The Best Floor to Live On in an Apartment Building (2024)

FAQs

What is the best floor to live in an apartment? ›

For most people, the best floor to live in an apartment building is the top floor as it is more private, gets more light, and has better views. However, some people might prefer to live on a middle floor or lower floor, depending on their personal preferences and needs.

According to Vastu the ground, first, second and third floors are the best floors to live in because they are close to the water element.

Living on a higher floor has its advantages. You get better views of your locality, better light and ventilation, and there is lower impact of street-level disturbances compared to those on the ground and lower floors. Higher floors are also usually free from the menace of mosquitoes and rodents (mainly rats).

If you love natural sunlight, the best floor to live on might be the top floor. Top floor apartments will automatically give you more sunlight than anything on a lower floor. This benefits both health and can help you save money on lighting costs (learn how to keep utility bills low in an apartment here).

Living on the ground floor will help you save on utility bills. The lower floors make for a less expensive air-conditioning bill in the summer as the cool air naturally reigns in lower locations. Also, you'll likely have less exposure to natural sunlight, which will keep your place cooler in the hot months of summer.

Porcelain and ceramic are some of the longest lasting flooring materials available, and they require little maintenance. Tile flooring is also moisture resistant, making it the perfect choice for areas where spills are common like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.

Solid hardwood flooring is considered the safest and least toxic option as it's completely natural and free from any toxins. Solid hardwood floors are made of planks milled from a single piece of timber, which makes it a healthy flooring option.

Higher is noisier – noise travels upwards and that is why higher floors tend to be noisier (it usually starts to reduce from around the 15th floor). Banging from construction work nearby can be heard acutely on higher floors even through the source of the noise can seem very far away.

Statistically speaking, apartments on a lower floor are most secure, providing an easily accessible exit in the case of fires, which are far more likely to occur than a burglaries in metropolitan areas.

The second reason your apartment temperature is so hot is the heat's natural tendency to rise. All the heat from the lower floors rises to the top and will accumulate on the top floor. This is why top-floor apartments are often the hottest in comparison to other floors.

Is it healthy to live on higher floor? ›

Pros of higher floors

Reduced noise and better ventilation: The level of noise pollution on the higher floors is relatively less than on the ground floors. Sounds of traffic and other noisy commotion won't bother you much. Also, you can have more fresh air as compared to lower floors.

If having a quiet and tranquil home is important to you, you might want to live on the top floor. You will get much less noise from neighbors, considering there will be no one above you. Additionally, as long as your building has more than just two floors, you will have less noise from the street below to deal with.

Apartments on upper levels tend to be more costly than those on lower floors for three reasons, which may be broken down into three categories: practicality, security, and status. The flats on the top levels benefit from the sharing of natural light and fresh air due to their spatial placement.

The short answer is yes, generally higher floors are more expensive in “high-rise” buildings, however with garden-style apartments, it is usually not the case. In fact, in garden-style apartments, the higher floors may be cheaper if someone has to walk up a lot of stairs.

Typically, heating and cooling will account for the largest portion of your monthly electricity usage. Heating and cooling can account for up to 50% of your monthly electricity usage. The other 50% is used by other major electricity consumers such as water heaters, lighting, washers and dryers, and kitchen appliances.

From the attic to the basem*nt. Next time you climb the stairs, remember that insects, too, prefer lower levels. Survey findings revealed that as floor numbers increase, fewer types of insects thrive. Larger rooms, especially on the ground floor (or even below ground), harbored more insect diversity.

Vinyl flooring is probably the easiest to clean out of all the options listed here and also one of the easiest to maintain. Also known as Cushion Floor, vinyl flooring is available at a good price and can take plenty of wear over the years, which is why many will come with a 15 year warrantee.

“Tile is the highest-rated flooring among the categories we test,” says Enrique de Paz, who leads flooring testing at Consumer Reports. “It doesn't wear out, scratch, or stain. Its color doesn't fade, it's waterproof, and it is surprisingly slip-resistant, even when wet.

What is the most preferred flooring? ›

Carpet is a classic choice and has been used in homes for decades. It is comfortable and typically easy to install. One of the biggest advantages of carpet is there are more colors and textures than any other type of home flooring.

Hardwood Floors

No matter the decade, no matter the furnishing style, hardwood floors have always been prized. Like most natural materials, the organic texture of wood never loses its appeal. It instantly adds warmth to any space and can be chosen to suit rustic or contemporary designs.

Porcelain tile, however, is waterproof and proves to be one of the most durable waterproof floors available on the market today. Tile does not tend to scratch or scuff easily, and it's one type of flooring that has continuously proven it's a great option if you're looking for durable waterproof floors.

So, what flooring looks cleanest? Typically, lighter color woods show less dirt and dust. Dark floors can easily show dust, while lighter floors mask it.

Rubber Flooring Is Number One

Rubber flooring is a wonderful option for seniors because it is slip-resistant even when it is wet, making it the safest choice. Another great benefit is its absorbency. If someone were to fall on rubber flooring, it would most likely be less painful than hard surfaces.

Apartments on higher floors typically get more fresh air than those on lower floors. This is because higher-floor apartments are located further away from the streets, the main sources of air pollution. Vehicular traffic, construction sites, dumpsters, and outdoor activities pollute city air.

Even though it is more likely for neighbors living below you to hear sounds such as footsteps and neighbors living in adjacent apartments to hear the sound from a loud television and music, sound will also travel in an upward direction. This is why you could be heard even on the top floor.

Most apartment fires are caused by hazards inside the building. Tenant carelessness, lack of maintenance and improper use of appliances are just a few of the reasons why fires start.

Do first-floor apartments get robbed more often than those on higher floors? Yes, but the number of robberies doesn't correlate to the location as much as it does to the safety measures that are in place. There are significant benefits of first-floor apartment living.

Is top floor apartment worth it? ›

Buying a flat on the top floor of an apartment gives you many advantages, such as a good view of the surroundings, open-air sunlight, etc. The disturbances coming from the street will be absent on the top floor. Mosquitos and rats are not found on the top floors.

Cooler air settles into the lower areas of the house (usually where the thermostat is located); while heat from the outside begins to warm things up again. Because heat rises, the temperature on the second floor rises first, causing the second floor to feel warmer than the first floor.

And speaking of weather, ground floor units have the potential of being colder than those higher up, because hot air rises. Higher heating bills are not pleasant for anyone but for the elderly on a fixed income who need to live on a lower level, it can be a double whammy in the winter.

Next time you are booking a hotel room, you should make sure it isn't any higher than the fourth floor. A travel risk expert has revealed the best way to stay safe at a hotel – and rooms below the second floor are advised against as well.

Disadvantages of living in a ground-floor flat

One of the biggest drawbacks of living in a ground-floor flat is privacy. Ground-floor flats are closer to the ground therefore they're more vulnerable to being seen and heard by passersby. Some may feel like they can't relax fully in their own home because of this.

Hence, staying in top floor of a high-rise building is practically safer than to be in the open street among the stampede of fear-stricken people. Tall buildings offer maximum security from an earthquake jolt if the areas do not fall in the epicenter of extremely powerful earthquake.

While luxury, peace, and amazing views are some of the benefits of living on a raised floor, there are some disadvantages to it, such as pet issues, the difficulty of repairs and maintenance, and inconvenience in shifting.

As most people understand it, the penthouse is the top floor of a high-rise or mid-rise building and the word generally connotes exclusivity and luxury. The penthouse may have the best views of any unit in the building, higher ceilings and may have a layout that is unique among all the other apartments.

Your third floor is hotter than the rest of the house in the summer because the heat gets trapped there. You have warmth rising from the first floor, plus the sun beating down on the roof and those two factors work together to make the third floor the hottest place in the house.

Do first floor apartments get more bugs? ›

Although high-floor apartments have fewer bugs and insects than those on lower floors, they are not bug-free. Even if you live in an apartment on a higher floor, there's still a chance of encountering bugs and insects, especially if you don't keep your apartment clean.

First-floor apartments are generally cheaper because they do not offer many scenic views. People typically want an apartment with a view if the building is located close to nature or if the city has a beautiful skyline.

Which floor is best to live in an apartment as per Vastu? Vastu Shastra suggests living on any of the ground, upper ground, first, second, third, and fourth floors as they are closer to water elements.

Living on a higher floor has its advantages. You get better views of your locality, better light and ventilation, and there is lower impact of street-level disturbances compared to those on the ground and lower floors. Higher floors are also usually free from the menace of mosquitoes and rodents (mainly rats).

Benefits of a Top Floor Apartment

Better Views: Top floor properties have better views in comparison to ground floors. Higher Security: Security is naturally better when you have an inaccessible top floor property. Natural Light: Top floors get more sunlight for a brighter feel.

If having a quiet and tranquil home is important to you, you might want to live on the top floor. You will get much less noise from neighbors, considering there will be no one above you. Additionally, as long as your building has more than just two floors, you will have less noise from the street below to deal with.

If you despise walking stairs or waiting for the elevator, a downstairs apartment might be a better fit for you. It's easier to carry your groceries to a downstairs apartment and it's also quicker to get to your car. On the other hand, you might prefer an apartment on a higher floor that's close to the elevator.

Although high-floor apartments have fewer bugs and insects than those on lower floors, they are not bug-free. Even if you live in an apartment on a higher floor, there's still a chance of encountering bugs and insects, especially if you don't keep your apartment clean.

Enhanced Security Perception

Higher-floor apartments have the perception of being more secure. This makes them more desirable and in turn, more expensive.

You get better views of your locality, better light and ventilation, and there is lower impact of street-level disturbances compared to those on the ground and lower floors. Higher floors are also usually free from the menace of mosquitoes and rodents (mainly rats).

What is the best floor for money? ›

Since they are located above the ground, second-floor apartments are less prone to burglary attacks, making them much safer.

During winter, south-facing rooms will get the most sun, while in summer, west-facing rooms will enjoy the most daylight. Experts therefore recommend an east-west or north-south orientation.

The answer is no. They get to the second floor the same way they get everywhere else. In fact, different types of co*ckroaches gravitate to different floors. Oriental co*ckroaches like the cool dampness of basem*nts and other poorly ventilated areas.

The principal reason is that while peridomestic co*ckroaches can get inside apartments, they usually occur in the lower levels of the apartment building since they generally prefer moist habitats such as basem*nts, drains and sewer pipes leading into the apartment building.

They are commonly found only on the lower levels, in cellars, crawlspaces, basem*nts, garages, or near floor drains or water pipes. This roach likes cool dark, damp, poorly ventilated areas.