Ground floor flat - security

Idiophreak

ankspon wrote: »

A house has 2+ floors,correct but it still has a ground floor and you can shut the windows and doors in a flat as well.

...but most of the time you're not sleeping downstairs. So it doesn't matter if it gets uncomfortably warm or stifling. People want the window open where they're sleeping, for fresh air or to let a breeze in...

If you've only got the ground floor, this means you have to leave windows open at street level while asleep. In a house, you don't have this issue.

Judith_W

We bought a ground floor flat because we fancied the convenience of not having to lug shopping upstairs and not having a neighbour above and below, but when it came to sell, it did restrict interest as single girls didn't want it because of the security, and others felt it was less private as people could walk past and look into your window (we had nice net curtains up from half way down to restrict this).

Apparently second floor are the most popular.

sooz

If modern double glazing it should have a trickle setting, which can be locked.
Gravel outside the windows makes opportunistic viewers noisy.
Spiky plants are also good.
Fit 5 lever mortise locks on front & back (& side if applicable) doors.
Ensure any side gate is strong, solid & locked, & fit thin trellis above.
Enjoy the garden. I love garden flats

dizziblonde

Used to rent a ground floor flat where the bedroom window opened out onto the street outside - never did feel happy enough to sleep with it open for fear of someone coming in through it... but that could have been just me. If the window had opened (like others in the flat did) onto a locked communal yard I probably wouldn't have felt like that.

Oh that reminds me of the other drawback - if you do end up looking out onto something like I had which was a shared yard with a few rotary washing lines - you DO end up having a very detailed opportunity to know what underpants everyone else in the flats wears over time... and since one of my neighbours would put his washing out and take it in again about four weeks later - I did get a bit sick of watching his underpants, getting increasingly crusty, blowing in the wind from my lounge windows.

ashfan83

I have lived in 3 rented ground floor flats and now a bungalow. I actually prefer it. and if you're in a flat you generally are more likely to get your own garden space if you go for ground floor. It doesn't bother me at all.

You can get security catches for your window, or close them and use a fan

Kynthia

Some of it is personal preference and some of it is due to the specifics of that flat. However having lived both ground floor and upper floors my thoughts are:
*I currently have a private garden with my ground floor flat which is safer than a balcony for visiting nieces and nephews, more fun and great for barbecues. It is also a great selling point over the upper flats.
*It's easier for people to see into the ground floor flat windows so there's less privacy.
*Ground floor is so much easier with the shopping, moving in furniture, receiving deliveries, etc. Lugging shopping up two flights of stairs was hard, and I'd have to leave half at the bottom and go back for it. I've seen neighbours have to take the baby upstairs, leave it up there alone and go back down for the shopping. That must be awful!
*I can't leave the windows open on the gound floor.
*I'm a lot less scared about being trapped in a fire as I can easily escape out of two windows and the back door should I be unable to get out of the front door. In my top floor flat there was a good chance of being trapped or having to fall two stories onto concrete if I couldn't get out via the stairwell.
*Ground floor flats are cooler, which may mean higher heating bills. However it's great in summer, and even though I can't open the window I still sleep better than anyone I know.
*Buyers worry about security of ground floor flats however you are not excluding buyers with mobility issues or older buyers who are concerned about having future mobility issues.

seven-day-weekend

Kynthia wrote: »

Some of it is personal preference and some of it is due to the specifics of that flat. However having lived both ground floor and upper floors my thoughts are:
*I currently have a private garden with my ground floor flat which is safer than a balcony for visiting nieces and nephews, more fun and great for barbecues. It is also a great selling point over the upper flats.
*It's easier for people to see into the ground floor flat windows so there's less privacy.
*Ground floor is so much easier with the shopping, moving in furniture, receiving deliveries, etc. Lugging shopping up two flights of stairs was hard, and I'd have to leave half at the bottom and go back for it. I've seen neighbours have to take the baby upstairs, leave it up there alone and go back down for the shopping. That must be awful!
*I can't leave the windows open on the gound floor.
*I'm a lot less scared about being trapped in a fire as I can easily escape out of two windows and the back door should I be unable to get out of the front door. In my top floor flat there was a good chance of being trapped or having to fall two stories onto concrete if I couldn't get out via the stairwell.
*Ground floor flats are cooler, which may mean higher heating bills. However it's great in summer, and even though I can't open the window I still sleep better than anyone I know.
*Buyers worry about security of ground floor flats however you are not excluding buyers with mobility issues or older buyers who are concerned about having future mobility issues.

This would be a big issue for me. My son's second floor flat has a Juliet balcony with French windows, so at that it would be easy for anyone to get a ladder up, or even to throw a mattress out of so that there is a soft landing. The ground floor flats in this development have either patio doors or French windows opening onto the gardens ,as well as the front door into the flat.

Old_Git

the big downside to ground floor flat is you can hear the neighbours above .
I always knew when the neighbours had a shag .

Typhoon2000

A burglar probably won't won't to go in and out a window in a block of flats where there are going to be plenty of people coming and going and it would be pretty obvious what he was doing. Most likely he would let himself in through the communal entrance when some one else was coming and going, and make his way to the top floor where he is less likely to be disturbed by residents going in and out,and work on the front door. So the groung floor is safer!

JasX

Another positive you won't have on the ground floor is I find my thermostat (sensibly set) hardly ever kicks in as the flat below me has their heating up so high it pretty much heats mine too and my utility bills are very low as a result

Being at the bottom of the stack you may find yourself on the unfavourable end of this effect (unless you can get a heap of inter-floor insulation in).