The Pros & Cons of Living in a Penthouse
The penthouse is the crown jewel of every apartment building, but with the good, there’s always the bad. In this blog post, we take a look at the pros and cons of living in a penthouse.
The high points of renting a penthouse
1.The best views in the house
Naturally, the first advantage that springs to mind when discussing penthouses is that if the apartment block your penthouse is located in is taller than the surrounding buildings, then you’ll be the proud owner of some of the finest views in the neighbourhood.
Imagine waking up and stepping outside the terrace or roof deck to watch the sunrise, or relaxing in the evening while the city lights twinkle below.
Of course, this all comes at a price as we’ll mention later on, however commanding great views is always a definite plus. Not to mention the possibility of enjoying private access to the building’s roof deck and using it as your very own party central!
2. No hassle home heating
A less evident advantage of living in a penthouse is that you get to pay less to heat your home in winter. And the reason is simple physics.
Since your home is located higher up, the warmth generated by other apartments in the building will naturally rise up and heat your penthouse as it does so. This comes at no extra cost to you, which will help make the heating bills more manageable during the winter months.
It’s also worth pointing out, however, that this advantage comes with a corresponding disadvantage: it’ll be more expensive to keep the place cool during summer.
3.Noise-free, nuisance-free, neighbour-free!
But the thing we love most about living in a penthouse is that by living high above the streets, without no neighbours around you or on top you, you get to enjoy peace and quiet whenever you want.
No thumping above your head…
No heels knocking on the floors…
No doors slamming, or hearing strange sounds, or eavesdropping on conversations and arguments whenever you go to the bathroom.
Only absolute privacy awaits you when you return home. Ah, bliss!
The lows of top-floor living
1.You have to pay a premium for the privilege
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the highest apartment in a building will also be the costliest.
But there’s more than just altitude that you’re paying for by living in a penthouse. Since they’re a different type of accommodation altogether, penthouses often have different layouts than apartments, they offer more space, and they’ll have unique indoor and outdoor features and furnishings that add to the price.
On a related note, not all high-rise buildings have functional elevators in them. This means penthouses can be very tough to live in if you or someone you live with has mobility problems, or if you own pets which you’ll have to carry each time you use the stairs.
2. Too cool for its own good… literally
Following up on the second advantage we mentioned in the previous section, penthouses typically cost more to cool, especially if the building is old and there are leaks, poor insulation or even structural defects in the roof.
Also, the higher up you go the more exposed your floor will be to wind, which besides making you feel uncomfortable due to the cold, can also be quite disconcerting due to the noise it makes.
3. Sharing may not be something you care for
Another thing which may prove problematic when renting a penthouse is that the building’s roof may be communal, which means all the tenants can access it and use it to dry their clothes or just hang about a few metres away from home.
This might be a bit too close for comfort for many, so it’s important to check beforehand with the landlord whether you’ll be sharing the rooftop deck or not.
Tell us, is living in a penthouse something you dream about?
If you lived in a penthouse before, what other points would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.