Streetscapes Of The Future - Town House In Vogue

Even if they are not subdivided, it’s much less hassle being part of an owners corporation that is dealing with only one side neighbour and no one upstairs.

But there’s also a social and aesthetic (and therefore monetary) value to be had from a home that opens to the street.”Otherwise, there is the potential to create a rear-entry ghetto,” says an architect with Visionary Design Development, Mary Ann Jackson.

That’s most salient in inner areas that have a vibrant street life and a precedent for higher-density living. Indeed, a side-by-side townhouse — especially one on a subdivided block — can be just as desirable as a freestanding dwelling, says the residential director of property valuation firm Herron Todd White Melbourne, Perron King.

“A townhouse on a subdivided block will certainly appreciate more over time (than a villa unit or flat).” An established house in the same area will still command a premium but not proportionate to the land size.

“A lot of people like the idea that they’re getting a nice, clean, modern townhouse with a seven-year builder’s guarantee,” Mr King says. It also helps that such properties are increasingly being built with attention to quality and style.

“Developers are starting to realise that people are buying these properties because they want to live in a particular location but also because they want a home that is well designed and comfortable,” says Tom Alexiadis of Nelson Alexander, Northcote.

“Architects … understand what sells and they are designing some very nice stuff.” Smart interiors, with polished floors and stylish bathrooms and kitchens with upmarket fittings, are generally standard.

Finding a block wide enough to provide for two townhouses of reasonable width is difficult in some suburbs (about six metres is a reasonable minimum).

And for an architect, designing around a long, narrow block with one party wall has its own challenges. Victorian terraces can be gloomy.

In a modern townhouse, lower ceilings can make the second and third storeys stuffy and hot. And then there’s the issue of sharing a party wall. “The challenge is always to get enough light and airflow,” Mr White says.

Designing a one-behind-the-other villa unit development is probably easier in many ways, acknowledges Shane Thomas of architecture firm Thomas Anderson.

“In a duplex, you’ve lost one boundary because of the shared wall, so you’re really relying on maximising light through the private space at the rear,” he says.

Villa units can be separated with a garage and can be planned to maximise the light. Side-by-side townhouses are relying on light from the back and sides, making a north-facing back ideal.

Those with backyards facing other directions have to work with central light wells to channel light. Comfort in warm weather can also be addressed with good design, Ms Jackson says.

In a duplex development being built in Northcote, Jackson has integrated a central stairway that acts as both an internal light source and a thermal chimney that draws heat up and outside instead of into the upstairs bedrooms.

Even though, townhouses are often chosen by downsizing empty-nesters, accessibility is an issue often overlooked when they’re designed over two or three storeys.

Ms Jackson says hers are designed so no steps need to be negotiated to the veranda or over the door threshold. The downstairs bathroom is flat entry and there is scope to turn the front living area into another bedroom.

“It means the house can be adapted if people become less able to walk up stairs,” she says. But with three bedrooms and two bathrooms often standard, these kinds of townhouses are becoming viable dwellings for the small family, too — in the inner suburbs, at least.

As Mr Alexiadis points out, finding that level of accommodation in an area such as Northcote has become prohibitively expensive for many.

“If you tried to buy a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Northcote, you’d be looking at a double-fronted house worth $1 million,” he says.

“Whereas you can buy a very nice new townhouse with those amenities and with quality design and fittings for a couple of hundred thousand dollars less.”