If you ask me what a typical German apartment looks like, I will throw up my hands - there is simply no exact answer to this question. There are practically no standard layouts in Germany, therefore, even knowing the number of rooms and area, you can never be sure of what you will see. For example, half of the apartment may be occupied by a cunning system of corridors. There are rooms without windows or heating. A 100-meter apartment may have a guest toilet, but the bathroom will only have a shower. The attic in German houses is almost always inhabited, and in the attics you can come across a variety of apartments: those with a barely noticeable slope at the ceiling, and those in which the walls are located strictly at an angle of 45 degrees, and therefore you feel like you are in a wigwam.

Kitchen curse...
Quite a lot of housing is rented in houses that were once built for one large family. They are inhabited by pensioners whose children have long since left. Part of the house is empty, and they decide to rent it out. Sometimes owners do redevelopment for this purpose, but not always. In this case, the apartment looks exactly like Holmes and Watson’s home on Baker Street: a common entrance, the owners are on the first floor, the residents’ rooms are on the second, and nothing separates them except the stairs.
But the main problem with German apartments is, without any doubt, the kitchens. In most homes they are not just small, but tiny. This is some kind of curse, after which even kitchens in Khrushchev-era buildings seem like airfields. In one of the apartments I visited, everything was perfect: large rooms, a bathroom, a twenty-meter terrace with access to the garden... The kitchen was a corridor in which it was impossible to even sit down without blocking the passage. After this, it’s easy to understand why Germans are so willing to spend time in cafes and restaurants. My wife and I were somehow phenomenally lucky to get an apartment with a kitchen of 15 square meters - probably the largest in the city. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the rooms.

...and balcony happiness
On the other hand, there are unconditional advantages in German apartments. One of them is Keller. This is, as a rule, a separate room in the basement measuring from five to fifteen square meters. In terms of the number of apartments, Kellers have almost all houses, regardless of whether they are two hundred years old or two years old. Thanks to this simple solution, balconies and loggias were saved from the sad fate that befell them in Russia. A German balcony is not a warehouse for junk, but a place where the owners grow flowers, drink coffee and fry meat on an electric grill.

There may also be several other very useful rooms in the house. These include a shared garage for bicycles, a trockenraum - a room in the attic where clothes are dried (yes, exactly the same one in which Carlson pretended to be a ghost, scaring the robbers). I also once came across a house in the basement of which there was a small gym for residents with ping-pong and a wall bars, and in another in the attic there was a common children’s playroom. Special mention must be made about laundries. Even if there is enough space in the bathroom or kitchen for a washing machine, you will not always be allowed to put it there. Instead, there is a room in the basements where all residents turn on their Boshis and Indesites. However, today even the Germans themselves do not find it particularly convenient - it is a vestige of the time when any self-respecting washing machine hummed like a steam locomotive. Laundry facilities are a rarity in new homes. But in the old ones, it often serves as a kind of communal kitchen and hobby club for neighbors.

Tenants also receive the right to use the space around the house - a garden or lawn. True, you should first carefully read the list of what you can do there and what you cannot do. I’ve never come across “do not walk on lawns” signs, but there are more than enough other prohibitions: “do not walk on the grass with your dog,” “do not have picnics,” “do not smoke.” At first, the abundance of such restrictions is, to put it mildly, puzzling. But if you look around, you will definitely find that somewhere nearby there are separate places for picnics (with an obligatory public grill), a children’s playground, and a place for sports.

The deal is more valuable then money
In any case, when moving in, it will be useful to ask the owner or building manager about what can be done in the apartment and the surrounding area, and what cannot be done, because the lease agreement does not include everything. It usually takes the form of a four-page printed form; only the tenant’s details, amounts and, if necessary, any special conditions are entered into it by hand. For example, we insisted that ours include a clause allowing keeping pets - it is not included in the standard form.

Perhaps the most important difference between renting housing in Germany is that the standard rental agreement is for an indefinite period. And if the tenant fulfills his obligations, it is very difficult to force him to leave the apartment. Even if the property changes ownership, this does not lead to automatic termination of the lease. Moreover, the new owner does not have much leverage even to revise the price in the contract. First, he will need to prove the validity of this decision. And if the tenant turns out to be intractable, he can sue the owner all the way. In every city in Germany there are tenant associations, staffed by lawyers who are well versed in the intricacies of housing legislation. Membership isn't free, of course, but it's usually worth it. People go there not only in case of a dispute over the price of housing, but also in a host of other situations. Our friends, for example, thanks to the help of consultants, forced the landlord, at his own expense, to replace poorly installed plastic windows and insulate constantly damp walls. Mold, by the way, is a typical problem in local housing, such is the climate.

By the way, apartments with seasoned, litigation-hardened tenants are usually put up for sale much lower than their market price. Local buyers are well informed about the contents of such Pandora's boxes. But a considerable number of our compatriots who dream of real estate in Europe do not know about this. As a result, an unpleasant surprise awaits them. On Russian-language forums you can find a lot of stories about how people, having fallen for a tempting offer from realtors, spent a lot of nerves after the purchase and spent a lot of money on lawyers, and in the end were forced to sell the housing in which they were never able to live at a loss.

The Case of the Cracked Sink
It should be noted that a lawsuit with the owner of an apartment is as commonplace for a German as going to the dentist. In fact, the relationship between owners and tenants here and in Germany differs little - it is exactly the same mixture of distrust, pettiness, quarrelsomeness on the one hand, and sloppiness, irresponsibility, impudence on the other. It's just that the way to resolve conflicts is slightly different. Of those we know who have lived in Germany for a long time, almost no one has escaped litigation over housing issues. However, the matter does not always come to court. More often than not, everything ends in a settlement agreement, because this is more profitable for both: the amounts involved are small, and the process can drag on for a very long time.

Although, if there are particularly principled citizens on both sides, very revealing stories emerge. For example, our friend’s father sued his former landlord for three years over a crack in the sink. When the respectable pensioner moved out, the owner noticed damage to the plumbing, replaced the sink, and withheld the costs from the deposit. The price of the issue was several hundred euros, but the indignant tenant decided that they were trying to deceive him, which means he had to go to the end. And he filed a lawsuit against the owner of the apartment. The process took place in full, with the invitation of witnesses, photographic evidence and speeches from lawyers. As a result, the landlord was found to be right, and the plaintiff still cannot recover from this terrible injustice. Having learned that I was a journalist, he called me and recounted his misadventures in the most detail, and only with great difficulty did I manage to convince him that there was no point in coming to me personally with all the materials of the case. The victim of the judicial system really wanted his story to be known in his homeland. I take this opportunity to fulfill this request.

By the way, the mentioned deposit is perhaps the most popular reason for disputes between moving out tenants and the owner of the apartment. This deposit in Germany is called a kautzion, its size is equal to two or three months' rent. It is entered at the conclusion of the contract and is strictly regulated. The owner of the house must put the entire amount into a deposit in the name of the tenant. When he moves out, the account will be unblocked, but only if the landlord does not find anything to complain about. And there is certainly a reason.

Here it must be said that, when vacating an apartment, the previous tenant must not only take things out, but also work as a painter as a demobilization bonus. The fact is that the typical wall decoration in Germany is paintable wallpaper. Each new inhabitant receives a white apartment and paints it to his liking, but before leaving he needs to return everything to its original appearance. An exception can only be made for the kitchen - when Germans move, they usually do not try to take away a kitchen set, because the likelihood that it will fit into the new apartment is not too high. Accordingly, there is no need to repaint the kitchen. If the furniture is almost new, they will try to resell it to new residents. This is what our predecessors did, for example.

In general, burghers change furniture often and with great pleasure. It is considered the norm to completely change the environment at least once every five years. And moving is a wonderful reason to get rid of excess belongings. Moreover, a simple rental of a van for a day will cost 120-150 euros, and the services of a company with loaders will cost at least 500-600 euros. And this is only if you do not have bulky furniture, and with it the price tag often rises to a thousand. If the previous furnishings still retain their marketable appearance, then they put them up on eBay. You can also call the Red Cross and report that you have an unnecessary sofa or closet. Among the wards of the service there are always those who need these things, they will come and take what they need.

The rent is cold and hot
Housing rent can only be paid by bank transfer. Usually, simultaneously with signing the contract, the tenant issues a long-term payment order to the bank and after that, all he needs to worry about is whether he has the required amount in his account at the beginning of the month. The cost of housing in Germany consists of “kalt” - cold and “warm” - hot parts. Kalt is the rental price itself, varm is housing maintenance and utilities. Usually this includes heating, water supply, sewerage, garbage removal, elevator, cleaning in the house and yard and some other expenses of the owner, for example, payment for the work of the house manager, insurance, and so on. It was a revelation to me that the Germans do not receive any monthly receipts. Instead, during the year, a fixed amount is withdrawn from the subscribers’ account, and then a recalculation is made, after which the owner sends letters to the residents: if there was an excessive consumption of water, or there was a cold winter and the residents were diligently warming themselves, then they will have to pay several hundred extra. If, on the contrary, you saved, the overpaid amount will be returned. But this happens much less often.

The same applies to energy workers, whose services are not included in the “warm” and with whom the tenant has a direct contract. It should be noted here that the electricity and gas market in Germany is competitive. By default, having moved, a person becomes a subscriber of the organization with which the previous resident had an agreement. If its tariffs suit you, then you don’t need to do anything - in a few days you will receive an agreement by mail, select one of the tariff plans, sign the papers and send them back by mail. But if you wish, you can change the supplier to any of those who work in your area. The difference can be quite significant, especially if you are able to accurately calculate your energy consumption, including at different times of the day. There are special websites where you can compare prices and choose the most profitable option.

Green kilowatts
Moreover, you can choose not only a supplier, but also an energy source. The Germans are obsessed with protecting the environment and fundamentally do not want the light bulbs in their homes to be powered by nuclear power plants. In this regard, contracts with energy companies clearly indicate where the energy comes from to the consumer. You can even choose a tariff plan in which all energy will be produced exclusively by solar panels and wind turbines.

I was interested in the mechanism of how this is achieved. After all, electrons, as you know, cannot be signed, and you cannot stick a label on them. It turned out that the scheme was quite crafty. The company can only guarantee that at the same time you turn on the light bulb, it purchases the appropriate amount of energy from a trusted supplier. But, of course, there is no separate network into which energy is supplied, only wind generators.

On average, electricity costs Germans 25-30 cents per kilowatt. For a family of four this is approximately 80-90 euros per month. But the most serious item of utility costs in Germany is heating. Of course, the climate here cannot be compared with Siberian, and the batteries are not kept on around the clock, even in winter. But fuel also costs much more.

District heating, by the way, is considered a German invention. But in our usual form - with thermal power plants and large boiler houses - it is rare. Trier, a city of 100,000, manages just fine without its heating plant, and its residents have never heard of summer hot water outages. Central heating today in Germany is called a communal boiler in the basement, running on fuel oil, diesel fuel or gas.

Heating and chimney sweeps
This is the most common method of heat supply, but there are other options, for example, electric floor heating or electric storage heaters, which operate at night, when energy is cheap, and release heat during the day. Recently, fireplaces for which special fuel briquettes are made from waste wood have gained popularity again. In our house, the rooms have gas convectors connected to the chimney; they need to be lit by pressing a button.

By the way, all heating equipment in Germany is controlled by chimney sweeps. They not only check the condition of the equipment, but also measure the level of emissions into the atmosphere. Reducing carbon emissions is a new global priority for the Germans, which is why people in this profession walk around important and full of their own importance. When we learned in the fall that an inspector was coming to see us, we were at first delighted at the rare chance to see a live chimney sweep, hold his button and make a wish. But he entered the apartment with such a stern and serious expression on his face that we decided not to risk it.

Moreover, it immediately became clear that one of our convectors was sending more harmful substances into the chimney than it should be. The chimney sweep said that he would immediately write a threatening letter and demand that the owners of the apartment eliminate the violations within a week. Indeed, a few days later a technician came to us and tweaked something in the device. A week later, a chimney sweep showed up to check. He took measurements, and only when everything turned out to be normal did he allow himself to smile for the first time. Here we could no longer resist and asked him about the buttons. It turned out that they know this sign in Germany, and our chimney sweep willingly allowed us to make a wish.

We wished that our next apartment in Germany would be more like a Russian one.

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I recently met a builder from Germany, and was surprised to learn from him that building a house is very easy and simple. They have spent a lot of brains on technology and organization, they have a bunch of services, from strength calculations to free house-building capacity - but there is almost nowhere to put all this wealth.

First of all, I am interested in wooden houses “a la frame” and I, of course, told him about my idea for a building constructor. As it turned out, the idea is not new - everyone has already come up with it before us! This is how they build themselves. Only with the hands not of the customer, but of the builders.

According to the German, they build both wooden and stone houses. Wooden - frame. Houses made from SIP panels are considered a type of frame house. Stone - their wall stones, like our aerated concrete, but not quite. Their main difference is that these stones are made either without the use of cement at all, or with some ridiculous amount of it. But ordinary brick for external walls is prohibited, so as not to heat the street, and the construction of such a house is much more expensive.

And, by the way, at the cost of the “box” their frame houses are a little more expensive than their wall blocks. And if with finishing and additional insulation - then it’s the other way around - all communications cannot be installed in stone walls and ceilings during masonry, this has to be done separately.

The German was very reluctant to talk about the details of the device - he said that everything would be done “as expected.” However, we managed to find out something.

“As it should be” - these are German standards of quality, durability and energy saving for our climate, i.e. the way, according to their standards and understanding, it is necessary to build in our climate.

I was interested in a wooden house, so the main conversations were about that. First we discussed SIP panels, because, as it seemed to me, they were faster and more convenient to build with.

It turned out that, despite the same name, they have different panels - not the ones what we call "Ecopan". They often use polyurethane foam as insulation, rather than polystyrene foam, like ours. He says it’s more environmentally friendly and warmer - less insulation is needed, the wall is thinner, less wood is used for the frame, and it’s not cheap.

The main advantage of SIP panels - the simplicity and speed of assembling the box - disappears when assembled by German hands: the box of a 150 m2 house made from SIP panels is installed in a day, and a simple frame - a maximum of one and a half. But SIP panels are inferior in terms of assembly time: to prepare structural elements for a regular frame, it takes 2 weeks, and from SIP panels - 4-6 weeks. The final price of the house is almost the same.

Especially about the energy efficiency of the house: this is one of my “problems” (well, I really don’t like being dependent on external factors, especially in such a vital issue as the temperature inside the house).

It is clear that the climate in the main territory of Germany is significantly warmer than ours. But German houses are warmer than ours even for their climate. And if you use their standards for our climate, then you get a “hurricane”:

We believe that 14 cm of polystyrene foam in a SIP panel (Ekopan type) is enough for the walls to have the required heat transfer resistance. And by German standards for our climate outside you need another 10 cm of foam. And for their climate they add only 4 cm! At the same time, there are practically no vestibules at the entrance. For our Krasnodar region, this, of course, is suitable, but for the Moscow region it is not.

Here is an example of their house:

Some details of the structure of such a house are.

The construction of such a house with an area of ​​about 150 m2 looks like this:

A set of parts is made at the factory and delivered to the construction site by 8:00 along with a detailed installation plan. By the evening of the same day (10 hours before), the box is assembled at home. AND this happens without a hacksaw or tape measure- parts do not require adjustment on site.

The foundation (usually of the “slab” type) is made in advance by another team of four people. It takes her TWO day. All necessary communications are laid in the foundation. After production, the foundation should stand for at least a week.

Since their worker’s time is very expensive (according to the estimate - at least 20 euros per hour, usually 25), the assembly team has a good set of tools and uses a mini-crane - although there are no heavy parts, but with it it is much faster.

Of course, after 10 hours of assembly, only a “box” is obtained, but the box is very nice: the walls and ceilings are standing, the roof of the attic floor or the rafter system is ready for laying the roof. Cable channels are already laid into the walls and there are wires and all the pipes in them. The walls are not only a frame in the traditional sense of the word, but also all the necessary insulation inside. From the inside you get smooth walls made of sanded OSB (you can glue wallpaper). If the house is made of SIP panels, then additional insulation is already attached to the outside - ready for exterior finishing. The outside of the house is covered with windproofing.

At this point, the installation of the box is considered complete.

No exterior finishing is included in this stage. Windows are one of the first jobs to be installed the next day: without them there are drafts and the inability to carry out other work. On the second day the house is covered with a roof.

Bringing a 150 m2 house into turnkey condition takes them about another month. But it’s really “turnkey” - hang curtains, put in furniture and live: sockets, switches and plumbing are installed, tiles are installed, the roof is covered, laminate flooring is installed, all doors are installed, all communications are connected to existing networks. A finishing staircase has been installed.

The German house has several more features:

- the rigidity of the floors and the load-bearing capacity of the walls is calculated, and not done by eye. And it is calculated according to German standards, which are higher than ours. The minimum permissible load “they have” is 200 kg per m2 - it is impossible to make it less. When ordering a house, you can set any other price, but only above their minimum standards. If your project includes, for example, a large corner bathroom, then the load-bearing capacity of the floor underneath will be appropriate. For floors, special beams are used, which can have different sizes, and they can be laid as often as necessary to ensure the required strength of the floor. Examples of such beams

- The Germans have different panels. Instead of polystyrene foam, which causes environmental concerns, rigid polyurethane foam is used inside the panels. It is more effective as insulation, safer in case of fire, and better in terms of environmental parameters. Thanks to this, the layer of additional external insulation of the house box with polystyrene foam can be reduced to 8 (!!!) cm. Our houses made of SIP panels make do with only a 14 cm layer of polystyrene foam inside the SIP panel. I have never seen any cases of such insulation outside. Maybe there is somewhere in Siberia...

In addition, the Germans have sanded OSB on the inner layer of the SIP panel - it is much smoother than usual, and, for example, wallpaper can be glued on it without additional leveling/puttying, which significantly simplifies the finishing and reduces its cost. Although they usually cover it with plasterboard - according to their German standards, this is supposed to be done in a number of cases for fire safety reasons.

- heating it requires much less energy - 1 kilowatt per 100 m2. It turns out that a 100-watt incandescent light bulb can heat a room of 10 m2. And a warm floor can be the main heating system, and not an auxiliary one, as is usually the case with us. And taking into account the fact that a person also generates a noticeable amount of heat, and household appliances do the same, even less energy may be required for heating. Almost an "energy-passive" house!

In principle, such a house can even be placed “in an open field”, and the necessary energy can be obtained using a small wind generator and a solar battery. And if you use gas in cylinders for heating, then one cylinder is enough for a month in winter.

There are already technologies for storing electricity and delivering it to the house when power is needed that significantly exceeds the power of the source, and I wrote about this. If you calculate the amount of money, effort and time that needs to be spent on supplying and connecting main gas to the house, then now the “autonomous” option may turn out to be more attractive. Especially considering the independence from gas and energy companies.

This, of course, is partly due to significantly warmer walls and ceilings, but German ventilation standards make a huge contribution to the increased energy efficiency of the house.

Let me remind you that according to our standards, the air in a room 3 meters high should change once an hour. This means that warm air must be expelled outside, and the outside air must be heated and supplied into the house.

I can understand such standards if three people live in a 15m2 room (as was often the case after the Civil War), but for a house with a volume of 450m3 meters, which usually houses 1-3 people? I'm afraid it's just sabotage.

The Germans in an individual house just need to open the windows once a day and ventilate the rooms. It is believed that air leaks from the street through opening doors and leaks in windows. Nobody prohibits fans in bathrooms and hoods in the kitchen, and, in my opinion, they should be left. And an open window in the summer is the most proper ventilation. And in winter, opening it slightly for a few minutes is also very nice.

The construction of such a house turns from a terrible headache and a lot of risks into a very nice and enjoyable activity for the customer. The Germans have everything in order with labor discipline, accuracy and quality of work. Construction simply ceases to be a feat.

And, most importantly: the cost of construction such a house, including materials, delivery, customs and assembly by German hands according to their German drawings, practically no different from construction"almost the same" houses by our builders. It turned out that 1m2 of area will cost 27.5 thousand rubles!!! This amount was obtained using the example of calculating the cost of building a turnkey house like this by the architect Firsov:

This money includes the foundation, delivery, customs, assembly by German hands, and connection to communications. (The cost of sewage treatment plants, water wells, electricity limits - of course - no. They don't even really understand what that means.)

The German says that he is ready to build a house in the Moscow region for this money!

If all this works out, then the “German house” has one more thing interesting "consequence":

If a one-room apartment in Moscow costs 500 thousand USD, then with this money you can buy a plot of land near Istra (50 thousand USD, 30 km from Moscow), build a “German” house of 130 meters (140 thousand USD - one living room and three bedrooms), spend another 20 thousand on landscaping the site (water, local treatment facilities, paths, etc.), 15 thousand on furniture - a total of 225 thousand. Another 25 thousand - a car. And live on the remaining 250 thousand for 10-15 years, forgetting about work. This is an interesting arrangement.

And all this can be done without a headache in 4-5 months, taking into account the time for searching and registering a site.

What is your attitude towards this construction?

More about the "German House":

Comments:

Natalia, 05.03.2010 16:25:24
I read the calculations of how much it would cost to build a house with an area of ​​140 m2 in German and furnish it, and it became somehow inconvenient for our carelessness. We spend much more for a smaller area and quality, which cannot be compared with German ones, and at the same time we are “happy and satisfied” with our approach to this, it’s sad how it has become...

Sometimes some things amaze only an American (for example, a wall-hung toilet), but sometimes they surprise me too (roller shutters throughout the house, regardless of the time of year or day).

German houses are not usually built of brick or wood, but rather use metal reinforcement and a sand/limestone mixture. The outside and inside of the walls are covered with plaster and paint (usually yellow on the outside, white on the inside). Wallpaper is not used due to high humidity. American homes, typically built of wood/plywood, do not require a signal booster for wireless Wi-Fi. In a German home it is required.

In Germany they prefer to rent housing rather than own their own. For example, in Berlin, more than 80% of people live in rented housing. Perhaps this is due to a lack of funds (the salary is small and you don’t want to commit yourself to a loan), or perhaps people do not see their future in this city and want to have freedom of choice and movement. If in America it is common to rent housing for a period of 1 year, then in Germany the minimum period is usually 3 years. The more, the more convenient for the landlord.

German houses usually do not have central air conditioning and heating systems (ceiling and floor grilles). With the hot American climate and high humidity, constant air conditioning is simply necessary. But Germany is located further north, and it is enough to ventilate the rooms here. Although in old German houses, which are already several centuries old, there is often mold that is difficult to remove. Germans may use small home fans. In cold weather, houses are heated with hot water, which is supplied to radiators on the wall or under the floor (“warm floors”). The heating level can be adjusted independently. It's no surprise that Germans use less electricity than Americans.

Heating under the window. The balcony door is made entirely of glass:

But there are light motion sensors that allow you to save electricity. For example, they are triggered near the entrance, in the corridor, in the basement.

It was a revelation to Americans that windows could be opened vertically. Sometimes on forums they write that they broke a window in a rented apartment and ask how to fix it and what to tell the landlord. Americans are also puzzled why the Germans don’t put insect screens in all their windows. It’s just that in Germany they spray all sorts of chemicals from helicopters in swampy areas to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. There really are almost none. A summer night turns into torture for Americans, as all the moths and bugs fly from the darkness into the bright house. The battle begins between fresh air and the absence of insects. One day, an American woke up to find a grasshopper sitting on his chest.

In German houses, roller shutters (metal, wood, plastic) are usually built into every room. They will be everywhere except the bathroom and toilet windows. In America, similar powerful window reinforcements are found on the east coast or in the southern states, where hurricanes are frequent and windows need to be saved from strong winds and flying debris. Or, with the help of thick blinds in the south, they can escape the scorching sun. Americans are wondering why such powerful blinds are needed where there are no hurricanes and the hot south? Versions being considered:

So that the light from street lamps does not interfere with sleep at night (but blinds are lowered at night in all rooms);
- so that in winter, when leaving home, you can keep it warm (but modern double windows and insulated walls perfectly retain heat);
- to keep the house cool in the summer (Germans are afraid of drafts, so they don’t ventilate their houses in this way in the summer);
- so that glare of light does not fall on the TV screen;
- to keep their private life secret (it seems to them that 60% of the time neighbors are looking at their windows);
- to feel safe (Americans think that the Germans prepared for the zombie apocalypse in this way);
- perhaps this is a memory of the time when, in July 1939, instructions were issued about the need to tightly close windows with blankets at night so that the light from inside the house could not be seen.
- perhaps there is no logic here. The habit that my mother and grandmother did this is enough.

For example, in Holland they rarely curtain their windows; rather, they try to decorate them with orchids, lighthouses, seagulls... The Dutch like to live without curtains, as if demonstrating to all people that they have nothing to hide. Perhaps the Dutch like to look out the window more often than at the TV. Perhaps this is their favorite TV program. Or perhaps the Dutch simply love the sun and do not like turning their houses into underground rooms where light does not penetrate.

Dutch house in the evening.

Window shutters are what surprises Americans the most about Germany. But these shutters on hundred-year-old buildings never close.

Typically, residential buildings in German towns look like this day and night:

Maybe this is an echo of war and it seems to them that there is a sniper sitting on the roof? But all of Europe was at war.

When moving into a rented apartment, you need to be prepared for the fact that instead of lighting in the rooms there will only be wires. You will have to buy light bulbs, lighting fixtures and install them yourself. For example, the two table lamps we brought with us helped us a lot at first.

Americans are surprised that German toilets have not one, but two flush buttons and they are different! In the US, older toilets use 13.6 liters of water to flush, newer ultra-low flow toilets use 6 liters. In Germany, pressing the large button uses 7.5 liters of water, and the small button uses 3.8 liters.
Also for Americans, the design of the wall-hung toilet is surprising. They are used to it being attached to the floor. And Americans are also surprised that there is a brush in the toilet...

Americans are accustomed to having a two-door refrigerator with a minimum height of 1.8 m, a huge oven and a large space for utensils and creativity in the kitchen. German cuisine disappoints them in this regard. Not all German rental houses have kitchen furniture, and if they do, they are not of “American” dimensions. When baking a turkey in a German oven, Americans even have to cut off its legs, otherwise it simply won’t fit inside.

Usually, when new residents move into a rented apartment, the only things they expect in the kitchen are water connections and electrical wires. The previous residents will even take the sink and countertop with them (most likely, due to its size, it will be useless in the new place, but here the Germans are driven not by logic, but by a sense of justice - you didn’t pay them for this kitchen). Typically, tenants buy kitchen furniture on their own or purchase it inexpensively from previous tenants who have moved out (fortunately, people rarely move in Germany).

What does a typical American stove look like:

What a kitchen looks like in a rented German apartment (a small elevation on the left is a refrigerator):

I am now beginning to understand why the Germans go to the store every day... They simply don’t have room for anything at home. However, from the previous post you already understood that Germans prefer not to cook at home; they eat ready-made food, which at most needs to be heated (What do they eat in Germany? and).

German built-in oven:

What was the first thing the Americans did? Of course we bought a new refrigerator! True, they did not measure in advance the doorway of the storage room where they intended to put it, but it fit in anyway:

A storage room inside an apartment is often used to install an additional refrigerator or freezer. In our house, for example, there is a place to connect a washing machine. Also, usually the apartment has a basement where you can store bicycles, skis, barbells and whatever your heart desires (except for flammable and flammable items). Yes, when moving, Germans will also take with them a dryer and washing machine.

If in America it is customary to have a large and beautiful space in front of the house, then with the Germans it’s the other way around: in front of the house there will be a rather small space, and all the beauty will be behind the house, away from prying eyes. Even apartment buildings in Germany, unsightly from the street, will have a nice courtyard. Perhaps this is because Germans do not want to “show off” their beautiful yards, while Americans, on the contrary, like to look attractive. Typically, Germans cook sausages and grill meat in their backyards.

In American homes, it is usually customary to make lockable niches in the wall, which can be conveniently used as dressing rooms or storage rooms. They will be present even in the smallest New York apartments:

In Germany, instead of such niches, they buy furniture where they hang and fold clothes. Americans believe that cabinets are where Ikea does its main business in Germany.

Americans are accustomed to having large furniture in their large homes. But it simply won’t fit in comparatively smaller German apartments. For example, the Americans had to sell this large dining table for 10 people and chairs before moving to Germany:

Of course, there were still difficulties in finding an adapter for equipment designed for a different network voltage. For example, electronics purchased in Germany will not work in the US unless adapters or transformers are used. Therefore, those who leave Europe for America usually sell all their equipment through websites inexpensively. This is very convenient for those who move to Germany and do not want to invest a fortune in purchasing new equipment. The EU electrical plug is different from the US (2 small round prongs vs 2 small flat prongs). Things that usually don't work from the US: TVs, irons, hair dryers, coffee pots, electric shavers, lamps, etc.

I’ll add from myself:

If the house is old, post-war, most likely the bathroom will only have a shower. But with modern renovation everything looks nice:

In old houses, the division of rooms into kitchen and dining room has been preserved, i.e. they don’t eat in the kitchen, they only cook (however, as in pre-revolutionary houses in Moscow and St. Petersburg).

Small German kitchenette. Here they prepare:

And here they eat:

In the kitchen you can only have a snack, sitting at this makeshift table on high bar stools:

The central place in the living room is occupied by the TV (every room in a German house has a TV outlet). For example, our neighbors watch TV as scheduled - every day from 18 to 22 hours. Then they lower the blinds and you can’t hear them. His barbell remains in the shed, her bicycle is there too. It seems that in their life there is only home and work.

The German bedroom differs from others in that there will be an additional switch above the bed. Americans are surprised that Germany has large switches, not in the form of a lever. Very often, even on a double bed there will be two separate blankets (rather than one large one) and there will be no blanket on top (this is a novelty for the Germans). Terry stretch sheets are often used.

For some reason, Germans avoid eating on balconies, although they buy flowers, trees and beautiful furniture there.

A balcony in Holland is literally created for lunch and dinner:

Nice balconies in Heidelberg.

What kind of German houses are there?

Half-timbered architecture is immediately recognizable. It is associated with the houses of Germany and Europe. Often the roofs in such structures are covered with tiled roofs. Today, this canonical type of residential buildings is used as a design delight. On the other hand, it is a symbol of German quality. But in fact, buildings from the 15th-16th centuries have been preserved in Germany, which are still in use today. Therefore, many argue that houses using German technology have an increased service life.

History of German houses

In fact, the famous German houses, the photos of which are fascinating, appeared for a reason. The designs of buildings in which wood is the main material are typical for both wooded areas and coastal areas. In the countries of the Baltic and North Seas (Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Holland, etc.) there were many skilled carpenters who built high-quality ships. These craftsmen knew how to properly build a reliable structure made of wood, so they began building the structures.

To build the first houses, pillars were dug directly into the ground, and connecting beams and rafters were laid on top of them, after which the construction of the roof began. Of course, after 15 years, the pillars rotted relatively quickly. Over time, they began to be installed on the prototype of a stone foundation - huge boulders previously dug into the ground. The service life of poles, and therefore structures, has increased tenfold. But it was necessary to compensate for the connection to the ground with many transverse slopes, rods, tightenings and connections.

For skilled carpenters, such a connection was not a problem. They were carried out according to naval methods and techniques. Today, all connections have been replaced by simpler ones, using steel fasteners (anchors, screws, brackets, threaded rods).

Design Features

In fact, a German house is a special frame made of elements of large and medium sections, with the cavities of the external temperature contour filled. The remaining elements of the structure (roof, foundation, partitions, walls) can be made in the same way as in other houses.

A reliable frame is not a problem for skilled carpenters. But filling your sinuses is a difficult task. After all, the quality of the walls, and consequently the fate of the entire structure, depended on this. At that time, the sinuses were filled with adobe or adobe material. This material has been used on all continents. Today it is also becoming popular and is used in green construction.

Grooves were cut into the beams into which a paired or wicker lattice of rods was inserted. Saman was applied to it. Sheet material for the exterior of a building had not been invented at that time, and it was too expensive to use boards for this purpose. Therefore, the buildings were plastered, but it was not possible to first apply the mortar to the wooden beams.

Therefore, the walls remained with visible beams, which later became the hallmark of German houses.

Distinctive feature of a half-timbered house

Many old German houses have one distinctive feature. If you look closely, you can see that each new floor of the house hangs over the previous one. At first glance it looks unusual. The explanation for this design is quite simple. In coastal areas it often rains and precipitation, flowing down the walls, water fell on the lower floors. Their walls were getting very wet. The upper floors dried quickly due to the wind and sun. The lower ones could rot due to moisture, and this is unacceptable. Therefore, the upper floors were brought forward.

This feature of construction became ineffective with the invention of high-quality waterproofing materials in the construction industry. Modern facades, foundations, walls and wood are reliably protected from frost and moisture. Therefore, modern German houses have completely flat wall planes.

The changes also affected the roofing material, due to the weight of which it was impossible to carry the canopy even half a meter. Today they use lightweight sheets that can remove water from the wall by a meter or even more.

Canadian technology or still German?

Old German houses can easily be called the basis of all frame construction technologies. Indeed, in modern construction using frame technology, almost everything is repeated. There are no transverse slopes in the systems. Today, experts only use a different thickness of the material (modern beams have become a little thinner). Many believe that it is Canadian, but finished structures are often called both Finnish and German. And this is fair, because buildings were constructed using this technology even before the discovery of America.

Today, it is difficult to see old European houses in frame houses, because they have a characteristic advantage - cladding with high-quality sheet material and finishing the building on the outside. The design of the structure was improved, and nature also benefited, because wood consumption was significantly reduced.

Ancient house-building method and modern materials

Thanks to the sheathing of a solid OSB sheet, the structure has become even stronger, stiffer and more reliable. Now there is no need to use powerful beams and racks at the initial stage. Exterior finishing and sheet material reliably protect the wooden frame from negative environmental influences: solar burnout, weathering, freezing. Thanks to such protection, the service life of the structure has increased significantly.

A good German house has a calling card - visible beams of the structure. Today they are used only for decorative purposes. Of course, walls made of adobe and clay are a thing of the past, and the space is filled with high-quality and environmentally friendly insulation. Today straw is also used as filler.

Previously, finishing the sinuses was a problem, but today this process takes as much effort as finishing the interior walls. Thanks to the use of modern facade putties, this process is easy and simple.

The frame of the structure remains a model of the reliability of the entire structure. Metal elements helped speed up and simplify the installation process of a German house.

Conclusion

A German house is a high-quality, reliable structure. Its construction is practically no different from other houses. Remember, having decided to build such a house, you will be able to fulfill your dream and live in

According to the stories of readers published on the site as part of the competitions “My Living Room”, “My Kitchen”, “My Bedroom”, one gets the impression that Belarusians are wealthy people who live in interiors made with taste and attention to detail. Wooden cabinet and leather upholstered furniture, German wallpaper, designer sanitary ware and Italian tiles are almost the norm. It’s curious, what kind of “mansions” do ordinary Europeans live in then?

We have studied housing that is for sale or rent. We also went to visit “ordinary Germans” - pensioners and an “IT specialist” - and asked permission to take pictures for this material.

Kitchen in a house that is on sale for 375 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de Kitchen in a house for 400 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
Kitchen in the house for 399 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de

It turns out that by Belarusian standards, the Germans live little better than us.

Dining-living room in an apartment, which is rented for one and a half thousand euros

The bedroom is there too.
Bathroom in a house for 399 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de

What I immediately noticed is that the Germans are terrible conservatives. Rarely will any of them think of, say, buying a cheaper shower cabin in Poland or hiring finishers from Lithuania. They love everything German here, even if you have to overpay for the goods.

Yes, the average salary of Germans differs several times from the Belarusian one. But, given the high prices for utilities, food, gasoline, school after-school programs, services in hairdressing salons and auto repair shops, there is not much free money left. And obviously designer new items do not fall into the category of what practical Germans are willing to spend their free money on.

Living room in the house of German pensioners In a house valued at 400 thousand euros. Unfashionable tiles, simple plumbing. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
A beautiful, by German standards, bathroom in a house worth 395 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
Plumbing fixtures that have gone out of fashion in Belarus are in a German house for 398 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de

We were in the “rich” (according to the German citizens themselves) state of Baden-Württemberg. Just like in Belarus, furniture from IKEA is very popular here. The nearest store of this chain is crowded on a weekend: there are crowds of people around the furniture exhibits, queues for consultants, and lines of carts stretching to the cash registers. For comparison, in the largest local shopping center XXXL Mann Mobilia, where expensive (mass-produced, non-designer) furniture, dishes, lamps and other household goods are sold, the trading floors are quite deserted.

IKEA is also loved in Germany. The photo shows the apartment of the family of a teacher and a social worker.

The finishing of the floor, walls and ceiling is not given as much attention here as in our country. Often in wealthy homes you can see inexpensive laminate flooring and paintable wallpaper on the walls and ceiling, painted white. Even in bathrooms.

- Why is almost everything white here? — I asked the owners.

“It’s practical, everything goes with white, it’s easy to choose furniture.”

I almost never saw painted, pre-plastered walls here.

Paintable wallpaper, popular in Germany. In the photo - the apartment of the family of a teacher and a social worker
All around there is wallpaper for painting. House for 396 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
Simple decoration and furniture in the house for 396 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de

Only in two apartments was it possible to admire German patterned wallpaper, so popular in Belarus.

Colored wallpaper in the dining room in the house of German pensioners

By the way, the Germans have no idea what “German stretch ceilings” are. There are almost no plasterboard structures here - to make the walls even, they are often covered with wooden slats.

Living room in the apartment of a teacher and a social worker. The walls are finished with wooden slats and wallpaper for painting
The house for 398 thousand euros has a wood ceiling. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
Wooden ceiling in a house for 398 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
“Dry” interior with budget furniture in a house for 396 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de

Comparing the approaches of Belarusians and Germans to housing, you quickly come to the conclusion: we attach more importance to details and strive to create interiors that look expensive.

No-frills interior in a house for 399 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
Strange bathroom in a house worth 396 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de
Nothing extra. In a house for 396 thousand euros. Photo from immobilienscout24.de

In Germany, they make interiors within their means, “for themselves.” As, for example, in the house where the family of a German IT specialist with two children lives: