Why are some people sniffy about living in a semi detached house?

We had the same experience in the 80's Grannynannywanny. The detached version of the semi we did buy, wasn't as big due to an integral garage. We paid extra to have one built and was still quite a bit less than the detached.

We were tempted but decided it was too much of a risk if the interest rate on a mortgage went up significantly. Thank goodness we didn't because when it went up to 15%we'd have been in serious financial trouble.

When we bought our second house, I was almost amused by the description 'detached' as it had a 1m alley on either side - it was a new 70s house, and for odd reasons we could get it with a smaller deposit than older houses.
But having lived in both a terrace and a semi, I soon realised that even a small gap made a huge difference in sound. So like others, I understand the desire to live in a 'detached'. We stayed there until building our own house (just for us - so detached!)
I've had 2 friends who have lived in enormous old 'semis' with such thick walls that you got no noise at all - but they are rare.

But as others have said, folk can be 'sniffy' about anything. In fact, when we were selling it, we had feedback of 'couldn't possibly have a shared drive' (it was just the drive entrance that was double width & shared - it then branched into 2).

I also ditched a few 'friends' who were 'sniffy' about 'a new 70s box'. We knew we were lucky to have such a nice home.

I am also told that semis, however large, rarely fetch the same price as an equivalent detached. For most of us, home and comfort is the important thing. I understand for some, the actual value of the house is important - but no reason to be 'sniffy'.
Actually, an amusing thread would be all the idiotic things that some folk will find to look down their noses at!

No! I grew up in one.

There aren't any semis for under one million in the part of West London we moved away from.

I’ve lived my entire life in the South East and have never heard of this issue.

Semis and terraces are known as ‘clipped-on’ houses and detached are ‘unclipped’ in our house, after my 3 year asked why some houses are clipped onto each other 😃

I like plenty of space around me. Distance from my neighbours, even though they are quiet. It’s the way I am. Husband is exactly the same.

As long as the adjoining neighbours are fine, what’s the problem? Personally I haven’t, but it wouldn’t bother me. And in some cases, might be an advantage ie if, like me you live alone, it just takes a few taps on the wall to alert your neighbours, if you’re in trouble. Shame I didn’t think of this, when I down sized a few years ago 😂

Some people are just ‘sniffy’ manteray not pleasant.
I’ve lived in Hampshire for most of my adult life and not encountered this, downsized from detached to semi 20 odd years ago after divorcing.
Our neighbours were here before me, we’ve had momentary hiccups, resolved by a quick chat.

No. We lived in a semi for thirty years and loved the house. We had plans drawn up to extend it, until my attached neighbour became an absolute nightmare. She made our lives a living hell, and I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown so we scrapped plans to extend and we moved. One of the criteria was that we should not be attached to anyone else. It was the best move we ever made. It’s a lovely quiet area and the neighbours are the best we could have imagined.

Yes, I have come across this snobbery where I live (south west). We have lived on the same estate for 60 years (house belonged to parents beforehand) and absolutely love it. We know everyone and all the neighbours have seen us grow old and we have seen their children grow up. If someone passes away there is a joint effort to go to the funeral and drop in condolence cards etc. We have often been asked if we have a problem living cheek by jowl with our neighbours in terraced houses on a main road and the answer is 'No'. I belong to the U3A and don't ask people back to my house as you can see the look of disdain because our house in not as posh, large or modern as theirs. The bathroom fittings are 60 years old and the kitchen is 30 years old - all perfectly functional and clean.

We started married life in a modern terrace house, moved to a similar sized 19th century detached house, then a modern detached house.

- and then back into a semi-detached house. Much bigger than our detached house, 19th century with 13 inch thick walls. When we asked our neighbours to complain about our children's music which was deafening us. They said, they couldn't, they hadn't heard any of it.

25 years ago we moved again, 15th century house, a much bigger house divided in two, so we are still semi-detached. But again very little noise transfer. The bedroom DGC use sharea a wall with next doors mnin bedroom. I told them to let me know if the children were too noisy. They said they couldn't hear a thing.

I have certainly not met any snobbery over semi-detaced/detached and we have happily movd from one to the other - and back again.

I have also spent my whole house owning life in the South East. The south east, and London in particular is predominantly flats, terraced housing and semis, You really have to get to outside edges, beyond Reading to the west, and i am sure similar towns as far out as Reading in other SE counties, before a detached house is within the means of other than the very affluent..

Most houses are ‘detached’ here but they are building some new ones that are joined. I think they’ve only just discovered them! Even in the retirement villages many houses are small but stand alone. The thing here used to be whether you had a brick house or a weatherboard one but that seems to have gone by the way now. We used to have a weatherboard but you do hear neighbours and noises more so we moved to a brick house 30 plus years ago now.

Blimey! I’m sure that many of our grandchildren would give their eye teeth to own/live in any sort of house.

The poshest house we have owned was a four storey terraced house with high ceilings, elegant plasterwork and a grade 2 listing which meant no double glazing and approval for any changes. It sold recently for well over £1 million - in Bristol, not London! Much less work to manage a 1967 detached box in a village despite considerably less class.

mokryna

I think British people in general tend to look down on flat dwellers.

That may have been true in the past because there simply weren't many flats outside council estates - which some people did look down on - or above shops. Unlike places like Germany and inner cities in the US where many people live in flats. Now flats are being built all over the place in the UK, and many people recognise that for certain lifestyles they are ideal - no children, don't want or can't cope with a garden, don't want maintenance that comes with a house... Near us a few ex-department stores are being turned into flats. Sadly they keep turning them into 'luxury, prestige' flats that cost a fortune instead of ordinary, nice flats that the less well-off can buy.

There are flats for sale near us and in the south east more generally that sell for well over £1million. Not sure why one should look down on a flat dweller. Their footprint is much less, which is something to be desired I would have thought.

No, but I understand where the comments are coming from. If you have great neighbours fine, but if they are not so good lives can be made a misery. We had neighbours who lived in harmony in a semi for 60 years and then horrible people moved in next door who had this elderly couple in tears. I can see why even a tiny detached can be desirable.

mokryna

I think British people in general tend to look down on flat dwellers.

Really, that's a rather large generalisation. Not sure it is correct Two of my family live in flats, one in Germany, where rules are stricter and tenants are expected to deal with anything wrong, inside the flat, themselves. I would have a flat myself, but am not prepared to pay the extortionate maintenance and other fees that go with it.

People can be sniffy about areas too. Our friend who moved to the coast from here, now asks me 'Aren't you scared living in Birmingham?'. I'm not sure what we should be scared of.

No, it doesn't bother me I gave up a detached with a large garden in a sought-after area. To move into a barn with a small walled garden attached to the farmhouse.
I wish I could move further away from the ones over the wall. They are like the Maggi Smith character in "Tea with Mussolini". The lads next door are lovely as are their parents they hold our key and come around and help if asked even if it is a text from the other end of the country when our burglar alarm went off.

Riverwalk

I don't know what you mean by a 'curse of the South East'.

I live in London and would be flabbergasted if anyone I know bought a detached house these days, unless it was in the outer suburbs.

Even back in "those days" we couldn't afford a detached house in a nice London suburb.
Now even some semi-detached houses sell there for well over £1.3 million.

Before we knew we had to relocate, we viewed the 'right house in the right road', detached and full of character (apparently, according to the estate agent - who knew some roads weren't?!) and I fell in love with it although it needed total refurbishment. We put in an offer. Apparently there were several other offers.
Then it got taken off the market and went on at an extraordinary price.
Then we were relocated anyway to somewhere where house prices were more reasonable.

Kate1949

People can be sniffy about areas too. Our friend who moved to the coast from here, now asks me 'Aren't you scared living in Birmingham?'. I'm not sure what we should be scared of.

Who knew that it was more desirable to live near the railway station in a London suburb, therefore the nearer the railway, the more expensive the property?

Kate1949

People can be sniffy about areas too. Our friend who moved to the coast from here, now asks me 'Aren't you scared living in Birmingham?'. I'm not sure what we should be scared of.

I'd like to say 'only of speaking Brum' - hope the joke comes across on here as I don't like sniffiness about accents either!

LRavenscroft - I am so sorry that you feel you can't invite people back. I think that if anyone showed any sign of disdain, most of the members would disdain them! However, I also understand not wanting to expose yourself.
When I was a NCT mum in the 70s, we met in all sorts of homes, council flats (there were still around) and static caravans - and yes, my new detached! I heard from others that NCT mums could 'look down' on some, but not in our groups.
Quite apart from it being common courtesy, those folk never know where they might end up in the future!

Not experienced that. Some people are sniffy about the most trivial, irrelevant things. None of my friends, though, or we'd part company. Life's too short etc.

At the end of the day anyone can look up, down or sideways at anything, if they desire to give offence or are insecure themselves.

I can remember someone being dismissive with us because we did, at the time, live in s small detached house, suggesing such affluence meant that we couldn't begin to understand the average person's life. We started in a terrace house.

As nanaDana, says, life is too short to worry about such things. People like that are showing themselves up not you.

We moved from our new council house to a flat when our daughter started school.we only stayed 18 months Not that we had problems our neighbours were happy to come to parties but we often felt bad about closing the main door at 3 or 4 am after a long shift at work and maybe disturbing them .Our lifestyle has always been odd hours and shedloads of friends and loud music so a detached suits us best.We even moved our living room to the other side of the house where there are no neighbours so we wouldn't disturb anyone .Well that was the plan until our daughter asked to move bedroom as she could still hear music from her bed.
I still like my music LOUD and my OH will sometimes go into the street to check if it can be heard ,33 years here and no complaints yet.Not snobbery just being considerate