New Build - Terraced vs SemiD

[singdong]

@zachariahs For me, the dedicated parking is a massive factor. I don’t think I could trust relying on communal parking every day. I’ve seen it before in estates with house shares, that there’s 3-4 adult tenants per house so there’s far more than one or two parking spaces being taken up per house, and the communal area is full within no time at all.

Being able to pull your car up to the door as well is dead handy. Not vital don’t get me wrong. But for lugging the groceries in in the pissing rain, or if you want to give the car a hoover or wash etc etc.

There’s other factors that other posters have mentioned and I agree with those too, but hadn’t seen anyone mention parking yet and thought I’d give my 2c

 

[zachariahs]

@singdong Yeah good point. From what I can make out there is 15 parking spaces assigned to each block of 9 terraced houses, so as you say if you have even one or two houses with 3 or 4 cars then spaces are going to be at a premium quickly enough

 

[captainhook77]

@zachariahs I had an apartment years ago in a small block with only 6 apartments. There were 9 parking spots for the 6 and it was a pain getting parking. Used to have to park all along the road outside the estate as every apartment had 2 adults with a car. Then you had visitors etc. I’d never go back to communal spaces again if I could avoid it.

 

[billbydesign]

@zachariahs Semi D would be my preference every time.

Having rear access is a big bonus imo ,the price difference isn't huge.

Room to extend the semi D at a later date if needed?

 

[zachariahs]

@billbydesign Gardens aren't massive as usual with new builds, but yeah the semi would have potential to add a bit on in future.

The layout of terrace probably doesn't lend itself to a coherent extension, and that's not even considering rear access would be nigh on impossible.

 

[billbydesign]

@zachariahs Rear access, parking spots and not mid terrace is what would make me prefer semi detached.

Even being able to build on a small utility room out back would be an advantage.Mate did it with their home.Washer and dryer in a small shed(I'd barely call it a shed out back garden.

 

[kiw89]

@zachariahs Semi-D, even more so when you have an electric car.

 

[njehia]

@zachariahs I live in a terrace. I would vote Semi-D.

 

[zachariahs]

@njehia What would be your reasoning?

 

[njehia]

@zachariahs Been here 16 years. We love the house and have no intention of moving but we joke between us that if we ever did we would want a detached house. Sharing real estate with neighbours is a pain. We have had issues with joint walls and chimneys needing work (and who organises/pays - we are currently in a standoff as one neighbour refuses to pay his share), and noise is an issue (albeit not a big one). Lack of rear access is also difficult - it can really limit things like building work, putting in sheds, storing bikes etc. We have our own driveway thankfully so no issues with parking but having lived with communal parking before, dedicated parking was a must have for us when we were house hunting last time round. We also have an electric car which would be a complete non-runner without our own parking spaces.

I think the only pro in your situation is the extra floor space (and cheaper cost) in the terrace, but I’d expect the semi-d will hold its value better.

 

[zachariahs]

@njehia Great insight, thanks for replying! The parking issue seems to be the biggest deterrent going by the replies in this post and probably would be for me too tbh - just something I'll have to think over a bit more thoroughly!

 

[hepayedforus]

@zachariahs Semi D all day

 

[marci111]

@zachariahs SemiD, less risk of noise from neighbours, better resale value, place to store bins, avoid dragging stuff thru house to back garden. Separate entry)exit.

It has to be semiD

 

[eddie17]

@zachariahs I live in end of terrace. I'm fortunate to have a big green on my doorstep, no road so kids can play out safely. However I have no access for building work, off street parking & it's free for all. Carrying stuff from car is a pain, especially baby seats! If I could I would go for semi d with garden.

 

[paulv81]

@zachariahs The mid terrace would be better insulated with neighbouring buildings either side, so getting bills would be cheaper.

As well as having an extra bathroom and utility room it's a winner for me.

Parking doesn't matter for me and i wouldn't be worried about noise from the neighbours. Currently live in a mid terrace where we have to park on the next street over due to a clearway. We're close to the city centre though, so rarely use the car

 

[zachariahs]

@paulv81 Good points, the utility is definitely one of the biggest plus points to the terraced for me.

The estate would be walking/cycling distance to my office and is well served by bus routes so I'd imagine my car use would probably decline too

 

[paulv81]

@zachariahs Whichever you choose, driving less will do way more good than your first think! Walking or cycling, good exercise. If on the bus, you can read whike commuting. I'd suggest pushing more that way

But on topic, what's the difference in gardens? Is the extra garden in the semi d sctually usable space or is it just an extra sliver of garden you'll have to tend to? Gardening is very time consuming and gets old pretty quickly. Especially if you're gonna start/already have a family.

 

[zachariahs]

@paulv81 Closer to work, but further from my gym so could have a net negative effect on my health

The garden size difference is fairly negligible in terms of extra maintenance, probably an extra 8-10sq.m I'd guess. I wouldn't be too pushed on garden size either way as both are relatively small and I do like a bit of outdoor work

 

[leo1129]

@zachariahs I’m in a new build mid terrace. Have heard the neighbours a couple of times either side one was using a hover and the other was singing karaoke on new years but could only hear both faintly. Having no side access doesn’t bother me too much. I’d rather the space if I was in your situation. One thing to keep in mind is mid terrace would have a slightly better BER due to having one less exterior wall.

 

[sanj79]

@zachariahs It all just depends what you value? For me semi-d and having your own driveway are not negotiable.

Saw loads of new builds where having space for 2 cars was almost a luxury and you had to pay more, others had communal and stacked parking.

I don’t think I could deal with communal parking, have seen so many issues with it - people stealing each others assigned spot, visitors having nowhere to park. Give me my own driveway every day.

You have to factor things like noisy or annoying neighbours, being mid-terraced means there’s more potential for this as you’re connected on both ends.

The possibility of having fan electric car is minimised with a terraced house too, can’t really put in a charger if you have no driveway.

How important is a side entrance to the garden to you? Can be a big problem if you’re getting work done where everything has to go through the house.

A lot of new builds too have the potential for attics to be converted to rooms as they tend to be quite tall. It’ll cost a bit but make up the difference when it comes to the space you’re missing.

Ultimately it’s your decision, but for me I’d sacrifice size for a semi D with private parking. Size doesn’t always matter, a semi will more than suffice.