Garden apartment safety (rent, home, neighborhood) - Chicago - Illinois (IL) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Muppet123 · 10-04-2009, 10:25 PM

Uh.... anyways, I live in a cave/garden/basement apartment. There is a gate on the place and its on a nice quiet side street so I feel 100% safe... I also have an ADT system....

linicx · 10-05-2009, 12:00 AM

I was at the Irish Fesh on Navy Pier one year when a freak thunderstorm hit. The torrential rains flooded the underpasses and overwhelmed the aging sewer system, It took 4 hours to drive to Berwyn and when I finally got home the water was 2" -3"deep to the building. There was no garden apartment in this building.

If the door and windows are tightly sealed, the only question is, will the water come through the floor? We had a flood this year where the water pressure was so great underground, it actually came through the middle of the concrete floor.

As long as you have nothing of value on the floor, and you have a good indoor-.outdoor vac - I think mine is 12hp - the clean up will be more nuisance than anything. But if you get 3-4" of water inside the apartment you will have a real mess.

Water damage is one of the downsides of living in a garden apartment. Unfortunately there is no way of determining in advance whether or not your apartment has ever had water damage unless you see water marks/stains on the walls. They chances are very good the landord did not build a garden aparment in a basement he knows floods.

The problem is, you will know until it happens. Luckily, Chicago has few of those storms. I know of two in thirty years.

prelude91 · 10-05-2009, 08:27 AM

I would not recomend living in a Garden Apartment....Lived in one in Lincoln Park (Webster/Racine) and it was broken into twice within a year. Also had a friend who lived in Lakeview (Eddy/Southport), and his apt was broken into a few weeks back.

Irishtom29 · 10-05-2009, 09:20 AM

You know folks, just because landlords and real estate people call basement apartments "gardens" doesn't mean the rest of us have to use the euphemism.

Muppet123 · 10-05-2009, 10:57 AM

Eh, mine didn't flood last year with all that nasty rain, then again the building is only 8 years old.

I wouldn't live in one if there wasn't a gate and it didn't come with an ADT system. I know neither are much of a deterrent, but why would a thief bother with my place when there are plenty without gates and ADT stickers in the window...

Hispanola · 10-05-2009, 11:02 AM

Maybe it'd be fun for a couple of frat boys to rent one, and booby trap it!! They could seriously have some fun with the little punk thieves, and it'd all be legal.

Muppet123 · 10-05-2009, 11:04 AM

Not legal to booby trap a place, plus you'd be civilly liable for it... trust me, we went over that in my Torts class last week.

Hispanola · 10-05-2009, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muppet123

Not legal to booby trap a place, plus you'd be civilly liable for it... trust me, we went over that in my Torts class last week.

Really? Even if it catches someone who is criminally trespassing? Why then is it legal for someone to sit home in chair holding a shotgun?

jcarlilesiu · 10-05-2009, 11:14 AM

I own a garden in Lincoln Square. No bars on the windows and a Brinks home security system. Never had an issue with burglary or flooding *knock on wood*

Also very convenient for moving things in and out.

long101 · 10-05-2009, 11:31 AM

I use to live in a garden w/ no bars and in a very iffy neighborhood. I didnt think much of it at first and then noticed a very big window in the alley that anyone could have kicked in. Luckily for me nobody ever broke in, but I did get flooded last year when we had that big rain. I actually made my landlord come and clean it out. Besides the fact that it could be unsafe and has a chance of flooding, you will also probaly will not get much light and have to keep your blinds down or everyone will be able to see in.