To what floor do exhaust gases rise, smog? Which floor is the best to live in? Choosing a floor So says Feng Shui

In this article, we will consider the question of which floor is better to live on for human health and safety. When buying an apartment in a new building or an old building, there is always a choice of floors. But few people know to which floor the exhaust gases of cars rise, from which floor the firefighters will rescue you, and where is the cleanest air and the best environmental parameters. We will analyze the pros and cons of living on each of the floors of a multi-storey building and at the end we will determine which floor will be the best for buying.

We will evaluate the floors according to several parameters:

• Fire safety
• Ecology
• Health impact
• Resale Price

Floor and fire safety

Few people think about a fire when buying an apartment, but fires in residential multi-storey buildings happen and this is not uncommon. It is better to know in advance how high the fire escape reaches and from where you can be rescued. This information can save your life in a dangerous situation.

The longest fire escapes in Ukraine

According to firefighters, in Ukraine there is only one 90-meter staircase that can put out fires in high-rise buildings. It is located only in Kyiv and will reach the 20-24th floor. In other million-plus cities, there are no such stairs. In the best case, there is one 50-meter staircase for the whole city, which can extinguish a fire on the 12th-13th floor of a residential building. This is the maximum height from which you can be rescued. But it's too early to rejoice.

Such a car is at best one for the whole city and it will drive to you for about an hour. Provided that at this moment it will not be involved and will not get stuck in a traffic jam. During this time, not only the entire apartment will burn out, but also the upper floors of the building. Therefore, all floors from 10 to 13-14, although they can be saved, are in danger.

How to extinguish a fire on the 22nd floor of a new building

This is a well-known case in Odessa, when the house of the Gagarin Plaza residential complex was on fire. The fire broke out on the top floor and the fire quickly spread throughout the façade. In Odessa, there is simply no equipment capable of extinguishing such tall buildings. All floors above 12 are potentially very dangerous in case of fire.

The only way to escape on the upper floors of high new buildings is a helicopter, but you understand, firefighters can only dream of a helicopter. This technique is not used by firefighters. The fire in Odessa was extinguished for 5 hours. 80 percent of the facade of the apartments burned down.

What equipment do firefighters have?

Firefighters have a common technique for extinguishing fires on floors no higher than 9. These are 30-meter ladders for fire trucks. In this case, the car will be able to arrive within 15 minutes and you have a great chance to survive and remain unharmed. The fire can be extinguished, and you can go down the fire escape.

Conclusion which floor is better in case of fire

The best floor in the event of a fire in your house will be up to 9 inclusive. At least there are fire trucks in your area that can come quickly. Anything above nine can already create difficulties for firefighters. And this is in ideal conditions, because usually our yards are full of cars and the fire escape stretches from a long distance. So the 9th floor can be potentially dangerous.

Choosing a floor in terms of ecology

The influence of ecology on human health is undeniable. The main sources of air pollution in cities are automobile exhaust gases and smoke from the chimneys of enterprises. It is necessary to be very careful in choosing the floor of the apartment in order to avoid the consequences of polluted air.

Of course, everything is a bit arbitrary, because the houses have different ceiling heights and different locations of the house itself relative to factories and highways. In any case, the 1st-2nd floor near the forest park without roads will be better than the 7th floor near the highway with trucks. But still.

To what floor do exhaust gases rise?

The closer the windows of the apartment are to the road, the more harmful the exhaust gases are. But the general background from exhaust gases pollutes the city air. Therefore, it is considered that the most dangerous floors are from 1 to 3.

On the third floor, the concentration of harmful substances is maximum. Only light connections reach the 4-5th floor. Exhaust gases do not rise above the 5th floor, they settle in the form of dust and dirt along highways and on city streets.

Smoke from factories and enterprises

The smoke from factories, thermal stations and enterprises that burn gas is no less harmful to humans than the exhaust gases of cars. Smoke and combustion products from the pipes will be concentrated from the 8th to the 16th floor, depending on the nature and density of the gases.

On which floor is the air cleaner?

The cleanest air is considered to be on floors above the height of the rise of exhaust gases. It's 5 and up. But if we take into account the smoke from the chimneys of factories, then it is better to give priority to floors from 5 to 7, as well as from 16 and above. The higher the floor, the less dust and impurities are contained in the air. Therefore, the air on high floors will be the cleanest.

Floor and human health

Man has lived for centuries in buildings at a low height from the ground. Only recently has high-rise construction become popular. And doctors are already very concerned about this. People need a certain level of the earth's magnetic field. And if the natural value is violated, well-being may worsen.

In Europe, they try not to use high-rise construction for residential apartments at all. High-rise buildings are used as prestigious offices. And people live in houses up to 7 floors and below. In Ukraine, skyscrapers are popular due to high earnings from the same building area. Why build 7 floors when you can build 20 and make more money.

The influence of the earth's magnetic field

Every third person suffers from claustrophobia and agoraphobia. It is the fear of closed and open spaces. The emotional state can change if you live on the upper floors of high-rise buildings. These problems arise due to the fact that the body senses a low level of the magnetic field and a high position above the ground.

The body perceives this as a violation of the natural position and tends to go down. Due to the fact that it is difficult for the body to relax and there is no feeling of security, discomfort and a feeling of fear arise. If a person spends a lot of time in a weak magnetic field, then immunity and performance decrease. The activity of the cardiovascular and autonomic nervous systems may be disrupted.

Each material has its own percentage of geomagnetic field weakening. Concrete weakens by about 10%, brick by 7%, and wood by 1%. The safest from this point of view are wooden houses. The less the magnetic field is weakened, the less the load and stress for the body.

Wall thickness

In multi-storey buildings, the wall thickness decreases towards the top of the building. This is done to make the top of the structure lighter and more stable. The difference in the thickness of the walls on the ground floor and on the 20th floor is significant, so the audibility increases.

And the more audibility between neighbors, the less the feeling of privacy and comfort. You will not be able to feel alone in your apartment. The noise of the neighbors will be heard and they will be able to hear you just as well. This can cause more negative emotions than lower floors with thicker walls.

Design micro-oscillations

Due to the thickness of the walls, microvibration appears on the upper floors. Vibrations of high-rise buildings to the top of the structure are 3-4 Hz. This interval corresponds to the fluctuations of human organs and can be very dangerous. Since at resonance the human body experiences a depressed state and a feeling of anxiety up to a state of horror.

electromagnetic background

All electrical appliances in the house have their own background and outgoing radiation. Reinforced concrete structure does not transmit electrical waves well. They circulate around the apartment and are transmitted to higher floors. The higher the apartment is in the house, the higher the total background. It is believed that it is for this reason that residents of high floors often have problems with headaches and poor health.

The closer to the ground, the better. Man has lived this way for thousands of years, and he is accustomed to this state. Doctors call a comfortable floor for living from 1 to 7. Everything that is higher is no longer too comfortable for a person to endure. On floors above the seventh, the magnetic field decreases, and microvibrations increase, and on the last floor of the building they acquire maximum deviations from the norm.

Video the best floor for human life and health

Doctors explain why it's better to live on certain floors of a building and to avoid upper and lower floors in high-rise buildings. What should be the optimal composition of the air for good health and what it actually is in our cities. The video is educational.

Study in Switzerland

In 2013, scientists from the University of Bern in Switzerland published a detailed report in which they analyzed the impact of the living floor in high-rise buildings on human life. They analyzed the mortality statistics of the Swiss, depending on which floor they lived on. The analysis was made on the basis of the 2000 and 2008 censuses with a sample of one and a half million people.

The conclusion of scientists

If you live in a city, with vehicles and a stream of cars, then residents of the first floors have significantly more risks compared to residents of higher floors. The mortality rate decreases with increasing altitude.

If we compare the 1st floor and 8th, then the conclusions are as follows: on the first floor, the mortality rate is 22 percent higher. People are 40% more likely to die from respiratory disease, 35% more likely to die from heart failure, and the risk of lung cancer is 22 percent higher than that of an eighth floor dweller. From this report, we can conclude that exhaust gases are extremely harmful to humans and living on the first floors in the city is not the best solution.

Overview of floors by parameters

Lighting

The higher the floor, the more light will enter the apartment. The first floors of buildings are usually dark. Even during the day, there may be discomfort due to lack of lighting. You have to turn on the light. Access to sunlight is blocked by trees and neighboring houses. If you want lighter, then you need to choose floors above 5.

Dust and insects

Dust, of course, is more contained on the nearest floors to the ground. On the first, its maximum number. And as the number of storeys increases, the dust becomes less and less. And with insects and mosquitoes, it's just a common myth that there are no mosquitoes and flies on the upper floors. Mosquitoes are everywhere and the 15th floor will not save. It's just that the higher the floor, the more wind, so it's harder for mosquitoes to fly.

Sound

In terms of sound comfort, it is impossible to identify a clear leader. The noise from the street is everywhere. It’s just that if on the first floors it will be noise from passing people, then on the last floors it will be disturbed by the wind and more specific noises. And the cars, the road, the playground, the music from the summer cafe, everything is heard almost the same on all floors.

Elevator

Everything is clear here. If any people can live on the 1st floor and a power outage does not bother you in any way, then going up to the 15th floor without an elevator requires good physical fitness. The pulse goes far beyond the normal range. You have to stop and take a break. Mothers with strollers will not be able to get up at all. It is very difficult to drag a stroller up to the 20th floor alone with a child.

Climbing materials, equipment and other bulky things to a high floor will be a real feat for you. Things do not always fit even in a freight elevator. And try to bring a voluminous sofa, large appliances or linoleum to the 20th floor without an elevator. Loaders charge for the ascent to each floor separately. The higher, the more expensive. And even it will be extremely difficult for them to drag the overall thing to the top floor.

View from the window

Here, of course, the highest floors win by a wide margin. The panoramic view is highly appreciated and pleasing to the eye. Sunrises and sunsets will be your constant companions. But whether it is worth paying for it at the cost of the possible problems described above is up to you.

Floor and sale price of the apartment

The first floors are few people like, so they are usually cheaper in price and harder to sell. The price of an apartment on the first floor, when compared with the 5th floor, will be 10-15% lower. For some, this is a big plus. The first floors are bought by people of retirement age and the disabled. It is convenient for them that they do not have to walk if the elevator is turned off, and the cost is cheaper.

On the first floor, there is the most noise, the purity of the air is not pleasing, dampness and cold come from the basement. Unlike the possibility of a fire on the upper floors, problems on the first floor worry residents every day.

Last floor

Apartments on the upper floors also do not please buyers. To sell, you need to offer a good discount. These are the same 10% of the price of the middle floor. On the last floor, you will be disturbed by the noise from the elevator and water pumps. As well as possible problems with the roof and walking to your floor in the event of a power outage. Apartments on the upper floors are not as valued as in the middle of the house, so these apartments are difficult to sell.

duplex apartments

Developers often offer to combine the last floor with the other floor and make a two-level apartment. In this case, you will need to worry about water leaks from the roof. Since you occupy the floor that goes directly to the roof. The height of the technical floor is usually 2.10, and not 2.60 as in ordinary apartments. Therefore, those floors are poorly suited for a comfortable life.

Attic

Developers often try to sell not only the last residential floor in the house, but also the attic space. As already mentioned, the ceiling height there is lower than in ordinary apartments. In addition, there is no elevator to the attic. You will need to climb the stairs from the last floor to your house on foot. Housing under a roof in the attic is called an attic.

There is another problem with documents. Since initially this is a utility room and you are buying not an apartment, but an attic, you will still have to spend money and time to legitimize your living space. It can cost several thousand dollars. Because of this, housing on the attic floors is valued even lower than on the last residential floor of the building.

Penthouse

A penthouse is a fashionable name for an attic in our country. But if you call an apartment on the top floor an attic, then no one will buy it. It is because of this that Ukrainian developers use the word penthouse in their new buildings and inflate the price.

In fact, the penthouse is a full-fledged house that occupies the entire top floor of the building and has its own elevator and terrace. This is your own private house on the roof of the building. You can equip a winter garden, swimming pool, gazebo.

Due to the exclusivity of such housing, prices can be higher than in the rest of the new development. But in Ukrainian realities, this is usually the same top floor of the building, but with access to the roof and for a higher price. It retains the problems of all the upper floors, but it has its own area in the form of a terrace. Buy or not, it's up to you. Housing, like an attic without documents, is specific. Not for everyone and not easy to sell.

Which floors are the most popular for sale

Floors 4 to 8 are the most sought after for sale. They sell out first. They are in demand both in the secondary market and in new buildings. Investors in new high-rise buildings first buy floors 5-7 and only after that 4 and 8. They are close to optimal, therefore they are also in demand.

1-3, 9 and above are no longer so attractive for life and because of this they lose a little in value. If the last floor loses 10% of the cost, then all the previous ones are proportional to the distance from the optimal middle floors in the house. This means that the 11th floor will cost 5-7 percent less than the average 7-8 out of 16.

Housing for children and their psychological state

If you have children or you are just planning them, then environmentalists do not advise to rise above the 5-6th floor. Children need clean air and the earth's magnetic field. All the negative features of the upper floors can have an impact on the children's body more than on adults. A fear of heights or enclosed spaces may develop.

A good view from the window is also important for children. It is desirable if it is a park, not garages, a cemetery or a highway. Child psychologists say that long-term contemplation of the sad view from the window can have a depressing effect on the child and cause a feeling of depression. On the contrary, a park with singing birds is what a child needs for a happy mood. Think about this moment when you choose your next apartment.

Conclusion on which floor is better to live and buy an apartment

We considered all the options for the influence of a floor on human health and comfort. So, if you buy an apartment not only with health benefits, but also with the possibility of a trouble-free sale in the future, then we advise you to opt for floors 5-7.

You won't go wrong here. These are the best floors in all respects. Here are the best conditions for rescue in case of fire and the best parameters for air purity and you will sell such an apartment quickly. Although the earth's magnetic field is not ideal, exhaust gases can cause much more harm to the human body.

Therefore, look for an apartment on the 5th-7th floor. If it doesn’t work out, then you can pay attention to the 4th and 8th floors of the building. Below the fourth, there is a risk of encountering exhaust gases, and above the eighth, problems for the health and comfortable living of a person begin. But everyone makes his own choice. We hope you figured out which floor is best for health and now you know all the features of new buildings and multi-storey buildings. Good luck choosing.

If the article was useful to you, subscribe to our Facebook group.

In many ways, the state of a person's health depends on the conditions in which he lives, since the environment greatly affects a person's well-being: both psychological and physical. That is why those who decide to acquire new housing are interested in which floor is better to live in a multi-storey building for health, especially in such a metropolis as in Moscow, where more exhaust gases accumulate?

According to statistics, the first and last floors are not in great demand, so realtors skillfully take advantage of this, reducing housing prices, which captivates many. However, is it justified? To understand on which floor it is better to live in a multi-storey building for health, it is necessary to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

We suggest exploring home methods,.

First floor

If we consider such a “height” from the point of view of security, then yes, the first floor is the safest. If an emergency occurs, the inhabitants of these apartments will be able to easily leave the building through the window. Also, when you move into an apartment, the risk of damage to yourself and furniture is minimal - after all, it is much easier to bring things to the first floor.

If there is an accident with the water supply, you don’t have to worry about the neighbors below, also on the first floors the walls are thicker, which means that the audibility is less. Well, this option is suitable for families with small children: they can run, stomp their feet as much as they can, no one from the bottom can complain.

But the list of disadvantages of this floor can be attributed to the high risk of penetration of thieves, and therefore, it will take a lot of money to protect yourself for sure. Bars on the windows, a good door with strong locks, alarm system.

If the house has a garbage chute, then the inhabitants of the first floor suffer from an unbearable smell from its smell. From the point of view of health, this is a big minus - since for good health a person needs to breathe fresh air, and not inhale waste vapors.

Even in the apartments, which are located on the ground floor, the most exhaust gases accumulate, so the ventilation of the room will not be as effective as usual.

Also, the first floor is the most passable place, which can annoy, and also significantly clog the landing: after all, virtually all residents of the house pass the first floor every day.

2nd floor

The second floor has the same number of advantages as the first. In addition, the risk of flooding the neighbors from below is already emerging. Residents of the second floor can use the elevator, and if it breaks down, then walking is not so long and tiring.

But the disadvantages include increased noise. If the inhabitants of the first floor can be saved by thick walls, then the inhabitants of the second floor will suffer from everything that is happening outside the window: noisy companies at the entrance, screeching children from the playground, car alarms. Plus, exhaust gases, just like on the first floor, clog the air in the apartment.

3rd floor

The third floor is like the golden mean. Sounds do not reach from the street as much, dampness from the basement does not rise to such a height, it is not difficult to climb without an elevator. The disadvantages include all the same exhaust gases.

4th to 6th floor

These floors are some of the quietest floors, which is why many families choose them when looking for the best floor to live on in a high-rise building for health reasons. Exhaust gases are no longer a hindrance in this case, because they simply do not reach such a height, and much less dust flies from the street than on the lower floors. Of the minuses, it can be noted that without an elevator it will already be difficult, especially for the elderly and those who have health problems.

7th floor

On the 7th floor, no street noise will disturb you anymore, there is no smell of exhaust gases. The best option for those who do not want to settle lower, but are afraid of heights. What are the health benefits.

8th floor and above

The upper floors are famous and attractive because they offer a unique view from their windows, plus, such apartments are much better lit. Along with this, there are a couple of disadvantages: for example, difficulties with evacuation in the event of an emergency, as well as the accumulation of harmful substances in the air if there is some kind of enterprise or plant near the house.

It is impossible to say with absolute certainty on which floor it is better to live in a multi-storey building for health, it is impossible, each floor has its own advantages and disadvantages. The minimum damage to health, if we weigh all the pros and cons, will be on the 5-7th floor. At such a height, the air is cleaner than on the first floors, which suffer from exhaust gases, and than on the upper floors, which suffer from the accumulation of harmful substances in the air that are emitted by factories.

But, as in the case of living on the first and last floors, it is also recommended to regularly clean the air in the middle, then you don’t have to worry about dirty air, exhaust gases, and so on.

You can often hear - "there is no air in Moscow." Of course it isn't. It is, but of extremely poor quality. The main air pollutants in our capital are cars and industrial facilities. And by the way, the main causes of death in Muscovites are closely related to air pollution. It is worth considering in detail exactly what impurities are contained in what we inhale, and how polluted the various districts of Moscow are.

Sources of Moscow Air Pollution

The ground layer of air within Moscow contains a lot of harmful impurities, this is not a secret. And the main sources of Moscow air pollution are transport, industrial facilities and public utilities. To date, the number of cars in Moscow has exceeded 4 million (!). Plus trucks and transport of guests of the capital. One liter of gasoline burned by each car results in the formation of approximately 16 cubic meters of a mixture of various gases. Just think about how much gas this entire giant fleet releases into the air in a month - these are terrible numbers.

It should be noted that pollution and purification of Moscow air has a daily cycle. The air is most polluted from 7 am to 10 am - the time of morning traffic jams. From 10:00 to 17:00, pollution decreases, and then increases again until 20:00 - the time of evening traffic jams. From 20 pm to 3 am there is a smooth purification of the air. The cleanest air is from 3 to 7 in the morning. If you want to go for an easy run, it’s better to get up early, otherwise such a sport will not be useful, but a complete harm.

Pollution also depends on the height above the ground. In the lowlands and in areas of 1-2 floors, the dirtiest air accumulates, from 3 to 5 floors it is only a little cleaner. In the area of ​​the 15th floor, the concentration of harmful substances is 2 times lower than at the surface of the earth, in the area of ​​the 30th floor - 15-20 times lower. Lucky for the residents of the upper floors!

What do Muscovites get sick and die from?

According to statistics, Muscovites get sick more often than residents of other cities. Diseases such as allergies, asthma, liver and gallbladder diseases, and cardiovascular diseases are widespread. Allergies are malfunctions in the immune system, asthma is breathing, the liver neutralizes and removes toxic substances from the body, the gallbladder is a reservoir for bile produced in the liver. The purpose of the heart, we believe, does not require further explanation.

The main causes of death for residents of the capital are (in descending order) diseases of the circulatory system (more than half of all cases), malignant tumors (a fifth), injuries and poisoning.

What is Moscow air polluted with?

In addition to the above elements, the Moscow air often contains sulfur oxides, lead, chlorine, bromine, phenol, nitrogen dioxide, zinc, soot, cadmium, etc.

Air pollution by county

Different districts of Moscow are polluted differently - there are more favorable areas for life, and there are less favorable ones. It depends mainly on heavy industry facilities and their activities, as well as the availability of parks and other recreational areas.

Before each buyer choosing apartments in a multi-storey building, a difficult and even painful question arises: on which floor to settle. We investigated this issue in the Moscow market of new buildings, having examined in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the lower, upper and middle floors.

Lower floors: there are more minuses than pluses.

Ecology. The situation with the air among the inhabitants of the lower floors is critical. As a rule, the atmosphere here is polluted by automobile exhausts: the level of the maximum concentration of harmful CO and CH is at the height of the 3rd floor (rapidly decreasing to the 5th floor). You should be aware that exhaust gases extend at least 150 m from the motorway. Various heavy gases, including radon, also accumulate on the second floor. Very noticeable dirt and dust from the street. If the area is new, then construction work can continue for years, trucks can drive. What are only the cars that spend the night under your windows! Not only can the alarm howl at any time at night, in the morning you still have to listen to the engine of a heated car and close the window due to exhaust gases. The ecology of the living environment also largely depends on the degree of "noise" pollution of the apartment.

Noise. According to experts, domestic noise can seriously undermine our health. The constant, actually round-the-clock impact of the noise environment on a person has a negative impact on all body systems, the nature of sleep, the degree of physical and nervous tension.

"I'm renting an apartment on the second floor. With the windows open, people talking at the entrance seem to be talking behind my curtain. Neighbors return from work before 2-3 in the morning, slam the doors. And at 6 in the morning a garbage truck arrives."

An uninhabited first floor is often a problem for second floor residents. Instead of an office, there may well be a convenience store or an aerobics room with evening classes.

If windows are located above the entrance to offices where employees regularly smoke, then it is impossible to open a window to ventilate the apartment. Office workers sometimes come to work on Saturday mornings, and before the start of the working day they like to smoke and exchange news. If you sleep with the window open, it guarantees you a lift. And such neighbors from below sometimes celebrate holidays, accompanied by loudly screaming music, songs and dances until the morning. The police, of course, will solve the problem, but they will not return your nerves.

Still, offices are not the most harmful neighbors. Offices work during the day, but do not work at night, usually they do not have home theaters and high-power playback equipment. They are more tolerant of leaks even before the court, the demands for money are usually not omitted (although, of course, it happens in different ways). If they violate the order, the police are able to help. A legal entity is much more vulnerable than an individual. In addition, do not forget that everything that happens under your windows will be under the watchful eye of office security - crooks will not climb in, and young people will not arrange a showdown.

Elevator. The first and second floors are complete independence from the elevator. Almost the only, but very big plus, which immediately hides several minuses. The elevator is only for lifting weights. Walking up the stairs is faster than waiting for the elevator, even if it comes from the second floor, no time is wasted if you need to quickly jump out of the house. This is important if the family has a small child. Our elevators, as you know, tend to break down, and the prospect of climbing on foot with a stroller is not encouraging.

Other. If there is a non-residential premises below you, you have the right to make any legal redevelopment on the second floor, for example, moving the kitchen or bathroom, which is no longer possible on the floor above (in panel houses).

There is one pitfall on the lower floors: a garage or something else can be built under the windows.

"I know the case. A man bought an apartment on the 2nd floor in a new building. After the house was handed over, an extension was found right under the window of this apartment, with direct access from the roof to this very window."

Summary. The decision to take or not to take the second floor depends on what views from the windows and what is under the window. If there is a road, a shop, climb as high as possible, if it is a quiet courtyard, then the second floor can be quite comfortable for life. As people who lived on the first (second) floor say, all the problems of the upper floors are temporary (the elevator will someday be repaired), but the problems of the first or second are forever.

Upper floors: more pluses than minuses

The thieves. "Thieves of my acquaintances climbed into the apartment from the attic, through the ventilation duct (they broke through the wall of the duct in the kitchen). Carlsons are also known, which descend from the roof by a rope to the balcony of the top floor."

The easiest way to deal with "alpinists" is to install bars on all windows, including the loggia. Perhaps not everyone likes to look at the world through the lattice windows, so you can solve the problem with the help of private security. Door blocking costs 1,400 rubles, motion sensors - 1,500 rubles apiece, a subscription fee of about 200 rubles a month. However, modern double-glazed windows are not so easy to break, so you can install them and just remember to close the windows before leaving. It does not hurt to strengthen the door to the attic, replace the padlock with a mortise one.

Roof leak. Roof leakage in new panel houses is a fact that should always be kept in mind. The drains are clogged - the roof is leaking. It largely depends on how well the developer will make the roof. Not only the roof can leak, but also interpanel seams, it all depends on the direction of the wind during rain. As experience shows, in modern sockets, if it flows, then everyone down to the lower floors, so this problem is not only "upper". There is only one way out: to fight with the DEZ (or with the builders, if you have a new building) about the roof and seams. Occupation is long, but not hopeless. As you know, elections happen every 4 years, when you can force the DEZ not only to fix the roof, even to fix the toilet bowl. Some tenants do their own waterproofing on the technical floor, without waiting for the workers.

It gets hot in summer. One of the problems of high-rise buildings is the uneven heating of the house. Warm air rises, and the upper floors of a multi-storey building warm up much more strongly. If in summer it is plus 20°C on the third floor, then on the 23rd floor it may well be 25°C.

There are two reasons for this. First. The panel box heats up and warm air rises to the last floor - an inverted glass system is obtained, under the bottom of which air accumulates. Good thermal insulation of the front door of the apartment, which cuts off hot air from the entrance, will help to cope with this problem.

Second. It is hot in the apartment due to the fact that the panel is a poor heat insulator (if the insulation is still weak and worn out), it transmits heat well (as well as cold). Particularly affected rooms with windows to the east. In summer, from 6.00 to 14.00, the direct sun thoroughly "cooks" the apartment. The situation is aggravated by a room with a loggia. The loggia heats up, since the air does not circulate, so it is impossible to open the window and ventilate. In summer, the air on the loggia can heat up to 45 degrees. Conclusion: you can’t do without air conditioning on the upper floors.

Ventilation problems. A particular problem arises with the ventilation of apartments on the upper floors. Many household gases easily rise up, so the inhabitants of the upper floors breathe what the lower apartments "exhaled". Interestingly, the use of sealed double-glazed windows, which reduced the ventilation of apartments, led to a deterioration in the ventilation of apartments. In modern houses, housing is ventilated using a ventilation chamber that passes through all apartments. Like a conventional stove, the draft is higher on the lower floors and very weak on the upper ones, so a resident of the upper floors of the "tower" should take care of additional forced ventilation of their apartment, for example, install duct exhaust fans or double-glazed windows with a micro-ventilation system.

Ventilation in normal mode works on the exhaust, but sometimes due to the overlap of the duct or a slight temperature difference in the summer, the opposite process can occur - the so-called overturning of the ventilation. You will immediately feel it by the smell from the kitchens and toilets of all the lower neighbors. Installing check valves on the vents can solve this problem.

No noise from above. “Specially moved to the last floor after six months of “survival” on the eighth in a new building socket, where the lightness of the structures reached its climax. All the movements of the neighbors from above resounded with a loud echo, hum and vibration in our apartment.”

The problem of "noise from upstairs neighbors" in high-rise buildings stands out for its acuteness. Since only from the neighbors from above you can get a complete and sharp noise cocktail: the sound of the TV along with the children's cry, seasoned with the clatter of hairpins on the parquet floor or the bear stomp on the linoleum of the 120-kilogram head of the family. Combined with the sounds of objects falling on the floor and loud swearing, the life of the neighbor downstairs turns into a continuous nightmare.

If you want to achieve relative silence - choose the last floor. It is much easier to make soundproofing on the floor than to hang a false ceiling and stuff it with sound-absorbing cotton wool.

Noise from neighbors below can be reduced by building up a soundproofing layer on the floor (polystyrene foam and noise-absorbing wool). The thickness of such a "sandwich" will be 10-15 centimeters.

Other. A special issue is the fire safety of high floors. The maximum height of the fire articulated lift is 68 m, and the fire escape is 50 m at all, and there are only a few lifts even in Moscow. Therefore, a fire in an apartment above the 22nd floor poses a serious threat and will require evacuation by helicopter.

Often in the upper floors people are confused by the possible instability of the supply of hot and cold water. Indeed, the water pressure is usually weaker than on the lower floors, however, in the KOPE and P-44T series, for example, water and heat are distributed from above. Therefore, water problems can not be feared.

In conclusion, let us mention a statistical study by Japanese scientists, according to which the higher the floor, the shorter the life expectancy of those living on it. According to the recommendations of scientists, one should live on 4-5 floors, not higher than the crowns of trees.

Summary. For the most part, the shortcomings of the last floor are removable and correctable, but it is impossible to forbid people to walk, jump over your head. As the long-suffering tenants say, silence from above is not just a plus, but several years of life saved.

Middle floors are the most popular

The middle floors have one biggest drawback: neighbors upstairs and neighbors downstairs, so the acoustic picture can be completely unpredictable. Add to this the noise from the moving elevator car and the elevator winches, the elevator could be a problem. The cleanliness of the air and the view from the window may also not be ideal.

Nevertheless, let's see what buyers of apartments themselves prefer. We have conducted our own marketing research to answer this question. We studied apartments in 16-storey panel new buildings of the I-155, P-3M, P-44T, P-46M series with a fairly wide selection of apartments by floor.

It was assumed that apartments in the same building of approximately the same area and the same price (but on different floors) can be considered market equivalent. By determining how quickly such apartments are sold on a particular floor, you can find the market "demand" for these floors.

The main parameter and the desired result of the study is the exposure time (time of sale) of apartments located on different floors.

As a starting material for the study, databases of proposals from firms - leaders in the real estate market, which are in the public domain, were used. After processing a sample of 80 thousand apartments, the figures shown in the diagram were obtained.

The house is surrounded by a quiet green courtyard without garages, away from the highway;

The territory of the yard is closed and guarded (for example, in elite houses);

You suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights);

You simply do not have enough money for a normal floor.

The middle floors are the most popular and almost ideal for living if the neighbors above are calm.

The last floor is a good option both in panel and monolithic houses, especially if the house is low-rise.

Some statements are borrowed from the Internet conference "Let's exchange experience: real estate" at www.auto.ru.

Alexey Chugunov, expert of the company “Legal Center for Housing”