Can You Have a Family in an Apartment
Apartments are non just the domain of singles, immature couples and downsizers they're also habitation to growing families, an increasing number of whom have no intention of "upgrading" to a firm.
I'g raising my kids in a apartment, as are many of my friends. Just when our 2d child arrived the questions about when nosotros were moving to a house came more ofttimes. The quarter acre block remains in the psyche of Australian families.
Just this morning I bumped into one of my neighbor's visitors in the stairwell. When she saw my children she told me "yous need a house!" My neighbor immediately disagreed – she raised her now grown up son in her flat.
While it's always been more common to live in an apartment in Europe or Asia, the cultural "norm" in Commonwealth of australia has been towards raising kids in houses.
So what are the ups, downs and compromises of raising your family in an flat? We spoke to iv families most their experiences.
There are the ups, downs and compromises when raising a family unit in an apartment. Picture show: Getty
Why live in a flat?
Some families live in apartments to get a human foot on the property ladder, some are shunning the suburban family home for an inner city lifestyle, some just love apartments, and others are priced out of houses altogether.
In my own example, we alive in a apartment considering we couldn't afford a house this close to the city. And a shorter work commute means more family unit fourth dimension. Our spacious 1960s 3 bedder is bigger than many houses and the park contrary is our back yard.
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Kate Williams and her married man are in a similar situation. They both grew upwards in big houses with big backyards, simply since leaving home accept always lived in apartments, and are raising their 3 children aged i, 3 and four, in a three bedroom Sydney apartment.
I live in a apartment equally I cull to alive in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
"We bought our apartment when we were engaged to be married and had no children," Kate explains. "The main motivation was proximity to work."
"Every time I have become pregnant people e'er say "y'all'll demand to motion into a house won't you?" to which I have ever replied 'Why?'" Kate says.
Melissa Perry has a xx year old daughter and they live together in a 2 sleeping room flat. She also respite fosters a 7 year onetime daughter who stays over once a month. Melissa is pragmatic about her reasons for living in an apartment:
"I live in a flat as I cull to alive in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and that is all we tin can afford to rent."
An apartment allows you to live in a suburb you might not exist able to afford a house in. Picture: Erinna Giblin
Cultural shift
Raising a family unit in a unit of measurement is certainly not new, simply has been relatively uncommon in Australia because nosotros simply don't have as many apartments.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics* the "average" Australian lives in a freestanding house, and freestanding houses make up most iii quarters of individual dwellings. The remaining homes include apartments, townhouses, terraces, semi detached houses, and other dwellings. But over the by 20 years high rise apartments (with more 4 floors) have increased from 2% to 4% of the housing stock perhaps accounting for some of the increment in apartment living.
While some immigrants are lured past Australia's larger spaces, possibly the fact that many are accustomed to flat living is also contributing to changing the Australian dream.
Andrea Griffin grew up in an flat in Frg, with her parents, brother and grandmother. "My brother and I used to share a bedchamber (with bunk beds) for many years and loved information technology," Andrea says.
Andrea now lives in a Sydney apartment with her partner and 11 month old son. "Pretty much everybody I know lives in a unit – and most of them have kids too".
Pretty much everybody I know lives in a unit.
Like many Sydneysiders, Andrea has chosen location over space. "I consider myself lucky that we are able to alive in a three bedroom unit of measurement with a nice terrace at the back compared to some of my friends who are squeezing into a one sleeping accommodation unit!"
Annina Warner, another High german ex-pat, grew up in a large five chamber apartment in Berlin and at present lives with her iii year one-time daughter and husband in a Sydney apartment she loves.
"We are outside nearly of the time only we likewise love to have friends over for dinner and lots of playdates at our place," Annina says. "Raising a child has nothing to do with where we live."
The highs
The benefits of apartments are the same for anybody – low maintenance, like shooting fish in a barrel, compact living – and they're oft more than affordable than houses.
"Apartments are an affordable way to live in a prissy suburb close to the urban center. Security is great too." Kate Williams says. Less cleaning, gardening and chores means Kate's weekends are freer for family unit fourth dimension.
"Generally people recollect nosotros do very well in a small space," Kate says, "But often comments are along the lines of 'I don't know how you manage with no backyard' or 'how on earth do you manage your washing?' and people are surprised that all three children share a room".
At that place are family benefits to living in a pocket-sized space. Flick: Adairs
Melissa Perry says there are actually family benefits to living in a pocket-size space: "In an apartment at that place is a smaller living space so y'all have no pick but to be 'involved' in each other's lives. There is no bedroom for a kid to escape to for hours on end on a unlike level of the house," she says.
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The lows
Apartment living with a growing family is not without its pocket-sized challenges. Heaving everyone and everything up the stairs, for case, plus negotiating a shared laundry/drying area with neighbours and protocols on who can utilise what, when. It is also harder to have pets in an apartment, and in that location'south the all important issue of child safety with stairs, elevated windows and balconies, and the hazards of communal driveways.
Depending on your space, everyday chores tin get logistical feats. "We take a very small laundry (no balustrade) and all washing needs to be stale inside the house. With a family of five there is always a lot of washing!" Kate Williams says.
Melissa Perry says she tends to entertain less than she'd like due to the size of her apartment.
Entertaining large groups of kids is easier in a house. Picture: Getty Images
"Nothing makes me happier than a house full of children, but it is often difficult when there is little room for them to all hang out and play without being on meridian of each other," Melissa says.
Melissa says privacy is too difficult in a 2 bedroom flat, particularly with a teenager. Growing up, her daughter felt the squeeze on space besides: "In her teenage years she became more than aware that she was the only one of her friends who lived in a flat, not a house. With that came peer pressure."
Tight spaces: Downsizers' disputes on the rising
The compromises
Do families honey flat dwelling? Not e'er.
An acquaintance of mine recently had her charter terminated considering her three minor kids disturbed the elderly neighbour in the flat downstairs. Information technology's one extreme case, merely apartment living ways shut proximity to neighbours and in that location is no doubt the kids will annoy the neighbours at some signal – try keeping a bouncy two year old tranquility when they wake up at 5am each morning. Controlled crying isn't an choice when your neighbours are so close, neither are teenage parties.
It's a two-manner street. The usual irritations of flat living can be invasive on family life, like noise from neighbours, loud music and smoking on balconies.
The usual irritations of apartment living tin exist invasive on family unit life.
Practice I worry near my kids growing up also much "inside"? Yeah, of form, it's in stark contrast to everything I loved about my own childhood – running wild in the suburbs. We overcompensate by taking the kids exterior rain, hail or polish to run around in local parks.
Kate Williams agrees that is more difficult not having an outdoor space where kids can play unsupervised and exercise messy things. "The constant demand to proceed 'outings' with minor children and babies means a lot more effort than but stepping exterior in bare feet without needing to pack food and supervise constantly," Kate says.
An flat usually does not provide an outdoor space where kids can play unsupervised and do messy things.
A changing Australian dream
What practise the kids call back? Well, dwelling is where the centre is, according to Kate Williams. "The girls love their domicile and frequently say they promise we never motility".
"Occasional business firm green-eyed occurs only up until recently I take been very satisfied in our apartment. We are planning to move to Perth in a few years and we are certainly looking forward to having an extra room or two and a backyard. We may lament the extra cleaning and gardening though…" Kate says.
Melissa Perry is more resigned. "I oft – or maybe even always – have house envy and would beloved to upgrade at some point, although this isn't a reality unless we desire to move further afield".
Regardless of whether the Australian dream is changing, town planners are pushing us towards higher density living. And then every bit our housing stock in cities changes, and the price of property continues to rise, raising a family unit in an apartment will only become more common.
*Australian Bureau of Statistics 'Boilerplate' Australian report tin be institute at their website.
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Source: https://www.realestate.com.au/advice/apartment-living-reinventing-the-family-home/
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