For anyone who has traveled around the US, you have seen many styles and sizes of homes, primarily built from wood or brick materials. And, unless it was a custom-built home, most homes in American subdivisions tend to be very “cookie cutter” homes with only slight differences in appearance. Visiting and living in Germany, sprawling subdivisions do not exist, homes are not built from wood or brick, and homes do not appear to be the same. Germany has some very unique differences in their homes vs. homes in the States, which the following helps explain…
NOTE: the below excludes the very old, half-timber German homes, which are a totally different type of home to themselves
Renting vs. Owning:
Ask any American what does the ‘American Dream” consist of, and one of the answers will be owning your own home. After WWII, US cities began to grow with the baby-boomer generation. Sub-divisions grew as the government and banks made it easier and cheaper for Americans to buy a home because over time less money was needed as a down payment. Excluding the 2008 financial crisis, owning a home was one of the best investments for families due to the appreciation values.
However, in Germany, renting a home is the norm. Homeownership in Germany does exist, but typically one has to put 30-50% down up front on top of high property and building costs. That’s not to say that this doesn’t happen, but the investment is usually made to build a home and then rent it out. And, renting is different too in Germany. In the US, it is common to sign a 1-year lease, but Germans will rent the same place for many years. Our landlord thought us wanting to rent for only 3-years was too short and he almost did not allow us to move in.
Construction Materials: (obviously, any materials can be used, but these are most common)
The US is a very large country, comparable to the size of all of Europe. As such, wood is a very cheap and abundant resource, and the primary building material used in home construction. Typically, in the US, homes are built with wood framing sitting on top of a concrete foundation. The walls are insulated with fiberglass insulation and the interior walls use drywall (sheetrock), which is gypsum plaster pressed between sheets of thick paper. From there, the drywalls are painted, etc. The roof shingles are made of fiberglass asphalt in various shades of colors (typically shades of grey to black).
In Germany, wood is generally not used as a building material, but rather homes are built using Kalksandsteinmauerwerk (sand/limestone brick masonry) — a type of concrete mixture. Metal rebar frames are created and the Kalksandsteinmauerwerk blocks fill in the sections to form the foundation, walls, and ceilings. The outside of the blocks then have a layer of stucco applied and then painted (normally white, but other colors are sometimes used). Inside the blocks, a product like Styropur (styrofoam) will be used as insulation. The roofs are typically covered using slate shingles.
This was our home in the US in North Carolina. Note the front yard. This house was about 3,000 square feet of space (278 square meters). We lived in a sub-division outside of Raleigh, NC, and in our sub-division there were about 10 different architectural styles you could choose from. Also, because of the wood construction, an internet wifi signal was able to be received anywhere in the house without any extenders.
Example of a German home under construction. This is the view from our bedroom at our neighbor’s house being built. Note the metal rebar that will be fitted with the cement blocks. Also, can see examples of finished homes in the background. We have very modern, contemporary homes in our neighborhood.
Advantages v. Disadvantages of the Construction Materials:
Advantage for wood is cost and construction time. Advantage for Kalksandsteinmauerwerk is it makes for an extremely well-insulated home. Disadvantage for wood is long-term durablity (how many original-material homes do you see made of wood that is over 100 years old?). Disadvantage of Kalksandsteinmauerwerk is you need a jack-hammer to hang a picture! Also, in the age of internet wifi, typically a single wireless router will give a wifi signal throughout an American home, but in Germany that wireless signal is crap!! So, what ends up happening is setting up wifi extenders throughout the house in Germany (and with each repeater, there will be signal loss).
In our German home with the concrete wall, a wireless internet wifi signal will not go that far (maybe through 3 rooms). To get a full wifi coverage, we have to use wifi extenders to “push” the signal to our living room. It works, but the wifi internet speed drops once it passes through the extender.
We found this Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station worked well for us.
No Air Conditioning or Central Heating in German Homes:
In the US, even in the northern States, most homes will either have central, forced air conditioning for the whole house or a window A/C unit. With the long hot & humid summers, A/Cs are necessary to maintain comfort in the American home (or at least Americans have gotten so use to them that they are required). However, in Germany, most homes do not have air conditioning, and if they do they are small portable units on wheels. The summer weather in Germany is typically not very humid, but warm. Typically, there may be a stretch of 90+ (30+) degree heat on multiple days, but it usually does not last. I say “usually” because our first summer here in 2013, it was freakin hot! The whole month of July saw 90 degree temps (near a 100 a couple of times). By the time we finally decided to buy an A/C unit, they had all sold out (we bought two used ones that following winter).
In the winter in the US, the central air system is switched over to force hot air through the house either via electric or gas heat. Some homes will have fireplaces, but these are mostly decorative or used to heat the main living room. Some homes will have a natural gas fireplace, which sounds warm & cozy, but is usually nothing more than an expensive decoration. In Germany, most homes are heated via hot water, radiated heat, whether from wall units or in-floor piping. With the insulated walls of the Kalksandsteinmauerwerk it does not take much to heat the house. One problem though in Germany with this type of heating is that inside humidity levels can increase, but this is handled by “airing out” the house, by opening windows for about 15 minutes to allow fresh air in (even during the winter).
Homes in the US typically have central air conditioning and heating. Cooled or heated air is forced from the unit through vents throughout the house (typically in the floor or ceilings)…here is a floor vent in the bathroom floor of our old home.
Windows:
A window is a window right? Sure, we have all seen that there are various types of window sizes and styles. But, the differences I am talking about here are due to how German windows open and the lack of window screens!
In the US, some windows are made to open into the home to allow for cleaning, etc. But, in Germany most (if not all) windows will open either completely vertical into the room or can be opened at the top to tilt inside the room. It takes a few times of turning the handle the right way to learn how to work the window, and this feature is very handy when needing to open the windows for fresh air or to clean.
Opening windows is not a problem, the problem (for us Americans) is that the windows do not have window screens. This means that anything flying or crawling can come inside. You can buy screens to cover the openings, but 90% of the homes will not have them. In the warm months when insects are out this can be a problem. But, compared to the US states we have lived (NC & NJ), the number of insects in Germany are not nearly as bad. For the most part, during the day, very few insects will fly inside, because they are more attracted to outside scents. This changes at night, as the lights from inside will attract insects, forcing you to shut the windows. It’s just that in the middle of summer, it is a battle between keeping insects out and letting any fresh air inside to help cool the rooms.
Quick funny story: I did wake up one time from an afternoon nap with a grasshopper sitting on my chest looking at me….not the best way to wake up!!
The below is a video showing how to operate the window to open it vertically as well as tilting it open at the top….
Rolladens (aka BLAST SHIELDS):
German homes and buildings use the best thing I have ever seen in keeping the sun out of the rooms in the home: Rolladens (roller shutters). In America, homes sometimes will have shutters on them, used primarily as decorations. But, Germans have taken the use of shutters to an entirely whole different level!!! Rolladens are installed on all outside windows that are either manually or automatically pulled up/down. Some newer installations have automatic Rolladens that will even self-adjust based on sunlight levels.
So, what’s the big deal you ask about Rolladens? In the Summer, it is a constant battle to keep the house as cool as possible, and being able to block the sunlight shining into a room will dramatically help reduce the temperatures. Also, the Rolladens can be closed to make the room totally black, which comes in handy if you are needing extra sleep or rest during the daytime.
I call them “blast shields” because they look like something that would be used to protect the home from some sort of bomb explosion!
The video below shows how dark it is in our bedroom, and then with the push of a button and 20 seconds later….let there be light….
Electricity:
In the US, homes use 120V electrical outlets with the outlet fitting two vertical prongs (some also use a third bottom round prong for grounding). In Germany, homes use 220-240V and the outlets use two round prongs. Most people think that just using an electrical adaptor to have American cords work into German outlets (and vice versa) is all that is needed. And, you could not be more wrong!!
To use an adaptor, you have to check if the appliance or device is “dual voltage” meaning that it is designed to operate either at 120V or 220-240V (usually this info is found written somewhere on the device or owner’s manual). If yes, then an adaptor is all that is needed. If no, then a step-up/down transformer will be required. The transformer plugs into the wall normally, and then you plug your appliance or device into the transformer. Example, our American paper shredder is not dual voltage. If we used an adaptor and plugged it into the wall, the shredder would work for about 10 seconds at a very high speed and then start to smoke, if not catch on fire!! So, it is very important to check before just plugging a device with different outlet prongs into the wall.
Here is an affiliate link to Amazon for the type of Step-up Transformer we used. You will want to size the transformer correctly with the types of electrical equipment used with it.
Step-up/down transformer. It has an European electric plug to connect into the wall, and then American outlets in the front that we can plug those electric devices that are not dual voltage. NOTE: research the size transformer needed based on what will be plugged into it.
Toilets:
C’mon…there can’t be differences here can there? While no one wants to talk about their business, we all have to go! And, yes, there are differences.
In the US, most toilets have a handle that is pressed down to flush. In Germany, above the toilet are usually two buttons to press (we’ll make this simple…press the small button for ‘Number 1’ and the larger button for ‘Number 2’ to regulate the amount of water used in flushing).
In the US, older toilets will use about 3.6 gallons (13.6 liters) of water per flush with newer ultra-low-flow toilets using about 1.6 gallons (6 liters) per flush. In Germany, pressing the large button uses about 2 gallons (7.5 liters) and the small button about 1 gallon (3.8 liters).
I have to mention this next difference because the first time I saw this in a hotel room, I was like….WHAT!? The toilet design can also be a little different too (but designs vary). Instead of just a bowl of water, there is a porcelain “shelf” that will sit just above the water line to (let me use a general term)….the shelf catches the “stuff” instead of just going straight into the water. When, the button is pressed, the shelf will be washed and the stuff goes down the drain. I do not know the history of the “why” behind this, but it is supposedly to help your “personal inspection” of the stuff and to prevent water splashing. As a result, all toilets will have a toilet brush in a stand beside them for use after. And, the expected courtesy is to use it, as needed, to make sure all the stuff is out of the bowl. But, this is NOT as bad as this sounds, as the flush takes care of it most of the time.
German toilet with the two button above and the brush beside it
Kitchens:
Like most things in the US, kitchens can be very large with large appliances. Double-door refrigerators that are at least 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall, ovens that are large enough to easily cook a 30 pound turkey, and lots of storage and counter space. Of course, apartments in very large cities will tend to have smaller kitchens and appliances, but for the most part still bigger than what would be found in a typical German home or apartment. Fridges in Germany are much, much smaller than what an American would be used to, although more and more larger size refrigerators are starting to appear in German appliance stores. Also, ovens in Germany are much smaller (i.e, we had American friends who had to cut the legs off their turkey that they cooked to celebrate “American Thanksgiving” just to get it to fit inside the pan and oven).
Also, when moving into a new apartment or home, in the US, we would expect the new place to come equipped with kitchen appliances and counter tops (at least an oven and sink). However, in Germany, a kitchen comes with nothing but water and electric hook-ups (unless the previous tenant left them or the landlord includes). And, if a German moves out of the apartment or home, they will usually take with them their appliances and countertops with sink. However, like mentioned earlier, Germans typically do not move as frequently as Americans.
Example of our large oven in our American home
Our German kitchen with a typically sized refrigerator on the left. Luckily, the landlord had already installed a kitchen before we moved in and we did not have to buy everything
Our German kitchen with the typically sized oven
But, since we are Americans, we wanted a larger size refrigerator, which we placed inside the pantry area beside the kitchen. TIP: measure dimensions of door openings, we did not and the refrigerator just barely fit inside the doorway.
Yard Spaces:
American homes typically will have large front lawns, and sometimes an equally large backyard with smaller side yards. In the US, it is all about “curb appeal” and how nicely the house looks from the side (curb) of the street.
German homes typically will have a very small (if any) front yard, and a larger backyard or garden. Even apartment buildings that do not look that fancy from the front will usually have a very nice courtyard or garden hidden in the back. Personally, I think this comes from the privacy that most Germans crave and they are generally not the type of people to “show off”, while Americans usually are not shy about wanting to display their homes framed with a large front yard.
After seeing both, I must say that I do like the intimancy of the German backyards, especially when hosting BBQs.
Closet Spaces:
Simply put, in the US, homes come with separate smaller rooms used for closets to store clothing. Even the smallest apartment in NYC will have a small closet. In Germany, most (and, I am talking like 90% of the homes) do not have separate rooms as a closet. Instead, Germans will buy furniture to hang and store their clothing. The furniture or Kleiderschrank (clothing closet) is usually the height of the room, and deep enough to hang clothes. IKEA does great business here in Germany!!
Example of our American home’s closet space
There are plenty more differences between American & German homes, some large, some small. And, it is not that either is good or bad, just different. The main thing is to prepare yourself before moving to or visiting the other country. Double-check your electric devices (buy adaptors, transformers, or just brand new electric stuff in the other country). And, don’t just assume your “American” sized furniture will fit into the German home/apartment. American furniture is usually “over-sized” and may not fit down hallways inside of homes.
Our American home with the oversized dining room table that could fit 10 large chairs. There was no way this piece of furniture would fit in any German apartment, so we had to sell this before we moved.
The best advice would be that for any questions about your new home to ask a local for help….well, except maybe those toilet questions. And, just remember that no matter the differences, that the home is where the heart is.
WorldThruOurEyes 
Great post. Informative and well written. As an American that has never been to Germany, this answered many questions that I did not know to ask. I’m sure the Germans will find your information about American homes equally fascinating.
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They do
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Hello Do German homes have round metal support posts or lally columns in their basements ? Thanks Bill
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Hmm… good question. I would only be guessing at the answer here. The homes are built solid with concrete walls, floors and ceilings. With the weight, there has to be proper supports in the basements, but it may just be concrete columns reinforced with steel posts inside?
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well I grew up in Germany and i have to say that our basements are just like another story 🙂 so i think our columns are just smoothly hidden by walls.
I actually had to google what american basements look like and they seem to be one single open room. That’s probably the difference 🙂 in my parents house they have a hallway and three seperate rooms in their basement and in apartment buildings there often is one community room and little seperate rooms for every apartment to store personal stuff 🙂
I hope you understand me 😀
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Vici, that’s what I think also as the German basements I’ve seen felt just like another floor of the house. Of course I cannot say what the 1-200+ year-old homes look like regarding their basement structure
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As I am german citizen, I can clearly say, that I never saw a collum in any basement. I’m not saying there couldn’t be any, but so far I never saw one. Mostly the main wall is stable enough to carry the whole building. Its mostly the outer wall, but that depends on the size of the house.
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Basements in German homes are almost always built in the same way like the other floors. Most commonly are three or four rooms in the basement. The largest room is often used as a party room. Another room is often used as an office or a hobby or crafting or sporting room. One room is used for laundry, this room has normally also a shower and a toilet. One room is often used for storage (additional fridge and freezer) or as an additional bedroom. And then there is a room for the installations (heating).
Basements in German homes are mostly fully useable as normal rooms. With the exception that the windows are normally much smaller and little or no sunlight comes in.
The exterior walls are made out of reinforced concrete. The interior walls are made out of lime sandstones like all other interior walls. The floor is a reinforced concrete baseplate (insulated in newer homes) and covered with tiling or carpet.
The rooms in the basement are heated with radiators in each room. There is no need for round metal supports (that would look quite shoddy, I think). The exterior and the interior walls will bear the reinforced concrete ceiling. The position of the interior walls in the first floor is often identical to the position of the interior walls in the basement. There is normally also one interior wall throughout the whole house that is twice as thick as the other interior walls. This wall is normally 8 to 9 inches thick.
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Thanks for the informative response 🙂
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No, you will rarely see metal support posts or lally columns anywhere in German buildings. Usually walls are built so that they support the stability of the building (Tragende Wand). This is also the reason why you never ever should tear down any wall inside a building without being certain that it is not necessary for stability of the entire building.
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No, I don’t know of a single German basement that has such columns for support. Pretty much all basements are built using reinforced concrete for the foundation as well as the outside walls and the ceiling, of course.
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Helpful information! My family will be moving to the Ramstein area in a few months and although we have visited the area; we’ve never lived there. Thanks!
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Hi, the Rammstein area is beautiful especially near the Rhine or Mossel River valleys. Sounds like you will be moving at the perfect time to Germany to enjoy the Christmas Markets! Safe Travels!!
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I wanted to know how you found a second hand ac unit in Germany. Are there websites for second hand appliances and furniture?
P.S. Best advice I’ve read so far.
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Hi. Great question. My wife’s former supervisor (an American) had purchased it from the home improvement store here (Bauhaus – like Lowe’s or Home Depot in the US). When he moved back to the US, he sold it to us for 40% less than he paid. We purchased (2) units for 250Euro total. It was a sound investment because it’s so hard to sleep at night in the summer when you’re sweating to death 🙂 Good question about a website? to be honest, I imagine there is, but we work for a very large company where many international people come here to work and then leave… as a result, they sell their items on an internal intranet site, and sell them at cheap prices because they have to leave quick (an electronics purchased in Germany don’t work in the US unless you have adaptors or transformers).
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My parents lived in a Swiss-German house for five years and I loved those shutters. I swear those things will withstand being hit by a tank! The ones in their house were awesome: totally power operated. You push one button to make them go up but you don’t have to hold the button the entire time. Then you can push it again to make them go down. They stop with slight cracks between them like American blinds. If you hit the button’s down arrow again, they TOTALLY blocked out the light. My room was next to the living room and, oddly, had massive folding walls made of framed glass. I don’t know why it was made that way but to give me privacy, my dad installed drapes. The windows in my room also had German blinds and even in the middle of the day, they could seal out all the light. I miss those things. Oddly, although the house had no cooling (Yes, I also had to open the windows but they didn’t have the tilting feature, they just slide up and down) it did have a heater. But to my dad’s dismay, it was probably installed after WWII. I’m serious, the house was definitely built way before 1945 but the Swiss built it just as strong as their banks. The all-wood floors never creaked. Never. The doors were steel and that was bad. You couldn’t knock on them, nobody will hear you on the other side! Oddly, they were designed to come off the hinges easily and the movers took advantage of that when I saw them bringing new furniture in (Ikea of course!). I think you’d be more comfortable in a Swiss house but yep, I’m aware of the bizarre quirks that come with owning a German house.
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Mike, I love the detail of your old homestead. Bizarre but wonderful indeed!
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We will be moving to Wiesbaden in a couple of months from a 3,000 square foot home in NC. I’m wanting to downsize to about 1/2 that size, but I’m just not sure where to start. For instance, our master closet is about 10×10. What do we really need to bring that will fit in a wardrobe or a closet if we are lucky enough to have one? Should we have our car(s) shipped, and if so, is an SUV too big for practicality there? Do we need to buy ALL new electronics, including things like Macbook laptops? Also, do you know of an area in Wiesbaden that we should look for a rental? At least 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is needed. A 3/2 is preferable of course.
We speak about 5 German words as of right now, and I will begin to learn more once I can figure out how this move is going to work. Thank you for any help that you can provide!
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Hi there, my apologies for the tardy response back as we have just finished our move back to the US over the past few weeks.
Let me see if I can help you with some of your questions:
1) First, congrats on your pending move to Germany. It is a wonderful experience…but a stressful one in the pre-move and the first few weeks upon arrival.
2) You’re from NC – cool, I am originally from the Charlotte area, but we have moved back to New Jersey. Wiesbaden is a great area. Are you moving due to military? With the military base there, there is a American community in the area. Also, the locals will speak English because of so many Americans in the area. It’s only when you venture out to the smaller villages where finding someone who speaks English may be a challenge. But, don’t let that intimidate you, as most Germans know enough English to help you out…usually, when they say they can’t speak it, it means they can’t speak it fluently.
3) Most German homes / apartments do not have closets. Most people buy wardrobes. IKEA usually has good ones to select, or check with classified ads you may see in Wiesbaden as Americans who had bought a wardrobe may be looking to sell theirs if they are leaving.
4) Cars? Hmmm, it depends on how old the car is (what condition), and can they pass German air emissions test. Different cities have restrictions on what cars with certain emissions are allowed. There will be a little green sticker in the lower part of the windshield with numbers indicated the emission level the car is certified for…most cities require “4”. Regarding “SUVs” – they are nice to have here, but remember since European cars are much smaller in general, most parking spaces are small. On one of our first trips to Germany, we rented an SUV, and regretted it because it was a beast to park. And, Germans are very particular about not dinging car doors in parking lots. So, I would recommend not bringing over an SUV.
5) Electronics – IMPORTANT!! Make sure you check if they are dual voltage (somewhere it will say 110/220V). Apple products are okay. My 2007 iMac and 2012 Macbook worked with no problems. After you check the voltage, the next thing to buy before coming are EU electric adapters (Google this). The electric plug in EU is different than the US (2 small round prongs vs. 2 small flat prongs). Things that usually don’t work from the US: curling irons, hair dryers, coffee pots, electric shavers, lamps, etc….but, check for the dual voltage. If you must absolutely bring over an electronic that is not dual voltage, you can buy a step-up transformer to convert the electricity. We did this for a crock pot and a paper shredder for example. Also, televisions from the US generally do not work here because the cable TV is different. We brought one from the US and only used it to connect our laptop to it to watch vids online. Regarding the transformer, here is an example from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Goldsource-STU-750-Voltage-Transformer-Converter/dp/B0022TL1BE
6) Regarding places in Wiesbaden, I must admit I do not know. We lived in Mannheim, about an hour east of there. Hopefully, since you’ve posted your comment you have had some luck there.
7) Again, don’t fret about not knowing the language. Try to learn the basics: numbers, how to tell directions, ask for help, where is the water closet, etc. Use Google Translate (if you have a smartphone, use the app, you can actually use your camera to translate words). Again, most Germans can speak some English. But, learning how to say, “I’m sorry, I do not speak German. Can you speak English” in German will go a loooong way in getting help. One thing you will become great at is charades 🙂
Hope this helps…send me more questions and I will try to help more.. Best of luck with the move!! Chad
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The fridges were actually bigger here in America in the 80s and 90s back when things were not so much made in China. Some products were made in China but you had the choice between *cheap but crap* or the more expensive products that lasted a good chunk of your life if you took care of it.
Now if you buy the most expensive products you are not really getting much of a better deal except maybe it lasting TWO extra years extending the products life to four years instead of breaking down after 2 years because everything is made in China now with slave labor…….oops I mean *foreign labor*.
it’s politically incorrect to call them slaves and makes you look like a bigot for some strange reason for calling out the truth in America media.
Hell there isn’t a SINGLE toaster made that isn’t by cheap labor even Korrupt which we thought was still German made were much surprised to find it had the same cheap parts as any other brand.
It’s sad that nations do not make products in their own area anymore except *gift shops* which are usually not products you need to use day to day.
For a family of three we go to Costco and Grocery Outlet at the end of the month when our Costco food runs out and modern fridges it’s hard to fit food in where as fridges in the 90s while the spaces were not as many theywere deeper in the back.
What they do now is they make it look like you have more spaces to put things in but they do not extend very far back so you have to do a lot of hunting to find the right fridge to suit your needs and compare.
We purposely find ones that DO NOT have ice makers as it allows extra freezer space and ice makers are just a pain to take care of anyways which if they break or corrode it will leak into your freezer ruining everything inside it and possibly damage the mechanisms.
No thanks! We’re not THAT desperate for ice!
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As a result of going to Costco we do not need so much food every week and it really cuts back shopping trips for fun trips instead.
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Here in America one of the quick band aid tactics to curb Global Warming was to initiate a *driving tax* which would be very UNFAIR to drivers who commute longer distances which is almost impossible not to do and came really close to passing.
It would’ve totally destroyed the car industry and initiate civil war as we want the freedom to choose what we drivenot what Congress says we can.
If you drove more then 5 miles you’d be paying higher depending on each mile so you may be paying 4X as much at the pump as the guy next to you who hardly ever uses his expensive fine machine while you pay quadriple with your old junker.
What this would do is it would stop people from driving all right including employers who can’t afford it and whatever businesses that have survived the economic recession would’ve shut down even more including small businesses and the service sector would even be effected greatly.
Things are still going to get worse but it would’ve speed it up a few notches going open throttle.
What it also does is line the pockets of the government unions up who will then give themselves pay raises for doing such a *good job* while totally oblivious to the facts since they only read positive reports ignoring critics and in some cases outright silencing them by using paid trolls to disrupt things when the truth spills out.
They will go use online *sock puppets* to make it look like two people are BSing each other where one pretends to act cool but has lost the point of the argument and another that is filled with swearing usually saying “F–k” over and over and over and over…………..
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Hilfe- I am originally from Germany/Bavaria and have lived in Canada and the US for about 30 years. I am not given up on my dream to build a German – environmentally friendly, efficient, simple, tasteful and very functional house. Love my German windows toilets and appliances ….
Anyways I am about to sell my house in the Vancouver area wnd want to relocate somewhere around Pentincton/Armstrong – in the Canadian Okanagan. Hoping you can be of help.
I am wondering if you know how I can get all my “German stuff” and build a house on a small acreage overlooking a beautiful valley. You are welcome to come and visit …
Not sure where you are currently.
Thank you
Sabine
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[…] issue when it comes to connectivity at cafes or hotels has to do with the building materials. The average American home usually has unlimited WiFi from a single router, however “internet […]
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[…] don’t we build homes with stone in the United States like they do in Europe? Most of the blogs I’ve read think it’s the relative cost and speed of building a “stick” […]
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I just moved here to Germany, another thing, too is they take all there light fixtures. The previous renter offered to sell me their window covering, so when I arrived at the home was shocked that they had removed almost all the light fixtures.
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Very nice post, brings back memories of my time in Germany.
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Very informative, especially the little videos. I will use these for my German classes and hope you don’t mind.
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Hi Birgit, thanks for the feedback. Sure, I don’t mind at all. 🙂
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I loved your article. We have German friends in the Rhine-Pfalz region that we have stayed with. I was always fascinated, not only with the efficiency of the doors and windows, but the quality of their construction! They would close smoothly and latch perfectly every time and seal 100%. I often thought it would be great to build a house here in the US with them, but the cost would be prohibitive to get them here. You’re right about the kitchens. I was shocked that a large family of 7 had such a tiny kitchen! Of course, typically German families do much more local day to day shopping then us Americans. We shop like we are stocking up for the apocalypse every week…lol.
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Yes, and the next week-end to trash out the same amount of grocery or food from the fridge because simple… you bought too much. This one of the problems in US. I live here and you need to limit yourself buying products each 2-3 days otherwise it’s too much.
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[…] issue when it comes to connectivity at cafes or hotels has to do with the building materials. The average American home usually has unlimited WiFi from a single router, however “internet […]
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Reblogged this on THE FLENSBURG FILES and commented:
I happen to come across this page by accident the other day as I was doing research for an article on the Files on German architecture. This one looks at the differences in housing between the US and Germany in terms of architecture and interior design, written from the experiences of two columnists who lived in these two different dwellings. Have a look at their work and the examples and feel free to comment. The link is provided. Enjoy! 🙂
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Chinese person living in the US. I don’t get why American windows open up/ down instead of sliding horizontally or like the German ones showed (in China we have both latter types). Gravity will simply pull the window down and smash it shut. This is what I have to deal with everyday… Gives me heart attach sometimes…
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I absolutely love this article!
I moved from Germany to Charlotte, NC a while back and needed some time to get used to the flimsy houses and the waste of resources (water and electricity) because, e.g., you have to turn up the water in the shower all the way to get hot water or you can’t heat/cool one room individually. Even in new buildings.
But once I began to understand the culture behind it, especially the apparent abundance of resources, the “why” became much more clear to me.
Always reminds me of the three little pigs, though. 😉
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You shared a great article about the designing of home with the images which help you to save your time and money by using the current technology ,material and construction process ,if you plan to design and build a new home or do an extensive remodel on an existing house within a short period of a time without the wastage of money and time then the best solution for you problem you must communicate with professional home designer consultants for given a graceful ideas of home designing with the techniques of sustainable design principles for domestic home design and construction.So you must fallows the ideas of profession home designer to build luxury home easily after the save of money and time according to my opinion .
Thanks .
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Our family has lived in both Eastern Europe and Central Asia and have seen many similar features that you have mentioned in the places we’ve lived. Other big difference we’ve seen is kitchens that can be closed with a door, rather than opening up into a living/dining rooms. Almost all yards are surrounded by tall walls and gates.
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Having lived in both Germany and the US, I think this is for the most part true. The one thing I saw from a different point of view was the insulation. The German masonry homes are difficult to heat in the winter and they constantly feel cold. If you finally get a room warm, you have to air out the room and let all the heat out or the walls will begin to sweat and cause mold problems (which is a common problem in German homes because the warm moist air condensates on the cold masonry walls). The old German fachwerk houses are better insulated than many modern German homes, but are costly to upkeep and repair. Fachwerk houses are also cut strange making it difficult to use the space in a modern way and often have very low ceilings. There is some movement to increase insulation in German houses, but it is very expensive as it usually requires the owner to hire a company to add another 15cm of insulation on the outer wall, which often time looks goofy as non-insulated walls are already 30cm thick.
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[…] issue when it comes to connectivity at cafes or hotels has to do with the building materials. The average American home usually has unlimited WiFi from a single router, however “internet […]
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I was born in Munich but did get the chance to live in the Wiesbaden area for 11 yrs. My parents and I and my daughter loved it….due to illness we could not return sooner that 1973 and now live in Michigan…..I did not find any problems living in Germany….I tell my friends about it….I do miss the bread, rolls, luncheon meats and pastries….. This brought back fond memories…..
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Much Love 4 taking the time 2 to write this article I’ve enjoyed the content. Thanks again. I will write this on my Twitter now. Instagram
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Highly informative post and lots of valuable comments that have enhanced the post even more! Thank you very much everybody.
I lived in Chicago during my university days. Thereafter, I moved to Germany.
If I remember correctly, the basements in the US are the same height as the other floors, but in Germany, they are slightly lower in height. Also, most of the modern basements in Germany are made in a “leak-proof” way to prevent groundwater seepage. Don’t know if this is the case with the US.
Also, is there a difference in how the sizes of the homes are measured? When someone says 2000 sqft in US or 100 sqm in Germany, what are they referring to?
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These are actually no typical German houses …
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Great article, very informative! It brought back a lot of memories from when I lived in Heidelberg, Germany many years ago. I remember the transformers! Although I loved Germany very much and would like to go back and visit again someday it does make me very thankful for my American home.
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Hi Chad, remember to mention that German windows are also a lot more airtight, have a higher U-value and R-value and, in cooperation with the thicker and better insulated walls, keep a lot of the temperatures more moderate inside a house.
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