Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesteterenko
High-rise condo living isn't for everyone. But not wanting to see your neighbours is probably the most ignorant reason. I live on the 10th floor of a condo. I might see a neighbour on my floor about once a month. I never hear them through the concrete walls and never have to look at anything of theirs. Most days I don't even see anyone in the elevator or lobby.
When I go to a friends place in the suburbs, I am amazed at the lack of privacy. You see everyone's yard, and they see yours. If they have any eyesores around, it is your eye that gets sore. If you are in your back yard, they can see you from their kitchen window.
If you actually want privacy, go live in a high-rise condo.
James.
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I lived in a beltline condo for 5 years and served as Board President for those years, so I'm quite familar with condo living and the inner workings. Highrise condo living can be a fantastic thing with the right proactive Board and good residents - just like any other suburb.
Agreed - once you shut your door you're in your own little world and may even get a little more privacy. It's not the issue of running to neighbors in the hallway that would get to my dad, it's the common area issues that would:
- idiot who litters/vomits/scrapes/moving damage/tracks mud/urinates in the hallways.
- idiot who doesn't stop and wait for the garage door to close before driving off, thereby letting thieves enter and wreak havoc in the parkade.
- idiot 3 floors above you who causes a water leak, which ends up running into your den wall. (this happened to me in my concrete building)
- idiot residents that trigger the firealarm repeatedly (the whole building alarm)
In my opinion all these gripes can be addressed in a building with a proactive condo board who will constantly monitor (full time building superintendant or secuirty is a must IMHO), crack down when needed and proactively do maintenance and renos. I wouldn't hesitate in a minute to get one of the high end established posh places in Eau Claire as those places spent whatever it takes to do it right. Most condos, unfortuantely cant, unless they've had a good Board in place.
My dad would lose it under the 4 'idiot' conditions above. He'd be the crazy old man yelling at the 18 yr old that dropped his Slurpee cup in the hallway.