My first apartment was a third-floor walkup. Street parking was more of a pain in the ass than anything else.
It could be a PITA to carry groceries upstairs, but I lived close enough to the supermarket to walk there so I sometimes made a few trips a week with one or two bags each time, rather than one large weekly trip. My building didn't have a laundry room so once a week I took my clothes to the laundromat (or to my parents' house, lol).
I had to be careful about what furniture I bought because the hallways were narrow. It involved a lot of measuring. I bought a new bedroom set and couches while I lived there so the delivery men handled all that ... no way would I have wanted to do it myself.
After MH and I got engaged, I agreed to move in with him and I hired movers because I knew MH and I would've gotten into a Ross Gellar-style PIVOT! PIVOT! PIVOT! argument if we tried to move the big stuff by ourselves. Not only were my apartment stairs a pain to navigate, but his place was on the second floor of a VERY tight hallway and an extremely sharp turn to get into the front door of the apartment - like, "Who the fuck designed this house???" levels of complicated. No thank you. The stairs at his place were so tricky to navigate that the bedsprings had to be cut down the middle and folded up like a sandwich in order to fit through the door.
When we bought our house, MH absolutely refused to hire movers, so he and my brother moved all the furniture while I was at work because I just refused to get involved. I would've rather thrown everything out the window and bought from scratch than deal with that nonsense again.
I'd rent a 3rd floor walk up, but I wouldn't buy one. I have a 2 story apartment and have the 2nd and 3rd floors. Laundry is in the basement. It a pain, but I've adjust to it. I wouldn't want it forever.
I've done that, with laundry several blocks away (laundromat). I would definitely do it again provided that laundry was in the building and there wasn't bad street noise (I prefer to be higher up because I'm a light sleeper).
I rented a place on the 3rd floor (in SF) with an elevator, but the elevator was always broken (one time, for 6+ months!). We had a handicapped dog at the time and he had to be carried down the stairs at least 3 times a day. He was 45 lbs, so this wasn't an ideal setup. As for groceries and stuff, it was no big deal. One thing that would absolutely stop me from buying a place that high without an elevator is that, while your health may support it not being a big deal for now, long term, you never know what could happen. We had a guy living on the 4th floor of my building who was trapped in his home when the elevator was broken (for 6 months!) because of his health (he a disease that had progressed and he was not strong enough to go up/down the stairs). It was a nightmare for him (he had a rent controlled unit and couldn't afford to move elsewhere). Another girl on my floor broke her foot during the long elevator hiatus and had to hobble up and down the stairs on crutches, which was terrible to watch.
Post by cleosprite on Apr 16, 2015 11:07:15 GMT -5
I'd rent it, but wouldn't buy it, unless I thought I could rent it out in a few years and was willing to be a landlord. Laundry's not really a big deal, but carrying groceries up, and taking the dog down everytime it had to pee? I'd get sick of that in a couple years.
I feel like people who don't live in HCOL urban areas can't really get this... this is the type of sacrafice you make.
We don't own, but we've lived in the same 3rd floor walk up for 9 years (plus a half flight of steps up to the building). I survived twin pregnancy and 13 months and counting of carrying infant/now toddler twins in and out. I do have laundry in my apartment, which I love. But having laundry in your building is still superior to needing to go to a laundromat, plus you do have the option of sending it out.
If I didn't have kids I would absolutely buy in these circumstances. Living here with twin toddlers is not ideal, but without them it's no big deal.
3 floors no elevator would be a deal breaker for me. I am not carrying everything up and down 3 floors. I'm not dealing with a dog from 3 floors up. Not dragging laundry up and down 3 floors.
I had a 2nd floor apartment in college and it wasn't an issue but 3 floors I would not do. I also didn't have to run a dog in and out.
We live in the top floor of an eight-flat. So, three and a half levels of stairs. You get really used to it. Sure, hauling luggage back home after a trip is no fun, and with grocery's we do the perishables in the first trip, and then the next time someone needs to car, they just grab the diet coke cases on the way back up.
But being on the top floor is great - no noise above us, and we have private roof rights and deck on our half of the building. And when I was in real estate, generally the higher the floor, the higher the appraisal. Each unit would go for $10k more based on the floor level. Top levels go much faster than first floor or garden units.
Laundry is tough though. And chance you could get an in-unit set up installed down the line?
We live in the top floor of an eight-flat. So, three and a half levels of stairs. You get really used to it. Sure, hauling luggage back home after a trip is no fun, and with grocery's we do the perishables in the first trip, and then the next time someone needs to car, they just grab the diet coke cases on the way back up.
But being on the top floor is great - no noise above us, and we have private roof rights and deck on our half of the building. And when I was in real estate, generally the higher the floor, the higher the appraisal. Each unit would go for $10k more based on the floor level. Top levels go much faster than first floor or garden units.
Laundry is tough though. And chance you could get an in-unit set up installed down the line?
Yes, we are looking into that option! Thank for the info!
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.
This is ideal, unless you have a kid. Then, ground floor rules and you deal with the overhead noise in order to avoid neighbor complaints about your kid.
ETA: Forgot to answer the question. Yes, I have lived in walk-ups. 3rd floor and 2nd floor, for a year & a half each and another 2nd floor apartment for 2 years. Not really a big deal, but I second the point above about moving furniture. A lot of things wouldn't fit up the narrow stairway and even when we rigged stuff up to move it through the windows, the windows weren't especially wide.
The groceries have never been a big deal since I don't typically buy more groceries than I can carry home without a car.