What is a Garden Apartment?

Real estate apartment buildings come in different types and sizes, ranging from dual- to multiple-unit buildings. Garden apartments can fall into any of these categories. Listings for garden apartments vary from a studio to a single- or multiple-unit apartment within an apartment complex surrounded by a garden.

What is a Garden Apartment?

A garden apartment is an apartment building that is low (not more than three stories with some exceptions) and surrounded by green landscapes such as gardens, lawns, and woods. Garden apartments can be found in rural, urban, and suburban areas. Some garden apartment communities have amenities such as playgrounds, pools, clubhouses, gyms, and laundry rooms on the property.

Garden apartment complexes are structured in different manners such that there could be a general passage for all the apartments or each apartment will have a direct entrance from outside the building with patios and balconies for residents who want to do some gardening in their apartments.

Basically, a garden apartment is a low-rise apartment complex surrounded by green spaces. A garden apartment community is a community that consists of multiple low-rise apartment complexes and a lot of green space.

Different Types of Apartment Buildings

For a better understanding of why a garden apartment is a low-rise building, we’ve put together the four main types of apartment complexes, as categorized by mortgage giant, Freddie Mac:

• High-rise: This refers to buildings that have at least nine floors and elevators

• Mid-rise: This refers to buildings that have at most eight floors and elevators

• Walk-up: This refers to apartment buildings with four to six stories without elevators. These types of buildings are typically located in urban areas.

• Garden (also referred to as low-rise): This refers to apartment buildings with one to three stories that may or may not have elevators.

NB: There are exceptional cases where a garden apartment can also be used to refer to the ground floor or basement apartment of a high-rise building with direct access to a garden.  

Is renting a garden apartment a good choice?

Like all other types of residential real estate buildings, the garden-style apartment has its pros and cons which may differ by the residents. Generally, garden apartment communities have a tendency to be quiet because of the serene atmosphere surrounding the building. Unlike high-rise buildings which are mostly found in noisy and busy areas.

Advantages

• Residents have access to green spaces to relax, play, walk their dogs, and meet other people.

• Ground floor units are easily accessible and are more fit for setting up personal gardens

• Most garden apartment communities create parking lots for their residents within walking distance to the building.

• Most garden apartment communities have recreational centers, amenities, and facilities to make living conducive for the residents.

• Garden apartments tend to be less cheap compared to high- and mid-rise buildings because they are located in suburban and low dense areas.

Disadvantages

• The location of garden apartments may be a downside to people who prefer to live in the heart of the city. Because garden apartment communities require vast space to properly set up, they have to be located away from the centers of cities.

• The distance from the locations of garden apartment communities to workplaces or schools or your favorite coffee shop can also be a barrier for some people.

Whether or not a garden apartment is best for you is completely up to you and what you want. A garden apartment can be a perfect option for people who enjoy the scenery and serenity of nature and don’t feel like they’re missing out on the busyness of city centers.