Unsafe or odd house features in friends' and family's homes

[rainbowunicorn22]

Just wondering what strange things have been in friends and families houses that you cannot see why they live with them?
I once went to someone's house, and the staircase was very steep, and on the open side they had removed all rails and bannisters. as there bathroom was upstairs and they had small children, I just think it was an accident waiting to happen. When they did up the house, I just do not know why they thought it was a good idea

The stairs in our house are spiral. I've slipped down them more than once and it's always the first thing I warn guests about!

Once went to a friends house and they had no banisters or barriers around the top of their stairs. You walked out of the bathroom to an open landing and a big hole where the stairs descended from

I once went to a house where the toilet was downstairs and the bath and hand basin were upstairs. So when you used the toilet you had to go upstairs to wash your hands. VERY odd! It was a rented house so I presume the occupants were unable to do anything about the situation

A house with a toilet fitted under the stairs - sloping ceiling forcing you to crouch the whole time you were in there - and I’m only 5’2””

An elderly relative in DH family has an indoor flower bed in the living room! When they first moved in a very long time ago, it was an indoor pond 😮.

Very judgemental post, OP.
Sly behaviour and I hope you're not someone I know!

When I was growing up the staircase only had the steps and not the upright bits. They were wooden and the mum would polish them. Actually slipped and part fell through once.

Is the house from Roman times?! Having a shallow pool in the atrium (living room) was common in Roman houses - pretty much every property in Pompeii and Herculaneum has one.

Are you my friend?! I’ve owned two houses that didn’t have bannisters when we moved in, it’s been a running joke amongst our friends. We did put one in when DD was born as there was no way I was going up and down open sided stairs with a babe in arms

Our elderly neighbours have quite steep steps down to their front door, which can ice over easily: they removed the handrails 🤦‍♀️

I lived in a house like that as a student and there was also a fire door in between so you had to touch 3 door handles between using the loo and washing your hands 🤢

I know not ideal but could you not wash your hands in the kitchen sink rather than traipsing upstairs?!

When I very first moved out of home, I rented a loft room that was similar- a big open hole in the floor at the end of my bed! You walked along to the far wall to go down the stairs.

Seemed perfectly normal, but when I think back to the sort of states I got in at the time, I can't actually believe I didn't do myself some serious injury.

This wasn't in Golders Green by chance?

It was a long time ago that I visited that house but have never forgotten the strange set up. I'm sure I was advised that the hand basin was upstairs so that's why I went upstairs to wash my hands. When you're visiting someone else's home, you go along with how they do things . . . .

You didn’t just say can I wash my hands in the kitchen?

When we moved in our stairs didn't have bannisters. When my balance started going, I insisted we get it sorted, we didn't have the money so my Mum offered to pay as it was a matter of my safety.

No

@KnitWitsAnonymouswhy not use the kitchen sink?
my BIL moved into a converted cinema and the stairs were open tread and were glass. Not unsafe but very disconcerting to walk down!

But weren't they open to the elements? Like a Moroccan riad?

I moved into a house once which was infested with fleas. I immediately ripped up all the carpets and had it sprayed but then decided it would be good to strip back the banisters and repaint them before re laying carpet, so thought it would be good to leave the gripper rods down to save money ( we were skint at the time). Once I began stripping millions of layers of paint and varnish I instantly regretted it and lost enenthusiasm. It actually got left for nearly 2 years before I went back to it and I developed quite a knack for running up and down the stairs and missing all the spikes. No idea why I didn't just get on with it.

I doubt it, well, I hope not! No, not judging, just thinking how I could never live with some of these house features. With my record, I would soon injure myself.
One house we went to had a stone-built wall in the lounge, with a trellis on top covered in ivy. The cats thought it was playtime, climbing up the trellis.
It soon came down one day when my youngest was riding her trike indoors. It was a Christmas present; she was not experienced and ended up hitting the wall. it was not a hard hit but the whole lot came down, stones, trellis and ivy. did not think it was so flimsy and badly built

We had a window we were never allowed open. Four decades later, when we were replacing the windows, I learned that the reason was because my dad had run short on putty and the glass was barely more than propped up in that frame. He was going to get round to finishing it any day.

My student house had polished wooden stairs that went past a big glass window. I fell down/up the stairs regularly and was v scared of going straight through the window.

No 😁