Why are most semi-detached living room adjoining?

marking_bad

Wouldn't it make more sense for the hallways (if they have them) instead?

outofmoney

It's something to do with people running up and down the stairs and also weight bearing I guess.

RadoJo

I would have thought that traditionally it's so that they can share a chimney structure to vent from heating in the living room.

Barneysmom

Plus it's pointless having the heated part of the house on the outer side. Keeps the heat in the middle so it stays in.

marking_bad

All good replies, thanks, I am partially blinded by my desire for privacy at the moment.

Contessa

The first house we bought was a semi and it was hallway to hallway. It seemed an advantage as there would be less likelihood of noise problems (only hall, kitchen, bathroom and third bedroom adjacent). Never heard anything.

barnaby-bear

RadoJo wrote: »

I would have thought that traditionally it's so that they can share a chimney structure to vent from heating in the living room.

and possibly so the kitchen/bathroom/drains and plumbing can be put on the outside bits (running plumbing through the central bit sounds complicated)

as far as privacy - stairs away from each other and next doors front door as far away so everyone going up their path avoids seeing into your lounge....

aliasojo

I've always thought houses were designed for ease of building and profit and not for living.

I'd rather 2 hallways together, I could handle stair noise more than regular tv noise.

pinkteapot

Look for 1930s houses - most 30's semis are halls-adjoining. My parents lived in one a while ago and they much preferred it to lounge-adjoining. Sure you might hear people run upstairs, but only when you're in your own hallway - not somewhere you spend a lot of time.

I used to live in a flat and I deliberately chose one with very few shared walls. Only the side wall of the spare bedroom was shared with the other flat on the floor - my lounge was next to the communal hallway, as was the one of the other flat.

Yorkie1

pinkteapot wrote: »

Look for 1930s houses - most 30's semis are halls-adjoining. My parents lived in one a while ago and they much preferred it to lounge-adjoining. Sure you might hear people run upstairs, but only when you're in your own hallway - not somewhere you spend a lot of time.

Interesting that you say this. None of those in York or surrounding places are like this. It's obviously a local thing.

withabix

Older Victorian semis tend to be 'stairs together', with chimneys on the outside walls.

Semis started being built with chimneys together to make them cheaper to build from a structural point of view, plus the separation of front doors gives a perception of greater privacy.

Structurally it makes virtually no difference to the rest of the house where the chimney or stairs are. On cavity-walled houses of brick and block or brick and timber frame construction, the structural part of the house is the inner skin of blockwork or the timber frame.

Chimney breasts and stacks are effectively self-supporting and don't rely on the rest of the wall for their support (other than bracing).