A few years ago, when the announcement was made about the search for housing, many certainly included a clause stating that the first and last floors are not considered for purchase. Today, judging by the statistics of the websites of real estate agencies and large portals such as Avito, quite a few clients turn to realtors with the exact opposite request - to find an apartment on the ground floor.
The pros and cons of such a purchase have always been and always will be, but there are also enough people with non-standard requests, as well as those who are ready to put up with obvious shortcomings for the sake of some priority advantages. So in this case, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance.
We will try to understand this issue and outline the main advantages and disadvantages of the ground floor apartment. When drafting the article, information was taken from large (with high traffic) real estate companies and feedback from specialized forums and message boards. We start with the pros of the apartment on the first floor, and consider the cons in the second half of the article.
Garden Garden
Quite a few owners of such housing gladly organize a semblance of a summer residence under their window. Some even completely take ownership of the adjoining plot and calmly plant tomatoes, potatoes or decorate a fragrant garden. So for summer residents and lovers of delving into the ground, the pros and cons of the ground floor apartment clearly outweigh the benefit of the former.
Even if neighbors object to planting vegetables and fruits, no one will say a word against a pretty flowerbed. In addition, on the ennobled territory, you can put a table and chairs, and take out a radio tape recorder on the windowsill and relax in the fresh air for yourself.
Enter exit
Using the entrance through a window or a door on the balcony specially equipped for these purposes is much more convenient for some. In addition, to bring in or take out furniture directly, bypassing a flight of stairs and turns in the apartment itself, is noticeably easier, and more practical. In addition, in emergency situations (fire, earthquake, etc.), the advantages of the ground floor apartment are more than obvious.
It is also worth noting another nuance. If you are full of energy, an active person, then you, in fact, do not care which floor to settle on. But for the elderly or young mothers, the floor plays one of the critical roles. Even a single flight of stairs for some is a serious obstacle. And what can we say about frequent repairs of elevators, when you have to get out for an beaten hour. So in some cases, the first floor is the best, if not the only option.
Also, many are asking quite a logical question about whether it is possible to attach a balcony on the ground floor with a separate exit. Almost all relevant municipal services are ready to give permission for such re-equipment with the condition that the redevelopment will take place without violations in the supporting structures. So there should not be any serious problems here.
Neighbors
Surely everyone is familiar with the situation when neighbors from below knock on the battery or even call the police because of a noisy party or your hobbies, such as playing the violin or button accordion. And some people from below live extremely sensitive people who hear your every move.
In addition, you can not worry about the fact that one day you will flood the neighbors, because you simply do not have them. So for many, the answer to the question of which floor is better to live on is quite obvious. Here you can even breed elephants and no one will knock on you from below and will not complain about the stomp.
Cost
For a good half of real estate buyers, the advantages of an apartment on the ground floor are not so obvious, so the cost of such housing is noticeably less than the second and second to last floors.
Moreover, the difference in our crisis time is very noticeable for the domestic consumer, and it is not worth discounting it. If there is barely enough money for housing, plus mortgages and loans weighing in the background, then the question of which floor is better to live on is fading into the background. The main thing here is just where to live.
Heating / water supply
From a scientific and technical point of view, residents from the first floor have a clear advantage. According to the laws of physics, the water pressure at the bottom of the system is always greater. That is, in the usual way we have a good pressure on the first floor, while on the last - a thin stream, along with a lot of complaints.
The same rule applies to heating. On the first floors, the water is always noticeably hotter than on the last, and an ordinary riser is enough to heat the apartment (that is, there is no need for additional radiators).
Saving
In addition to the fact that the living space on the ground floor is cheaper, you can still save on housing and communal services. Naturally, we are not talking about significant savings, but a couple of hundred rubles will remain in your wallet every month.
Here we are talking about the repair of elevators. For residents on the ground floor, this article is simply not provided (it will be useful to check the charges in your receipt). In addition, you can save on all kinds of deliveries. Furniture, building materials and ill-fated pianos are paid to the loaders floor by floor. Here we have the sum only to the door excluding flights of stairs.
Minuses
Next, we consider the main, and for some owners, critical disadvantages that can wait for you when buying a living space on the ground floor. Some points are not so significant in new and / or well-maintained houses with good security, but such precedents are very, very few in the total mass.
Crime
This is the first thing that those who oppose living on the ground floor hope for. In this case, it is much easier for attackers to get into the apartment and the above plus turns into a minus.
In such cases, properly installed window grilles help well, but they are not a panacea if there are advanced gas cutting equipment in the arsenal of robbers. So the best option was and remain security systems.
Mud
And again, physical laws come into account here. Almost all the particles that pollute our cities are much heavier than oxygen, which means they are closer to the surface. Therefore, those who live on the first floors have to put up with dust and dirt.
This also includes rats, cockroaches and a bad smell. Even with the slightest flooding of the basement, these annoying pests tend to move much higher, which means to you. In addition, the nearby garbage chute is full of vanilla aromas. It is also worth noting that fans of smoke at the entrance, and on the neighboring balconies will provide your house with unpleasant smoke.
Cold / moisture
Such housing is located close to the ground and in all cases we have a basement in an apartment building. In the winter season, it is more likely than ever to be fraught with cold floors, and in the summer - with increased dampness. Mineral heaters and similar solutions save, but this is again an additional investment of money, and in some cases - almost an annual one.
So for allergy sufferers and those whose immune systems are weakened, consider the first floor is not worth it. Neither mineral insulation, nor even permanently closed windows, will help here. Even with a normal climate in the apartment, the floor temperature will still be several degrees below normal. Of course, you can properly insulate the apartment on the first floor by hiring an intelligent team of builders and paying for advanced materials, but it will fly into a very good penny, which could be given for a higher floor.
Noise
Many residents complain of constant noise from the street. Moreover, plastic windows with three or even five double-glazed windows do not always save from this. Moreover, no windows will protect from the front door always rumbling in the entrance. This also includes a noisy elevator, which most often opens on the ground floor.
The best solution in this case is sound insulation of walls and ceilings, but normal materials require a lot of money, and high-quality work has never been characterized by its low cost.
Privacy
Life on the first floors is an object for gossip. If you do not want to put up with passers-by always looking at you, you will need to get used to the eternal twilight from the drawn curtains and artificial lighting.
The latter will also be necessary for you due to the rare occurrence of sunlight due to nearby trees, tall bushes or some buildings. So those who are used to open curtains, windows and enjoy the sun in the mornings will have to put up with a “basement” life.
View
Owners of apartments on the ground floor will not be able to enjoy at least some kind of pleasant view from the window. All you can contemplate is either a small, self-ennobled front garden, or the ubiquitous acacia with rose hips.
If no vegetation is provided for in principle, then at your service there is spontaneous car parking, pensioners on the bench, instructing “drug addicts” and “prostitutes,” as well as an evening playground with tipsy students and other local flavor.
Summarizing
Judging by the responses of residents and the statistics of reviews and suggestions collected by realtors, it is best to live on 3-7 floors (9-storey building), but all of the above points can be called common, because in some cases there are exceptions. For example, if we are talking about a well-maintained apartment building, where the contractor adequately carried out repairs with sensible noise and sound insulation, and also installed good heaters, then you can worry about noise, dirt and dust to a much lesser extent.
Many houses are equipped with round-the-clock surveillance cameras, advanced security systems and guard stations with licensed personnel. In these cases, even the lattices on the windows will be superfluous, because reliable systems will not only cause police help, but also radically stop the possible encroachment on your property.
Some people even buy housing of this kind for parallel business. It is very convenient to live in a house, and have, for example, your own hairdresser or a small shop near by. It is also worth noting that many houses are equipped with strollers, interfaced with one-room apartments. Moreover, such premises in a good half of cases are not used at all for their intended purpose. They can be easily remade into another room, of course, with the permission of the relevant services.
So, as they say, the devil is not so terrible as he is painted, and buying an apartment on the ground floor still has its indisputable advantages and completely solvable minuses. And if it so happened that you got this kind of housing, then head to head looking for options higher up, and obviously not financially disadvantageous. It is much easier to spend this money on arranging the available meters and live happily ever after.