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

I am from the south east and left there 3 years ago to Northumberland. I never once encountered anyone who suggested I might like to live in a detached. (Our previous house was a three bed semi). I never encountered snobbery.

Only a snobbish person who already lives in a detached house will say ‘ Wont you like to be detached’ as a one-upmanship.

It's not something that I would let bother me mantaray. We all live different lives in varying accommodation, as long as we are happy with what we have that's all that matters. Other peoples opinions are just that and would not influence my decision on whether to live in a detached house or not.

mantaray Has anybody else experienced this kind of snobbery?

Of course. Move far out from any town, into a very old farm home, people are very snobby to a farm home, detached is the least complaint.

Not snobbery at all. We loved happily in our semi for 42 years and brought our children up there. A very noisy family eventually moved next door into the non attached house. Very loud parties throughout the summer but we lived with it because we still loved the area. Then a young couple moved into the joining house. We could hear their conversations and swearing though the walls. The weekends brought noisy parties even through lockdown.
After a few months we moved into a detached house with a lovely garden

For a long time we lived in a large 4 bedroom semi in the north west. It was fine, because the two consecutive sets of neighbours we experienced were considerate and quiet. One set had three children, so inevitably there was some noise, but it wasn’t troublesome.

There is some snobbery about detached houses. They are preferable, I think, and certainly more expensive. Perhaps snobbery is the wrong word. It’s just that most people prefer them, and neighbours are much less likely to be a problem.

My sister lives in a ‘link detached’ bungalow.

A ‘semi’ then.

I think there are huge differences between some terraces and some detached, though. It really isn't a case of one is better than the other.

165 Eaton Place (Upstairs Downstairs) and 10 Downing Street are both terraced houses, and some of the little boxes on Brookside were detached.

Doodledog

I think there are huge differences between some terraces and some detached, though. It really isn't a case of one is better than the other.

165 Eaton Place (Upstairs Downstairs) and 10 Downing Street are both terraced houses, and some of the little boxes on Brookside were detached.

Absolutely, Doodledog - there are some very sought-after 'terraced' houses in Edinburgh, for instance, which will cost you upwards of £1m, while the many housing estates which are being thrown up around the city are full of little white 'detached' boxes.

Just because many if you haven’t had the same experience as the OP doesn’t make this a “strange post”. We have snifiness right here on this thread.

I live in a ‘ link detached’, meaning that a garage is between the houses. We hear nothing of our neighbours, unless they are having workmen in.
I have lived in semis and experienced no snobbery. The neighbours only complained once when our son was doing his flute practice! ( at least it wasn’t a trumpet).
I lived in a terrace in London once. I bet that house would cost a fortune now, nothing to turn one’s nose up at.
Very rude to comment.

Doodledog

I think there are huge differences between some terraces and some detached, though. It really isn't a case of one is better than the other.

165 Eaton Place (Upstairs Downstairs) and 10 Downing Street are both terraced houses, and some of the little boxes on Brookside were detached.

When I was a child I saw 10 Downing Street (you could walk along Downing Street then) and was really shocked. Not only was it terraced, it didn’t even have a front garden! I didn’t think it looked at all suitable for a Prime Minister.

I've lived in flats, as well as terraced, semi and detached houses.
From my point of view it's not snobbery that I prefer a detached home.
The noises that travel through the walls and floors/ceilings can be horrendous.
Sound insulation can be virtually non existent ...
If you have considerate attached neighbours, all's good. Otherwise be prepared to hear all and everything

Lauren59

Just because many if you haven’t had the same experience as the OP doesn’t make this a “strange post”. We have snifiness right here on this thread.

Do we? It’s not sniffy to say you prefer a detached home, and why. I haven’t noticed anyone being sniffy. We’re all different in our preferences. That doesn’t mean looking down on people who make other choices.

I live in a very large, very old semi, it has thick Victorian walls and I hear nothing from the three kids next door ( I used to have 8 next door at one time)
I ve lived in semis, terraced, council, a prefab and flats and on forces bases, all are fine you get used to where you are

Well, if someone appeared to look down on me because I lived in a semi, a flat, a terrace, or a tent, I'm afraid I wouldn't give them the time of day.

I've lived in a detached (old and damp), a terrace (convenient and cheap to run and never heard the neighbours), and a flat (absolutely wonderful).

The word sniffy brings back memories of my long dead mother in law. She used it a lot but I haven’t heard it for years.. it never occurs to me people are being snobby about anything. Must be because what others do passes over my head! My father in law explained to me once that people moved to big houses to show off!! When I asked him who they would be showing off to he couldn’t give me an answer…..there will always be a smattering of snobs about something or other but I think most have the same take on life as I do ‘couldn’t care less’…

No 🙄

We lived in a 3 storey, 6 bdroom Edwardian semi when DS1 was having drum lessons and had a drum kit in his bedroom. Was constantly asking the elderly couple next door is the could hear him and they swore they couldn't.

Surely, it depends on how much you love your house as to whether you feel looked down on.

You can imagine the looks we got every time we said we lived on a boat. There was almost a look of, oh, poor you.

They were generally surprised when we said, yes, this one.

That looks like a great place to live, MS. Where was it moored?

I have lived in two semi detached houses they were nice the same area I live now. I remarried and we both had our own properties so we sold up and bought a detached because we could.
The only snobbery I ever encountered was from sisters who said I should move to a different area. I like it where we are it’s half a mile from where we were brought up I’m happy here.

I prefer a detached but don't see it as anything to be snobby about.

Doodledog
Our permanent mooring was at Tollesbury in Essex.
We were there to scrub off and paint.
That’s on the River Blackwater.

MerylStreep

You can imagine the looks we got every time we said we lived on a boat. There was almost a look of, oh, poor you.

They were generally surprised when we said, yes, this one.

😁

I knew people who lived on houseboats on the Thames, very nice they were too but not as large as yours, MerylStreep!

I do remember thinking, when I was about 11, that when I grew up, I wanted a detached house, a car and a telephone.
What ambition! 😁
Not necessarily in that order but I knew I had to work hard to get them.