My condo is about 2ft above ground level, but when I sit on the couch, my head is still lower than people walking down the sidewalk. I HATE it. Shades always mostly closed (I have the bottom-up type)In the past 100 or so years, architects have forgotten that people feel uncomfortable when the ground floor is at ground level. The first story should be elevated so that the eyeline of someone on the sidewalk is well below the eyeline of the first floor apartment inhabitants.