[ddlutz]

For real, having shared walls is such a detriment to mental health having to hear conversations, music, tv, people taking stairs, it's never quiet. Having your own private yard to have bbqs, play with dogs, etc also sounds amazing.

[avastmick]

Isn’t this a building quality concern rather than a concern of building location and style?

I live in a townhouse with shared walls on both sides and we never hear our neighbours. I’ve asked them if they hear us (we have teenagers) and one said never, the other said sometimes an occasional thud (teenagers wrestling).

Similarly we have a private outdoor space or deck and a shared open area. Both are great and well designed. I think it can be done well.

I know too that often it is not.

[greiskul]

Yeah, I live in an apartment building. When I met my neighbor for the first time, she apologized for the noise her kid made. The walls here are of such a good quality, that I didn't even know she had a kid. Can't hear a thing.

[dalke]

That's a construction issue.

If you're used to the stick-built homes and ballon framing, then the article quote from Vanwyck is right: “The majority of North Americans haven’t experienced high-quality housing, and so they also don’t know what they’re missing and what they can ask for.”

In the apartment house I live in Sweden, I hear less of my neighbors than when I lived in a detached house in the US. The walls and floors here are SOLID! I had to get a impact drill so I could install curtains, the concrete is that tough.

Some apartment complexes have a private courtyard garden where you can bbq and play with the kids (and play with the dogs, though you'll need to go elsewhere to let them pee and poop), and have the upkeep paid by your rent.

Ours doesn't, but our nearest park is across the street and the nearest big playground 5 blocks away, see https://www.google.com/maps/@58.2841034,12.2930193,3a,75y,23... . And we have several large shared rooms in the basement where the kids can play on wet dreary days, or hold a birthday party or, in my case, work during the COVID restriction years.

Now, I hate mowing and gardening, which is why I also paid someone to do it for me in the US. For those who like it, I can totally see how having a yard would support that hobby.

[Two4]

I concur with the other reply to your comment - Americans (I assume you're American) have a love affair with drywalling and timber framing that astounds me. It seems like it's a recipe for poor soundproofing and massive fire hazard.

[unmole]

> For real, having shared walls is such a detriment to mental health

The fact that you can hear your neighbors through the wall is a sign of terrible design and construction choices. Hell, most sane apartment layouts minimise if not eliminate shared walls entirely.