We are looking at a condo that's a walk up and requires three flights of stairs. Laundry is on the bottom floor. Any experience with living somewhere with so many flights of stairs? We won't be having kids. Just a 14 pound dog.
Post by crashgizmo on Apr 15, 2015 11:29:01 GMT -5
I lived in a 3rd floor apartment for a year or so in college. Groceries were a pain to haul up but other than that it wasn't a huge issue. My biggest concern is the dog, both because of a the PITA to take him out to potty down 3 flights of stairs at 2am, but also the logistics of when he/she gets older and has to climb all the stairs. It's not the end of the world, but if I had other options I would probably take them!
Post by compassrose on Apr 15, 2015 11:29:16 GMT -5
Only you can know if you are willing to do this. Carrying groceries up to the 3rd floor sucks. Carrying a laundry basket to the basement and back sucks. Buying new furniture and getting it up the stairs will really suck. Even if you are young and strong, you could sprain and ankle or break something. Going up and down that on crutches would really suck.
That being said, I lived in a 2nd floor condo in Boston for three years, and it was fine. And I know many people who lived on the 3rd floor. But for me personally, it would be a deal breaker.
Without kids it's fine. Laundry is probably a little annoying but I live in a walk-up that doesn't even have laundry, I go to the laundromat down the street and it's really easy. Moving and deliveries can be a little tricky but that's not a day-to-day thing.
Post by keweenawlove on Apr 15, 2015 11:31:22 GMT -5
We lived in one for a year and it wasn't too bad. Moving day sucked but that's only one day. For me it was only slightly annoying having to make 2-3 trips up the stairs for groceries. It just became routine. We were able to park right in front of the main door in so that helped.
Our biggest concern about doing it again would be that our dog's had some leg issues but have made stairs difficult in the past. H was having to carry her up the stairs at our house when she was really bad and we really wouldn't have wanted to be on a 3rd floor condo in that case. It would be a lot easier to deal with a 14 lb dog than a 70 lb one though!
I will only live on the top floor of a building unless it has concrete between the floors. I would rather go up and down the stairs than have to listen to people walking around above me.
Post by emilyinchile on Apr 15, 2015 11:41:57 GMT -5
Laundry and dog outings sound annoying but doable. If it's otherwise awesome, I'd go for it. In your real estate market it's not realistic to expect perfection in anything remotely affordable, so I could learn to live with this.
Post by fortnightlily on Apr 15, 2015 11:43:30 GMT -5
No experience with walk-ups, but I, personally, wouldn't do it. What if you broke your leg? Or had an elderly relative who wanted to visit? Also don't forget to factor in how that might affect future re-sale.
Post by eponinepontmercy on Apr 15, 2015 12:30:00 GMT -5
We currently live in a third-floor condo with no elevator (moved here in 2006). It's worked out for us, but I definitely regret buying it (for other reasons). We have a 3.5 year old and a dog. Dog walks are annoying, but not too bad. We have a w/d in our unit so that makes laundry super-convenient.
We haven't been able to host many holidays because DH's grandmother can't make it up the stairs. That's also annoying, but not a dealbreaker. Groceries aren't too bad, but it takes some practice and strength training.
Post by Balki.Bartokomous on Apr 15, 2015 12:34:34 GMT -5
No kids? I'd do it.
It's probably really good for your health. FWIW DH's grandparents live in a 3rd story walk up. Grandpa is 94 & recently had a heart attack, but he's in recovery, and we all think their good health is partially due to the exercise they get going up and down stairs every day.
How do you feel about carrying your dog? Mine has arthritis and it's really hard for him to do stairs. I'm sooo glad that we no longer live in a 2 story house with 2 flights of stairs to get out. Since your dog is little, I guess if someday he can't do stairs you can carry him?
Other than that - I think it's probably fine. I used to live on a 2nd floor condo and it was no big deal. I don't imagine a second flight of stairs would have been that much worse. I do prefer 1st floor, but if everything else was good I'd probably be fine with 3rd floor too.
In my market, this would not affect resale. There are tons of condo walk up buildings. Top floors in walk-ups are often sought out because they are so much quieter. I have had many clients refuse to look at anything other than a top floor after having lived on a lower floor with loud walkers above them.
When we were in NYC we were on the 4th floor of a brownstone. If we had a lot of groceries or more than one bag of laundry, it was a bit of a pain, but I actually liked the forced exercise of having to walk up and down the steps most of the time.
We lived in a 3rd floor walk up apartment. It was for sure good exercise, but it got old taking in groceries and bringing down the trash. Moving was also a pain. But the benefit of living on the top floor with no one above us, outweighed the negatives.
- We already carry our dog to go outside- our current building does not allow him to walk in the common area but we have the elevator - It's the top floor so no one would be above us - We live in SF. The only reason we can afford it is because it's priced lower than others because of the walk up and no parking. - Resale value is a concern but our mortgage would be the same as our rent that we currently pay
Post by iheartbanjos on Apr 15, 2015 12:53:31 GMT -5
I have friends that live in a 3rd floor walk up with 2 kids. They also take the older one to preschool in an Uber car most days. I am so far removed from urban living now that I couldn't even imagine this, but many people happily live this way.
In the days before kids, I could definitely live in a 3rd floor walk up. 2 kids and 2 large dogs later...probably not
Post by LoveTrains on Apr 15, 2015 12:53:47 GMT -5
I would have no problem except for the laundry. So I would probably just od wash and fold service.
I once worked on the fifth floor of a beacon hill townhouse with no elevator. You came in the basement, too. So it was 6 flights of stairs to get to my office every day. And then two flights down to the bathroom.
I wouldn't be able to do this. It would annoy me to no end to have to constantly be up and down the stairs with laundry, groceries, taking the dog out.
I live on a 3rd floor walk-up with a 12 pound dog and a baby. It's totally fine. Yes, groceries can be a pain, but you get used to it. Our dog goes out 4 times a day, and I just think of it as a nice mini-work out added into our normal routine. And Mr. Smock's 70 year old mother was able to navigate the stairs just fine 6 months after breaking her ankle.
We lived in a third floor apartment with 2 dogs and it wasn't a big deal. We had in-unit laundry, though, which may have made a difference. Moving in was a pain, but you only have to do that once (and could hire someone to do that for you if you wanted).