[lace-chat] Bungalow
Here, bungalows are one storey too, but since we have full basements, they are quite spacious. (Water mains have to come into the house 1+metres under ground, so that they don't freeze in winter.) So all homes, east of Vancouver, have full basements. For the last 30 years, I've vacationed by exchanging houses all over the world. I've had numerous exchanges in England, also in Wales, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, and Australia. We are really spoilt in North America. Noelene's 'barn' of a place at 380 square metres (well, actually almost double that if you include the basement minus the garage) is huge by any but North American standards. My 2 bedroom apartment is 475 square metres (plus another 100 square metres for the enclosed balcony and storage locker in the basement). I scaled down when I moved here. My house, which was nothing special, was larger. What saves this apartment in my estimation, is a small, windowless room (3 metres by 5 metres) that I use as a workroom. It was really hard to give up the basement in the house. However, I can use the balcony for 8 months of the year. It overlooks the harbour and that's where I make lace during those months. The other thing I've noticed in my exchanges is the lack of closets. Wardrobes are very well in the bedrooms, although there's not much space to hang things up. But coat closets near the front door cannot be beat, especially when you come in with your coat dripping with rain. Oh, and washing machines. I have an apartment-sized machine, which is about half the size of a regular North American machine but bigger than the standard washing machine anywhere else in the world. After several episodes of soap suds all over the floor, I've had to leave notes to use only half a scoop of detergent! I've really enjoyed by house exchanges over the years. You not only save a lot of money, you get to live as the local people do, you meet the neighbours, you shop in the local grocery stores, and you really get to know a particular city. It's a great way to travel. Margot Walker in Halifax on the east coast of Canada To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Bungalow
Margot writes: >garage) is huge by any but North American standards. My 2 bedroom apartment is 475 square metres (plus another 100 square metres for the enclosed balcony and storage locker in the basement). .. Margot, are these dimensions correct? A balcony of 100 square metres would be say 20 metres long and 5 metres deep. Do you mean square feet? My entire house is 22 metres in diameter, which is about 72 feet, giving a house area of 2,600 square feet. As if we don't have enough trouble with dates written all different ways (117 puzzled me for a second, until I realise they meant 711), changing from one system of measurement to another can be very tricky. Noelene in Cooma [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nlafferty/ To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Bungalow
On Monday, January 31, 2005, at 06:08 PM, Noelene Lafferty wrote: Margot writes: garage) is huge by any but North American standards. My 2 bedroom apartment is 475 square metres (plus another 100 square metres for the enclosed balcony and storage locker in the basement). .. Margot, are these dimensions correct? Yes we use the metric system, but that's for the balcony and the locker in the basement. I have to admit I have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large walk-in closet in the master bedroom, a storage closet large enough for a washer and dryer (stacked on top of each other) and vacuum cleaner, etc., a large living/dining room, a small kitchen (with room for a table and 2 chairs), a long, narrow 'family room' which I use as a library/tv room, and the aforementioned workroom. Oh, I forgot the small hall and large coat closet. Margot Walker in Halifax on the east coast of Canada To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Bungalow (2)
The sad thing is that because we're so short of housing in the UK (some of the causes are single people buying homes and staying single, one parent families and people living longer and therefore not freeing up homes), more homes have to be crammed on to less and less space, and land previously considered unsuitable for housing is being used. Poole is a very mixed town. It has light industry, tourism, luxury yacht building, it's a working port with passenger and freight ferries crossing to the continent, it's a retirement town and it has some areas where the very wealthy live in mansions or have second home large apartments with views across the harbour. One couple have their sixth home (a mansion) here, with the other five in various parts of the world. There's one area of Poole already in existence, and another currently being built on, which was previously industrially polluted. Individual homes are being built on very small plots so that the front of the house (bungalows are now rare because they take up more land space) is only a yard or so from the pavement (sidewalk), and the back garden almost non-existent (the width of the building and about 10 feet deep). Gardening has always been a great pastime in the UK (although I'm not interested in it, but do like my garden to attract wildlife), and these houses are sold with it written into the deeds that nothing edible can be grown on what garden there is because of the risk of poisoning. In other areas, single dwelling are being demolished and a block of flats (several floors with at least one self-contained dwelling on each floor) built in their place. These are usually one living room and one or two bedrooms. In the expensive parts of Poole flats are called apartments - apartments cost more than flats, but are the same thing. Poole was originally purely a working port with children who didn't know which sailor was their father. Obviously the character is changing - everywhere does - but the local council and businessmen are trying to force the change that they want. Instead of the town slogan being "Poole, it's a beautiful place" (in my opinion, whoever coined that needs their eyes testing) for a fairly quiet retirement town, we now have "Poole, it's all happening" and "Surf, rest and play", to attract younger people. What they fail to mention in the second slogan is that there isn't any surf. What they've missed out is the word "wind" because we now get a lot of wind surfers and jet skiers as well as yachts and cruisers in the harbour. You might get the impression that I'm not keen on Poole - I'm not. Because it isn't being allowed to evolve naturally, and the people who already live here (I'm not including me in that as I'm new to the town) are being treated very badly - shops and transport are becoming less average local resident friendly. Some very wealthy people intend to become even more wealthy by trying to force Poole to be the kind of place they want it to be. I'm glad to say that at least two have already come unstuck and have been bankrupted. DH is quite happy here, I'd rather live in the countryside. Jean in Poole To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] Bungalow (2)
In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes >I know people will now write to say that my area of New Jersey is highly >atypical of the US. But I like to think it displays the American psyche at >its >most excessive which can be very illuminating. >Devon Maybe, but if Philippa Gregory's books about John Tradescant are reasonably accurate, the early settlers were given large plots and were quite a distance from their neighbours - and the liking for spaciousness sticks through generations? Personally I prefer our set up, the house is a year older than me (built in 1955) and has a back garden roughly 120 ft long x 25 ft wide, front garden is about 18 ft long x 25 ft wide - not all exactly tidy, so lots of birds for the cats and ourselves to watch! The house is about 18 ft wide by 24 ft - divided into kitchen (around 7ft square) dining room and living room (both approx. 11 ft by 12 ft) and hallway with stairs. Upstairs the bathroom (ie bath, sink, toilet) is about the same size as the kitchen, one bedroom at the front of the house is 7ft6ins x 6ft6ins, the other two about 11ft by 10ft. The garage is about 8ft wide by 18 ft long, to one side of the house. (The living room at the front of the house has a bay window, so it is larger than the bedroom above). It may be small, but the smaller the house the less housework needed! It is semi-detached, which means we are joined by one wall to one of our neighbours - the garage then abuts the garage of our other neighbour - useful in security terms, as there is no easy access from front to back. To me, the thought of having a larger washing machine just means more ironing waiting to be done, and the need to use more electricity and water - so higher bills. -- Jane Partridge -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.3 - Release Date: 31/01/2005 To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] Bungalow
>Noelene, the difference in measurements for houses still confuses me, it is square feet in Canada, rather than square metres, and although your house is big, I don't think it takes up the entire hilltop, it just seems that way. M.Lynn Scott, Gwynneville,Australia To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] Bungalow (2)
In a message dated 2/2/2005 4:42:18 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The sad thing is that because we're so short of housing in the UK (some of the causes are single people buying homes and staying single, one parent families and people living longer and therefore not freeing up homes), more homes have to be crammed on to less and less space, and land previously considered unsuitable for housing is being used. I am finding this thread very interesting. One complaint that is often made about the US is that it is being transformed by "urban sprawl". In the suburban area that I live in, there were once distinct little towns, but now most of the open space is filled with housing developments. Urban planners tell us that the system in Britain which, I guess, calls for open land between the towns and strictly regulates where housing can be built is much better. Modern urban planners in the US feel that we should have smaller houses, closer together that will allow us to walk or use pubic transportation to get to shopping. Instead of each house having its own yard, people should enjoy public parks. (A corollary might be that we shouldn't all be buying houses that are big enough to hold lace classes, but instead the community should hold lace classes in public places.) I lived in a community developed in the early 20th century that actually conformed to many of these ideals and my observation was that people moved away as soon as they could. Americans seem to want lots of living space, land for children to play on, distance from their neighbors and lots of big powerful appliances. (I love my washer and dryer and I have two really big refrigerators.) Of course we all deplore urban sprawl and mourn the loss of quaint farms that used to be where the housing developments are. So, like others, I rejected the older, but more correctly designed community and took off for a town that exemplifies urban sprawl. The phenomenon that I observe now in my suburban town which has excellent schools is that people will buy two adjacent houses built in the 1950's and then tear them down and erect one larger home on the two lots. The houses of the 1950's which many of our parents bought with great delight in the post war building boom are now not terribly desirable because the new ideal is to have at least one bathroom for every bedroom and a one car garage doesn't cut it anymore. Three car garages are not uncommon. Now, typically both spouses and probably any teenagers work and thus need cars because we all live so far away from work and public transportation because our houses take up so much space. Of course we have put a lot of money into our highways to get us places faster. I know people will now write to say that my area of New Jersey is highly atypical of the US. But I like to think it displays the American psyche at its most excessive which can be very illuminating. Devon To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] Bungalow (2)
In a message dated 2/2/2005 11:36:06 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Maybe, but if Philippa Gregory's books about John Tradescant are reasonably accurate, the early settlers were given large plots and were quite a distance from their neighbours - and the liking for spaciousness sticks through generations? I took a class which covered a 17th century English settlement in New England. The first generation built their houses all together in rows along a street with the fields surrounding and divided among the people. By the second generation the people had moved out to the fields. Devon To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
