My parents are up to 2 industrial freezers and 1 regular fridge/freezer combo in the basement. It looks like McDonald's back room. Incase this gets read, it's partially bc they found out how much cheaper it is to purchase a whole or half cow and needed space.
I have a normal refrigerator in the kitchen. I have one in our laundry room as well, just for drinks and ice. We have a deep freezer in our garage. That is for frozen food that you don't need as often. It's defiantly not typical but not uncommon either, if you have a house.
Depends on where you live. Looked like a pretty normal size, maybe a little larger. But pretty typical for outer suburbs, at least in my experience in Ohio. But a family friend's daughter, while they were visiting from California, commented how she thought we lives in a mansion. I was still a kid at the time was confused because I assumed all houses were like ours. Anecdotal, but it does show that large regional differences in the US as well.
Also, being in Connecticut, the prices could be up to $750 K +. Depends on what it is close to. My guess would be upwards of 4000 square feet of potential taxable property. More living space would add value and having a finished and usable attic and basement would definitely add to the value!!
There’s a bit of etiquette to the (very common) open floor plan of American houses. If a room has a door that closes, it’s not a public space. So common rooms such as the kitchen, den, receiving room, etc. are available to everyone and open, reflective of our hospitality. On the other hand, it’s expected to have to ask for permission to go into any closed rooms
I had a split level in GA and loved my above ground basement. Turned it into a huge playroom for kids and could dart downstairs during a tornado. In MS,I can’t have a basement due to water levels.
@@ajplays7241 I h8 it! The only way I would live in one of those awful places is if someone gave it to me and I didn’t have pay the mortgage. I would never pay my own $ for that -h!t even if I were a billionaire! Ugly hideous ugly!
@@wheretonext2023 Yes, Mr. Rich, yes.. this is a very large house. Easily 2400sqft not even counting the basement and attic. My house is 1400sqft, and Zillow estimates it's value is $237,000 in a small town in Tennessee. Luckily I got it for roughly half that price before the market went to hell... but I can't imagine what this house in the video would cost in Connecticut. I looked up houses similar to this one near me, and I found a few, some larger some smaller, but they were in the price range of $500,000 to $950,000.... so don't tell me this isn't a huge house.
This house is in Connecticut, which is one of the most expensive states to live in (tax-wise, etc). A house like this, being in Connecticut, is insanely expensive. This man is upper-middle class at the very least.
@@chrisvargo5163 It doesn't work like that. When you go to sell it, they'll find out you didn't get the building permits and the house won't sell. Then the town comes in and you're in worse trouble than it not just selling.
This might seem "open" compared to a typical British home, but this is still quite 'closed' for American houses. A typical American floor plan is much more open than this, especially in newer homes.
@@brandyforsythe1882 I've been in quite a few homes where the only interior walls are around the bedrooms and bathrooms, everything else is one big room
Open concept is very popular right now in New construction.. but older homes are segmented into rooms.. Dining room wasn't being used other than a place to set things, so many of us have done away with dinning room, and a kitchen island with sitting area is put in its place.. open to living area with TV..
@@dsmith9796 What do you call southeast? I live in Georgia and we have plenty of basements. My son lives in Texas and he said they don't have basement. He says it has something to do with the quality of the soil.
In some states the ground can't support a basement because of the soil. But like you said if you live in tornado alley a basement is a must or at the very least you have to have an underground storm cellar. Our town has been hit by tornadoes several times.
just be aware, this is a VERY NICE house in the U.S. and not typical of most of them. A. it's newly built, so it has many new building techniques. B. a lot of money went into not only building it, but also decorating and the appliances and other stuff inside. C. it appears to be on 2 acres of land and that can be expensive near a large city.
Honestly new construction homes are built rather cheaply. Don't get me wrong, still very expensive to build, but there didn't appear to be anything particularly expensive about it other than the decorative materials (floors in particular). Also, seems to me it's on 1 acre (wide-angle camera makes it seem larger than it really is), which is pretty much as large as you can expect for a residence in Connecticut.
I'm considered lower middle class(blue collar) living in the flyover state of Arkansas.....I have a 1900sq/ft 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage with work shop attached, seperate laundry room sitting on a .25 acre and I paid $150k..... compared to places like LosAngeles and New York, my property and home would be worth millions.....it's all perspective and like you always hear " Location, Location, Location" .
@@jimglasco - You may consider yourself that, but if you look at averages in the US, you are solidly center middle class. Definitely not lower middle class as I grew up in that segment of the economy and you are definitely better off than a lower middle class household.
I’m 23. Growing up, my family has always had an open backyard and open front yard. No one ever cares when people are outside doing their own thing. As long as you’re not disturbing your neighbors or being disrespectful, things are usually fine. As a kid, when I would go outside, it was always normal to speak to the neighbors and say hello. It’s still the same now (at least for me it is). I’ve never experienced a neighbor just watching and staring. That’s really creepy😂
In general, if folks are respectful of each other in the backyards at the same time.. folks who do "interesting activities are responsible for putting up a privacy fence of some kind.. But it's varied. I've lived in fenced-in back yards, wide open no barrier, cement block privacy walls with entrance gates at side.
A friend was telling me that yards like that are rare because they've never seen anything like that. I showed them the Charlie Brown/Peanuts cartoons because that was the first thing I realized watching them. Every time the background showed the houses, all the land was open with very few fences. I always thought that was really cool since I grew up in a semi rural suburb with several open front yards In my neighborhood, it was the back yards that were fenced and fairly private. In my childhood home, the corner house on the right had a brick wall one the street side of their yard and a chain link fence on our side. Like someone else said, we wouldn't stare at our neighbors. We'd look, but then move on in minding our own business. I guess it was about privacy and manners from my family's pov as they taught us never to stare into our neighbors back ysrds
House prices in the US vary greatly depending on where the home is located. Reminder, the US itself is enormous. It is about the same size as Europe with a similar wide variety of climates, landscapes, and economic conditions. This would be an upper middle-class home where we live.
Open concept floor plans have been the norm here in America for 20 years now. If a home is closed off like each room its probably a really old property that has not been updated.
Even then, it's very rare to see a door to access the kitchen or a living room. Just walk right in. If you made it into the house, you can walk right in. Bedrooms and bathrooms, not so much.
If it makes it any easier for you; even as you get bigger, nicer homes it still feels inadequate. Leaving a yarning for more house, a better car and so on. It is like comparing you to someone who has a 2 bedroom apartment and has a beater Ford Escort from the 90's. They'd love to have what you got but, you don't often think about how much they want what you have. Human greed is a truly endless cycle.
@@pharag4886 I'm from asia, where houses are usually the family's place of business too (there's a store at the front of the house or the street level, while the living quarter is in the back or upstairs). The houses touch the neighbors on both sides/shared walls or 2 separate walls with a gap that only water and air can get in between breeding gap for insects and mold, unless your house is next to an alley way, then only one house on one side touches yours. Hardly or no yard, you garden on a balcony or on the roof. No garage, but then rarely do people have cars, we ride motorcycles/moped. I migrated to the US and the only one thing I craved, I got: the house doesn't touch my neighbors' because I have yard around it. I'm happy. That's my childhood dream of owning a small house in a middle of a yard.
@@celestialmajesty2053 Where? I don't think it's 'allowed' by any zoning codes/ordinances. The only thing similar is 'garage sale', where people use their yard or garage or shed to sell stuff. But they circumvent the ordinances (paying tax) by only open seasonally.
The range judging by emblem and legs is likely a Bertazzoni, which is not a $10K range. $4.4K. Still, a lot of money but couple grand less than Wolf or Miele.
It's called an open concept and it's more common now than it was in the past. Our house has two garages and an open floor plan. It makes the house a lot brighter and also makes it look bigger.
Its called a open floor plan basically no doors except on bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, and exterior doors. Its pretty common. It provides a less caged up feeling and allows for you to move more freely and have more usable space.
It's cheaper to build without so many interior doors and walls, so the builders have promoted "open plan" layouts for the last few decades. This house looks like it's been remodeled from an order design that originally had doors separating most rooms.
An open floor plan is about a lack of walls, not simply doors. So your kitchen, dining room, and family room might just be a single space. Merely removing doors does not suddenly make an open floor.
@@jerrylohr3491 I agree that this looks like an older home that has already been remodeled once. But I am over 60 years old and there were never any "doors" between rooms even in the first home my parents bought when I was age 2. And that wasn't even new then. The older houses boasted having "cased" openings that let air flow better and hear the children when they were up to mischief. In more modern homes, the walls are often removed entirely because the beam support structures are built much larger to easily handle the weight of the rooms on the second floor and also the roof. Most often what we see in modern homes is an open concept first floor and a second floor with separate rooms and doors. Second floor rooms include bedrooms but also often offices, media/gaming rooms and play rooms for small children.
1) He lives in an upscale area of Connecticut 2)he may live in a development that does not allow fences (likely controlled by an HOA) 3) the room attached to the kitchen is a family room and the other is a formal living room 4) completing an unfinished basement and attic will exponentially increase the value of the home. 5) common spaces typically do not have doors 6) garages (that is a two-car garage) allow you to park and enter and exit your vehicle 7) that is an oversized lot and I'd say they paid a lot for it. I've seen McMansions with handkerchief size lawns.
In most places with a "leash law", the HOA cannot prevent you having a fence in which to keep your pet. They can, to some extent, restrict placement and size, but they cannot exclude a fenced area.
@@deaniej2766 My sister lived in an upscale development in OH where you could not have a physical fence, only the electronic invisible fences for your pets. That's the only reason I know this is a restriction in some places. Would I ever live there? Absolutely not.
@@nothanks4509 It's really not that difficult to guess. Anytime you make improvements to a home, it most likely will increase the value. Even something as simple as upgrading the electrical box increases the value of a home.
During 80's, the open kitchen living room became popular so you could cook, and still be around your family, talk, even watch TV. Wood floors became popular again over carpet, because they don't collect dust and pet hair, also don't attract dirt so no dirty pathways develop, no stains, no expensive yearly carpet cleaning, and way better for allergies.
I get your point, open kitchens are very social. But I hate them. Walk in the front door and you’re greeted by a sink full of dirty dishes. The smell of cooking permeates the house. No thank you! 😎
@@LoveyK And you cannot cook or run the dishwasher AND comfortably watch TV. And every noise echoes through the house. I live in a cold climate and it is mighty uncomfortable without carpeting. You still get the same amount of dirt and dust, but your cleaning options are different. Vacuum vs Swiffer. Also, I believe newer houses in the US have a lot of wasted space, such as the large foyer. Someone has to pay the heating and a/c bills, and a new roof on the house in the video will cost $15,000. Remember to add maintenance to your mortgage when deciding whether you can afford the house. Unfortunately most new homes in the US are larger and larger, and many middle class families have been priced out of the market or are now 'house poor'.
This house is not typical because it is very obvious that this owner is very well to do. BUT a lot of Americans are using open floor plans, fewer doors or sliding barn doors. This is a gorgeous home with the upgrades. And Dr. Crippen is probably the reason UK houses do not have basements.
I lived in Germany for 4 years and can probably accurately say why American homes are more open than European homes. Europe still uses radiators for each room, and each radiator has its own on/off temp control. Whereas American homes are almost all central heating and air. One thermostat to control the temp for the whole house. European houses have to have doors for every section of the house to regulate heat and conserve the cost. In America you're going to pay the same to heat one room as it is for all rooms because closing a vent in one room doesn't stop the system from running.
Newer homes do have central air systems, some older homes have them retrofitted in, but older American homes still have radiators like yours. Remember, central air was not widely used in residential homes until the 1900s, so even the "New World" U.S.A. was approaching 150 years old and the homes in some areas over 200 years old before air conditioning was a thing.
That's an truly old system old ways old country it makes sense the monarchy there wants to stay vintage and no to grow in a modern style much but I can appreciate vintage classy buildings.
I love your commentary. I'm an expat Brit in the US. houses do tend to be more open plan here (built in the last 20-25 years). This is a lovely house, price/value really does depend on location. Garages are standard in the suburbs. In cities, not so much! This guy's clearly not poor based solely on his cars LOL
I’m American and even *I* am envious of this house, it’s so spacious and beautifully done. Lol. But that isn’t really affordable to the average homeowner. Not only the size and amount of rooms would make this a pricer home, but also those finishing touches around his home such as the wainscoting, crown molding, tray ceiling, wooden floors, raised ceilings, all adds up quickly to the price of home. Oh and also that huge yard would bring up the price of that property as well! That would likely be over $1 million in the state of Florida (and we can’t even have basements in majority of Florida because much of the land here is below sea level). An average, but still quality home here in Florida is around $350,000 and would be just as lovely just not as spacious with all those extra rooms, and likely no crown molding/wainscoting, and a yard half the size (or perhaps even less yard than that). And all newer built homes have the open floor plan concept that is similar to his, as that indeed became a trend here after like the 1980s, or perhaps 70s. If you don’t want an open floor plan, you’d be better off buying a home in one of the older neighborhoods whose homes were built prior to the 70s.
The part of the country you live in has a lot to do with the price of homes and property. I live in Texas. Our 6 acres, house, shed, pool, pool house, water well, and garden spot cost 248000.00. Nine years worth of improvements, retainer walls, tree work, metal shop\tractor shed have now brought our appraisal up to almost half a mil. Not possible in some places.
Common rooms don’t usually have doors. So like living room , kitchen and dining rooms don’t have doors. His front room could also be called a formal living room and doesn’t typically have tv as it for entertaining guest. A family room or living room or den would most likely have a tv.
Also, with yards, fencing can be expensive especially when you have a larger piece of land. Sometimes it’s not possible to have a big fence and if there is a fair bit of space between neighbors, it’s not really worth it.
Once you pull up carpet and see the filth that stays in the carpet you are big on hardwood floors. They are warmer than tile and much cleaner. Allergy problems have been connected to carpet. Years ago, most floors new wood with throw rugs. Really easier to clean as well. His house is on the higher end of the average homes.
This is higher level home than what is common. My home was built in 1973 and only one floor. We have a laundry room, walk-in pantry, kitchen, dinning room, living room, 2 car covered parking (not a garage), front yard, back yard, covered patio, large shed for lawn equipment and holiday decorations. Our stove is natural gas and has 5 burners. Our refrigerator is much bigger than I wanted but was what the wife wanted.
The thing to know about U.S. residences is they vary WIDELY depending on income and geographic location in our HUGE country. So, yes, depending on location, many homes are like this, but many are not. It's this way in my city of 260,000 people: many very nice homes like this and many much more modest. We value our privacy but not in the same way Brits do, where you don't and don't want anyone looking over the garden wall.
Anybody else concerned he talked about ballet in his undies??? Are Brits just.....WEIRD? That would explain the fences. It would explain a lot of things, actually!
A lot of older homes have rooms we don't use. There is the "front/living room" that is where you put the nice stuff and the kids aren't allowed, the "den/family room," where the TV and comfy and sometimes shabbier furniture goes, the "dining room" for sit-down dinners, the "kitchen table" is where most meals and informal/non-holiday meals happen. I've always lived in houses with this type of setup.
Pretty typical home layout in the US with nice upgrades. This home in Connecticut is valued at around $859,000 . This would be about $2 - $3 million in SF/ Bay Area of California to give you comparison. In a suburb of a major city in the Midwest it would likely go for around $500,000, give or take $100k.
Lewis, check out a TV show in the US (there's one in Australia, too) called "Love It or List It". If you want to see what house layouts are like, that'll give you an idea. The idea of the show is that a family is thinking about moving, but one spouse or the other likes the home they're in, but it needs a few changes. About the US team: Hillary is an interior designer, and David is a real estate agent. The couple give Hillary a budget for renovations and give David a target budget for the new house. At the end of the show, Hillary shows them the old house with the renovations, and David finds a house they could move into. The decision: love it (keep the old house with the changes) or list it (sell the old house and move into the new one). You can find episodes on UA-cam.
You know what I'd love to see you react to? Halloween home tours and Christmas home tours! I know. You'd probably wanna wait until the seasons come but, seeing what a big deal Halloween decor and Christmas decor is to some of us would probably be a bit of a culture shock.
The Central Air Conditioning and Central Heat flow better without doors. Our homes have doors on bedrooms and bathrooms and sometimes what we call our utility rooms where washer and dryer is. The doors are strictly for privacy otherwise the heat and air need to flow.
Exactly. On older homes every major room would have a door, often pocket doors just to keep from having to heat or cool a room that doesn't get used as much. But in modern or upgraded older homes, the doors are removed to help with climate control.
Our house is a very open floor plan with doors on bedrooms, bathrooms, and utility room but we still usually have those doors open for heat and air flow. I like the open feeling.
@@JoanCrabtree-by1gn In Arizona any room with a door has a ceiling circulation vent (looks similar to an A/C register but does not have adjustable louvers) that allows air flow into a room even with the door closed.
Very true! It drives me nuts when my kids leave the doors closed around the house (unless it's for privacy in a bedroom, etc.) My HVAC needs to be efficient year-round. I live in Minnesota ffs! Frigid in the winter and swampy in the summer.
To answer your question: American homes (at least newer ones) generally have interior doors on bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets, but not on anything else. You're not usually going to see a door between, say, a front hall and a living room, or a living room and a kitchen. The one other place you might see an interior door is if the home has a basement, then the steps to it will usually have a door, but residential basements are pretty uncommon outside the Northeast and Midwest.
This is upper middle class house. New houses are getting rid of the formal dining room and expanding the kitchen and family room. More livable areas. Making it more open. 3 to 4 bedrooms and a finished basement is a typical house. And a must is a 2 car garage
*A "front room" is like a* small "living room" or a "sitting room" where you bring in neighbors or people in to talk, without bringing them through your whole house. Usually only in bigger houses.
It is often called a "preacher parlor" or a "sitting room" or a "den". It is a room where you receive guest and just sit and talk. My two sister's use theirs as music rooms. My daughter uses Her's as another office space.
I think in different parts of the country call it different names. It could be called the living room if there is another room the family hangs out in more and that's called the "family room" and the family room used to be called the den on the West Coast.
I love that explanation!!! It is such an old school concept. And we don’t really use the formal living spaces anymore. But I remember everyone had them. We , the kids , weren’t allowed in there. It’s were all the really nice furniture and collectible Nick nacks were displayed. The carpet was pristine. We put the Christmas tree up in there. You just took me on a walk down memory lane😊.
I live in Connecticut in a house built in 1762 - no basement, just a dirt crawl space, just enough room for the oil furnace & water tank. 10 rooms & 5 fireplaces on 2.5 acres.......some people have told me the house is creepy because it is so old - I feel honored to live here and wonder what it must have been like for the other families that previously lived here & raised their families..........
hubby and I just traveled to Delaware and stayed in a B&B that was built in the 1700's. The Towers in Milford De. It was so awesome. The bathroom had a huge slipper tub. I loved looking around at all of the rooms and how easy it was to imagine that time gone by. We have decided from now on when we travel we are only staying in B&B because they are usually are well maintained old houses. The Whistling Swan in NJ was another one that we really loved.
This is the second video of yours that I've watched. You have given me a long-needed elbow to the ribs, to wake me up to the abundance and variety available to Americans, that even a simple trip to Wal-Mart can bring you. You are rightfully astounded, and I have grown to be foolishly complacent. Of course, you're right. Thanks for the wake-up nudge.
I feel the same. Things as simple as the faucet or double garage. I could not live without our open concept! I've never lived in a house without that. I imagine I would feel very claustrophobic if each room were separated out. And if I were entertaining company would be... gosh... chaos. Lol I could go on. I'm grateful for my "normal" house. We did think about moving overseas at one point, looked at houses and I put the brakes on it real fast. I need space 😅
Carpets have to be replaced - hardwood floors just need to be refinished. So in the long run it is cheaper to get the hardwood floors rather than carpet.
@@katepenk3401 : And carpet holds odors. Yeck. That creates a lot more maitenance and money to have them cleaned regularly. I actually love carpeting in one or two bedrooms, but the rest of the home for me MUST be hard surfaces..... I will say that the townhome that I live in now is pretty large, and ALL hard surfaces. It is harder to keep the place warm. Gotta buy rugs, which helps but good rugs are costly when you have to place them throughout the entire home!!
I live in a 1850 Victorian home with a living room, dining room, eat in kitchen, family room, bathroom, laundry room, and office on the first floor. The back yard is enclosed with a 6 foot high fence. The second floor has a theater room, 3 bedrooms, and a bathroom. It also has a detached garage. Welcome to living in small towns in the USA. (The openings without doors are archways.)
We have a 4 car carport, no garage door, just open on the front and back. It's a double double, two cars wide, two cars deep, you can enter from either direction
The double garage became common around 1960 before that most families only had one car. Then it became common for women to drive, then teenagers stated driving, now it is common for all members of the family who can drive to have their own car, the extra cars often used and less expensive. One can guess the decade a house was built by how much space is set aside for cars. Houses built before WW II rarely have attacked garages, particularly in cities one sees homes with no garage. A lot of older homes have garages that were in place of stables which by their nature should be separate from the home for sanitary reasons.
I have a 1 1/2 car garage. There's space for 2 cars in the driveway. We don't park our car in the garage but use it as a 'day room' with the door open and a workspace when needed. It has a nice work bench and we keep the chest freezer out there. We have 4 cars. 2 are beaters and 2 are nice.
In some homes we have a front room or a living room. These usually don't have TVs in here. Then we have family rooms which are like 2nd living rooms. Here is where you will find the TV. A lot of homes will have a formal dining room and another room off of the kitchen that serves as the dining room where people eat. LOL. Most houses are open-concept which means they are open without doors closing off the rooms. Some can have doors that slide into the walls as well.
Basements are usually found in cooler climates in the North and Midwest. That’s because the builders have to dig the foundation below the frost line, usually four feet deep. Since you’re already going down that far, might as well add a few more feet and gain an entire floor for a basement instead of just a crawl space. In the South and West, where you can build on a concrete slab, you don’t get basements at all.
I had a basement when I lived in Georgia. Many people did but they called it a cellar or root cellar... in older houses it is where you kept food to keep it cool in the summer and not freeze in the winter. In our house we ran our home business out of ours.
We don't have basements because the water table is too high. They're common in North Georgia or Alabama. It all depends on the water table and whether or not it's bedrock underneath.
This is so refreshing… I have never seen your videos prior to today. You’ve just made common features, of a home, to us, amusing 😊. It’s our normal and never imagine this would be exciting. Thanks for the reaction to this video. I love the comparisons you made.
As several of your commenters have said location is everything. In the Kansas City area (central US) a house like the one shown runs about $450,000. Another thing to keep in mind is, that house is not more than 20 years old so it was built for today’s cars. We also definitely like hardwood floors.
He has some money. This is what’s on trend. This speaks upper middle class to me. I bought a home built in the 1960s because that was what was affordable. It has closed off rooms, but I prefer it it, because the sounds of the kitchen would bother me. Good reason to keep your house entirely spotless because you would be looking at it in it’s entirety. The garages are built to fit a 1, 2, or 3 car garage. My garage is for laundry, yard tools, storage, and a vehicle. I love your reaction.
A two-car garage is normal. We don't use heat pumps and radiators anymore where you can control the temperature for one room. Since we use forced-air giving one temperature for the whole house. Thus, the opening from the entry way to the front room needs no doors. The fireplace is mainly to feel cozy. This is a big house with big yards front and back. The owner is paid a good salary. Even some very rich people may choose to have a smaller home.
A million dollar home for where you live maybe but in other states where cost of living is more reasonable this is a pretty average size and looking home. Nice house but nothing spectacular.
Depends where you live, my sister sold their house that was about this size and it was $300K. They purchased a new house that was bigger for $750K in IL. Where I live it’s cheaper than that, their $750K house would be around $400-450K here. In CA would easily be $1M. Location determines everything! My friend purchased a house in a state that isn’t super popular and it’s a 4 bedroom for $175K.
Our house in middle America is bigger than this with 7 acres. $450,000 We didn’t buy it for that 16 years ago!!! What it’s value now. Freaks me out, would never pay that much!! So we will stay put.
Dude. I bought my house in 2012. It was built in 1997, it is 3 bdr, 2 bath. 1259 sq ft. Very modest house in nampa, Idaho. I paid $90 thousand. My mortgage is $570.00. I'm 43 yrs old. I live alone. Life is great..
So weird to see a comment from Nampa. I live in Boise in a 1050sqft townhouse that cost me $175,000 in 2020 right before the prices and interest rates went up.
This guy is so funny! We are in the mountains north of Boise, little over an acre, 1700 sq feet with an extra shop. 10 years ago it was reasonable price, now, not so reasonable!
Our home, built in 1962, is a duplex for 2 families. The only doors inside the home are the bedrooms, the bathroom, and the closets. Our floorplan is open, though small. I would imagine having doors in every room would help with retaining heat in the winter. We don't have a basement, but I do live in California which is prone to earthquakes. We park on the street, though the downstairs tenant has a double garage and the backyard which is fenced. Building code will not allow us to have fences higher than 6 feet. I enjoyed this video. Where I live, a typical 3-bedroom home starts at $1.5 million. It is expensive.
Back in the ‘70s, one of our neighbors put up a high privacy fence on the backyard, and it caused big-time questions as to why. Turns out he had planted a bunch of pot plants. His next-door neighbors’ teenaged kids saw them from their second floor window and snuck over the fence and helped themselves. He was piiiisssed!
This home is a more upscale version in the size of his rooms, but the amenities and floor plan are pretty standard for a multi-level home. He's living very well off. I can say that if a good house is on the market right now, he has the features that most would want - no carpets, hardwood floors, double garage, large backyard, multiple bathrooms, new refrigerator style. Some homes have a wood privacy fence, but honestly if the houses around are 2 story or more, your neighbors can still see over the fence. No biggie. No, we don't usually have doors separating every common space. Kitchen, dining room, and at least 1 sitting area are usually separated by only a door frame (if that).
@@KarinJackson-id9sp I do remember there used to be the sliding closet doors separating the den and living room for privacy in some homes. I forgot all about them.
The size and floorplan has to do with when it was built. Older homes that had coal burning, gravity furnaces have doors to almost every room. Pocket doors for large rooms such as the living room and hinged doors for bedrooms and bathrooms. Homes built with gas or electric forced air furnaces have a more open floorplan. I live in a one story condo with an attached one car garage. The kitchen, dining, and living room is basically one huge room with a vaulted ceiling. The bedrooms, bathrooms, and Florida room have doors. It was built in 1985, and the floorplan is pretty standard for that era.
Our home has an open floor plan as well. If we have a, say a birthday party then there's plenty of room to visit with family. We have a small apartment in our basement. 1 bedroom, a kitchen, living room, and a bathroom. We have a deck on the back, a big front porch. It's a summer place to relax and visit with neighbors. We have a 2 car garage. BUT we don't park our cars in it, it's for storage for the crap we don't want in the house. We live on 2 acres of land. Beautiful!
It’s common here to see shared rooms such as kitchens, living rooms, family rooms, without doors. So many different types of houses and different ways to finish or remodel them. We do love the open floor plan! Casual and comfortable are the main priority. For privacy, bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, basements do have doors.
@@chrispeterson17 It really should be going away. Just the idea of having a living room and kitchen as all the same room is a terrible idea. Someone in the kitchen cooking, making a lot of noise, for people who really cook, with someone in another part of the room trying to watch something on the TV is just not a good thing. It would work for families who rarely cook though. It would never work in my house.
@Justme77400 Haahaa that's the thing.. many Americans don't actually COOK... we defrost stuff. 😉 We love to watch The Britts cook stews and soups.. then we walk over to the freezer. : (
My neighborhood would blow your mind- 1 acre lots, 4600 to 6400 sf, 4 car garages plus a garagmahal, pools with cabanas and castitas, miles of sidewalks, trails, and greenbelts. Looking back, I never thought I'd wind up like that, but it's very common where I live. Can't wait to sell, move to 20 acres and a custom farmhouse with our horses.
Double garage …no interior doors( heating systems make closing off rooms unnecessary)…full dining room and also breakfast areas attached to kitchen !!! I love Location,location,location in the UK for the charm of the old styles !!! We certainly have very few cottages of 100-300 year here in US…large rooms but now at 👵🏼…am in a smaller home 1800 square feet(don’t know what that is in meters!!) small lawns and garden now …land is expensive!!
A lot of people convert their Basements into Theaters, Game Rooms, In House Bar or Man Cave (She-Shed) type stuff. I'm currently turning mine into a recording studio/hang-out Area, with a Laundry room and like a "Sun Room" and a Utility/Storage area that has the Heating unit and Hot Water Heater and all that stuff.
@@kimm6589 oh yeah, if I ever wanted to sell the house, I would 100% fully finish the attic and basement and turn it into like a 5 bedroom 2.5 Bathroom house... and the resale value... I'll just say, the parents chose a good place before it popped off lol 😆 So... Minimum. 3x right now.
It happens to be a VERY Typical middle class house in the Midwest. About 2300 to 2800 sq ft, roughly $400K, the cars are expensive, but in the Great Lakes region factory auto workers with 20 yrs seniority or low level management with 10yrs seniority all own similar houses.
@@gregorybiestek3431 If you are in a $400k home, you are solidly upper middle class (or buying beyond your means). That is not the "typical" American. You're describing people making pretty good wages.
@@KatieBellino Michigan has an average household income of $68,000 not far off the national average of $69,000. If your area is making less, maybe you should move to the Great Lakes region to get a higher paying job to go with the more affordable housing.
@@gregorybiestek3431 If that is HOUSEHOLD income, that is terrible. In other words, housing is more affordable because incomes are less. I live in a reasonably affordable state except for the southern end and certain coastal areas (Maine). I already own a home and make a decent salary with benefits. No real debts to speak of. Thank you though.
@@gregorybiestek3431 Average home size in Michigan is 1726 sq feet. Average home sale is $291k. This house is bigger and more expensive. To be honest, I think it's more than 2800 sq feet before you even count the attic and basement areas.
My American house is an 850sqft apartment. Open floor-plan kitchen & livingroom downstairs, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom upstairs. Cheap, crappy linoleum tile downstairs. Cheap, crappy wall-to-wall carpet upstairs. One, uncovered, assigned parking spot. No yard of my own. No basement. No attic. No washer/dryer. No dishwasher.
I live in a house built in 1949. I have a fully finished basement with 1 bedroom, a kitchenette and a huge family space. It also has a workshop, huge laundry room, a walk in pantry, bathroom with shower and storage rooms. It bumps the total space to 3800 sq ft. I have pocket doors and a swinging door between kitchen and dining room. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, full kitchen, and laundry room upstairs. We paid $250K for it but it is located far away from most major shopping areas. You have to trade something to get something. Brought my husband home to the area he knew/grew in.
Basements are ubiquitous to American houses in cold climates. Since the ground can freeze more than a meter during the winter, foundations have to be dug at least that deep. Going down a little deeper to make a usable space is considered very inexpensive.
I used to live in New York years ago. Everyone at the time who owned a home had a chain link fence. Moved to Texas and Everyone has these tall wooden privacy fences. The majority of the homes do have a two car garage. The newer homes have a 3 or 4 garage now. Due to the soil in Texas where I live we have no basement. Open floor concepts are the norm here for the most part.
according to public records he paid $964,500 for that house in 2015. Zillow says it's now worth $1.5M. It's 3,100 sqft, so substantially larger than the average home, and in a very expensive state.
Wr have a 3500 Sq ft home in Central KY. Cost $192k. Back yard is massive and looks out over undeveloped land. We're quite happy here. (The reason we bought such a large home is we have five children. )
This is a typical American home as far as layout and amenities go. Size varies but most are open concept floor plan (no doors other than the bedrooms & bathrooms), hardwood floors, basement, big backyard, multiple floors, multiple large bedrooms, master bathroom in the master bedroom, dining room, kitchen and living room next to each other, walk in closets, front room/ sunroom, a separate mudroom, office space, and laundry room. Not every home but most homes are set up like this.
Isn't the laundry room usually on a lower floor, or even the basement? He's right, it's weird (to me) that this guy's laundry room is on an upstairs floor. Also, legit hardwood stairs that lead into your attic? Granted, it is probably different for him since he is probably in the upper middle class, but the homes I've lived in have the trapdoor with a fold-out ladder.
@@swedishshortsnout5610I haven’t lived in many multi floor homes, but when I was in a three story home, in PA, my laundry was on the top floor, where the bedrooms were.
@@kaseylewis2859 Oh, ok. I've lived in two multi-floor homes. The four story home (including attic and furnished basement) had a laundry room on the ground floor. The next five story home (including attic and furnished basement) had the laundry room in a separate room in the basement. Each upstairs bedroom has a "laundry chute" hatch that you can throw clothes into and the clothes fall/slide all the way down the house directly into a bin in the laundry room. It makes things much easier.
It doesn't matter anyways because their backyards are so damn small it's insane.. and anybody can figure out what anyone else is doing in their backyard if they really want to.. it's so funny how he acts with the privacy. We have backyards in the United States that are just so big that fences make no sense because they couldn't see what we were doing anyways on the property?
@@Nirvana8989 Brits live in a lot of townhouses or row houses. Or just on small lots. Probably because the Lords took all the land leaving the surfs to live like ants.
@@Arthur_King_of_the_Britons so.. leave? isn't your whole thing you guys had the empire on which the sun never set? if overpopulation is causing your quality of life to suffer where it otherwise wouldn't that's on you for not being proactive about it. tiny island is tiny island.
Believe it or not, the problem is that Brits actually don't want to talk to their neighbors. We see a neighbor out and we go over and have a conversation. A Brit sees a neighbor and the first reaction is "damn, now I have to go back inside"...
You don't need basements in the UK because the winter temps don't drop low enough to freeze the ground to a considerable depth. Areas in the US get so cold you need a deep foundation so it doesn't shift the house in the freeze/thaw cycles.
We’ve lived in 4 houses since getting married in the 90’s. 2 had 2-car garages and the other 2 had 3-car garages which are quite common. Usually only bedrooms and bathrooms (and closets) have doors. All of our homes have had separate dining rooms and living rooms; half of them also had a den, which is like a less formal living room. Our current house has a keeping room instead of a den … the only difference is that the keeping room is quite convenient to the kitchen. Carpet is usually only in bedrooms. Three of our homes have had basements which are fun to do projects and stuff in because you can make messes down there guilt-free … also great for storage. Honestly, we feel pretty cramped when we visit the UK or Europe … but the UK especially has MUCH more beautiful countryside, gorgeous flowers, awesome history and amazing people. So don’t fret the smaller houses out there because you guys rock. :)
A UK garage usually is about a foot either side wider than an average car, you can ge the car in but a heck of a job getting out of it, sink he means the faucet, most UK sinks hav a hot and a cold tap and are fixed, they don't move
I have a triple garage, and my house is very average. Not creeped out by my basement. I love my basement. 😊 That house, we’re it in my small midwestern town, would be around $200-$250,000…waaay less than I’m sure it is in Connecticut.
Prewar houses often had garages, but those are the ones that are too small for today’s cars to fit in so a lot of them seem like garden sheds. I’ll bet if he thinks about all the garages he knows where a car won’t fit he will realize they were largely built pre-war.
You have to remember that we have well insulated walls, central heating, many have heated floors & fireplaces are mostly decorative, not for need. 2 car garages are quite common in the US. This is an upper middle-class home in America. The last time I was in the UK, most coversions (barn, church, etc) were open concept, too. As for basements, they're a Godsend where I live! America has a LOT of tornadoes, & I live in Tornado Alley!
The upside to the lack of fences is our back yards (back gardens) blend into one another, so it feels like we have more land than we do. Some areas of the country (Arizona and others) have walled-in back yards, but a lot of people in the Northeast have no fence or a see-through fence to make the yard feel bigger.
His house isn't exactly typical but I know people who have decorated, entertainment, investment spreads. He's from Connecticut probably in law, corporate or finance and so puts effort in the project which goes with the job. Public image is important. He knows how to decorate his home for events. He's not filthy rich, but he's well off. Seems like a down to earth guy.
He's a Kiwi and in IT. He has a pretty well established UA-cam channel - although I don't think he's making a ton at it even with the sponsorships / selling car drying towels. Six figures for sure but likely not more than about $300-400k.
@@Scotty_in_Ohio That seems about right. Upper middle class and on his way to entry-level rich. Not old-money rich unless this is his fourth house that he bought to get his kid into a particular school district.
@@kat7047 Average for SOME neighborhoods. A third of Americans don't live in detached houses at all... apartments, condos, and row houses (terraces for the British readers) are common here. And a lot of perfectly nice detached houses from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s are smaller than this one. This house is average for new construction in a neighborhood that sells to the top 25% or so. Not the top 1%, which would be fancier, but not the median income either. I know that most Americans think they're middle class, but there's lower middle, middle middle, and upper middle. This is upper middle for sure.
The "open" floor plan is pretty normal. My house was built in 1977, so it was pretty closed off. We have knocked down walls and made it more open now, though. It's also pretty normal to have a dining room as well as a breakfast nook. I think more people have a garage than not. I have a two car garage and both cars fit in it. I never had a garage until this house I live in now. I don't ever want a house without one now. I LOVE having a garage. You don't have to be in the rain when you have groceries and stuff.
Lewis discussing backyard privacy and it leads to him saying "what if you wanted to be a ballerina in your underwear" is a visual i just can't unsee now 😂😂
@@marytoms9757 well yes of course Mary, we were just playing around. Obviously. I mean we all know Lewis isn't actually going to be a ballerina, in his underwear, outside. 😂 Just having some fun 😉✌️
Open plan houses became popular 20 years ago. Some people like them, and some don't. Most houses built since the early 1970's have 2 car garages that fit 2 big cars.
Privacy fences are still nice, keeps the people wandering around from cutting through your yard and I dont have to worry about the dogs when I let them out back to do their business. I think chain fences are ugly but, I am sure for city living if you have any sort of a yard, very well needed.
@@vir9002I lived in Brooklyn, NYC all my life and when I got married we moved into a 2 family house and all the houses have fences some with that cheap see through fence, but where we lived they had a White Beautiful Thick Decorative Fence that the fence was I would say 10 to 12 feet high and nobody can see through it,and the metal was thick not skinny 🥰 We moved to Florida in 2021 for my Hubby retired. I hate Florida Soooooooo much, the Humidity is awful. Also, I MISS MY BOYS SOOOOOOOO MUCH 💔😪😪😪 AND MY FRIENDS 😢 I HAVE NOBODY HERE EXCEPT MY HUBBY 😢 We moved into a 55 Community and I'm the youngest one here as I am 55. Also, I'm a Brooklyn Girl and we speak differently not saying disrespectful but I can't be myself. It's Soooooooo Boring, and every County you go to has the same Supermarket and same clothing stores, etc. Before the Illegal Immigrants came when I was living in NYC I would hop on the train go to Manhattan and go around Central Park, etc and do my Photography, here there's nothing interesting and unique except for St. Augustine. My Hubby worked for The City of New York and with the prices of rent, utility bills, food, medical, car, etc., living off of Social Security, his Work Benefits we had no choice, but watching all that's happening with these Illegal Immigrants that's now come to my Hometown in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn which is the nicest part of Brooklyn where the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is where they filmed Saturday Night Fever on the Bridge, and having Shore Road where there's a Bike Lane, Jogging, Fishing in the Hudson Bay, Sitting on the Benches as you watch the water and the Bridge is Surreal. No need to have a car to go to get a Birthday card, Pizza, Supermarket, Haircut, Nail Salon, Cafe Cafe, plenty places to eat that are small businesses not cheap chains, People you see just about everyday and become friends and chit chat on the sidewalk or if you have time go get a cup of coffee together ❤️ Florida Is What I Call "THE ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD" since I was 18 years old for this is where people come to die and here I am being punished since the day I was born, because I don't know what I did in my past life but God or whatever created us has put me through HELL AND HE'S NOT GOING TO KILL ME YET CAUSE HE LOVES WATCHING ME SUFFER IN PAIN EVERYDAY, BUT THE DAY I SEE HIM OR IT I'M GOING TO HAVE MY WAY AND SEE HOW HE LIKES IT 😡🙄💔😪
@@vir9002 my neighbor got some kind of rat terrier or something but some how he climbs the privacy fence it's probably 7 ft or so and tries to bully the bull mastiff on one side and the saint Bernard in the back of his house 😂
I realize I'm generalizing but I've noticed that European and British men who are nice looking aren't as arrogant as American men who are good looking, or even not as fun to look at. On the other hand every Australian man I've met, I mean every one of them, whether good looking or unfortunate looking have been atrociously arrogant and expect the women in his workplace to bow down when he enters, simper and remain quiet unless they have something like, "Oh! What a man!!!" to say or similar. And let me reiterate, I know I'm generalizing.
Absolutely open floor plans are a thing in the US…your kitchen dining room and living rooms are usually tied together so u can be cooking and still be involved in the conversations going on in the other rooms on top of hearing the tv with sporting events so u don’t miss out on anything and u r not “isolated” from any of the entertainment from or for your guests. It’s brilliant actually.
it' s horrible really. if you don't want guests staring at your dirty dishes and pots you just used for the dinner. it's ridiculous to hold a conversation while cooking !
I live in a 1956 ranch. The living/dining room is connected. The family room and kitchen are connected. Open enough for me. I couldn't live in one room.
Open concept is all over the States, houses that aren't open concept are often renovated to a open concept style. We like to be able to talk to family and see the kids from the Kitchen, it helps the cooks feel more included. Doors everywhere seems claustrophobic. The garage has two cars, work bench and a riding lawn mower :)
We have a double garage with a shop attached and extra room on the side for storage. We have open doorways. We also have a dining room. Our refrigerator is the same. Yes, most houses are like this home. The first room is called the living room, the TV room is called the family room. We have solid wood fences and our home is on 1/3 acre. We have a pool and lots of privacy. Love your sweet little dog. I feel very fortunate. Lot's of hard work to achieve this.
Many people work very hard and do not achieve what you have. Consider yourself lucky to be hard-working AND having all those nice things. Count your blessings. Sounds very nice.
We have a lovely home as well but this Connecticut home is most definitely NOT like “most houses are”. As others have said, this is the home of upper middle class.
I would like to add that this is the result of a lifetime of work. I'm 64 amd husband is 66. Our home has many extras but is also very simple. We opted for more square footage to something fancier since we like a cozy home.we do our own upgrades, cleaning and all our own yard work as well as maintaining the above ground pool. We have family that live with us, which is lovely. This has and is helping our adult kids launch their own business. We rarely eat out enjoying cooking at home. This also saves money and my husband does most of the work on the cars.
In America, most homes built after 1980 will have a double garage because it usually takes 2 adult incomes to pay a mortgage. Two workers=2 paychecks=need 2 cars to get to different locations for work. American homes are not designed to be particularly energy efficient, room by room. There is an actual term for this kind of design, it’s called “Open Concept” where one room flows into another. Again, when rooms do have a door separation, you can choose to close a door and heat a particular room only. This approach (heat one room at a time) will lower the heat requirements in the rest of the rooms. Save a little money, which most Americans choose not to do.
My parents had a house built in the late '60s. 3 bdrms--one converted to the den. 1.5 WC's. 2 car garage + a carport that eventually became parking for my car. Crawlspace instead of basement due to the high water table. Still, our sump pump ran on a regular basis every Spring.
from Gerry- New houses always have an open concept. That's great for Moms because you can see your children while you are in the kitchen. This is a larger than normal house. I would think this fellow has a great job and is able to afford the best. I have a one car garage and my rooms are half the size of this guy's. I do have an acre of land which I love. I live in Pennsylvania. Blessings
Well, Crow! If basements freak you out, you'd have had a helluva time in the 60s and 70s. That's where we partied. Haha! The good old 70s rumpus room. The shag carpet, (the ghastliest color was a must), a nice Marantz stereo system, a few board games, (Risk was one we played a lot) and of course albums and albums of the 60s and 70s rock music!
@myowndrum286 "Rumpus Room" - have not used that term in years and years! My grandparents had a rumpus room in their split level home; had a nice bar with stools, a big television area nearby with seating, and another section with a card table (had space for poker chips & your drink) and chairs. Another area had a model railroad train set (I think Grandpa was a big kid, and Grandma taught her great-grandchildren how to play cards for pennies). Good memories.😊
I got on base housing with an upstairs laundry room and now I'm spoiled. Lugging laundry up and down the stairs for a family of six is no joke. We moved and now have a laundry room downstairs again and it's all first world problems but now I have "fancy" home expectations.
My sons fiancé is from England, the first time she came to visit us she had the same reaction to our home. We took them out to dinner a few times and she was amazed at the amount of restaurants we had. My wife took her shopping and she couldn't believe the size of our department stores.
Texas, many of us have fairly big houses. Open concept is a must. I made sure my house was open concept. (Only doors for bedrooms/bathroom). And nice tall fence.
So Lewis, once again it’s about zoning and building code when it comes to a basement! You see the underground water table has to be deep enough so that if you dig down you’re not going to break into it. Every city knows the depth of that water table. So houses that have basements, the water table is pretty deep. Areas where the water table is close to the surface you won’t find basements.
Also, houses in the north tend to have basements because concrete slab floors would crack when the ground freezes. Proper basements go below the frost line.
This is a typical suburban American home. Because of central air and heating, doors between main living spaces are no longer a thing. It was for heat and energy conservation. But modern design favors open designs. In many of the older cities, in the row homes, pocket doors that slid out of the walls used to exist, some still have them, but they aren't really used anymore. Also, basements are done in areas where the soil can handle it. Desert areas, swamp lands and shifting type ground will not have basements.
"Front Room" also can be called a "Sitting Room". Often does not have a TV and it used for basically just relaxing or sitting or reading or conversing with visitors, friends, etc {hence the name "sitting room"}
No, this is not typical or average house. This is a more affluent household. Having a garage is normal, sometimes even for a rented apartment. Open floorplan is the preferred plan for US houses of more modern times. Older ones that weren't planned well are usually renovated to be more open. My house from the late 70s has 3 archways and one wide squared entrance opening into rooms. Bathrooms and bedrooms have doors. All closets have bi-fold doors. There is a door to the laundry room. Other rooms and hallways are open to each other. I have living room and family room (tv room). I have No garage and instead have a 2 car carport that's built in, covered by the house roof. It would cost about $20k to convert it to a garage. I have wooden fences in three spots, and neighbors built block wall fences behind me and to one side.
Yes L3WG, I live in states and most US homes on suburbs don't have formal fences. When we moved in, we had no fences on either side (either neighbor)...but the one neighbor planted huge trees that you can't see through (Arborvitae) so you can't see that neighbor at all. The other neighbors never had any fences OR bushes or hedges. My husband is British and he's more like you...wanted privacy. My husband LOVES our massive basement...he has his Man Cave down there (games, bar, fridge, TV, music comfy chairs) and on the other side I have my more girlie side. We definitely don't have many doors....just doorways. In the USA we don't have many carpets...mostly area rugs. Carpets were in fashion in the 80s. Since the 90s hardly anyone has carpets...if you buys a house with carpets, people rip up the carpet and add area rugs over beautiful hardwood. Most homes have walk in closets now too. Why I think it's different is England is such an old old country with so much HISTORY! A drive through the very top of England to the very bottom of England takes about 8 hours??? From the East to the West about 3 hours??? The USA is a very young country and it's huge! To drive the northern most part to the southern most part would take at LEAST a day! www.travelmath.com/driving-time/from/Maine/to/Florida and from East to West about 2, but more like 3 days (because you have to drive around the mountains and hit big city traffic. So UK houses are usually older, smaller and more traditional (usually were build in the late 1800s or early 1900s), they have lots of doors and the garages were usually for horses and carriages (much smaller and more narrow then a comfy car). Also US and Aussie's and New Zealanders LOVE their SUNSHINE...so we have lots of windows and open floor plans are also very fashionable now. In the big old cities like in New York City....the houses (apartments) are more like the houses in England. They are older, darker and have more doors. Privacy is more important to people in the cities...if they have gardens, they definitely try to create privacy. It's sometimes cheaper and prettier to use Bushes, hedges, shrubs and trees to add privacy and Americans are pretty friendly. They want their kids to play with other neighborhood kids. That's been changing since the pandemic. This is just my opinion and for my area and my travels in the USA. Hope this info helps....and COME ON OVER! We are pretty friendly here and we LOVE the Brits! :D
In England they tax you by the number of rooms and closets count as a "room". So people buy standing wardrobes instead of paying Uncle Kingsley. My back yard has plenty of trees all around. Even though I'm in the city I could be walking around naked back there and nobody would know.
@@protorhinocerator142 that's crazy, they tax you for your closets! I had no idea! No wonder there are more wardrobes. Thanks for sharing this info. Reminds me of the Beatles song "Taxman". My Hubby and I love visiting England and the rolling hills of England are truly beautiful. But we couldn't ever imagine living in such close quarters and paying so much more. The only other big plus is your taxes are a little more earmarked and IMHO done a little better there. Your roads are decent and you have no worries about paying for hospital or emergency care. It's a real problem. For example, I had to have eye surgery (to SEE)...not lasix....but a cataract that was making it impossible to see in the evening. Cost to date? Almost 18K and the bills are still coming in. For older folks that can't make it up by working more as they are retired...it's a real problem. Heck, it's even a problem for me and I am still in my working years. But comparing UK houses and land to USA houses and land in general, you definitely get more for your money here in the USA states overall. Man oh man,...I feel for you about the closets mate! Thanks again for your enlightening post!
@@protorhinocerator142 That’s crazy that you are taxed like that. I always wondered why closets weren’t very common there. Thank you for sharing this information. 😊 It’s very interesting.
It’s common to see Americans also have a second fridge/freezer in the garage for extra storage space/ drinks / beer etc
My parents are up to 2 industrial freezers and 1 regular fridge/freezer combo in the basement. It looks like McDonald's back room. Incase this gets read, it's partially bc they found out how much cheaper it is to purchase a whole or half cow and needed space.
@@megan2178 Smart! I’m going to do this as well hopefully soon
We didn't have one growing up, but my sister has a garage fridge as does the family I rent a room from.
I have a normal refrigerator in the kitchen. I have one in our laundry room as well, just for drinks and ice. We have a deep freezer in our garage. That is for frozen food that you don't need as often. It's defiantly not typical but not uncommon either, if you have a house.
@@megan2178 we buy 1/4 cow at a time.
This is definitely not the typical American home. This guy is doing very well. Safely in the upper middle class.
Agreed! This is a very nice home and was probably veeery expensive.
This is an upper middle class home but still middle class.
Depends on where you live. Looked like a pretty normal size, maybe a little larger. But pretty typical for outer suburbs, at least in my experience in Ohio. But a family friend's daughter, while they were visiting from California, commented how she thought we lives in a mansion. I was still a kid at the time was confused because I assumed all houses were like ours. Anecdotal, but it does show that large regional differences in the US as well.
@@abigailturner1776 again not for the average person upper middle class isn't the average
Also, being in Connecticut, the prices could be up to $750 K +.
Depends on what it is close to.
My guess would be upwards of 4000 square feet of potential taxable property.
More living space would add value and having a finished and usable attic and basement would definitely add to the value!!
There’s a bit of etiquette to the (very common) open floor plan of American houses. If a room has a door that closes, it’s not a public space. So common rooms such as the kitchen, den, receiving room, etc. are available to everyone and open, reflective of our hospitality. On the other hand, it’s expected to have to ask for permission to go into any closed rooms
Well said!
I hadn’t thought of that, but I can see it…
I didn't even know that.
Personally I love a kitchen with a door. Kind of tired of open floor plans.
@@missblackwood I wouldn’t mind that, I hate people in my way when I’m cooking 😆
This isn’t what nearly half of American houses look like but the open floor plan is more common for houses built after the 1970’s.
And older homes, which have been remodeled.
I had a split level in GA and loved my above ground basement. Turned it into a huge playroom for kids and could dart downstairs during a tornado. In MS,I can’t have a basement due to water levels.
I hate that “open floor plan” Sh-! Ugly!
i was going to say This is what People call "Open Concept" which the Rich love.
@@ajplays7241 I h8 it! The only way I would live in one of those awful places is if someone gave it to me and I didn’t have pay the mortgage.
I would never pay my own $ for that -h!t even if I were a billionaire!
Ugly hideous ugly!
Dang, the guy has a BMW, Porshe, AND this huge house?!? This is definitely NOT an average American home. This guy has money! 💰💰💰
My family loves big houses like this.
This guy is not normal. He’s doing very, very well.
Do you think this is a huge house?🤣
Financed! Owes ton of money.flashy means new money! 🤑
@@wheretonext2023 Yes, Mr. Rich, yes.. this is a very large house. Easily 2400sqft not even counting the basement and attic. My house is 1400sqft, and Zillow estimates it's value is $237,000 in a small town in Tennessee. Luckily I got it for roughly half that price before the market went to hell... but I can't imagine what this house in the video would cost in Connecticut. I looked up houses similar to this one near me, and I found a few, some larger some smaller, but they were in the price range of $500,000 to $950,000.... so don't tell me this isn't a huge house.
This house is in Connecticut, which is one of the most expensive states to live in (tax-wise, etc). A house like this, being in Connecticut, is insanely expensive. This man is upper-middle class at the very least.
What would you say?
3500 Sq Ft or 4000 Sq Ft??
Adding a potential finished attic and basement would create a bunch of taxable space.
Thats why you dont tell anyone you finished the basement until you sell it. Duh. Lol@markboozer3234
Yes agree but if this same house was in Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi ect ect it would be a 1/3 of this price .
@@chrisvargo5163 It doesn't work like that. When you go to sell it, they'll find out you didn't get the building permits and the house won't sell. Then the town comes in and you're in worse trouble than it not just selling.
@sugarkitty4777 if you don't live in the right state I agree.
This might seem "open" compared to a typical British home, but this is still quite 'closed' for American houses. A typical American floor plan is much more open than this, especially in newer homes.
I was just coming to say the same thing. Compared to UK homes this seems open, it's pretty closed off compared to American houses.
I hate open floor plans. You can always see everybody, and it gets old.
@@brandyforsythe1882 I've been in quite a few homes where the only interior walls are around the bedrooms and bathrooms, everything else is one big room
Open concept is very popular right now in New construction.. but older homes are segmented into rooms.. Dining room wasn't being used other than a place to set things, so many of us have done away with dinning room, and a kitchen island with sitting area is put in its place.. open to living area with TV..
It seems like a normal open house plan to me.
We have doors on bedrooms and bathrooms, maybe on a laundry room, but rarely elsewhere. A one and a half or 2 car garage is common.
The basement in American houses are not only use for storage or for fun things, but tornadoes, if one lives in tornado alley a basement is a must.
Not necessarily. You can shelter in a ground level bathroom, specifically in the tub. Lots of people in tornado-prone areas don't have basements.
I use mine for tornadoes. My house has been hit by 2 tornadoes. We had to have our roof replaced both times.
@@dsmith9796 What do you call southeast? I live in Georgia and we have plenty of basements. My son lives in Texas and he said they don't have basement. He says it has something to do with the quality of the soil.
In some states the ground can't support a basement because of the soil. But like you said if you live in tornado alley a basement is a must or at the very least you have to have an underground storm cellar. Our town has been hit by tornadoes several times.
I don’t have a basement but I have an underground storm shelter.
just be aware, this is a VERY NICE house in the U.S. and not typical of most of them. A. it's newly built, so it has many new building techniques. B. a lot of money went into not only building it, but also decorating and the appliances and other stuff inside. C. it appears to be on 2 acres of land and that can be expensive near a large city.
Nah average US home is 2400sqft
Honestly new construction homes are built rather cheaply. Don't get me wrong, still very expensive to build, but there didn't appear to be anything particularly expensive about it other than the decorative materials (floors in particular). Also, seems to me it's on 1 acre (wide-angle camera makes it seem larger than it really is), which is pretty much as large as you can expect for a residence in Connecticut.
This home on 2 acres is over a million dollars in most places in the us
I'm considered lower middle class(blue collar) living in the flyover state of Arkansas.....I have a 1900sq/ft 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage with work shop attached, seperate laundry room sitting on a .25 acre and I paid $150k..... compared to places like LosAngeles and New York, my property and home would be worth millions.....it's all perspective and like you always hear " Location, Location, Location" .
@@jimglasco - You may consider yourself that, but if you look at averages in the US, you are solidly center middle class. Definitely not lower middle class as I grew up in that segment of the economy and you are definitely better off than a lower middle class household.
I’m 23. Growing up, my family has always had an open backyard and open front yard. No one ever cares when people are outside doing their own thing. As long as you’re not disturbing your neighbors or being disrespectful, things are usually fine. As a kid, when I would go outside, it was always normal to speak to the neighbors and say hello. It’s still the same now (at least for me it is). I’ve never experienced a neighbor just watching and staring. That’s really creepy😂
What I have seen most commonly if people want privacy is they will plant a row of trees or bushes
In general, if folks are respectful of each other in the backyards at the same time.. folks who do "interesting activities are responsible for putting up a privacy fence of some kind.. But it's varied. I've lived in fenced-in back yards, wide open no barrier, cement block privacy walls with entrance gates at side.
Open yards in the back are not common in the western states. I have seen much more of that in the east and south.
It’s Connecticut, it’s OVERPRICED.
A friend was telling me that yards like that are rare because they've never seen anything like that.
I showed them the Charlie Brown/Peanuts cartoons because that was the first thing I realized watching them.
Every time the background showed the houses, all the land was open with very few fences. I always thought that was really cool since I grew up in a semi rural suburb with several open front yards
In my neighborhood, it was the back yards that were fenced and fairly private. In my childhood home, the corner house on the right had a brick wall one the street side of their yard and a chain link fence on our side.
Like someone else said, we wouldn't stare at our neighbors. We'd look, but then move on in minding our own business. I guess it was about privacy and manners from my family's pov as they taught us never to stare into our neighbors back ysrds
House prices in the US vary greatly depending on where the home is located. Reminder, the US itself is enormous. It is about the same size as Europe with a similar wide variety of climates, landscapes, and economic conditions. This would be an upper middle-class home where we live.
Middle class Mississippi suburbs!
The golf course subdivisions are more expensive and lake homes.
Upper middle-class in NE TN.
Middle class in Texas
This house, in my area St. Louis, Missouri, would sell for $500,000.00.
Open concept floor plans have been the norm here in America for 20 years now. If a home is closed off like each room its probably a really old property that has not been updated.
I'd say way longer than 20 years though.
@@lisajanes1005agreed, open concept has been commonplace since the 70s i. the states
More like 60 years.
Even then, it's very rare to see a door to access the kitchen or a living room. Just walk right in. If you made it into the house, you can walk right in.
Bedrooms and bathrooms, not so much.
Longer than 20 years. I am 60 and have always lived in a home with an open floor plan.
I’m an American and jealous of his house. 1400 sq feet and 3 bed-1bath in tornado alley with a cellar. Have a Honda CRV 😂
If it makes it any easier for you; even as you get bigger, nicer homes it still feels inadequate. Leaving a yarning for more house, a better car and so on. It is like comparing you to someone who has a 2 bedroom apartment and has a beater Ford Escort from the 90's. They'd love to have what you got but, you don't often think about how much they want what you have. Human greed is a truly endless cycle.
@@pharag4886 I'm from asia, where houses are usually the family's place of business too (there's a store at the front of the house or the street level, while the living quarter is in the back or upstairs). The houses touch the neighbors on both sides/shared walls or 2 separate walls with a gap that only water and air can get in between breeding gap for insects and mold, unless your house is next to an alley way, then only one house on one side touches yours. Hardly or no yard, you garden on a balcony or on the roof. No garage, but then rarely do people have cars, we ride motorcycles/moped. I migrated to the US and the only one thing I craved, I got: the house doesn't touch my neighbors' because I have yard around it. I'm happy. That's my childhood dream of owning a small house in a middle of a yard.
@@d.a.tsun5104 I've actually seen a lot of businesses like this in the United States too tho
Definitely not an average house.
@@celestialmajesty2053 Where? I don't think it's 'allowed' by any zoning codes/ordinances. The only thing similar is 'garage sale', where people use their yard or garage or shed to sell stuff. But they circumvent the ordinances (paying tax) by only open seasonally.
I like how he just glides by his $10,000 stove and oven. His home is nicely updated.
The range judging by emblem and legs is likely a Bertazzoni, which is not a $10K range. $4.4K. Still, a lot of money but couple grand less than Wolf or Miele.
I love the molding
"Nicely update." That's an understatement!
Yeah this guy is loaded. Looks like he has a house cleaner too because it’s CLEAN!
IKR? I can't afford just one of those and I'm doing well for myself!!
It's called an open concept and it's more common now than it was in the past. Our house has two garages and an open floor plan. It makes the house a lot brighter and also makes it look bigger.
Its called a open floor plan basically no doors except on bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, and exterior doors. Its pretty common. It provides a less caged up feeling and allows for you to move more freely and have more usable space.
And it is extremely popular in newer homes in the US.
This is surprising for someone in the UK, as most homes there do not have central AC or heating.
It's cheaper to build without so many interior doors and walls, so the builders have promoted "open plan" layouts for the last few decades. This house looks like it's been remodeled from an order design that originally had doors separating most rooms.
An open floor plan is about a lack of walls, not simply doors. So your kitchen, dining room, and family room might just be a single space. Merely removing doors does not suddenly make an open floor.
@@jerrylohr3491 I agree that this looks like an older home that has already been remodeled once. But I am over 60 years old and there were never any "doors" between rooms even in the first home my parents bought when I was age 2. And that wasn't even new then. The older houses boasted having "cased" openings that let air flow better and hear the children when they were up to mischief.
In more modern homes, the walls are often removed entirely because the beam support structures are built much larger to easily handle the weight of the rooms on the second floor and also the roof. Most often what we see in modern homes is an open concept first floor and a second floor with separate rooms and doors. Second floor rooms include bedrooms but also often offices, media/gaming rooms and play rooms for small children.
1) He lives in an upscale area of Connecticut 2)he may live in a development that does not allow fences (likely controlled by an HOA) 3) the room attached to the kitchen is a family room and the other is a formal living room 4) completing an unfinished basement and attic will exponentially increase the value of the home. 5) common spaces typically do not have doors 6) garages (that is a two-car garage) allow you to park and enter and exit your vehicle 7) that is an oversized lot and I'd say they paid a lot for it. I've seen McMansions with handkerchief size lawns.
In most places with a "leash law", the HOA cannot prevent you having a fence in which to keep your pet. They can, to some extent, restrict placement and size, but they cannot exclude a fenced area.
@@deaniej2766 My sister lived in an upscale development in OH where you could not have a physical fence, only the electronic invisible fences for your pets. That's the only reason I know this is a restriction in some places. Would I ever live there? Absolutely not.
are you an appraiser? if not then you shouldn't tell people what will increase the value of a home.
@@nothanks4509 It's really not that difficult to guess. Anytime you make improvements to a home, it most likely will increase the value. Even something as simple as upgrading the electrical box increases the value of a home.
This is NOT a "McMansion"🙄
During 80's, the open kitchen living room became popular so you could cook, and still be around your family, talk, even watch TV. Wood floors became popular again over carpet, because they don't collect dust and pet hair, also don't attract dirt so no dirty pathways develop, no stains, no expensive yearly carpet cleaning, and way better for allergies.
I get your point, open kitchens are very social.
But I hate them.
Walk in the front door and you’re greeted by a sink full of dirty dishes. The smell of cooking permeates the house.
No thank you!
😎
@@LoveyK And you cannot cook or run the dishwasher AND comfortably watch TV. And every noise echoes through the house. I live in a cold climate and it is mighty uncomfortable without carpeting. You still get the same amount of dirt and dust, but your cleaning options are different. Vacuum vs Swiffer. Also, I believe newer houses in the US have a lot of wasted space, such as the large foyer. Someone has to pay the heating and a/c bills, and a new roof on the house in the video will cost $15,000. Remember to add maintenance to your mortgage when deciding whether you can afford the house. Unfortunately most new homes in the US are larger and larger, and many middle class families have been priced out of the market or are now 'house poor'.
@@pamelasonday-swiger8708 Spot on!
This house is not typical because it is very obvious that this owner is very well to do. BUT a lot of Americans are using open floor plans, fewer doors or sliding barn doors. This is a gorgeous home with the upgrades. And Dr. Crippen is probably the reason UK houses do not have basements.
@@merryb7112 agree
I lived in Germany for 4 years and can probably accurately say why American homes are more open than European homes. Europe still uses radiators for each room, and each radiator has its own on/off temp control. Whereas American homes are almost all central heating and air. One thermostat to control the temp for the whole house. European houses have to have doors for every section of the house to regulate heat and conserve the cost. In America you're going to pay the same to heat one room as it is for all rooms because closing a vent in one room doesn't stop the system from running.
I don't know buddy, I think our modern USA HVAC systems are significantly more efficient than what you are talking about.
@@TheDickstormThat is his point.
Newer homes do have central air systems, some older homes have them retrofitted in, but older American homes still have radiators like yours. Remember, central air was not widely used in residential homes until the 1900s, so even the "New World" U.S.A. was approaching 150 years old and the homes in some areas over 200 years old before air conditioning was a thing.
That's an truly old system old ways old country it makes sense the monarchy there wants to stay vintage and no to grow in a modern style much but I can appreciate vintage classy buildings.
And closing a vent is not advised as it results in condensation forming in the ducts
I love your commentary. I'm an expat Brit in the US. houses do tend to be more open plan here (built in the last 20-25 years). This is a lovely house, price/value really does depend on location. Garages are standard in the suburbs. In cities, not so much! This guy's clearly not poor based solely on his cars LOL
I'm an American and I value my privacy. Good fences make good neighbors and whatnot.
Amen🙏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾
We have a lot more large wildlife that needs to be able to roam & if everyone had fences it would really impact how they live.
That part!
@@gunnybunny4081oh shush. People like you suck
Very true! It's a great home... but that cute dog is the real star of the show... 👍🏽
I’m American and even *I* am envious of this house, it’s so spacious and beautifully done. Lol. But that isn’t really affordable to the average homeowner. Not only the size and amount of rooms would make this a pricer home, but also those finishing touches around his home such as the wainscoting, crown molding, tray ceiling, wooden floors, raised ceilings, all adds up quickly to the price of home. Oh and also that huge yard would bring up the price of that property as well! That would likely be over $1 million in the state of Florida (and we can’t even have basements in majority of Florida because much of the land here is below sea level). An average, but still quality home here in Florida is around $350,000 and would be just as lovely just not as spacious with all those extra rooms, and likely no crown molding/wainscoting, and a yard half the size (or perhaps even less yard than that). And all newer built homes have the open floor plan concept that is similar to his, as that indeed became a trend here after like the 1980s, or perhaps 70s.
If you don’t want an open floor plan, you’d be better off buying a home in one of the older neighborhoods whose homes were built prior to the 70s.
The part of the country you live in has a lot to do with the price of homes and property. I live in Texas. Our 6 acres, house, shed, pool, pool house, water well, and garden spot cost 248000.00. Nine years worth of improvements, retainer walls, tree work, metal shop\tractor shed have now brought our appraisal up to almost half a mil. Not possible in some places.
Common rooms don’t usually have doors. So like living room , kitchen and dining rooms don’t have doors. His front room could also be called a formal living room and doesn’t typically have tv as it for entertaining guest. A family room or living room or den would most likely have a tv.
Also, with yards, fencing can be expensive especially when you have a larger piece of land. Sometimes it’s not possible to have a big fence and if there is a fair bit of space between neighbors, it’s not really worth it.
@@tschuss5978yeah in the south larger properties may have triple strand barb wire until you get near the house if they have that
That's exactly what I was going to tell him
But many gardens, back yards, are fenced in as well .
Yes we have a living room in the front with just chairs and couches, then a den in the back with the TV, which is where I'm sitting now. Haha
Once you pull up carpet and see the filth that stays in the carpet you are big on hardwood floors. They are warmer than tile and much cleaner. Allergy problems have been connected to carpet. Years ago, most floors new wood with throw rugs. Really easier to clean as well. His house is on the higher end of the average homes.
This is higher level home than what is common. My home was built in 1973 and only one floor. We have a laundry room, walk-in pantry, kitchen, dinning room, living room, 2 car covered parking (not a garage), front yard, back yard, covered patio, large shed for lawn equipment and holiday decorations. Our stove is natural gas and has 5 burners. Our refrigerator is much bigger than I wanted but was what the wife wanted.
The thing to know about U.S. residences is they vary WIDELY depending on income and geographic location in our HUGE country. So, yes, depending on location, many homes are like this, but many are not. It's this way in my city of 260,000 people: many very nice homes like this and many much more modest. We value our privacy but not in the same way Brits do, where you don't and don't want anyone looking over the garden wall.
We are FRIENDS with our neighbors! If we are partying or having a BBQ, they are invited!
Same with ours
Anybody else concerned he talked about ballet in his undies??? Are Brits just.....WEIRD? That would explain the fences. It would explain a lot of things, actually!
Fences are usually to keep dogs in or, where we live, keep deer out.
Even GOOD neighbors need fences with a door.
Don't forget about the block parties! 😊
A lot of older homes have rooms we don't use. There is the "front/living room" that is where you put the nice stuff and the kids aren't allowed, the "den/family room," where the TV and comfy and sometimes shabbier furniture goes, the "dining room" for sit-down dinners, the "kitchen table" is where most meals and informal/non-holiday meals happen. I've always lived in houses with this type of setup.
Some would know the front room as a parlor or sitting room.
Same
The front room / parlor is for receiving guests. That is why it is kept clean and nice.
Pretty typical home layout in the US with nice upgrades. This home in Connecticut is valued at around $859,000 . This would be about $2 - $3 million in SF/ Bay Area of California to give you comparison. In a suburb of a major city in the Midwest it would likely go for around $500,000, give or take $100k.
Not nowadays, the housing prices have soared. House like this, easy 1M in Md or Va.
This is over a million in Massachusetts
Lewis, check out a TV show in the US (there's one in Australia, too) called "Love It or List It". If you want to see what house layouts are like, that'll give you an idea. The idea of the show is that a family is thinking about moving, but one spouse or the other likes the home they're in, but it needs a few changes. About the US team: Hillary is an interior designer, and David is a real estate agent. The couple give Hillary a budget for renovations and give David a target budget for the new house. At the end of the show, Hillary shows them the old house with the renovations, and David finds a house they could move into. The decision: love it (keep the old house with the changes) or list it (sell the old house and move into the new one). You can find episodes on UA-cam.
Absolutely love that show! Great suggestion.
Those are mostly middle class and up homes though. You rarely if ever see a sub $250k home.
Lewis should check out the show, Good Bones.
So he can see the before and after. They usually modernize the homes they work on to an open layout.
Great show if you want to see a variety of houses and their wonky layouts.
Good show
You know what I'd love to see you react to? Halloween home tours and Christmas home tours! I know. You'd probably wanna wait until the seasons come but, seeing what a big deal Halloween decor and Christmas decor is to some of us would probably be a bit of a culture shock.
The Central Air Conditioning and Central Heat flow better without doors. Our homes have doors on bedrooms and bathrooms and sometimes what we call our utility rooms where washer and dryer is. The doors are strictly for privacy otherwise the heat and air need to flow.
Exactly. On older homes every major room would have a door, often pocket doors just to keep from having to heat or cool a room that doesn't get used as much. But in modern or upgraded older homes, the doors are removed to help with climate control.
Our house is a very open floor plan with doors on bedrooms, bathrooms, and utility room but we still usually have those doors open for heat and air flow. I like the open feeling.
@@JoanCrabtree-by1gn In Arizona any room with a door has a ceiling circulation vent (looks similar to an A/C register but does not have adjustable louvers) that allows air flow into a room even with the door closed.
@AlWorth9738 Mine does.
Very true! It drives me nuts when my kids leave the doors closed around the house (unless it's for privacy in a bedroom, etc.) My HVAC needs to be efficient year-round. I live in Minnesota ffs! Frigid in the winter and swampy in the summer.
To answer your question: American homes (at least newer ones) generally have interior doors on bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets, but not on anything else. You're not usually going to see a door between, say, a front hall and a living room, or a living room and a kitchen. The one other place you might see an interior door is if the home has a basement, then the steps to it will usually have a door, but residential basements are pretty uncommon outside the Northeast and Midwest.
This is upper middle class house. New houses are getting rid of the formal dining room and expanding the kitchen and family room. More livable areas. Making it more open. 3 to 4 bedrooms and a finished basement is a typical house. And a must is a 2 car garage
*A "front room" is like a* small "living room" or a "sitting room" where you bring in neighbors or people in to talk, without bringing them through your whole house. Usually only in bigger houses.
It is often called a "preacher parlor" or a "sitting room" or a "den". It is a room where you receive guest and just sit and talk. My two sister's use theirs as music rooms. My daughter uses Her's as another office space.
The Front Parlor! as my grandma would say.
I think in different parts of the country call it different names. It could be called the living room if there is another room the family hangs out in more and that's called the "family room" and the family room used to be called the den on the West Coast.
I love that explanation!!! It is such an old school concept. And we don’t really use the formal living spaces anymore. But I remember everyone had them. We , the kids , weren’t allowed in there. It’s were all the really nice furniture and collectible Nick nacks were displayed. The carpet was pristine. We put the Christmas tree up in there. You just took me on a walk down memory lane😊.
In North Wisconsin. Parents built a large living room addition onto their farm house. The regular small living room became "the front room".
I live in Connecticut in a house built in 1762 - no basement, just a dirt crawl space, just enough room for the oil furnace & water tank. 10 rooms & 5 fireplaces on 2.5 acres.......some people have told me the house is creepy because it is so old - I feel honored to live here and wonder what it must have been like for the other families that previously lived here & raised their families..........
Def Kewl
Our home is just over a 100 years old, would love to see your home.
Wow that’s an old house! Many lives have been in, out, began and ended in that house.
Jealous! Unfortunately so many fine old home like that are falling prey to developers and "re-habbers" with sledgehammers
hubby and I just traveled to Delaware and stayed in a B&B that was built in the 1700's. The Towers in Milford De. It was so awesome. The bathroom had a huge slipper tub. I loved looking around at all of the rooms and how easy it was to imagine that time gone by. We have decided from now on when we travel we are only staying in B&B because they are usually are well maintained old houses. The Whistling Swan in NJ was another one that we really loved.
This is the second video of yours that I've watched. You have given me a long-needed elbow to the ribs, to wake me up to the abundance and variety available to Americans, that even a simple trip to Wal-Mart can bring you. You are rightfully astounded, and I have grown to be foolishly complacent. Of course, you're right. Thanks for the wake-up nudge.
I felt the same way! We can take so so much for granted if we aren't careful! How fortunate we are!
I feel the same. Things as simple as the faucet or double garage. I could not live without our open concept! I've never lived in a house without that. I imagine I would feel very claustrophobic if each room were separated out. And if I were entertaining company would be... gosh... chaos. Lol I could go on. I'm grateful for my "normal" house. We did think about moving overseas at one point, looked at houses and I put the brakes on it real fast. I need space 😅
Houses tend to have solid floors. Wall-to-wall carpet was big decades ago but now most homeowners have been switching out carpet for solid floors.
Yes, we finally figured out how gross and filthy wall-to-wall carpet is. Retired Interior designer.
Plus allergies are worsened for asthma sufferers with the retention of dander and dirt they hold... 🤔🤨😵💫
Carpets have to be replaced - hardwood floors just need to be refinished. So in the long run it is cheaper to get the hardwood floors rather than carpet.
@@katepenk3401 : And carpet holds odors. Yeck. That creates a lot more maitenance and money to have them cleaned regularly. I actually love carpeting in one or two bedrooms, but the rest of the home for me MUST be hard surfaces..... I will say that the townhome that I live in now is pretty large, and ALL hard surfaces. It is harder to keep the place warm. Gotta buy rugs, which helps but good rugs are costly when you have to place them throughout the entire home!!
I live in a 1850 Victorian home with a living room, dining room, eat in kitchen, family room, bathroom, laundry room, and office on the first floor. The back yard is enclosed with a 6 foot high fence. The second floor has a theater room, 3 bedrooms, and a bathroom. It also has a detached garage. Welcome to living in small towns in the USA. (The openings without doors are archways.)
Double is normal. TRIPLE is common too
We have a 4 car carport, no garage door, just open on the front and back. It's a double double, two cars wide, two cars deep, you can enter from either direction
The double garage became common around 1960 before that most families only had one car. Then it became common for women to drive, then teenagers stated driving, now it is common for all members of the family who can drive to have their own car, the extra cars often used and less expensive. One can guess the decade a house was built by how much space is set aside for cars. Houses built before WW II rarely have attacked garages, particularly in cities one sees homes with no garage. A lot of older homes have garages that were in place of stables which by their nature should be separate from the home for sanitary reasons.
I have a 1 1/2 car garage. There's space for 2 cars in the driveway. We don't park our car in the garage but use it as a 'day room' with the door open and a workspace when needed. It has a nice work bench and we keep the chest freezer out there. We have 4 cars. 2 are beaters and 2 are nice.
We have a two car attached garage and a 2 1/2 car detached garage.
That's not true for most of us common folks in America
In some homes we have a front room or a living room. These usually don't have TVs in here. Then we have family rooms which are like 2nd living rooms. Here is where you will find the TV. A lot of homes will have a formal dining room and another room off of the kitchen that serves as the dining room where people eat. LOL. Most houses are open-concept which means they are open without doors closing off the rooms. Some can have doors that slide into the walls as well.
Basements are usually found in cooler climates in the North and Midwest. That’s because the builders have to dig the foundation below the frost line, usually four feet deep. Since you’re already going down that far, might as well add a few more feet and gain an entire floor for a basement instead of just a crawl space. In the South and West, where you can build on a concrete slab, you don’t get basements at all.
I have a basement in Florida. LoL.
I had a basement when I lived in Georgia. Many people did but they called it a cellar or root cellar... in older houses it is where you kept food to keep it cool in the summer and not freeze in the winter. In our house we ran our home business out of ours.
We don't have basements because the water table is too high. They're common in North Georgia or Alabama. It all depends on the water table and whether or not it's bedrock underneath.
they are in the hot regions because basements are cool on hot days.
@@themourningstar338 portland metro has tons of basements , no need for so much air conditioning that way.
The room off the kitchen is the family room, the fancy living room. Is for guests
Or "den."
We don't call it that here anymore
This is so refreshing… I have never seen your videos prior to today. You’ve just made common features, of a home, to us, amusing 😊. It’s our normal and never imagine this would be exciting.
Thanks for the reaction to this video. I love the comparisons you made.
Theres plenty of houses like this in the UK. I think he's led a sheltered life. 😂
As several of your commenters have said location is everything. In the Kansas City area (central US) a house like the one shown runs about $450,000. Another thing to keep in mind is, that house is not more than 20 years old so it was built for today’s cars. We also definitely like hardwood floors.
He has some money. This is what’s on trend. This speaks upper middle class to me. I bought a home built in the 1960s because that was what was affordable. It has closed off rooms, but I prefer it it, because the sounds of the kitchen would bother me. Good reason to keep your house entirely spotless because you would be looking at it in it’s entirety. The garages are built to fit a 1, 2, or 3 car garage. My garage is for laundry, yard tools, storage, and a vehicle.
I love your reaction.
A two-car garage is normal.
We don't use heat pumps and radiators anymore where you can control the temperature for one room. Since we use forced-air giving one temperature for the whole house. Thus, the opening from the entry way to the front room needs no doors. The fireplace is mainly to feel cozy.
This is a big house with big yards front and back. The owner is paid a good salary. Even some very rich people may choose to have a smaller home.
I lived in New England for most of my adult life and I can tell you that this house is easily a million dollar home. He’s doing very well indeed.
A million dollar home for where you live maybe but in other states where cost of living is more reasonable this is a pretty average size and looking home. Nice house but nothing spectacular.
My niece just purchased a home in MA. I think it's just a bit smaller than this house and they paid 1.5 million.
Depends where you live, my sister sold their house that was about this size and it was $300K. They purchased a new house that was bigger for $750K in IL. Where I live it’s cheaper than that, their $750K house would be around $400-450K here. In CA would easily be $1M. Location determines everything! My friend purchased a house in a state that isn’t super popular and it’s a 4 bedroom for $175K.
@@signs9587East coast is crazy expensive, so is the west coast and FL.
Our house in middle America is bigger than this with 7 acres. $450,000 We didn’t buy it for that 16 years ago!!! What it’s value now. Freaks me out, would never pay that much!! So we will stay put.
absolutely love your reactions and commentary!! thanks for posting this!
Dude.
I bought my house in 2012. It was built in 1997, it is 3 bdr, 2 bath. 1259 sq ft. Very modest house in nampa, Idaho. I paid $90 thousand. My mortgage is $570.00.
I'm 43 yrs old. I live alone. Life is great..
I paid my 30 yr mortgage off in 15 yrs. It's amazing to be free of a mortgage!!! Property taxes in my county is about $300 a year!
Nice.. the property taxes in my county went down about $200. Now my property taxes are $1100 a yr.
So weird to see a comment from Nampa. I live in Boise in a 1050sqft townhouse that cost me $175,000 in 2020 right before the prices and interest rates went up.
@AlWorth9738 - It's common to use "mortgage" to mean "mortgage payment". Easy to figure out from the context.
This guy is so funny! We are in the mountains north of Boise, little over an acre, 1700 sq feet with an extra shop. 10 years ago it was reasonable price, now, not so reasonable!
American here. Our kitchen, dining, and living room is basically just one very big room all open. We can see straight across. It’s great.
Older houses have interior doors because they didn't have central
heat so rooms could be closed off. New homes are usually open plan.
Our home, built in 1962, is a duplex for 2 families. The only doors inside the home are the bedrooms, the bathroom, and the closets. Our floorplan is open, though small. I would imagine having doors in every room would help with retaining heat in the winter. We don't have a basement, but I do live in California which is prone to earthquakes. We park on the street, though the downstairs tenant has a double garage and the backyard which is fenced. Building code will not allow us to have fences higher than 6 feet. I enjoyed this video. Where I live, a typical 3-bedroom home starts at $1.5 million. It is expensive.
Basement were for tornados and washers, dryers, then also became rec rooms,and bedrooms.
Back in the ‘70s, one of our neighbors put up a high privacy fence on the backyard, and it caused big-time questions as to why. Turns out he had planted a bunch of pot plants. His next-door neighbors’ teenaged kids saw them from their second floor window and snuck over the fence and helped themselves. He was piiiisssed!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol.... 😂😂😂
We always told our neighbors it was Italian squash. Problem averted.
The only time we had fences was if we had a pool... It was for safety.
@@arthurpasseri4590 Yea, pretty sure your required to have a secured fence by the city if you have a pool. Attractive nuisance and all that.
This home is a more upscale version in the size of his rooms, but the amenities and floor plan are pretty standard for a multi-level home. He's living very well off. I can say that if a good house is on the market right now, he has the features that most would want - no carpets, hardwood floors, double garage, large backyard, multiple bathrooms, new refrigerator style. Some homes have a wood privacy fence, but honestly if the houses around are 2 story or more, your neighbors can still see over the fence. No biggie. No, we don't usually have doors separating every common space. Kitchen, dining room, and at least 1 sitting area are usually separated by only a door frame (if that).
My fellow Americans can correct me if I'm wrong but I think average home is 1800 to 2400 Sq ft.
I may be wrong, but I think in the old days the open doorways used to have sliding doors.
@@KarinJackson-id9sp I do remember there used to be the sliding closet doors separating the den and living room for privacy in some homes. I forgot all about them.
@@angella7576 As of the 2020 Census the average USA house is 2300 sq ft.
The size and floorplan has to do with when it was built. Older homes that had coal burning, gravity furnaces have doors to almost every room. Pocket doors for large rooms such as the living room and hinged doors for bedrooms and bathrooms. Homes built with gas or electric forced air furnaces have a more open floorplan. I live in a one story condo with an attached one car garage. The kitchen, dining, and living room is basically one huge room with a vaulted ceiling. The bedrooms, bathrooms, and Florida room have doors. It was built in 1985, and the floorplan is pretty standard for that era.
Our home has an open floor plan as well. If we have a, say a birthday party then there's plenty of room to visit with family. We have a small apartment in our basement. 1 bedroom, a kitchen, living room, and a bathroom. We have a deck on the back, a big front porch. It's a summer place to relax and visit with neighbors. We have a 2 car garage. BUT we don't park our cars in it, it's for storage for the crap we don't want in the house. We live on 2 acres of land. Beautiful!
It’s common here to see shared rooms such as kitchens, living rooms, family rooms, without doors. So many different types of houses and different ways to finish or remodel them. We do love the open floor plan! Casual and comfortable are the main priority. For privacy, bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, basements do have doors.
Open concept has been the style for decades when possible
Its actually turning a tide now and its going away.
@@chrispeterson17 Since Covid yes, more doors are going up.
Usually only bathrooms and bedrooms have doors
@@chrispeterson17 It really should be going away. Just the idea of having a living room and kitchen as all the same room is a terrible idea. Someone in the kitchen cooking, making a lot of noise, for people who really cook, with someone in another part of the room trying to watch something on the TV is just not a good thing. It would work for families who rarely cook though. It would never work in my house.
@Justme77400 Haahaa that's the thing.. many Americans don't actually COOK... we defrost stuff. 😉 We love to watch The Britts cook stews and soups.. then we walk over to the freezer. : (
My neighborhood would blow your mind- 1 acre lots, 4600 to 6400 sf, 4 car garages plus a garagmahal, pools with cabanas and castitas, miles of sidewalks, trails, and greenbelts. Looking back, I never thought I'd wind up like that, but it's very common where I live. Can't wait to sell, move to 20 acres and a custom farmhouse with our horses.
Double garage …no interior doors( heating systems make closing off rooms unnecessary)…full dining room and also breakfast areas attached to kitchen !!! I love Location,location,location in the UK for the charm of the old styles !!! We certainly have very few cottages of 100-300 year here in US…large rooms but now at 👵🏼…am in a smaller home 1800 square feet(don’t know what that is in meters!!) small lawns and garden now …land is expensive!!
A lot of people convert their Basements into Theaters, Game Rooms, In House Bar or Man Cave (She-Shed) type stuff. I'm currently turning mine into a recording studio/hang-out Area, with a Laundry room and like a "Sun Room" and a Utility/Storage area that has the Heating unit and Hot Water Heater and all that stuff.
Especially if in the Midwest with Tornado warnings all the time
I'm putting an extra bedroom and bathroom in mine, already put in the egress window! Hello resale value!
@@kimm6589 oh yeah, if I ever wanted to sell the house, I would 100% fully finish the attic and basement and turn it into like a 5 bedroom 2.5 Bathroom house... and the resale value... I'll just say, the parents chose a good place before it popped off lol 😆
So... Minimum. 3x right now.
This is an enormous house. This guy does very well for himself. This is definitely not the typical American house.
It happens to be a VERY Typical middle class house in the Midwest. About 2300 to 2800 sq ft, roughly $400K, the cars are expensive, but in the Great Lakes region factory auto workers with 20 yrs seniority or low level management with 10yrs seniority all own similar houses.
@@gregorybiestek3431 If you are in a $400k home, you are solidly upper middle class (or buying beyond your means). That is not the "typical" American. You're describing people making pretty good wages.
@@KatieBellino Michigan has an average household income of $68,000 not far off the national average of $69,000. If your area is making less, maybe you should move to the Great Lakes region to get a higher paying job to go with the more affordable housing.
@@gregorybiestek3431 If that is HOUSEHOLD income, that is terrible. In other words, housing is more affordable because incomes are less. I live in a reasonably affordable state except for the southern end and certain coastal areas (Maine). I already own a home and make a decent salary with benefits. No real debts to speak of. Thank you though.
@@gregorybiestek3431 Average home size in Michigan is 1726 sq feet. Average home sale is $291k. This house is bigger and more expensive. To be honest, I think it's more than 2800 sq feet before you even count the attic and basement areas.
My American house is an 850sqft apartment. Open floor-plan kitchen & livingroom downstairs, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom upstairs. Cheap, crappy linoleum tile downstairs. Cheap, crappy wall-to-wall carpet upstairs. One, uncovered, assigned parking spot. No yard of my own. No basement. No attic. No washer/dryer. No dishwasher.
I live in a house built in 1949. I have a fully finished basement with 1 bedroom, a kitchenette and a huge family space. It also has a workshop, huge laundry room, a walk in pantry, bathroom with shower and storage rooms. It bumps the total space to 3800 sq ft. I have pocket doors and a swinging door between kitchen and dining room. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, full kitchen, and laundry room upstairs. We paid $250K for it but it is located far away from most major shopping areas. You have to trade something to get something. Brought my husband home to the area he knew/grew in.
I wish my basement was finished.
My house is similar in size and built in 1930. 5 bed 4 bath. I live in New England and purchased for $560,000 in 2021.
Basements are ubiquitous to American houses in cold climates. Since the ground can freeze more than a meter during the winter, foundations have to be dug at least that deep. Going down a little deeper to make a usable space is considered very inexpensive.
I used to live in New York years ago. Everyone at the time who owned a home had a chain link fence. Moved to Texas and Everyone has these tall wooden privacy fences. The majority of the homes do have a two car garage. The newer homes have a 3 or 4 garage now. Due to the soil in Texas where I live we have no basement. Open floor concepts are the norm here for the most part.
And remember some states don't have basements because of earthquakes. I'm thinking California specifically.
@janellestevens2316 I did not know that.
according to public records he paid $964,500 for that house in 2015. Zillow says it's now worth $1.5M. It's 3,100 sqft, so substantially larger than the average home, and in a very expensive state.
Yikes for that sq footage it would be around 350-640k depending on age in my area.
@@msqueen3513 Mine too. But it's Connecticut.
@@sarasands5 real estate price differences per state are unbelievable!
I could have a larger square footage and major acreage in my state for less than that. USA is so unique.
Wr have a 3500 Sq ft home in Central KY. Cost $192k. Back yard is massive and looks out over undeveloped land. We're quite happy here. (The reason we bought such a large home is we have five children. )
This is a typical American home as far as layout and amenities go. Size varies but most are open concept floor plan (no doors other than the bedrooms & bathrooms), hardwood floors, basement, big backyard, multiple floors, multiple large bedrooms, master bathroom in the master bedroom, dining room, kitchen and living room next to each other, walk in closets, front room/ sunroom, a separate mudroom, office space, and laundry room. Not every home but most homes are set up like this.
Isn't the laundry room usually on a lower floor, or even the basement? He's right, it's weird (to me) that this guy's laundry room is on an upstairs floor. Also, legit hardwood stairs that lead into your attic? Granted, it is probably different for him since he is probably in the upper middle class, but the homes I've lived in have the trapdoor with a fold-out ladder.
*Typical newer home. Most houses aren't newer or open concept. Older homes especially have lots of doors, maybe not as many as in England but
still.
I think this layout is typical for the Midwest. I have lived in TX, PA, FL, OK, and CA. That floor plan would only be typical for PA.
@@swedishshortsnout5610I haven’t lived in many multi floor homes, but when I was in a three story home, in PA, my laundry was on the top floor, where the bedrooms were.
@@kaseylewis2859 Oh, ok. I've lived in two multi-floor homes. The four story home (including attic and furnished basement) had a laundry room on the ground floor. The next five story home (including attic and furnished basement) had the laundry room in a separate room in the basement. Each upstairs bedroom has a "laundry chute" hatch that you can throw clothes into and the clothes fall/slide all the way down the house directly into a bin in the laundry room. It makes things much easier.
What do the Brits do outside that they are so afraid that other people will see.
It doesn't matter anyways because their backyards are so damn small it's insane.. and anybody can figure out what anyone else is doing in their backyard if they really want to.. it's so funny how he acts with the privacy. We have backyards in the United States that are just so big that fences make no sense because they couldn't see what we were doing anyways on the property?
@@Nirvana8989 Brits live in a lot of townhouses or row houses. Or just on small lots. Probably because the Lords took all the land leaving the surfs to live like ants.
Population density England 434 per Km2
Population density USA 36 per Km2
Yeah nothing to do with being 12X more populated
@@Arthur_King_of_the_Britons so.. leave? isn't your whole thing you guys had the empire on which the sun never set? if overpopulation is causing your quality of life to suffer where it otherwise wouldn't that's on you for not being proactive about it. tiny island is tiny island.
Believe it or not, the problem is that Brits actually don't want to talk to their neighbors. We see a neighbor out and we go over and have a conversation. A Brit sees a neighbor and the first reaction is "damn, now I have to go back inside"...
You don't need basements in the UK because the winter temps don't drop low enough to freeze the ground to a considerable depth. Areas in the US get so cold you need a deep foundation so it doesn't shift the house in the freeze/thaw cycles.
Jgm my states climate is similar to UK s but we in winter get cold ice hail sometimes snow!
We’ve lived in 4 houses since getting married in the 90’s. 2 had 2-car garages and the other 2 had 3-car garages which are quite common. Usually only bedrooms and bathrooms (and closets) have doors. All of our homes have had separate dining rooms and living rooms; half of them also had a den, which is like a less formal living room. Our current house has a keeping room instead of a den … the only difference is that the keeping room is quite convenient to the kitchen. Carpet is usually only in bedrooms. Three of our homes have had basements which are fun to do projects and stuff in because you can make messes down there guilt-free … also great for storage. Honestly, we feel pretty cramped when we visit the UK or Europe … but the UK especially has MUCH more beautiful countryside, gorgeous flowers, awesome history and amazing people. So don’t fret the smaller houses out there because you guys rock. :)
You are cracking me up. Re: Sink- "Ours is just stiff." And the garage, "It don't fit a car."
What do you even mean that the sink bends? It doesn’t move at all Are you referring to the “farmhouse” style that it is?
@@K-R4154 He was talking about the faucet.
A UK garage usually is about a foot either side wider than an average car, you can ge the car in but a heck of a job getting out of it, sink he means the faucet, most UK sinks hav a hot and a cold tap and are fixed, they don't move
I have a triple garage, and my house is very average.
Not creeped out by my basement. I love my basement. 😊
That house, we’re it in my small midwestern town, would be around $200-$250,000…waaay less than I’m sure it is in Connecticut.
In Connecticut it is probably closer to 800,000-ish. Truly depends on where he is tho'. It could be closer to a million. ?
Yeah, in CT that’s over a million.
We’ve always had finished basements except for a storeroom.
Prewar houses often had garages, but those are the ones that are too small for today’s cars to fit in so a lot of them seem like garden sheds.
I’ll bet if he thinks about all the garages he knows where a car won’t fit he will realize they were largely built pre-war.
Florida would be about the same as the other prices in this thread. Nowhere near $200-$250,000.
You have to remember that we have well insulated walls, central heating, many have heated floors & fireplaces are mostly decorative, not for need. 2 car garages are quite common in the US. This is an upper middle-class home in America. The last time I was in the UK, most coversions (barn, church, etc) were open concept, too. As for basements, they're a Godsend where I live! America has a LOT of tornadoes, & I live in Tornado Alley!
The upside to the lack of fences is our back yards (back gardens) blend into one another, so it feels like we have more land than we do. Some areas of the country (Arizona and others) have walled-in back yards, but a lot of people in the Northeast have no fence or a see-through fence to make the yard feel bigger.
His house isn't exactly typical but I know people who have decorated, entertainment, investment spreads.
He's from Connecticut probably in law, corporate or finance and so puts effort in the project which goes with the job. Public image is important.
He knows how to decorate his home for events.
He's not filthy rich, but he's well off. Seems like a down to earth guy.
He's a Kiwi and in IT. He has a pretty well established UA-cam channel - although I don't think he's making a ton at it even with the sponsorships / selling car drying towels. Six figures for sure but likely not more than about $300-400k.
@@Scotty_in_Ohio That seems about right. Upper middle class and on his way to entry-level rich. Not old-money rich unless this is his fourth house that he bought to get his kid into a particular school district.
This home is average in middle America, the northeast, and the south. This is not a rich persons home.
@@kat7047 Average for SOME neighborhoods. A third of Americans don't live in detached houses at all... apartments, condos, and row houses (terraces for the British readers) are common here. And a lot of perfectly nice detached houses from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s are smaller than this one. This house is average for new construction in a neighborhood that sells to the top 25% or so. Not the top 1%, which would be fancier, but not the median income either.
I know that most Americans think they're middle class, but there's lower middle, middle middle, and upper middle. This is upper middle for sure.
The "open" floor plan is pretty normal. My house was built in 1977, so it was pretty closed off. We have knocked down walls and made it more open now, though. It's also pretty normal to have a dining room as well as a breakfast nook. I think more people have a garage than not. I have a two car garage and both cars fit in it. I never had a garage until this house I live in now. I don't ever want a house without one now. I LOVE having a garage. You don't have to be in the rain when you have groceries and stuff.
it's far better for your car too.
Lewis discussing backyard privacy and it leads to him saying "what if you wanted to be a ballerina in your underwear" is a visual i just can't unsee now 😂😂
While the neighbors dog wandered into the chat & L didn't use that as reference as apposed to a ballerina in her underwear!😂?
Was he speaking on his behalf or was he speaking on a "friends 😉" behalf. 😂
If you want to be a ballerina in your underwear, you do it inside your house.
@@marytoms9757 well yes of course Mary, we were just playing around. Obviously. I mean we all know Lewis isn't actually going to be a ballerina, in his underwear, outside. 😂 Just having some fun 😉✌️
@@lisaestes4748 oh yeah, I got it, I was just stating the obvious that the house is so big that you can do as you like inside and no one would know.
Open plan houses became popular 20 years ago. Some people like them, and some don't. Most houses built since the early 1970's have 2 car garages that fit 2 big cars.
Lots of homes have privacy fences but if the house next door has two floors, that negates the privacy lol
Privacy fences are still nice, keeps the people wandering around from cutting through your yard and I dont have to worry about the dogs when I let them out back to do their business. I think chain fences are ugly but, I am sure for city living if you have any sort of a yard, very well needed.
@@vir9002I lived in Brooklyn, NYC all my life and when I got married we moved into a 2 family house and all the houses have fences some with that cheap see through fence, but where we lived they had a White Beautiful Thick Decorative Fence that the fence was I would say 10 to 12 feet high and nobody can see through it,and the metal was thick not skinny 🥰 We moved to Florida in 2021 for my Hubby retired. I hate Florida Soooooooo much, the Humidity is awful. Also, I MISS MY BOYS SOOOOOOOO MUCH 💔😪😪😪 AND MY FRIENDS 😢 I HAVE NOBODY HERE EXCEPT MY HUBBY 😢 We moved into a 55 Community and I'm the youngest one here as I am 55. Also, I'm a Brooklyn Girl and we speak differently not saying disrespectful but I can't be myself. It's Soooooooo Boring, and every County you go to has the same Supermarket and same clothing stores, etc. Before the Illegal Immigrants came when I was living in NYC I would hop on the train go to Manhattan and go around Central Park, etc and do my Photography, here there's nothing interesting and unique except for St. Augustine. My Hubby worked for The City of New York and with the prices of rent, utility bills, food, medical, car, etc., living off of Social Security, his Work Benefits we had no choice, but watching all that's happening with these Illegal Immigrants that's now come to my Hometown in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn which is the nicest part of Brooklyn where the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is where they filmed Saturday Night Fever on the Bridge, and having Shore Road where there's a Bike Lane, Jogging, Fishing in the Hudson Bay, Sitting on the Benches as you watch the water and the Bridge is Surreal. No need to have a car to go to get a Birthday card, Pizza, Supermarket, Haircut, Nail Salon, Cafe Cafe, plenty places to eat that are small businesses not cheap chains, People you see just about everyday and become friends and chit chat on the sidewalk or if you have time go get a cup of coffee together ❤️
Florida Is What I Call "THE ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD" since I was 18 years old for this is where people come to die and here I am being punished since the day I was born, because I don't know what I did in my past life but God or whatever created us has put me through HELL AND HE'S NOT GOING TO KILL ME YET CAUSE HE LOVES WATCHING ME SUFFER IN PAIN EVERYDAY, BUT THE DAY I SEE HIM OR IT I'M GOING TO HAVE MY WAY AND SEE HOW HE LIKES IT 😡🙄💔😪
@@vir9002 my neighbor got some kind of rat terrier or something but some how he climbs the privacy fence it's probably 7 ft or so and tries to bully the bull mastiff on one side and the saint Bernard in the back of his house 😂
That is upper end, he makes $200,000 at least to have a house like that.
@@KALICOE Haha, lil dogs are crazy, they as well can squeeze through openings that look impossible for them to be doing so.
My first video with this guy!! So glad it was recommended!! This guy is charmingly adorable! Such a rarity to find a humble good looking guy lol
He is charmingly adorable….what a perfect description.
I realize I'm generalizing but I've noticed that European and British men who are nice looking aren't as arrogant as American men who are good looking, or even not as fun to look at. On the other hand every Australian man I've met, I mean every one of them, whether good looking or unfortunate looking have been atrociously arrogant and expect the women in his workplace to bow down when he enters, simper and remain quiet unless they have something like, "Oh! What a man!!!" to say or similar. And let me reiterate, I know I'm generalizing.
I agree
Absolutely open floor plans are a thing in the US…your kitchen dining room and living rooms are usually tied together so u can be cooking and still be involved in the conversations going on in the other rooms on top of hearing the tv with sporting events so u don’t miss out on anything and u r not “isolated” from any of the entertainment from or for your guests. It’s brilliant actually.
it' s horrible really. if you don't want guests staring at your dirty dishes and pots you just used for the dinner. it's ridiculous to hold a conversation while cooking !
I live in a 1956 ranch. The living/dining room is connected. The family room and kitchen are connected. Open enough for me. I couldn't live in one room.
Open concept is all over the States, houses that aren't open concept are often renovated to a open concept style. We like to be able to talk to family and see the kids from the Kitchen, it helps the cooks feel more included. Doors everywhere seems claustrophobic. The garage has two cars, work bench and a riding lawn mower :)
We have a double garage with a shop attached and extra room on the side for storage. We have open doorways. We also have a dining room. Our refrigerator is the same. Yes, most houses are like this home. The first room is called the living room, the TV room is called the family room. We have solid wood fences and our home is on 1/3 acre. We have a pool and lots of privacy. Love your sweet little dog. I feel very fortunate. Lot's of hard work to achieve this.
Many people work very hard and do not achieve what you have. Consider yourself lucky to be hard-working AND having all those nice things. Count your blessings. Sounds very nice.
Yes, I feel very, very fortunate.
@@user-fs6ou3fk9p 🤗🤗🤗
We have a lovely home as well but this Connecticut home is most definitely NOT like “most houses are”. As others have said, this is the home of upper middle class.
I would like to add that this is the result of a lifetime of work. I'm 64 amd husband is 66. Our home has many extras but is also very simple. We opted for more square footage to something fancier since we like a cozy home.we do our own upgrades, cleaning and all our own yard work as well as maintaining the above ground pool. We have family that live with us, which is lovely. This has and is helping our adult kids launch their own business. We rarely eat out enjoying cooking at home. This also saves money and my husband does most of the work on the cars.
In America, most homes built after 1980 will have a double garage because it usually takes 2 adult incomes to pay a mortgage. Two workers=2 paychecks=need 2 cars to get to different locations for work. American homes are not designed to be particularly energy efficient, room by room. There is an actual term for this kind of design, it’s called “Open Concept” where one room flows into another. Again, when rooms do have a door separation, you can choose to close a door and heat a particular room only. This approach (heat one room at a time) will lower the heat requirements in the rest of the rooms. Save a little money, which most Americans choose not to do.
My parents had a house built in the late '60s. 3 bdrms--one converted to the den. 1.5 WC's. 2 car garage + a carport that eventually became parking for my car. Crawlspace instead of basement due to the high water table. Still, our sump pump ran on a regular basis every Spring.
Open plan is favored to help the house feel large, less trapped feeling
from Gerry- New houses always have an open concept. That's great for Moms because you can see your children while you are in the kitchen. This is a larger than normal house. I would think this fellow has a great job and is able to afford the best. I have a one car garage and my rooms are half the size of this guy's. I do have an acre of land which I love. I live in Pennsylvania. Blessings
Well, Crow! If basements freak you out, you'd have had a helluva time in the 60s and 70s. That's where we partied. Haha! The good old 70s rumpus room. The shag carpet, (the ghastliest color was a must), a nice Marantz stereo system, a few board games, (Risk was one we played a lot) and of course albums and albums of the 60s and 70s rock music!
Pretty sure he means an unfinished basement. . . .
@@AnnieDC304 yeah this one is ghastly. water problems and mildew it looks like. Fiberglas above your head.
@@AnnieDC304 I think he means basements in general. I've heard him say they freak him out in other videos.
Right on!!✌🐢
@myowndrum286 "Rumpus Room" - have not used that term in years and years!
My grandparents had a rumpus room in their split level home; had a nice bar with stools, a big television area nearby with seating, and another section with a card table (had space for poker chips & your drink) and chairs.
Another area had a model railroad train set (I think Grandpa was a big kid, and Grandma taught her great-grandchildren how to play cards for pennies). Good memories.😊
Many newer homes have laundry upstairs because that's where the clothes are.
I got on base housing with an upstairs laundry room and now I'm spoiled. Lugging laundry up and down the stairs for a family of six is no joke.
We moved and now have a laundry room downstairs again and it's all first world problems but now I have "fancy" home expectations.
@@TheUselessbuthappy 😆sux 2 B U LOL
My laundry room is downstairs, but so are half my bedrooms.
yea, was explained to me that builders thot it made more sense since that was the area with the bedrooms and had more big laundry (sheets).
My sons fiancé is from England, the first time she came to visit us she had the same reaction to our home. We took them out to dinner a few times and she was amazed at the amount of restaurants we had. My wife took her shopping and she couldn't believe the size of our department stores.
Your son's fiancé from England but London? Can't think a Londoner hasn't been in big department stores in London, say, Harrods.
@@jeffweed3947 I guess you know everyone in London England!!!
Texas, many of us have fairly big houses. Open concept is a must. I made sure my house was open concept. (Only doors for bedrooms/bathroom). And nice tall fence.
So Lewis, once again it’s about zoning and building code when it comes to a basement! You see the underground water table has to be deep enough so that if you dig down you’re not going to break into it. Every city knows the depth of that water table. So houses that have basements, the water table is pretty deep. Areas where the water table is close to the surface you won’t find basements.
Also, houses in the north tend to have basements because concrete slab floors would crack when the ground freezes. Proper basements go below the frost line.
Not true, a basement in an area with a high water table can have a sump and a sump pump.
And then there's Louisiana, where they can't even dig a grave😮!!!
Sump & sump pump is an answer but it requires maintenance, pump breaks you probably have a lake under your house.
@@Alvin-o4d In areas where the water table is high, everybody has a sump pump. They're reliable. I've lived in houses with sump pumps.
This is a typical suburban American home.
Because of central air and heating, doors between main living spaces are no longer a thing. It was for heat and energy conservation. But modern design favors open designs.
In many of the older cities, in the row homes, pocket doors that slid out of the walls used to exist, some still have them, but they aren't really used anymore.
Also, basements are done in areas where the soil can handle it. Desert areas, swamp lands and shifting type ground will not have basements.
"Front Room" also can be called a "Sitting Room". Often does not have a TV and it used for basically just relaxing or sitting or reading or conversing with visitors, friends, etc {hence the name "sitting room"}
Can also be a home office
A Sitting Room may be the equivalent of a parlor or drawing room.
It used to be called the formal living room. Where people put their fancy furniture to use with guests.
It can be whatever you want or need. Often an office. Sometimes a reading room. Music room. Piano room. The options are endless.
No, this is not typical or average house. This is a more affluent household. Having a garage is normal, sometimes even for a rented apartment.
Open floorplan is the preferred plan for US houses of more modern times. Older ones that weren't planned well are usually renovated to be more open. My house from the late 70s has 3 archways and one wide squared entrance opening into rooms. Bathrooms and bedrooms have doors. All closets have bi-fold doors. There is a door to the laundry room. Other rooms and hallways are open to each other. I have living room and family room (tv room). I have No garage and instead have a 2 car carport that's built in, covered by the house roof. It would cost about $20k to convert it to a garage.
I have wooden fences in three spots, and neighbors built block wall fences behind me and to one side.
Open plan does not mean lack of doors it means lack of walls. Entries into rooms like this offer flow of people to move.through the rooms
Yes L3WG, I live in states and most US homes on suburbs don't have formal fences. When we moved in, we had no fences on either side (either neighbor)...but the one neighbor planted huge trees that you can't see through (Arborvitae) so you can't see that neighbor at all. The other neighbors never had any fences OR bushes or hedges. My husband is British and he's more like you...wanted privacy. My husband LOVES our massive basement...he has his Man Cave down there (games, bar, fridge, TV, music comfy chairs) and on the other side I have my more girlie side. We definitely don't have many doors....just doorways. In the USA we don't have many carpets...mostly area rugs. Carpets were in fashion in the 80s. Since the 90s hardly anyone has carpets...if you buys a house with carpets, people rip up the carpet and add area rugs over beautiful hardwood. Most homes have walk in closets now too. Why I think it's different is England is such an old old country with so much HISTORY! A drive through the very top of England to the very bottom of England takes about 8 hours??? From the East to the West about 3 hours??? The USA is a very young country and it's huge! To drive the northern most part to the southern most part would take at LEAST a day! www.travelmath.com/driving-time/from/Maine/to/Florida and from East to West about 2, but more like 3 days (because you have to drive around the mountains and hit big city traffic. So UK houses are usually older, smaller and more traditional (usually were build in the late 1800s or early 1900s), they have lots of doors and the garages were usually for horses and carriages (much smaller and more narrow then a comfy car). Also US and Aussie's and New Zealanders LOVE their SUNSHINE...so we have lots of windows and open floor plans are also very fashionable now. In the big old cities like in New York City....the houses (apartments) are more like the houses in England. They are older, darker and have more doors. Privacy is more important to people in the cities...if they have gardens, they definitely try to create privacy. It's sometimes cheaper and prettier to use Bushes, hedges, shrubs and trees to add privacy and Americans are pretty friendly. They want their kids to play with other neighborhood kids. That's been changing since the pandemic. This is just my opinion and for my area and my travels in the USA. Hope this info helps....and COME ON OVER! We are pretty friendly here and we LOVE the Brits! :D
In England they tax you by the number of rooms and closets count as a "room". So people buy standing wardrobes instead of paying Uncle Kingsley.
My back yard has plenty of trees all around. Even though I'm in the city I could be walking around naked back there and nobody would know.
@@protorhinocerator142 that's crazy, they tax you for your closets! I had no idea! No wonder there are more wardrobes. Thanks for sharing this info. Reminds me of the Beatles song "Taxman". My Hubby and I love visiting England and the rolling hills of England are truly beautiful. But we couldn't ever imagine living in such close quarters and paying so much more. The only other big plus is your taxes are a little more earmarked and IMHO done a little better there. Your roads are decent and you have no worries about paying for hospital or emergency care. It's a real problem. For example, I had to have eye surgery (to SEE)...not lasix....but a cataract that was making it impossible to see in the evening. Cost to date? Almost 18K and the bills are still coming in. For older folks that can't make it up by working more as they are retired...it's a real problem. Heck, it's even a problem for me and I am still in my working years. But comparing UK houses and land to USA houses and land in general, you definitely get more for your money here in the USA states overall. Man oh man,...I feel for you about the closets mate! Thanks again for your enlightening post!
@@protorhinocerator142 That’s crazy that you are taxed like that. I always wondered why closets weren’t very common there. Thank you for sharing this information. 😊 It’s very interesting.