Top-floor apartment - Page 10

Living in a top floor apartment
How about building your nest at the very top of a building? What are the benefits of a top floor apartment? Here’s a short summary of the plus points!
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Although top floor apartments are popular today, that wasn’t always the case. In Haussmann-style buildings, for example, the 6th and top floors were originally intended exclusively for servants. The staff were housed under the zinc-covered roofs in ‘maids rooms’ with shared washing and toilet facilities on the landing. These small rooms gradually gave way to new styles of living: walls came down and modern bathrooms were installed. In Balzac’s day, a rooftop apartment was a modest dwelling; today it has become a rare and a desirable commodity. And there are good reasons for that, because top floor living has some serious benefits.

Stairway to heaven
You already know that the top floor apartment is the most desirable, regardless of whether it is served by a lift or not. This level of popularity seems undented by one genuine drawback: because insulation tends to be poor, these homes are hot in the summer and cold in the winter thanks to their characteristic zinc-covered roofs.

That said, they do come with some very nice advantages. At this level, apartments get more natural light. You’re also well above the pollution of the city. Exhaust fumes and traffic noise are much more annoying on the first floor than on the sixth. Being at the top also means you don’t have to put up with heavy-footed neighbours above. That’s a definite benefit for anyone who enjoys peace and quiet or has sensitive hearing. Lastly, depending on the location of your apartment, you could also enjoy stunning views of the city. As you gaze out over the landscape, you’ll soon forget all the flights of stairs you had to climb and the sometimes less than generous ceiling heights that come inevitably with living beneath the roof (this is where a mansard roof comes into its own). But for a corner of blue sky to call your own, it’s all worth it!