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#17117 01/28/01 11:28 AM
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In reply to:

And we have a huge covered "deck" attached to the side of the house---it is a "deck" not a patio.


I've never been quite sure what an architectural deck (as opposed to a nautical one) is. I've always visualised some sort of ground floor balcony where the house is much higher than the back garden (or yard). Would that be right?

Bingley



Bingley
#17118 01/28/01 01:59 PM
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I've never been quite sure what an architectural deck (as opposed to a nautical one) is.

Well, Bingley, decks come in all shapes and sizes. The one constant is they are made of wood (a nautical deck connection?)
One couple I know have a house which is ground level in front and up one floor in back -- so across the back of the house, they built a 14 foot wide, railed deck with built-in benches and container areas for plantings, at the kitchen-living room level (entry thru door at end of kitchen)with a staircase to the ground. The stairs are quite wide with several landings, easy to negotiate, pleasant to sit. The deck stretches across the back of the house and around one corner. At that corner is a "ramp" entry to deck and house, easy for those in wheelchairs to use. They spent about $15,000 on the deck in 1987! It is redwood which is a hard treated wood that can withstand our New England extremes of heat and cold. Their deck is a great party place!
On the other side of the scale, I am advised by my carpenter that he can build me a small (9 x 12 foot) deck outside my back door in my pleasant, fenced, dog containing yard for about $600. The deck would not be a "raised deck" (the type described above) but would sit directly on ground with just a slight rise caused by supports under it. It will provide a a pleasant spot.
These are two examples at opposite ends of spectrum ... the choice is how much do you, can you, spend.
On re-sale, a deck does add to value of house.
They can also be built with pergola-niche type areas, fitted with hot tubs, have built-in barbeque areas, have built in bars --- it's all a matter of taste and $$$$$$$$$
That help?
Oh, wait! check out www.decksusa.com! They've got pictures!
wow



#17119 01/28/01 06:48 PM
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When I was in England many years ago I was warned to avoid the public "facilities." Most Americans don;t know this, but many such facilities in England and on the Continent have attendants, usually women a bit long in the tooth. In London, one of these little old ladies was quietly cutting the throats of patrons and stealing their wallets. She was the little old lady who shivved in a loo.



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#17120 01/29/01 08:41 AM
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>I haven't seen anyone use the word "wardrobe" in this thread. Does anyone else still use this term apart from us godforsaken tangata Aotearoa?

Yes we do (never closet). I think I mentioned it in an easlier thread. Try putting wardrobe in the search thingy.

Funny how we still use the term "out of the closet" though!


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>We have something similar but it is called a deacon's bench in English and a beggar's bench in French. It has a back, and is not attached to anything so it can be moved around. People sit on it to take off their boots in wintertime.

I've seen a similar thing, called a boot bench. I was trying to look it up in the IKEA catlogue as I wasn't sure what they called it.

They must save alot of money by using Scandinavian(ish) names and then just translating them in the catlogue (which I assume has the same photographs in every country blessed with an IKEA). I would think that a relatively easy way to find out about another country's culture would be to compare two current catalogues.

The "Bra" (strange name!) is described as a Wardrobe on p334 of the 2000 Catalogue, presumably in other countries a "Bra" is described as a closet. TEORI is descibed as a cutley set on p158, presumably it is described as "silverware" in the US edition.

Funny how the Ikea names don't become generic, I've never heard anyone saying that they were thinking of buying an IVAR or a KRITTER !


#17122 01/29/01 09:19 AM
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>Apartments here only refer to rented dwelling units in multi-unit buildings. Apartments are never purchased, and are never in single-unit buildings. A purchase of a unit in a multi-unit dwelling is a condo.

We call everything a flat, whether it is a conversion of a house or purpose built. The estate agents like to use other terms, apartment maybe (which sounds "posher") but never Condominium.

Edinburgh and Glasgow have tenement flats that were purpose built in the late nineteenth century and are now considered to be rather desirable. There are also houses divided into two - an upper and a lower.

Examples can be found at the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre - look at city centre properties:
http://www.espc.com/BuyingAndRenting/buymain.asp


#17123 01/29/01 01:09 PM
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flats, not apartments
wardrobes, not closets
hall, not front entry
loo or toilet, never bathroom - that's where the bath is!
spare room, not guest room
as for a 'terrace', definitely a row of houses - I live in one (of the Georgian variety)!
yard - coming from a rural background, this is where all the farm machinery, cars etc are kept. The garden is what is around the house.
Can't think of any others at the moment, though I'm sure more will come to me at a later stage!


#17124 01/29/01 02:11 PM
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In NY Apartments (as in apartment buildings) can be tenement-- or Pre-war (luxury!) or modern. They can, and in Manhattan are almost always are, owned-- either outright --condo(minium) or co-op(portive).
In Condo, you own your own apartment, and share ownership in common space (roof, stairwells, elevators) and pay maintenance for upkeep of common space.
Co-op you own shares in corporation that owns the building-- and your cost are based on your shares (for maintenance). Most apartment building in desirable areas are condo or co-ops. in less desirable areas, you can still rent an apartment.
By law-in NY it's not a room unless it has a window--(bath room exempt-- but must have ventilation)

Byb, used the word vestibule in NY this is what an apartment building has-- a front door, a vestibule: with an area for mailboxes and door bells (or if luxury a door man)- and a second locked door to get into main part of the building. In your apartment or house you have a foyer-- Vestibule is used for a more public space--
A luxury building might have a Lobby-- a friend lives in an condo with a huge lobby-- it has several sofa, and tables--you can wait in the area while partner goes to garage and gets car, and pulls into semi-circular driveway.

gazebo my gazebo is free standing, open sides with roof-- octagonal out door room-- its about 8 foot across (2.5--2.7 meters) I have a small round table and several chairs in it.

What i like is being out of doors, but having shade, and not sitting on grass--(fewer bugs) and not sitting close to house (its about 15 feet from house (over 4 meters). since its covered, chairs don't get (as) wet. My kids like to use it when they where teens-- even in winter-- they would light a few lanterns, (and pretend they gave some warm) and hang out-- close enough to house to come in an use "facilities*" and to get some hot cocoa-- but far enough away from parents so they thought they had privacy.
*Facilities is a NY euphemism for bathroom/toilet. So restaurants will have a notice "facilities are only for Patrons" --the idea being of the street riff raff can't come in and use toilet with out ordering from restaurant.


#17125 01/29/01 02:20 PM
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Did I miss these?
Ant mention yet of the difference/similarites between basement and cellar?
How about attic and garrett?


#17126 01/29/01 02:40 PM
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in my family's usage, cellar has always meant a cool, below ground area, without windows, undecorated and unglamorous, designed for storing wine and possibly coal.

A house with a basement (like mine) would struggle to have a cellar as the basement is already below ground level and contains rooms (in my case a self-contained flat). Originally, this would have been the servants quarters and would have contained the kitchen, scullery, butlers pantry etc.


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