ᐅ Is it practical to have a utility room located beneath the house?
Created on: 28 Jan 2020 11:01
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Pinkiponk
Please don’t be upset, this question isn’t of practical importance; I’m just curious and hope this forum allows room for such questions.
I’ve heard in passing and have been thinking about it that "in the USA," houses often have a small crawl space (not a basement) beneath them where flexible pipes for water, sewage, etc., are located. If you want to change the layout of the rooms above, it’s apparently very easy because the pipes under the house are freely accessible and can be routed into any room as needed. It seems a bit more complicated here in Germany. Do you know why that is or what disadvantages this American-style construction might have? I saw this on the TV channel HGTV, which features many home renovations.
I’ve heard in passing and have been thinking about it that "in the USA," houses often have a small crawl space (not a basement) beneath them where flexible pipes for water, sewage, etc., are located. If you want to change the layout of the rooms above, it’s apparently very easy because the pipes under the house are freely accessible and can be routed into any room as needed. It seems a bit more complicated here in Germany. Do you know why that is or what disadvantages this American-style construction might have? I saw this on the TV channel HGTV, which features many home renovations.
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Pinkiponk29 Jan 2020 17:00Thank you all. The answers are informative and interesting.
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Pinkiponk29 Jan 2020 17:14Nordlys schrieb:
How are these corrugated pipes protected against freezing? Or did you see something on TV that they do in Georgia, but that no one would ever build like that in Wisconsin? No, I haven’t seen that. That’s why I put “in the USA” in quotation marks. It’s usually about California or Texas. In Chicago, the houses are built much more solidly. Since we will be building soon ourselves, I find it really funny that “in the USA” many things are just kind of quickly put together. Or a blonde woman tapping a wall with a little hammer and then it falls apart. Not to mention insulation, protective devices against arc faults, and so on. I find it fascinating that you can also build pretty houses that way.
Pinkiponk schrieb:
that it is possible to build beautiful houses like this.You could also say: nice on the outside, a mess on the inside!
Pinkiponk schrieb:
Or a blonde woman tapping on a wall with a little hammer and then it falls apart. [...] I find it fascinating that beautiful houses can be built that way.I have never really "understood" the saying "the ax at home replaces the carpenter" to mean that in the hands of a blonde, a little hammer turns into a wrecking ball or whatever it's called.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Basically, I appreciate the liberal attitude of Americans. I understand why in Germany a structural engineering calculation is required. But I don’t understand why a zoning plan forbids black or blue roofs or requires hedges. The energy saving regulations are acceptable as recommendations, and it’s fine if certain standards are supported. But if I want to build more simply and am willing to pay for gas, why should anyone forbid me from doing so? A nanny state is awful—I’m not a child. The concept of “Father State” and obedient citizens reflects Prussian authoritarian thinking. Also, why am I not allowed to do the electrical work in my own house? It’s my property; why can’t I do it myself? After all, I’m allowed to install the heating or fit windows. Why does city councilor Hufnagel want to forbid me from planting palm trees in my garden? It’s my garden, after all. So, at least in the US you have freedom, even if it comes without much protection. Are we in Germany not mature enough for that?
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