What do you think about living on the ground floor of a condominium?

It certainly comes with its pros and cons, and while some people actively seek it, others would be vehemently against it.

This goes beyond a question of value; it’s a question of personal preference…

I remember talking with my friend Vlad in Grade Twelve about living together in first-year university.

We were going to room together in a two-bedroom apartment off campus, as I had no interest in living in residence.

He had his ideas, (“Dude, we’re gonna throw the sickest parties!”), and I certainly had mine, (“We have to keep a constant supply of Lysol, Vim, Mr. Clean, Javex, Pledge, Comet, Windex, Tilex….”), but the one major stumbling block came when I suggested that we live on the main floor of an apartment building.

Vlad’s response?

“Dude….no way!  I don’t wanna get murdered…”

Everybody has his or her own opinions when it comes to living on the ground level; some are valid, and some are generalizations.

My grandmother lived alone on the ground floor of her apartment building on Roanoke for twenty years.

I remember as a kid, my father and I would never go through the lobby of the building itself, but rather we would just climb over her balcony and go through the sliding door if it was open.

Grandma kept this musty old pair of men’s work-boots that had to be about a size-thirteen.  I asked her why she kept those boots outside her door and she replied, “So if anybody’s gonna break in, they’ll see those boots and think twice about encountering the burly lumberjack that’s waiting on the other side of the door!”

Maybe it worked, or maybe it was what an old lady would tell herself to feel secure.

But everybody feels differently about living on the ground level; man, woman, or child.

Some people, myself included, think that a ground level condo comes with many benefits and very few drawbacks.

First of all, I like the fact that you can access your unit from outside the building, ie. on the street level, through the courtyard, on your terrace, etc.

It gives you that feeling of having a “home” instead of living on the 48th storey of a concrete tower – if that’s what you’re going for.

Is it a question of convenience?  I mean, is it an added benefit to not have to go through your condominium lobby, up the elevator, and down the halls to get to your unit?  Perhaps, but personally I feel it’s more about the feeling of coming and going so freely and having that connection at the street level as you would with a house.

Secondly, I find that most ground level units come with substantial outdoor space.  As has been well documented on this blog, I’m a huge proponent of outdoor space; terraces, patios, balconies, and the like.

There is an issue of privacy with some ground-floor terraces, such as a few units at D.N.A. where there are ground-floor terraces in plain view of the passer-byers through the courtyard.

The Robert Watson Lofts on Sorauren is another good example of great outdoor space with a ground floor unit where there is zero privacy.  These units have about 300 – 400 square feet of terrace; many with lush lawns as well, but there is nothing but a two-foot wrought-iron fence separating the terrace from the street.  However, think it’s fair to say that the building wouldn’t look very good with seven-foot cedar fences to allow 100% privacy.

So what are the major drawbacks to ground floor units?

Well first and foremost would have to be safety, although that’s in the eye of the beholder.

Like my friend Vlad from high school, some people believe that if you live on the ground level, you simply will be brutally murdered one day.

I’m not quite as convinced…

A couple months ago, a unit came out at 954 King Street West with a beautiful wrap-around terrace that had to measure close to 550 square feet.  The fence was about six feet tall, and was only made of wrought-iron so it didn’t provide any privacy, but there were huge bushes and hedges on the outside of the fence that blocked out about 90% of the view from the street.

I sent this listing to a client of mine, thinking “This is it!  This is the one she’s been waiting for!”

But she simply wrote back, “Ground floor?  No thanks.  I value my life.”

Hmmmm….I didn’t know that crime was rampant in the yuppie West area.  Maybe there are lots of break-ins to steal eachother’s Versace collections?

There are, however, times when safety can become a legitimate issue.

The idea for this blog post was borne out of an email I received yesterday from a would-be renter at 65 Scadding Avenue.  He asked me what I thought about the area, since prices were so incredibly low, and I said that while I didn’t want to generalize (too much), living in the middle of a half-dozen housing co-ops and next to a run-down community centre would likely provide for a higher crime rate and a very different demographic from what lays only two city blocks north.

I was receptive to the idea of renting in the building, since he would only be making a year-long commitment, but then he told me that the unit he was looking at was on the ground floor!

I said that I had to be honest – I wouldn’t advise it.

But in a “good” area like King West, I’m not sure that I would find issue with living on the ground floor.

The other three main drawbacks to the ground floor condo conundrum are fairly obvious:
1.  Lack of a view
2.  Lack of natural light
3.  Potential street noise

As for the view, some people couldn’t care less, and some people demand a south-facing, waterfront view or a “city lights” north-facing sight.

I guess these are all issues that you’d have to weigh against one another while looking at condos, just like everything else from the make and model of the washer/dryer to the personal hygiene of the security guard downstairs.

Far be it for me to say, but I find that girls usually have a larger issue with living on the ground floor than guys.

But in my line of work, it gets really interesting when a couple is looking at the ground floor condo, because we know who usually wins out…