The first place that I ever owned was a duplex, built in 1906, converted to duplex in the 1970s and not much modernized. Suffice it to say that the house needed some work. My family and I lived in the 1000 sq. ft. 2 bedroom apartment downstairs and rented out the 650 sq. ft. apartment upstairs. Talk about having strangers live close by. Especially awkward when your tenant has their girlfriend over and they're banging like rabbits directly over your own bedroom at night. 30 feet of separation between 2 buildings would have seemed like a mile in that situation.