Rowhouse questions (renting, condo, houses)

[Lucillle]

Do they have patios or a little patch of back yard? Are there double walls between neighors, how is the sound insulation? Is each person responsible for the roof on his own house, or are there any common payments to take care of roofing etc? Do many of them have basements?

[maf763]

I owned a rowhouse in the burbs that had a covered front porch and a small, fenced back yard (about 20 feet deep) which you reached via stairs from the kitchen. Noise was a problem occasionally, mainly when the neighbors were yelling at each other or at the kids. We were responsible for our own roofs, but when it was time to apply sealer, several of us shared the labor and use of a ladder and we did a few at once. I had what would probably be considered a semi-finished basement, but it was really only good for housing the furnace, storage items, the laundry facilities, and a bonus urinal and sink.

[otters21]

The majority of rowhouses have a postage stamp yard mostly in concrete especially in the older very dense areas but in some of the outlying areas such as Roxborough, Germantown , Mt. Airy, Northwood, Overbrook, Tacony etc. many of them do have decent backyards.. Most of them have brick wall between them but in many of the real old, smaller rowhomes you could hear your neighbor next door. As far as having a basement is concerned , most of them do. Sorry, I am not able to tell you about the roofing situation because when I lived in Philly , I rented and never owned a rowhouse.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by Lucillle

Do they have patios or a little patch of back yard?

Yes. How big of a patch just depends on where you live. I park my scooter in my backyard, store my trash and recycling back there, have two bicycles parked back there, a rain barrel, a lot of plants and it's still big enough for a small table and chairs and my grill.

Some friends of mine had a house a few blocks away who had all that same stuff plus room for a ping-pong table.

Friends in West Philly have a deck off the back of their house that is about the size of my backyard then beyond that they have a lawn that's big enough for a hammock, a grill, a pretty big trampoline and a storage shed . . . but they're in a twin, not a row.

Are there double walls between neighors, how is the sound insulation?

I don't know what you mean by "double walls" but in older rows there are two layers of brick. Brick, like most masonry, isn't a very good insulator. After 100 or so years you also wind up with a lot of voids. Right now I can hear my neighbor's dog barking. That's partly because it's really quiet in my house right now. Until they moved in a few months ago I rarely heard anything coming from over there. You have to be pretty loud, and on a consistent basis, to annoy your neighbors. My solution to my annoying neighbors is two-fold. I'm insulating my party wall and i'm buying that house. The people there now are renting.

Is each person responsible for the roof on his own house, or are there any common payments to take care of roofing etc?

A rowhome isn't a condo. The ownership is fee-simple. There is no association so there are no association fees. It's all yours inside and out. When something goes wrong - you pay for it.

I've never been in a rowhouse w/o a basement but I know they exist. Most of them have been built in the last 25 years or so.

[frankgn87]

we had a row in the NE. You could hear your neighbor cough.. We hated it and moved to a single..

[bambiying]

I grew up in a rowhouse in Parkwood, NE Philly. We had a very nice sized backyard, probably 20x60, and while you could hear some noises next door, unless they were blasting music, the noise level was never uncomfortable. Usually, if something needs to be fixed that also concerns a next door neighbor, like porch repair, both my parents and the neighbor will split the cost, but there's no law that says you have to.

[thekish]

Originally Posted by Lucillle

Do they have patios or a little patch of back yard? Are there double walls between neighors, how is the sound insulation? Is each person responsible for the roof on his own house, or are there any common payments to take care of roofing etc? Do many of them have basements?

] Some have backyards that you can't see because they are enclosed by the entire block. The yards are a typical postage stamp but large enough to let a dog out or a small garden.

Some of the houses are more sound proof than others. You can always add a layer if you need it.

The roofing is an issue. A typical rowhome each owner is responsible for his own home. That can be a problem if you have a problem neighbor. My grandparents had a house with a neighbor whose roof was leaking into their unit. The neighbor did not want to fix his roof. In a condo association the rules are different. The association can take care of maintenance and then sue owners for the bills.

Most of the rowhomes I have been in have basements.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by thekish

My grandparents had a house with a neighbor whose roof was leaking into their unit. The neighbor did not want to fix his roof.

The slumlord who currently owns the joint next to me hasn't been up on his roof in 20 years. Last time I had the roofers at my place I had them take care of any problems a few feet over onto his side. His roof slopes away from my house so as I long I keep the water away from our party wall it's all good on this side.

That's the thing, a low-slope roof is really cheap to take care of when you compare it to the typical pitched, shingled roof of the suburbs. As long as you have regular maintenance done (every 2-3 years) it should last you for 30 years.

[G Goo]

http://www.philaplanning.org/pubinfo/rowhousemanual.pdf (broken link)

A great resource for all things row house.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by G Goo

http://www.philaplanning.org/pubinfo/rowhousemanual.pdf (broken link)

A great resource for all things row house.

excellent find goo!!!!! great reading