suburbs
• If applicable, attic room

Source: Semi-detached house (Lukinski.de)

Semi-detached house for couples or singles? The living form is suitable for these groups

Another important factor in the decision is the living situation you find yourself in. A semi-detached house means a lot of space and living area. This can quickly become too big for one or two people, because the space not only needs to be used, but also maintained.

Couples: Plenty of space, garden, parking & co.

As a couple, a semi-detached house makes sense, especially if you plan to expand the family in the next few years. This option offers itself with a semi-detached house very much. The surroundings are mostly characterized by families anyway and so starting your own family is not too far-fetched.

Families: Enough space for children, dog and car

Couples who want to start a family are well accommodated in the residential environment. Accordingly, of course, new parents and also families that have existed for some time or have just reunited can find their perfect living happiness in a semi-detached house.

In comparison: semi-detached house, detached house, bungalow and co.

The agony of choice: No one likes to have them, but sometimes it’s just hard to get around them. That’s why the focus is on making them as easy as possible. That’s why we’ve put three different options facing the semi-detached house up against each other to make it easier to make the right choice.

Single-family house vs. semi-detached house

The showdown of the extra class. Both fighters have trained to use their personal specialties to their advantage. In one side of the ring, we have the family home. The time-honoured classic needs no further explanation. One house. One lot and thousands of building options. The single family home ensures privacy, through no wall contact by neighbors. However, depending on location, prices can be a bit higher here.

On the other side of the ring we see the semi-detached house. This offers particularly strong performance in the area of price, because a number of factors play into the tenants’ pockets here. On the one hand, the plot is shared and the space is used optimally. For another, you live with a full side wall of neighbors who also heat, making heating costs a bit more bearable.

But these neighbours can also be the Achilles’ heel of the semi-detached house, because if you don’t get along with them, your living happiness is quickly at stake.

Bungalow vs. semi-detached house

The residential form of bungalows was originally intended as a holiday home, however, many have discovered the charm of the small houses as an everyday solution for themselves. Bungalows often extend over one to one and a half floors of a small, detached residential house. This means the living space must be characterized by good room layout to create the feeling of a suitable home.

The semi-detached house, on the other hand, usually includes several full floors. So room layout is not a problem at all and can quickly determine a suitable room layout. However, as mentioned more often in this article, a semi-detached house always has direct wall neighbors, which may not always be entirely sociable.

Apartment vs. semi-detached house

This comparison is, in our opinion, the most difficult. Because problems are very similar between the two types of housing. Both offer a solid floor space, the apartment on one floor of a multi-storey building, the semi-detached house just in one half of the house. Instead of neighbors upstairs and downstairs, the neighbors are on the side, but on each floor.

The decision here can be made on the basis of the often better accessibility of bunkhouses, or the slightly greater privacy of semi-detached houses. However, an ultimate judgement must, as always, be made on a personal basis.

Checklist before buying: These points you should consider in any case

Buying a house and a semi-detached house are important steps in many people’s lives. We would therefore like to give you a few tips and tricks to make buying a house a little easier and more pleasant. In order not to pay too much for the apartment is of course on the one hand a broker advisable, on the other hand you can also do your own research to find out whether the object is actually worth the money.

• Age of the house
• Energy efficiency
• Property
• Location of the property
• Prices of surrounding properties
• Condition of the premises
• Drainage of water around the house
• Size
• Room layout

Noise insulation: avoid trouble with the neighbours

Again and again in the discussion is the background noise, which can organize on the one hand the neighbor, which one offers on the other hand however just as the neighbor. A simple solution to the problem can already offer simple noise insulation. There are professional solutions, as well as simple things that you can install yourself to create a little relief.

Insulate yourself

The DIY noise reduction variants mainly help to reduce the reverberation of a room. However, they can just as well be used to intercept the background noise from the other apartment.

There are several options with varying degrees of results. For one, tapestries and paintings are a way to simply absorb sound. You can also get simple soundproofing at the hardware store. Foam often comes in the form of foam, which is also known from music studios, for example. Although this is often found there in black, it is available in a wide variety of colors.

In addition, it is possible to build your own soundproofing panels out of towels, for example. There are tutorials on YouTube and other platforms such as Pinterest.

Speaking of Pinterest, if you’re looking for inspiration and tips on interiors, homes, apartments and more, check out the FIV Pinterest account. We’ll be looking for the best images and pins for you!

Insulation from a professional: prices and more

Interior walls are best insulated by the craftsman by building a second wall. Either different materials are then placed between the two walls for insulation. It may also be the case that the second wall with cavity already makes a significant difference in the background noise.

Depending on the effort that must be operated for the insulation, the costs of such a construction measure can, however, already find themselves in the four-digit range. However, it is best to seek the advice of a specialist.