For people looking for an apartment, the number of stories is one of the most important pieces of information about a property. Especially in the city, prospective tenants often have a pretty clear idea of which floor their future apartment should be on—especially if they plan to live there themselves.
However, it may be worth questioning your own preconceptions and taking another closer look at the pros and cons of the different floors. In this blog post, we’ll give you an overview of the advantages of the different floors.
Way up high: For those who crave light and space
“The higher, the better”—this is the mindset you could adopt when looking for an apartment. Especially in cities, apartments on the upper floors are often brighter than those on the lower floors. To determine whether this is actually true in a specific case, however, you should always check the lighting conditions in person—preferably at different times of day. It’s important to keep in mind that the apartment’s north-south orientation also affects the amount of light it receives. For example, if the balcony faces south, it offers ideal conditions for maximizing sunlight—though this isn’t as crucial for a bedroom. For people who are very sensitive to noise, an attic apartment can be a real blessing, since at least there are no neighbors above them.
Sloped ceilings, on the other hand, are usually seen as a drawback, since it’s difficult to fit furniture like closets underneath them. But they also have an advantage that many people aren’t aware of: An attic apartment often offers more living space than is specified in the lease or purchase agreement. This is because, according to the Living Space Ordinance, only rooms with a ceiling height of more than two meters count fully toward the living space. Areas with a height between one and two meters, on the other hand, count only as half.
Climbing stairs is a workout, but not practical at every stage of life
Anyone considering an apartment on the top floor should keep in mind, however, that getting there usually involves a long climb up the stairs. Especially in older buildings, there’s usually no elevator, and even in new buildings, elevators are only required starting on the fifth floor. For young people, climbing stairs up to the fourth floor is usually no problem. But that can change quickly over the course of a lifetime: With small children, it can certainly become a real challenge—even if the stroller can stay on the ground floor. And for dog owners, too, climbing stairs quickly becomes a problem: Especially for young and older dogs, frequent stair climbing can have a negative impact on their health, and an apartment high up in the building doesn’t necessarily make the daily walk with the dog any easier. And for older residents, too, an apartment on a higher floor can become a challenge—not only because of their own physical limitations but also when it comes to carrying groceries upstairs.
Mezzanines as an Attractive Interim Solution
The saying “the higher, the brighter” doesn’t always hold true. How bright an apartment is during the day depends not only on the floor but also on the architecture—for example, the height and number of windows—the building’s orientation relative to the cardinal directions, and the surrounding buildings. So if you value plenty of light in your apartment, you don’t necessarily have to choose one on the fourth or fifth floor. Apartments on the second or third floor can also be very bright and, if in doubt, are somewhat easier and quicker to reach. One advantage: If you don’t limit yourself to a specific floor when searching for an apartment, you’ll have a bit more choice. And if you want a bright and warm apartment, you can influence this yourself through the interior design. Light-colored walls and flooring made of a warm-looking material usually make rooms appear significantly brighter than a dark design. Furniture should also be arranged so that it doesn’t block the light.
Apartments on intermediate floors are easy to heat
If it’s not just about the visual warmth, apartments on intermediate floors have another advantage: Especially in older buildings that aren’t yet optimally insulated, apartments on intermediate floors are usually easier to heat thanks to the warmth from the apartments above and below. However, living in harmony with neighbors requires consideration: Residents must expect noise from the apartments above and should prefer to move loud activities outside so as not to disturb the neighbors below them too much.
Living on the Ground Floor—Accessible and Quick Access to the Outdoors
Ground-floor apartments are probably the most commonly ruled out when searching for a place to live. However, when you talk to people who live on the ground floor, they often mention many advantages. First, it’s important to know that not all ground floors are the same—there are also many apartments on what’s called the “high parterre,” which are located half a floor above ground level and are usually accessible via just a few steps. Many people looking for an apartment are concerned about break-ins in ground-floor apartments, and indeed, residents of ground-floor apartments should be sure to keep their windows closed when they’re away.
To assess how high the risk of burglary is, it can help to look at police statistics—within a city, burglary rates generally vary from one neighborhood to another. And what is often initially seen as a potential danger—easy accessibility—turns out to be an advantage in everyday life for many people, one they wouldn’t want to do without. Those who live on the ground floor can not only leave their apartment more quickly in case of danger—such as a fire—but can also step outside more quickly in everyday life to run quick errands, get some fresh air, chat with neighbors, or walk the dog.
Some ground-floor apartments have their own garden.
This is a major advantage, especially for people with limited mobility. Those looking for a ground-floor apartment can also find properties with their own garden—even in the city, there are ground-floor apartments that have their own small front yard. If the building is poorly insulated toward the basement, the ground-floor apartment may be harder to heat. However, as more and more properties are being renovated in accordance with ESG requirements, this isn’t always the case. And in light of climate change, ground-floor residents are often glad that their apartment is easier to cool in the summer than apartments on higher floors.
Conclusion
Whether it’s the ground floor, the mezzanine, the intermediate floor, or the attic: every floor has its pros and cons. It’s impossible to generalize about what these are; you can only find out by viewing the property—including its immediate surroundings. When looking for an apartment, it may be worth keeping an open mind about all floor levels at first.
