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Comment by balfirevic | Hacker News Reader

> People really like having a 3,000 square foot detached single family home with a 2 car garage.

Sure, I'd like that too.

But also, how about 3000 square feet apartment with top-notch sound insulation and a balcony, with an underground garage?

That sounds like it would have most of the benefits, I would actually prefer it, as I don't care about yards. And with 10-20 story buildings, you could still have quite a large population density, with cafes, grocery stores etc. on the ground floor.

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I've yet to see an apartment with top-notch sound insulation.

I think they're rare in America - where even new build has poor construction quality. I lived in one in London where I ran into my neighbour one day and she apologized for her children being absolute hellions that weekend and kicking up a ruckus. Well, I hadn't the slightest idea there was anyone next door at the time.

But that was nice construction. Very solid. Good sound insulation.

Lived in America since, and I think local construction just doesn't have that standard to it. It's not that British construction is great. It's not. But there's range. Higher end places are better.

In San Francisco, by comparison, lots of so-called luxury is rubbish.

Hah heard that.

Amusingly, there is an old mental hospital being revamped into apartments which has 1.5 foot thick concrete walls.

It may be the first truly soundproof apartment complex. :)

The latter will cost you about 5-7million, the former, 5-700k.

I know that's how it currently is, but that's in large part due to limits on how many of those kinds of buildings are allowed to be built (and where).

One has to weigh the probability that (1) said limits are removed and (2) when they're removed, it makes a sufficient difference in prices against being permanently priced out. A house now, or a 5 million dollar apartment for 500k (both figures inflation adjusted) in 50 years? People wouldn't be foolish for going with the former if they're not rich.

No it’s missing the best part. The outdoors and having a huge backyard. You can’t have any hobbies like woodworking, metalworking, gardening/farming, animal husbandry etc. in that setup.

Cities subsidizing maker spaces would solve the wood/metal workign part of this well, and I live in a pretty dense part of the city that has a community garden down the street.

Shared spaces are not for me. I’d much rather have my own workshop where I don’t have to share. That’s the beauty of the American lifestyle, you don’t have to share. Your home is your castle.

You're basically saying "we need SFH so that rich people can have room for all of their hobbies. Screw anyone else that wants to live in density!"

That's not helpful and it's woefully ignorant of people's opinions.

None of those are rich people hobbies.

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