Disadvantages of top-floor flats

A person looking for a new flat often comes across a listing for a flat on the top floor of a building. Flats in such a location have a bad reputation, dating back to the era of "large-panel" prefabricated construction, a hallmark of the building industry in the days of the Polish People's Republic. In the age of modern construction, do top-floor flats have only disadvantages? In our view, not necessarily!

• The main disadvantages of top-floor flats
• The advantages of a top-floor flat
• More light in your home

The main disadvantages of top-floor flats

Residents of flats on the highest storeys of buildings most often point to several problems that they have to cope with every day. Temperature extremes in summer and winter are one of them. In buildings from the communist era, the roof-space insulation used was often far from compliant with building standards. Blocks built using "large-panel" technology were made of materials that easily absorbed and released heat.

As a result, residents of the top floors suffered from intense heat in summer, while in winter the warm air inside escaped quickly. Today most of these buildings have been taken over by homeowners' associations and suitable insulation has been fitted. However, it does not always include the roof, which still means considerable temperature extremes in summer and winter.

Top-floor flats are also a challenge for our physical fitness. If the lift breaks down (or the building has none), residents face a long climb to the top floor. This is why top-floor flats are not the first choice of large families or people with disabilities.

Flats in which the plumbing has not been upgraded may have a problem with low water pressure. Top-floor flats are particularly susceptible to this problem because of the long distance the water has to travel. In blocks of flats this problem is rare (although such cases still occur), but in tenement houses the owners of the highest flats may feel the effects of outdated plumbing in the form of low water pressure at the tap.

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The advantages of a top-floor flat

Many of the arguments presented in the section above have been effectively eliminated by the requirements developers must meet and by the market itself. Today, in modern apartment buildings, for example in Katowice, top-floor flats can command dizzying prices per square metre. Why? Because new building requirements have eliminated the problems of communist-era buildings, while the creativity of developers and architects has made it possible to exploit their advantages to the full.

Under current building standards, top-floor flats have highly efficient insulation, which prevents heat loss in winter and ensures that the flat warms up more slowly in summer. Nor do we need to fear leaks during heavy storms, because building requirements say that the roof must be thoroughly sealed. In practice, the risk of a heavy downpour causing a leak in the flat is much lower than the risk of a water leak from a neighbour living above us. Today, in tall buildings with more than 5 floors, two lifts are installed, so that if one breaks down the other remains available.

WHY ARE GROUND-FLOOR FLATS CHEAPER?

More light in your home

Top-floor flats get plenty of sunlight and, with minimal external insulation, effectively cut us off from the hustle and bustle of the big city. A lot of sun has a very positive effect on our well-being and definitely raises the comfort of living at such a "high level".

As you can see, top-floor flats have numerous advantages. Properties built in line with the new building standards are free of the woes that residents had to cope with as recently as 30 years ago. If you are looking for a flat at the highest level, contact a representative of the REMAX Gold estate agency. Our specialists will present you with the full range of flats in the area that interests you and help you choose the best solution for your family.