Advantages and disadvantages of living on the first floor of an apartment

Pros

First, let’s look at all the possible advantages.

Convenience

Residents of the first floors do not have problems with the elevator – they simply do not need it. This is an excellent option for a family with children: the child can go for a walk and play near the house – he will be visible from the window.

And if the baby cannot yet move independently, it is much more comfortable and safer for a mother with a stroller to go outside without using the elevator and without overcoming several flights of stairs. In addition, living on the ground floor is a convenient solution for the elderly and people with disabilities.

• Residents of the first floors save on the delivery of large-sized furniture or building materials: often lifting into the apartment with the help of movers is free, and independent lifting does not cause any difficulties.
• If the furniture does not fit through the door, it can be brought in through the window.
• In case of loss of the key or a dangerous situation, the window opening can be used instead of the door.

Heating and water supply

Residents of the lower floors receive higher quality utilities: they have stronger water pressure and warmer radiators. It’s all about the pressure – hot water gets to the apartments above worse, since in most apartment buildings water is distributed to the radiators from the bottom up.

Adjacent territory

Another pleasant advantage of a ground-floor apartment is the illusion of living in a cozy country house. If there are neat low bushes, a lawn and several trees near the windows, you get a feeling of being close to nature. You can improve the adjacent territory yourself – this is especially appreciated by those who like to “tinker with the earth”.

A car parked under the window will always be under surveillance, and if it bothers someone, it won’t take long to quickly get dressed and move it.

Price

Thanks to the stereotypes about the “illiquidity” of the first floor, apartments on them are 10-15% cheaper, which means you can save money on purchasing housing. The cost of properties on the more popular middle floors is higher.

If you successfully choose an apartment with high traffic in a new area, you can sell it for more later. You can make money if the infrastructure is not developed, and the property is of interest as a commercial space.

Neighbors

Another advantage of the first floor is the absence of neighbors below. If there is a flood, you will not have to pay for expensive repairs and new furniture. Also, no one will complain about the clatter of chair legs, stomping and noise: this is especially important for families with small children.

Redevelopment options

A big advantage of the first floor is that there are no residential apartments below, which means the law provides for the transfer of wet areas to more convenient places. For example, if the kitchen is equipped with an electric stove, it can be arranged in the living room.

If desired, residents of the first floor can refuse gasification altogether. Moving or expanding bathrooms also does not require taking into account the location of the rooms below.

To disconnect an apartment from the gas, you must contact your gas inspector, and to obtain permission for redevelopment, you must contact a specialized organization that has a license to carry out design work.

Disadvantages

In addition to the advantages, living quarters on the first floor have significant disadvantages.

Dampness and cold floor

An apartment located close to the ground and basement may be too damp in the summer, which is fraught with the appearance of mold. In winter, such a location threatens cold floors, so people with reduced immunity and lung diseases should not live on the ground floor.

However, in many new buildings, these problems have already been solved – apartments on the first floors are located higher than usual, and communications in the basement are more modern and are repaired much faster. In other cases, high humidity can be eliminated – major repairs and floor insulation will be required.

In case of sewer blockage, there is a risk of flooding with drains. Sometimes proximity to the basement threatens raids of rats and cockroaches – this is especially true for houses with garbage chutes.

Threat of robbery

Most often, apartments that are easiest to get into end up in the crosshairs of criminals. The ground floor is ideal for this. To protect themselves from burglars, residents have to take a range of measures:

• Installing strong doors and windows, which will take more time to open.
• Installing bars (an unsafe option in case of fire) or roller shutters.
• Using armored films on glass – this makes it harder to break.
• Installing an alarm and video surveillance.
• Imitating presence in the apartment using a smartphone and “smart” sockets that turn on electrical appliances.

Lack of privacy

If the apartment is located in a passage yard, a crowded place deprives its owner of privacy. On the lower floors, you can better hear children playing on the playground, noisy neighbors during their get-togethers under the window, the sounds of passing cars.

The disadvantages are leveled if the area is quiet and uncrowded, but this depends only on the circumstances. If the apartment is located next to the entrance door, the sounds of the intercom are added, and proximity to the parking lot threatens the smell of gasoline. The situation can be partially corrected by installing high-quality double-glazed windows and the right front door, as well as installing soundproofing on the walls.

You can protect yourself from the glances of curious passers-by with tulle curtains, mirrored or matte films on the windows, and even special electrochromic glass, which becomes transparent or darkened at the right moment.

Not enough light

If the windows of an apartment located on the first floor are adjacent to dense bushes and trees, the living space does not receive enough natural light. In this case, you should send an application to the management company, which will resolve the issue with the city administration.

If the arriving specialist confirms that the light entering the room is not in accordance with the standards, some of the branches will be cut off and the apartment will become lighter. Otherwise, high-quality artificial lighting should be provided.

Conclusions

The times when apartments on the first floors were considered unfavorable are gradually becoming a thing of the past. There will never be a single opinion (positive or negative), since each of the future owners has their own preferences. Most of the problems that arise when buying housing on the ground floor are solvable.

Whether to buy an apartment on the first floor or not is decided individually in each case. In order not to regret your choice, it is worth determining in advance which disadvantages you can put up with, and which will require special costs or refusal to buy.