Semi-detached house design

[diy_fun_uk]

Whether looking at houses built decades ago or last week, I notice that in the majority of cases semi-detached houses (with just two in the block) are built with the living quarters adjoined and the front doors, halls and stairs at the gable end. Is there a particular reason why they are designed this way? Someone once told me it's easier and more cost effective to have the main services (e.g. water, drainage) coming in to one location with less distance to 'branch off' into each kitchen etc. Not sure if there's any truth in that. Or I thought maybe it's to aid heat retention i.e. having the living quarters on the 'inside' and the service rooms if you like on the 'outside.'

Does anyone know why this layout seems to be preferred by designers/builders? From a privacy point of view (less noise from neighbours etc) I always think it's preferable to have the living quarters on the outside so residents are 'detached' from their neighbour by the hall, stairs etc. You do see houses built this way, however not as often.

 

[JP_]

Yeah, I've always wondered that. We have some "Marconi" semi's around here that were built the sensible way, with hall, stairs, bathrooms adjoining, and in a Victorian semi I lived in years ago, hall and landing were joined (although lounge and kitchen also joined). But so many don't do this now.

I see a trend in new builds on estates to take it one step further and have lounges attached to each other, sometimes kitchens attached to neighbours lounges etc. which is all a bit crazy. I assume the reason is overestimated the effectiveness of sound insulation, and cost. But not really sure how cost would really be affected.

 

[endecotp]

Chimney in the middle.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We have multiple designs of semi in this street, built in the mid 1950's. We have or four double semis of one design, then they change to a different design. It must have been really confusing for the builders My layout has lounges, 2x bedrooms and kitchens adjacent, with 1x bedroom, bathroom downstairs toilet, utilities and hall furthest away from each other, with a cavity wall between the two properties.

Front door is at the front face, next to the lounge bay (lounge at the front). Back door is actually on the drive side of the entering the side of the kitchen via a short outdoor, rediculous and very exposed to weather corridor. Off that corridor were the outside toilet and door to the utility room - so three secure outside doors and keys needed. I redesigned it, to add a single outside door at the end of the corridor, so we now have a sort of porch instead of a corridor and two doors between kitchen and outside. The entrance to the corridor was originally an arch, I demolished the arch, so a standard door would fit, some 30+ years ago. The open to weather arch rear entry was a common theme for the entire street, despite the variations in the semi designs. Everyone, almost without fail, has followed my lead in adding a door to the arch. I have a through to rear drive, making getting large items to the back garden easy.

The semis directly opposite to us are built back to front. Their hall and stairs is at the front, small bedroom at the front, lounge at the rear with French windows, kitchen on the side of the drive, but without a through to the rear drive. They have no downstairs toilet, just a cloak room. They had a short open corridor front to rear between house and utility room, the corridor being the only access to the rear garden. The previous owner of the directly opposite house I described, used to be a mate of mine. Each time it rained the low lying corridor floor would flood, so I showed him how to solve it by raising the floor with concrete and adding doors at either end. To get from kitchen, to utility, had involved stepping down to the corridor, then up again to the utility.

[EDIT]

I forgot to mention, everyone of the semis have separate chimneys, irrespective of design and layout, the double chimneys rise near the centre of each property. Some have the structural wall and chimney side to side, some have it end to end, some a hipped roof, some not - so lots of variation in design and layout.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Thanks for the replies all. Yeah for older properties I can see how having one chimney in the middle might have dictated having the lounge etc together. I used to live in an older ex council house and not only did the lounge have a fireplace but so did one of the upstairs bedrooms. However doesn't explain newer builds. Unless there's a reason to do it (cost effective, energy saving or whatever) I can't get my head around why architects don't put the living quarters on the outer side of the property, thus giving a semblance of being detached. Especially if sound-proofing between properties isn't great.

 

[JP_]

my Victorian house had 2 chimneys, both on the external wall. A shared chimney would transmit even more sound, wouldn't it?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks for the replies all. Yeah for older properties I can see how having one chimney in the middle might have dictated having the lounge etc together. I used to live in an older ex council house and not only did the lounge have a fireplace but so did one of the upstairs bedrooms. However doesn't explain newer builds. Unless there's a reason to do it (cost effective, energy saving or whatever) I can't get my head around why architects don't put the living quarters on the outer side of the property, thus giving a semblance of being detached. Especially if sound-proofing between properties isn't great.

Mine is ex-council, but when they were built, a tiny local council which had a reputation of building better quality than the larger councils. Most are now in private hands. We used originally have fire place in living room, some sort of range in the massive kitchen and a fire place in the larger front bedroom - all now long since gone. Lounges of both semis are next to each other, separated by a cavity wall. We have quiet neighbours, rarely hearing any noise, but can just about tell when they are at home.

Both foul and rain water drains run down our back garden, as did the original gas main. The latter was replaced a few years ago due to it rusting, with new pipe along the road at the front. They are still working on a rolling program of gas main replacement throughout the area. Original electric supply came along the road at the front and we are still on that original cable, thought the meter location was moved several feet in the mid-1980's to a meter box set in the wall alongside a new gas meter box, both accessible from my drive.

Copper phone line is on poles along the front, fed in our case via FTTC at the street end, we have as does the entire village - Virgin underground FTTP plastic box available at the end of my drive.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

my Victorian house had 2 chimneys, both on the external wall. A shared chimney would transmit even more sound, wouldn't it?

Possibly however council built would be to a budget, maybe part of the reason to have things 'centralised.'

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Mine is ex-council, but when they were built, a tiny local council which had a reputation of building better quality than the larger councils. Most are now in private hands. We used originally have fire place in living room, some sort of range in the massive kitchen and a fire place in the larger front bedroom - all now long since gone. Lounges of both semis are next to each other, separated by a cavity wall. We have quiet neighbours, rarely hearing any noise, but can just about tell when they are at home.

Yeah ours was brick built including all dividing walls, great sound-proofing! Had 2 bedrooms side by side. Both bedroom doors could be open with someone in each room and you'd still hardly hear them, unless they upped the noise levels obviously! Puts modern houses to shame! Still ... that's 'progress'

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

my Victorian house had 2 chimneys, both on the external wall. A shared chimney would transmit even more sound, wouldn't it?

I would think not, the area of the chimney would in effect form a well braced double wall and it would also help brace the sections of single wall either side of it - helping to prevent noise transmission. I think joist direction is a factor too, side to side layout, will be noisier than joists running front to rear - noise will be able to flow down between the joist air spaces. Mine was built with front to rear joists..

 

[JP_]

This was my first house - the white one. Semi-detached, the gap on the side was a few inches I think!

Never heard a sound from the left, but loads of noise from the 3 kids on the right!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This was my first house - the white one. Semi-detached, the gap on the side was a few inches I think!

I would guess that is just a single brick wall between the two halves, hence the noise. Is that a back to back? I think I can see 4x chimney pots, which seems excessive for a 'through' house? If so it is smaller than the two up, two down I was born in.

 

[JP_]

there was a chimney in the front room and back room, which I guess was the kitchen originally. Kitchen extension on the back later.
Upstairs bedrooms had fireplaces too. I think. Main was removed, but I think 2nd bedroom still had the fireplace... can't really remember now.
Stairs went up across the house, starting on the outside wall, so landing also on attached wall - that was where the sound came from, mostly the kids running up and down the long landing!

 

[diy_fun_uk]

So why do we think many modern builds still put the lounge, bedrooms etc together? Could it be a cost thing i.e. less distance to run services if they can be brought in at the middle then split?

 

[JP_]

Can only assume so. Most of the large builders are looking to save every penny. Although I don't see how it will save much!
Maybe people complain more about the sound of front doors and running down stairs than other sounds?