American houses questions

[Macaroni46]

Inspired by a recent thread comparing homes in the UK and USA, and my addiction to the programme Buying and Selling, I was wondering if any American Mumsnetters could answer these questions for me please:
What's the thinking behind the rug / mat most of the American houses have in front of the stove?
Do all American houses have two basins in the bathroom? I would so love that! Seems like the height of luxury.
Any other questions either way could also be interesting. Houses fascinate me in general (I'm a nosey bugger! 😂)

Hi, OP.

I was on the other thread; there are lots of interesting tidbits about houses in both countries.

We have never had a mat in front of the stove. I think some people do to create a softer surface for standing. I don't stand in front of the stove long enough at any one time to need that.

As to two sinks, yes, many "master" ensuite bathrooms have that. Two of the houses we have lived in did. I don't find it all that useful honestly because DH and I don't tend to use the sink area at the same time. The best solution is what we have now: as empty-nesters, we each have our own bathroom.

Yep we have the two sinks in the master too. Weirdly the master bath is 2.5x the size than the upstairs family bathroom. Our whole family uses the master bath, except my oldest uses the loo upstairs. Weird.

I also hate having the master downstairs, it takes up about a third of the d/s living space, bonkers (bed, bath, walk in closet)

Ooh. Do all houses in America have no doors down stairs?
I’ve seen so many things where they walk in the front door and there is a hallway but you see straight into the living room.

Our house:

Walk in, to the right dining room open. To the left study which used to be open, now has double doors on it. Past the dining room stairs, the. Open lounge backing on to kitchen, small b/fast area. On the left after study is downstairs loo, long walk then door to master.

Most houses I’ve been in have similar layouts only differing in size

Our house was all on one level, never had a rug in front of the oven. I did have a long one next to the run of work top I used the most as it was softer on my feet. All tiles was hard.
The only doors were the ones to the bedrooms, the kids bathroom and a couple of storage cupboards in the hall. That and ones that lead outside.
We never had twin sinks in the master bath. I like the room to myself, so Dh has to wait.
Our house had a wide entryway by the front door, a coat closet to one side, and a open bit leading to the dining room and kitchen. Straight ahead was the livingroom, but only one end of it, and a door to the deck. On the left by the entryway was a long hall, with two bedrooms on the front and a kids bathroom oposite the bedrooms, our bedroom and bathroom on the back with sliding doors onto the deck.
Kitchen was very large. had a breakfast area to one corner and a big pantry cupboard next to the fridge. Loads of countertop space.

Equally horrified and impressed by garbage disposals.
Terrifying wood cladding from the 70’s that pops up on every episode of the renovation one with the twins. Sorry the name escapes me.
What does Escrow mean?
Downstairs master beds seem like a pain in the arse.
Selling Sunset is my favourite guilty pleasure, the LA life style is definitely for me... not my pockets
Some neighbourhoods that have no boundaries between gardens... imagining my overexcitable dog would terrorise everyone.
I really felt like I’d made it when I got my first american fridge freezer (twat emoji)

Just the general size differences make me so jealous. (Obvs not in the cities)

I grew up there and I never thought of it but @EastWestWhosBest you are right! I can't think of any houses that open on to a hallway, or if they do its really wide and open openings to rooms off it.
The one thing I notice going back now is how they don't have fences around their gardens. So in the front it's all open to the street, and there's no barrier between neighbours.
My mother had a rug in front of the sink and stove was opposite on the island - more comfortable under foot than hard floors.
The one thing i can't get my head around here is having the washing machine in the kitchen - such a weird concept!

@EastWestWhosBest

Ooh. Do all houses in America have no doors down stairs? I’ve seen so many things where they walk in the front door and there is a hallway but you see straight into the living room.

I have never really thought about it, but our downstairs has only three interior doors: the door to the half-bath, the door to the pantry in the kitchen, and the door to the under-the-stairs closet.

Our layout is: you walk in the front door or the door from the garage, living room (open) is on the right, dining room (open) is on the left, from the open space between the living room and dining room, you walk past the stairs and a short hallway to the half-bath on the right, and then walk into the family room/kitchen (open), then from there to the back porch.

I love this shows but I can never get my head around the fact they all seem to be made of thin plasterboard and sticks, just doesn't feel like the house have anything solid about them. And the fuss o er a bit of mould makes us laugh

What does Escrow mean?

In a real estate transaction, this means funds held usually by a third party until all conditions of the sale are met. In my state escrow is often held by a title company, which also insures title to the property. A buyer will first put down some money into escrow when they make an offer and then later they deposit the whole purchase price. The buyer usually does a walk through of the property the day before closing to make sure all is well. "Closing" where the transaction is consummated actually means closing escrow.

Can someone link the other thread? Sounds right up my street!

Other thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4200910-Differences-between-US-and-U-K-homes

In terms of the no fences around gardens thing, how does that work if you have a dog?

It confuses me that houses don't seem to be made of brick in areas with tornadoes.

I notice that they don't seem so bothered by front doors opening straight into the living room without a hallway. Possibly because of bigger front gardens.

I hope that the shiplap trend doesn't take off here!

Ovens are often a single unit with the cooker on top. In this country I associate that with 70s style kitchens.

Front gardens aren’t fenced, back gardens are. Dogs are kept in the back gardens.

My mom always kept a small rug in front of the stove because she felt standing on a hard floor hurt her back.

To get a real insight into what US homes look like inside (although not the reasons why) Trulia is a great resource.

It's basically the US version of Rightmove or Zoopla.

So you can see everything from property porn, for example a Malibu beach house that sold two days ago for $13 million:-

25006 Malibu Rd, Malibu, CA

right down to this delightful fixer-upper in Ozark, Arkansas for $50,000 (£36,400):-

110 W Spring St, Ozark, AR

You can look up what the insides look like on www.realtor.com

@PompomDahlia

It confuses me that houses don't seem to be made of brick in areas with tornadoes.

I notice that they don't seem so bothered by front doors opening straight into the living room without a hallway. Possibly because of bigger front gardens.

I hope that the shiplap trend doesn't take off here!

Ovens are often a single unit with the cooker on top. In this country I associate that with 70s style kitchens.

I think the idea is that a tornado will take the house down regardless so timber is less dangerous than brick.

American homes look a lot like what i grew up with in Australia. Only bedrooms and bathrooms had doors, not living areas. No fences between properties out the front, but generally did at the back, that's where your dog would live. Massive garages that would generally fit 2 cars minimum

I’ve always wondered why in tornado areas Americans don’t build the houses out of reinforced concrete ?

my relatives live in a suburb of new york..house is so flimsy....wood and plasterboard...as are many others in same area.

The US is a big place with very different climates and houses reflect that. Materials used vary based on availability and need. I have lived in 13 US states. In the northeast, houses are usually 2 story wood frame with vinyl siding or brick. In the southeast, houses are usually 1 story with siding or brick. In Florida, most houses are made of concrete block covered in stucco to resist hurricanes. In Oklahoma, i.e., tornado alley, most houses are single story brick. In Texas, homes are about 50-50 between one and 2-story, usually brick. In California many homes are stucco.

It is rare to fence front yards. Many believe that fenced front yards detract from curb appeal. In some areas like Texas and Oklahoma, backyard fences are common. They are less common on the east coast, and some upscale neighborhoods prohibit them. Dogs are walked on leashes or trained not to leave the yard.

Mats in front of the stove (and sink) are designed to be easy on the feet, since kitchen floors are hard. Open concept floor plans are very popular, but most houses have a foyer so the door doesn't open directly into the living room. Most houses only have doors on entry and exit doors, bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and laundry rooms. Kitchens looked old fashioned because that is the preferred style. Sleek euro-style kitchen are not popular. Most homes have attached garages that lead into the laundry room. This is to help contain dirt. Most laundry rooms are near the kitchen to make getting groceries from the car to the kitchen easy.

Garbage disposals are a great convenience. Most upscale homes have master bedroom suites, which include the bedroom, one or more walk-in closets, and a bathroom with two sinks, separate shower and tub, and toilet, often in a small separate room off the bath. The master bathroom is almost always the largest and most luxurious in the house.

Most US home buying, home selling and home improvement shows are filmed in California, which is a very expensive place to live, and not representative of the US as a whole. In particular, yards tend to be smaller than in other areas, especially since Cali is mostly desert.

In California we are trying to cool our houses down, evacuate the heat. So big windows for lots of light and lots of air flow. Termites are a problem, no bricks and wood is the most likely building material.

In a place like Minnesota, upstate New York or Michigan they might have wet rooms near the entrance, brick, lots of insulation to keep heat in for winter & cool in for summer. Arizona houses are crap though, they don't keep the cool in well at all.

My house in CA had tons of insulation, double glazing and powerful A/C and shade trees all round. Stayed nice and cool in summer and warm in winter.
Made out of wood so it moved a little in the eathquakes, bricks would crack.

I've never actually noticed a mat in front of the stove on US TV, but in The Sims there's an object designed for this called the Sous Chef Rug, and it says it's for catching any splashes when you're cooking, so perhaps it's so you can rotate mats and not need to wash the actual floor as often.