Swedish Vs American Homes (What is Different?)

[@jagpalle]

I don’t think you mentioned that Windows in Sweden are often 3-glasses and very sturdy. To keep out cold.

[@phillytheflyerable]

and noice

[@peterbense5650]

Yes and for the OP this kind of window is called a "casement" window and the other kind is called a "double-hung" window.

[@peolindstrom8570]

Peter Bense in oz we call them sash windows

[@peolindstrom8570]

And the other one pivothung because you can flip them around

[@the-panter1236]

Not true

[@Kolfonik]

4:00 it's not to "help with overall flushing" It's because you don't need 5 liters of water to flush down a small amount of pee. It's to save water.

[@Gambantein]

Water is plenty in Sweden...

[@Kolfonik]

@@Gambantein No, stupid, it'ts not, we've had almost no water last summer and this winter has not been able to fill our water reserves, we are almost out off water unless you live right next to a river. And this invention for the toilets wasn't meant to be used only in Sweden you moron.

[@Gambantein]

@@Kolfonik Ok, tack för invektiven! Där jag bor fanns och finns mycket vatten och det gör det generellt även i övriga Sverige. (Det är inte ofta vi får så varma och torra somrar som förra sommaren). Var skrev jag att snålspolande toaletter bara fanns ii Sverige? Varför så arg?

[@Kolfonik]

@@Gambantein Jag blir arg för att du skriver att det finns mycket vatten i Sverige och du verkar tro att du och jag då inte har samma vattenkälla. Varken jag eller mina grannar har fått tillbaka det vatten vi behöver sen förra sommaren, och har VI slut vatten, så har DU också snart slut vatten. Och fortsätter det då här 1-2 år till så är katastrof. Inga bönder kommer få vattna varken grödor eller djur och så vidare. Och snålspolande toaletter är till för att spara vatten, oavsett. Bara för att du har vatten i kranen för tillfället betyder det INTE ALLS att vi har "plenty of water" Goggla runt lite, flera kommuner gick redan ut förra månaden med rekommendationer för att inte ha vattenbrist kommande sommar. Din första kommentar är bara dum.

[@Gambantein]

@@Kolfonik En torr och varm sommar gör inte Sverige till Afrika... Om stat och kommun inte klarar vattenförsörjningen är en sak men att säga att det inte finns vatten är inte korrekt. I Sverige finns otroligt mycket vatten. Just nu regnar det och tidigare har kommit mycket regn - våra dammar är överfulla. Tips till dig! Gör som jag - flytta ut på landet och ordna en egen brunn. Jag tror du skulle bli lyckligare då, för du verkar så arg. :)

[@AslanW]

Easy, American houses are built in plywood and papier mache and Swedish houses are built with real construction material.

[@theunknown7879]

naah man amaricans have great houses too

[@oskaroremo2339]

Thats what 911 Said

[@GodismyStrenght48]

@@oskaroremo2339NOt funny

[@felixdavidsson3555]

HAHAHA kung

[@artistbychoice2861]

😂😂!! Funny! Silly... but funny

[@brownsauce1763]

Swedish houses don't have a rug covering all of the floors like in america

[@procharged692]

Its very rare

[@fitexperiments7976]

Oh those dirty carpets... noooo!

[@fellowsound1241]

what if u mate pukes al over man

[@JWildberry]

It was fashionable once. Like 30+ years ago, I believe. You can still find it some places, but most of the time those wall-to-wall carpets were installed in the 80s or earlier.

[@BolinFoto]

They were popular but the Swedish Health Board recommended that we should not have them because studies made in the late eighties showed that the wall to wall carpet was a big source of respiratory illnesses, so we tore them out.

[@jonremmers7723]

It always pisses me off when my dad from Germany comes visiting me in Sweden. He just walks straight into our home with his shoes on, no thought whatsoever where those shoes were just minutes before. I have to remind him and it gets awkward. Every time. To me, not taking shoes off when entering someones home is rude. It is not so much about hygiene as showing a bit of respect to the people inviting you in. Manners..

[@closingdealz]

its alla about hygien

[@ricardo_boutique]

Well, all a matter of culture, I personally prefer anyone who visits me at home to keep their shoes lol I do not like to see people in socks close to my stuff

[@jonremmers7723]

Actually, my (again german) dad told me that during the Tjernobyl disaster in 1986, he and his neighbours in the apartment house made it a custom to take off shoes immediately after entering the door to the house. This is one of his strongest memories of this time, all the neighbours shoes piled up at the bottom of the stairwell.

[@JWildberry]

@@ricardo_boutique How come? Those feet are incased in socks, so it's no worse than someone sitting on your couch. There's only a bit of fabric between their butt and your furniture, but that doesn't worry you, right?

[@ricardo_boutique]

@@JWildberry But feet sweat, which in turn comes through the socks, specially if they are thin. Just sweat a bit from your feet and you will start to see those feet sweat prints everywhere, heck no. I know the outside dirt may be dirtier, but I do prefer outside dirt over any sort of human produced substances. I do also dislike others to be in my couch, thats why I avoid it whenever possible and why Im a germaphobe :D

[@cher3093]

I get the feeling this guy hasn’t been to a lot of homes in America. We have lever door handles and detachable shower sprayers...

[@cher3093]

And duvet covers.... 😂

[@vincentconti3633]

Where in the heck is he from?

[@FloridaLifeWellLived]

I think he is a bit out there.... We live in Florida and my home can go through a cat. 2 hurricane. I wouldn't trust a Swed home to that. Plus we have most of the stuff he talks about. Plus I like my carpet in current areas of our house. We of course don't have it everywhere, but in the places we like.

[@FloridaLifeWellLived]

@@cher3093 I hate duvet covers. Tried them once, will not do it again....

[@aredub1847]

He’s an ass

[@karlxiiofsweden1908]

Swedish homes are more technology advanced , newer , better quality . 10 times faster internet.

[@greystateofmind]

They cost alot more though^^ Many swedes will not be able to pay off their morgage under their lifetime.

[@russianlemon2455]

Think of vattenfall thats why we have good internet

[@karlxiiofsweden1908]

Viking Turtle Sweden has second fastest in the world

[@GALENGODIS]

@@greystateofmind houses in US is not cheaper...

[@lil9144]

Karl XII of Sweden tjenare grabben som hatar Einar

[@Vollification]

I always wondered about this. Why doesn't americans take off their shoes at home? Shoes get dirty, why do you want more dirt in your homes?

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Why do you think all Americans are slobs? No matter where you live clean people don’t wear shoes in the house. Never seen anyone I know out of hundreds of homes ever wear there shoes in the house. Most people can not wait to get their shoes off when they get home. Long day at work in boots. Oh man.

[@Vollification]

@@FearsomeWarrior I'm european. It's sort of our thing :p

[@bennylofgren3208]

You don't want to walk around on those filthy floors in your stocking feet though. 😃 (Just kidding, folks!)

[@vebbanboe5780]

I always wondered how the condition of American feet are after always (beside when you sleep) being stuck inside the shoes?!

[@kaptensol]

Well, it would be a short comparisson since you don't pay for college/university in Sweden, it's free. Ofc you will still have to support yourself during your studies but anyone can get a student loan with subsidised interest in Sweden so it's not a social class thing like in the US where you have to pay big money for higher education @Hillside Chalet

[@djdacdb]

You forgot to mention that all entry doors opens outwards.

[@gabrielbme]

Not only that, it's a more efficient use of space and it's much safer since you can't kick the door in. @@_mr_andersson

[@edvins8863]

Most of the time the door opens towards the way that has the most space

[@daffhead4975]

How can it be more safe? It's easier to block a door from the side it opens to. Also, it's harder for the firemen to get in aswell in a case of fire.

[@edvins8863]

Daniel Nilsson why would someone block the door during a fire and it doesn’t take that much longer to drag the door than pushing it for firemen.

[@gabrielbme]

My point was that it's harder to break into when you can't just use force. Which, as you say, could be slowing the firemen down a bit. But that's more of an issue of security doors being hard to force rather than the way it opens. The firemen will have tools to force a door anyhow, or they could go through the windows. The argument of the door being blocked from the outside is in my opinion just ridiculous. How often are you in that very specific circumstance where someone completely blocks your door? The only reasonable case I can think of is if there's suddenly 1 meter of snow outside. But on the other hand, areas that see a lot of snow typically have a decent roof above the entryway. If not, if something could easily block your door due to weather, you probably live in a house where there's windows on the ground floor... So, personally I would much rather have the security benefits of a tough security door opening outwards and take the minimal risk of being trapped inside in some extraordinary circumstance.

[@T_A_G]

And you can drink the tap water in Sweden.

[@fiskmas3887]

You can't do that in the US? Wow I did not know that

[@T_A_G]

@@fiskmas3887 I have never been there my self but I have heard of my friends that the tap water is not recommended drinking.. you have to buy water if you wanna have clean water..

[@T_A_G]

@@fiskmas3887 jag är svensk btw haha

[@pat2562]

@@T_A_G America is really big, do you really believe that 300+ million people don't have safe tap water?

[@THjelm]

I have visited Texas quite a bit, and the one thing I remember is the tap water smelling of chlorine. Like, of you left the tap running for a little while the kitchen would instantly smell like a swimming pool. Sure, you could drink it, but I would always put a lot of ice in it so it wouldn't taste so bad.

[@erbLLLL]

Actually alot of Swedish homes has both a Washer and a Dryer with a separate room for it. I mean, usually not in an apartment, but in villas atleast. Also, spiral staircases isn't super common in Sweden either. But otherwise I like these type of videos!

[@Redbull_Ger_Dig_Vingar]

Yes spiral staircases arent as common in sweden anymore but in like old apartments most of the staircases are spiral.

[@BTSArmy-sn6uh]

I live in sweden and have a spiral staircase and i have a washer and dryer in a separate room

[@Redbull_Ger_Dig_Vingar]

@@BTSArmy-sn6uh Well its probaly cause you orderd it and i said in old apartments stairs if you can read.

[@BTSArmy-sn6uh]

Wilmer Mellqvist well i dont live in a ”old” apartment i actually live in a house

[@LetoZeth]

Spiral staircases are actually very common in Swedish apartments from the 80~90ies. thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/vit-l%C3%A4genhet-med-trappuppg%C3%A5ngen-89606282.jpg Usually this variant.

[@amandalewis3898]

The bedding you mentioned a sheet in a sheet lol is actually a quilt inside a duvet cover we have the same bedding in the UK single layered sheets went out in the 70s.

[@maryelaine-blinstrubchambe6083]

We have duvet covers in the US too I was counting all the things in the house from Ikea. You find any of those same things in or homes now too. I was just planning a trip there this week myself.

[@desertpillar5286]

(Swede living in the US). One of the main differences is construction quality. In the US the houses are built with an expected life span of say 50 years. But in Sweden/Europe it is usually built with an expected life span of 100+ years. One other big difference that is tied to this too is indoor living climate and quality, I've come to understand, especially in California, that people don't care too much about the indoor living climate because most of life is spent outdoors here because it is always sunny. In Sweden where the weather isn't as nice much more time is spent indoors and thus people invest a lot of money in making sure that the indoor living climate and quality is the best it can be. Other differences include: - No grinder in the Swedish kitchen sinks. - US has 1-2 pane windows where in Sweden it's almost always 3 pane (even in houses build in 1920). - Carpets vs hardwood floors. - OMG the heating systems... The US mainly uses Forced Air, which is incredibly inefficient and loud and bad in every form. And in Sweden we mainly use water based radiant heaters. - US homes mainly use PEX tubing for water pipes, but in Sweden we use almost exclusively copper pipes - IKEA has a bad reputation here and people believe it is low quality because it is cheap, but then they spend $10k on a sofa that is really bad quality because "sofas are expensive". :) But as every Swede know, some things at IKEA are great quality (beds, sofas, wardrobes, kitchens) :)

[@aredub1847]

Pretty much totally wrong.

[@gamerjohn310]

not really, people in the US value quantity over quality in terms of food, clothes, and homes.

[@jimmybaldbird3853]

@@gamerjohn310 pretty generalizing. Had a house from the 1940s. My house now is hurricane proof and solid stone. I lived in some of the wealthiest parts of Stockholm. I had more in my single income house, both in quality, quantity, than some of those people.

[@abrahamlinkinpark]

Old houses in the US are a big turn off, that’s why, people buy a new house every 4-8 years because they just can afford it more than Swedes. You’d be lucky to afford rent in a tiny apartment in Oslo or Stockholm.

[@NingTang1972]

Simply not true.

[@jadu79]

there are some things you forgot to mention and, among other things, that the entire houses are usually much more isolated and also insulation in interior walls in wooden houses and Swedish houses is also quite air-tight with thresholds that seal at doors and windows so as not to waste energy and our exterior doors are quite strong and insulated and open outwards. Houses that have been built since the 1980s have a requirement for sound insulation and thermal insulation, which has got stricter rules during the time when reduced heating cost / energy consumption is a way to reduce the environmental impact (you can compare energy consumption for villas in equivalent climates) and I have seen clips from northern usa there they boast about how well insulated their walls are when they are as isolated as windows are in sweden (new energy windows but still) (in sweden and europe it counts backwards compared with the usa)

[@bennylofgren3208]

(Not isolated, that means far away from other buildings, but insulated. 😊)

[@Seevawonderloaf]

Yeah I've lived in both countries and Swedish homes are definitely way better insulated and sound proof. Hell I've lived in india and Japan also and both places have excellent sound proofing. And the housing construction is better in both countries more than the US I'm afraid to say

[@Mouseend]

I like when you put photos from U.S.A, so we swedes can se how you have it

[@Blixthand]

I haven't been in a whole lot of American homes, but based on the few I have and on movies/TV it seems like a lot of the time you just step right into peoples living rooms, and that a lot of times there isn't a whole lot of space to hang up your jacket if you're wearing one. In Sweden I've never seen a home that hasn't had at least a small area right inside the door for that, usually followed by some kind of hallway conecting the other rooms. And of course I've never been to a carpeted home in Sweden (maybe some people do have carpet, but it's really unusual), while a lot of American homes seem to have carpet. And as a Swede I't drives me crazy, why do you pick a material that is A: hard to get dirt and stians out of and B: is going to be attatched to your floor until you throw it out, and then chose to walk with your shoes on that (like you said, not all Americans walk with their shoes on, at least not all the time, but the general consensus seems to be that Americans do have their shoes on inside unless they are muddy or wet, but even when dry your shoes could still be dirty).

[@ValleyPooch]

That's common in the 1950/60's floor plan. Most newer houses on the west coast of Canada and US have a second entrance into a mud room, but guests wouldn't come in that way.

[@patriciaegan8149]

I agree with entering a home, right into a main living area. I never liked that. The home I grew up in had a door entrance that also had a closet for coats and things separate from main room, small but enough. You mention flooring, is it hard wood you're referring to?

[@Motorpunk666]

It's true that dirt sticks in the carpet and can be hard to get out, but a huge pro is that dust also gets stuck in the carpet instead of floating around in the air, so you can just vacuum the carpet and get rid of all dust. And also as was already mentioned, it makes a huge difference to room acoustics, a carpeted room is much softer acoustic wise which makes it more relaxing and also better suited for music or TV audio.

[@annarehbinder7540]

Patricia Egan just to start off with which is very important to us we have a Swedish building code which is law and if you don’t follow the code your “a..” is grass . We take building very seriously ( we do have a small period which we had homes of lesser quality because of rapid population expansion which we are really regretting but those have still stood 50 years now but because of the winters home is a huge part of a Swedes life .. that’s also why you never ask a Swede how much do you earn but where do you live and what did you study )can be hard wood can also be a linoleum carpet which is a more hardwearing non carpet carpet which is a flat surface which can be sandpapered down a couple of times and is really hardwearing ,flexible and soundproofing and which you put a wax coating on top of ... we normally put hardwood in the living room and bedroom for aesthetics and linoleum in the hallways and kitchen which is a really old practice . Linoleum works until it starts to crumble if you haven’t waxed it properly or if you have had so heavy objects ie over 300 kg on it so you have marks and you want to change things up it’s environmentally friendly and you can easily use it for 50 years plus I’ve seen 80 years old still in good condition- for a sound problem it’s really good! . Modern standard for bathrooms are complete ceramic tilling for all bathrooms up to the ceiling and up to at least as we call it breastheight ( no idear what you would call it over midriffs but below shoulder height ) for toilets .

[@tobbb7431]

Where do americans put their shoes? Like do they sleep with them on too?😅

[@markbrayton5391]

In the U.S. most of the newer homes have a decorative switch, these are a flatter design switch and outlet. The three prong plug has been mandatory since the mid-1950s in the U.S. the third prong is a ground. We get to pick what type of door handle we want. I don't know where you were in the U.S. but I have had a combination static shower head and one that's handheld for a very long time.

[@darkiee69]

Where's the Tvättstuga? I think that would be an interestin thing for the americans watching. A comunal laundryroom. And that wall sounded like plywood, not concrete.

[@emns-fn9xh]

Have u not watched "big bang theory" ? They hang out in their tvättstuga. It's not a swedish thing..

[@99mnilsson]

Precis och i de flesta hus har man ett speciellt tvättrum med torkskåp eller tumlare men man vill spara plats i lägenheter.

[@SWEmanque]

@@emns-fn9xh From what I've understood it works a bit differently in the US. You most often don't have a communal place to wash your clothes, you have places where you go and rent a machine for a period of time instead and it is typically not in the building where you live.

[@peterbense5650]

@@SWEmanque Generally speaking... only really shitty / low rent / very old apartments do not have laundry facilities. In Sweden it is *required by law*, which is why you see it everywhere here.

[@tcntad87]

Also it doesnt have to be communal, for instance we have a tvättstuga only for the apartments here:)

[@usagiwhitenight]

The good about Swedish windows is that you can flip them all the way around to wash your windows from the inside, instead of standing outside to wash the the other side of the window.

[@chrisjohnson7929]

You can with some North American windows too. I forget what they are called though.

[@jessicaely2521]

You can get windows in the US where they flip inside the house to clean. It's just a pain in the butt to use te buttons to flip the window in (stupid child safety shit).

[@Peter_1986]

Are those windows that common here in Sweden, though? I always thought that they were kind of special, and I haven't seen that many people who have them. Obviously a good idea, of course, but not super-common, IMO.

[@birgittazandhers9257]

I've never had luxurious windows like those flip-thingies. My windows open the same way as doors and I think those are more common...

[@jessicaely2521]

@@birgittazandhers9257 in the new homes the ones that flip down to clean are common.

[@emac2008]

We have toilets, shower heads, and door knobs like that n Anerica...come on now...

[@roggan76]

"And this door opens all the way" yes I'd go so far as to say that is _the_ main purpose of having a door. to be able to open it..

[@Peter_1986]

My common experience is that the main purpose of doors is to _not_ be able to open them. =P Happens every damn time I want to go inside somewhere and I am not 100% sure that it's open at that time.

[@joelout]

@@Peter_1986 Maybe you tried entering someone elses home and they had locked the door... ;-)

[@Peter_1986]

@@joelout Not really, it's just that whenever I hope that a door is open, it almost always turns out to be locked. Like for example if I want to take a shortcut through a hallway at my school then that door will almost certainly be locked. =P

[@Bl4eberry]

You forgot the most important difference: the kitchen pås-låda

[@christiangilensparr6225]

Alltid nedersta lådan.. Mycket viktigt!! :D

[@akeolsson8020]

Hi! You forgot about the heating system. Every apartment we had in the US was heated by a gas furnace tha blew hot air through vents in each room. Very fast but noicy and not really economical. In sweden most apartments have radiators with hot water that circulates. Quiet and probably more efficient.

[@nicklasodh]

Also, the heat can be generated by a central heating system and the fire doing the job can be at the other side of town.

[@ceicli]

Many old houses still have electric heaters which mostly is a waste of energy. If there is space in the walls it's possible to convert it into water heating, which also is more flexible. Oil is being used less, but it is used with solar panels, geothermal and earth heating, district heating and pellets (instead of wood).

[@MaskinJunior]

Most new apartment buildings heat the intake air with the outtake air. If you look around you see vents that blows fresh air, and different vents that suck expended air. In a technical room, the heat is transferred from the expended air to the new air. (The building I managed that system provided 80% of the heating.)

[@SWEmanque]

The American way of doing it is also very dusty, supposedly. All that air moving around means that you can dust your house and 15 minutes letter you have to dut it again. The ducts also harbor a lot of molds and help distribute the spores around the house for people to breath in.

[@ThatDamnPandaKai]

If you were in an apartment, it's very unlikely that you had a gas furnace, you most likely had a heat pump (electrical) furnace.

[@finntheraccoon7110]

There's nets for when you open the window so the bugs don't get in. I have one on all year round because I'm to lazy to take it down

[@ostbagen]

Note that the guy lives in some sort of apartment. Most one family houses have a separate laundry room called Tvättstuga or Grovkök. Older houses with a cellar tend to have a Tvättstuga/layndry room in the basement and more modern houses without a cellar often have a Grovkök/laundry room at the first floor (American first floor, not UK). Most commonly people have separate dryer and washer as the combo model usually are less effective with the drying. If you look at older apartment building it's common with a communal Tvättstuga/laundry room in the basement or in a separate house. In those communal laundry rooms most often you have larger industrial type machines, maybe even a drying room with a large fan that blows hot air.

[@neolite1]

I work as a plumber here in Sweden. As you mentioned about water installed inside the walls, we do that too on newly built houses and renovated houses. However, some people don't convert to it since you need to demolish all the walls and is not always worth it, therefore just keeps the pipes on the outside of the walls which becomes more common. When it comes to plumbing it's all about how much money you want to spend really, because we have every single solution of it here in Sweden as well.

[@jameshitselberger5845]

good idea

[@helenakarlsson4708]

Cats are really smart and have figured out how our doorhandles work. They jump on them, the handle goes down and the door opens. ;)

[@craxen1]

Thats really a pain in the ass during winter months in my home, one of the cats open the door at night, gets very cold , i live in a rural area wher you tend to not lock the door :)

[@limmp4n196]

Aa det är fan asdrygt😂

[@GoldenMechaTiger]

@@craxen1 Have you considered just locking the door? Seems like an easy fix for your problem

[@bennylofgren3208]

TheHermago Or installing a cat flap. Even the cat would probably find that an easier way in and out. But then, cats are assholes so he/she might just use the door handle anyway for the fun of it. 😁

[@helenakarlsson4708]

@@bennylofgren3208 and cat flaps doesn't work in the winter, especially not in the north of Sweden.

[@GALENGODIS]

More things I find different is: Americans store their clothes in drawers, drawers in the bed room is much more common. Electricity lines in sweden is always inside pipes. A garage in america is often the center of the house. In sweden the garage is many times in basement or separate house. The vacuum cleaner in sweden has replacements bags and are dragged behind you on the floor. In america big curtains at windows is common, while in Sweden no curtains or smaller once gets more popular. Bath tubes are easy to replace in sweden and move around to clean under, while the standard american once are built in. It's more common that you shower in the bath tube in america. I noticed that the bath tube tap is often "leaking" while showering in US. In Sweden now days plumbing connections is never made inside a wall. Stow and owen is often one unit in america, while in sweden they are independent. Freezer and refrigerator is often one big unit, while in sweden the are mostly separate. If something breaks it's easier. Washing mashine is often loaded from the top in america, and you poor the soap inside. While in Sweden they are loaded from the side. So you can stack a dryer on top. Washing in cold water is more common in america. American houses roof are often in different levels, while Swedes mostly likes it in straight lines. The main door is often in the front of a house in Sweden, while in america on the side or back. Etc... These are some of the things that I didn't see people mention already in the comments :)

[@magnusE7]

And the bathtub is bigger in Sweden?

[@TelgeProductions]

Deras tvättmaskiner är så dåliga att folk behöver hälla i en flaska "bleach" varje gång de ska tvätta.

[@bennylofgren3208]

Just a friendly note, it is bathtub, not tube. Toothpaste comes in tubes. And You-, of course. 😃

[@jonafap9938]

Man drar visst rördragningar i vägg fortfarande.

[@GALENGODIS]

@@jonafap9938 yeah but connections are not made inside walls...

[@chukwow5738]

Interesting... I watched 8 min video clip I didn’t know I was interested in, and spent over half an hour reading comments 😁. Thanx for making this vid, and thanx to everyone posing comments here. Cheers

[@AndrewAustin]

Chuk Wow thanks for the love and I really think it is great so many people talked about stuff

[@ccubito]

There are many houses in the US that have detachable shower heads. What is different (and not mentioned), is that the Swedish shower head attaches to a pole and it can be raised or lowered on the pole. Very neat! In all my friends’ houses in Sweden, there are big freezers in the kitchen. Their refrigerator/ freezer combinations are equal in size. I only know one person in the US who has has a unit like that.

[@Disascraftwork]

My friend in the US asked me if we always have the kitchen table in front of the window, and most people have that in Sweden! I had never thought of that before. Not everyone, but most of us do have that. 😊 / Disa

[@gaelle4328]

In order to look out and philosophise early in the morning or late at night.

[@Juliajohnsson116]

It’s a little weird that you are comparing a Swedish APARTMENT vs an American HOUSE but otherwise the video was great 👍🏻

[@cakeart1]

This isn’t very representative of US homes. I’ve lived many places across US. I’ve lived in homes with plaster walls as well as ones with Sheetrock. Doors often have same handles rather than knobs. I have friends and family with induction cooktops. Hand held shower heads are common. Homes in wet, cold areas have mud rooms where shoes are removed and coats are hung. Many Americans don’t allow shoes in home. Most homes have hardwood, laminate or tile flooring rather than wall to wall carpeting. Many homes have low-flow toilets. I think the windows and light switches are the least common, but I have even seen them here in US.

[@danielle7307]

Not to mention that he stated that only some older homes have three prong outlets in the US. Our new 2020 home build only has three prong outlets throughout. Yes, no shoes in this house, we do have a mudroom, plus we have vinyl flooring throughout the main area. We also have the same kind of flat light switches. I guess this guy has only ever seen one kind of light switch. Maybe he's only ever seen one house in the US and thinks they're all the same🤷🤣 I don't know

[@annajohansson7116]

I think we had that kind of light switch in the 60's (in Sweden).

[@AndrewAustin]

Anna Johansson groovy

[@phillytheflyerable]

yep, 60's or 70's thing

[@swedfilms]

And they are usually "glow in the dark"

[@johanfagerstromjarlenfors]

Finns olika sorters lampknappar fortfarande... sen kanske den modellen är vanligast men det finns ju många olika sorter

[@travisburch6970]

You guys don't have electric that you can control by your phone yet ? How 1950 you guys are

[@magicforest71]

Doorhandles are better in Sweden. If you carry things with both hands, or if your hands are greasy / dirty, you can open doors with your elbow.

[@emilioymadelenesantos3799]

When I lived in Austin, Texas for a while something that was weird for me was that everyone was using broomsticks instead of a vacuum cleaner and there was rugs instead of wooden floor. My husbands family thought I was strange when I took off my shoes not to destroy the floors. 😅

[@c.l.1820]

I live in Texas but not Austin. But just going off of what you said.. I can say that I have never seen anyone use a broomstick on carpet. And I have never known anyone who doesn't known a vacuum.

[@mocki5665]

A Duvet cover is called "Påslakan" in Swedish. And the little thinner mattress on top of the bottom mattress is called a "bädd madrass". It's really easy to make your bed with a påslakan!

[@peterbense5650]

*bäddmadrass

[@ceciliajeanetterunion2756]

I hate the duvet covers here in the states they don't have "holes" at the top to shake down the duvet over the comforter.

[@nicklasodh]

Also, Sweden, like most other contries have 240 Volt system in the outlets. I read somewhere that Canada made it mandatory to have "swedish" door handles on public buildings in order to make it easier for old people to open them. If you have your hands full of stuff and need to go through a door in sweden, just back up to it and use the elbow to press the handle.... a bit hareder to do it with a round knob :) Also, if you have small kids and you dont want them to run out, people sometimes remove the handle from the door and put it back facing down. From "three" to "six".

[@ErikWidlund]

Vi har 230 Volt, 1-fas i Vanligt väggutag, Förr var de 220 Volt

[@gislemark79]

Us have 60Hz we have 50Hz

[@cyberdansken]

@@gislemark79 60hz här med, minst 10 år nu. Har med rotationshastighet på generatorn i elvärket att göra.

[@gislemark79]

@@cyberdansken Inte en chans!

[@cyberdansken]

@@gislemark79 nej, du har rätt. Jag vet inte hur jag tänkte där. Måste ha varit voltändringen som lurade mig.

[@DoctorValium]

No worries about Radiotjänst, that fee is replaced with a tax now.

[@JorgenPersson-jo4sc]

Yes ...and that´s just great :-))))

[@Robman92]

It is?

[@soulextracter]

@@Robman92 Yup! Now they will punish everyone instead of the TV owners :P I haven't watched TV for at least 10 years, and I certainly never watch svt 1 and 2, it's a load of garbage!

[@CriticalRoleHighlights]

@RMC Entertainment Of course. Now we can all pay to be indoctrinated by government television and state media. Hooray!

[@gustavusadolphus4103]

That is a stupid tax, you can compare it to thiefs who steal your money.

[@therealronswanson]

Andrew, my family have friends in the US (southern california) that moved from Sweden many years ago, I visited last year and was very annoyed with the showerhead. Not only that it was fixed but also the fact that it was very low on the wall. im 185cm and couldnt stand straight beneath the shower head. I asked the father of the family which is almost 200cm tall how he managed and he said he didnt and had hated the showerheads ever since they moved over in 1993.

[@kristerforsman2448]

You forgot a big difference. In Sweden there is (almost) always a hall where you can hang the outer clothes. In addition, if you live in a villa / house, there is often a laundry room even in larger apartments. Otherwise, interesting differences that you showed.

[@johanfagerstromjarlenfors]

Krister Forsman And in like all apartmentbuildings there is a laundry room for everyone that lives there so most people don’t have washing machine in bathroom.

[@syntaxerror8955]

Tambur, ja.

[@MrSHN93]

The big thing about the windows is that you can flip the entire window to be able to clean the outside of the window from inside the house.

[@99mnilsson]

But older windovs doesn't opend like that, look at a cottage with red colour and whita hörn.

[@ceicli]

In new houses, the windows flip like that, either up or down. Many old houses still have two windows that open in the middle, in a frame. There's also a type of window that opens at the side so it's a lot of window that moves. Many of those, especially in apartment houses, that have a slot at the side to open for ventilation.

[@martinlyhagen6166]

Invented by Erik Sigfrid Persson from Malmö....

[@Grandmaster-Kush]

@@martinlyhagen6166 Intressant!

[@martinlyhagen6166]

@@Grandmaster-Kush när Erik Sigfrid Persson lät uppföra Ribershus - Tessins Väg 2 och 4 - så ville han ha perspektivfönster i dessa för utsiktens skull. Han såg dock att putsning av dessa jättefönster på våningar över markplan skulle innebära svårigheter. Lösning, som han själv kom på, blev ett fönster som var upphängt i dess horisontella centrum och kunde roteras 180 grader. Han sålde sedermera idén till en fönstertillverkare. sok.riksarkivet.se/Sbl/Mobil/Artikel/7111

[@emross0]

Hello, just gonna point something out, the windows that you have there are more common in the south or in schools, most homes do have a screen (but it often doesn't have the frame, it's more like a web that you stick on) and have windows that open from the left/right, like a door. For some reason there's usually one/a few window/s that you actually open, the other windows play more of an aesthetic role. Just something I felt like pointing out, great video, have a great day/night!

[@chrish6001]

Induction cooktops are also popular here in North America. Duvets are probably replacing bulky comforters and quilts because you can treats them like a giant pillowcase and just wash the duvet cover to save time, water and energy. The washer dryer unit is something we've had in Canada for over 35 years through not as popular as separate units. I like the ceiling fixture with ceiling mounted outlet. The dual flush toilet is now standard in many communities and required under certain laws.

[@dsatt57]

In FL, homes are concrete and then covered over with a veneer to make them look like other stuff. This is due to the hurricanes. US walls used to be made of a hard plaster but moved to Sheetrock in the 50s, probably due to the economic & housing boom when more people could afford their own homes. Also it’s more expensive to repair plaster and it cracks easily. Some US homes now do have the light switch you show as well as the washer/dryer combo, shower head, and many other things. The utilization of the bathroom as a multipurpose area has not caught on here, I have also seen it in Japanese KZbin videos too. Thanks for sharing, I love to see how other people live.

[@iyaramonk]

The main thing I miss from America are the screens to keep bugs out for sure.

[@MrZnarffy]

The windows differ a lot between houses. The flyscreen is common depending on where you live, but you have generally casement windows then which allows a flyscreen in.

[@goodwolf866]

Hi Andrew, I think you’re looking for the word duvet cover not sheet. Thanks for the vid. 🙂

[@Blondiegirlrach]

I am an American in Illinois. Every single door in my house has lever door handles, we have a detachable shower head to give our pup a bath, and 2 of our family members have spiral staircases in their home. We also take off our shoes for walking around the house. You really showed half of the things that I have or do in my house... I am very curious how many homes you been in America.

[@AndrewAustin]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2i3foqnebaio7s

[@exadoorrising1239]

I found your video interesting thanks for sharing it😃 So, I am originally from New Zealand but I now live in Australia (yes, now a citizen!) and I would like to share a little information about the two countries vs Sweden and the USA. Well, a lot of these things in the Swedish house are common in New Zealand. For example...the lever style door handles, the windows without screens and in NZ windows are often opened in the summertime and laundry is typically hung out to dry on a clothesline although some people use dryers. As for Australia I have found door knobs instead of levers and windows always have screens. Unlike NZ in Australia everything is shut up in the house in the summertime (very hot) and air conditioning is used. The toilet you showed is typical in both NZ and Australia in newer houses. It is interesting to note that a small country in the Pacific (New Zealand) a long way from Sweden, can have so much in common with them. And, we always removed shoes before entering the house...not typically done in Australia and after being here over 20 years, I still do not like wearing my shoes in someone’s home. Australia on the other hand is very similar to USA but the house walls are pretty solid. Usually double brick. It is interesting and I thought someone may find it interesting also. 😃

[@CLAWZGALAW]

Um, I’ve had a removable shower head in my house since the 90’s and I live in New York ... most homes in America have that now. You should get out more 😳

[@brinicole2999]

Most of what he says and especially in the comment is just ignorant bullshit. He isn't anywhere near correct. 🙄

[@peppigue]

The Seinfeld episode where Kramer buys the elephant grade showerhead comes to mind

[@unmercifulfate]

None of the places I've been to in Florida have had that 🙈

[@annarehbinder7540]

The kitchen is Very important to swedish people and even if you are of means and can afford a diningroom most modern swedish homes dont actually have a seperate diningroom . You eat at a table in the kitchen or if you have a large Livingroom and just an extremely small kitchen then you Will have more formal dinner set in the living groom but will eat breakfast and casual meals in the kitchen still . Also We have way fewer bathrooms .

[@ra86]

Vet inte vad du är van med för svenssonhus men rör man sig bland lite finare folk i stora nybyggda villor finns allt i 99% av fallen en matsal eller åtminstone kombinerat allrum/matplats.

[@annarehbinder7540]

ra86 folk som inte är Svensson köper inte stora nybyggda hus generellt sett förutom då möjligtvis med öppen planlösning .Det är en preferens . Man behöver inte skryta med ett rum man oftast inte använder.

[@ra86]

@@annarehbinder7540 Märks tydligt att du inte vet vad du talar om, skrytande är definitivt inget som går hem i de finare kretsarna, det om något är typiskt Svensson beteende. Du verkar ju tro att jag menar just Svensson villor på 150-300 kvm i en vanlig Stockholmsförort där klubben för inbördes beundran och jantelagen styr.

[@annarehbinder7540]

ra86 ärligt talat ... ja.

[@Grandmaster-Kush]

@@ra86 Det brukas sägas att övre medelklass är de drygaste.....

[@AnnaEvelynJonsson]

The windows opening outward are the same like with the doors. A part of it is the fire safety. If there is a lot of people wanting to get out quick, it's safer for the doors and windows to open outward since people usually push and press you against the door if you're the first one to get to it!

[@thomashanks1033]

Hello Evelyn, how are you doing. I hope this year brings happiness prosperity love and peace all over the world. I'm Thomas from Virginia nice to meet you.

[@RealOrganized]

Haha. You are funny and spot on with the differences. We are a Danish/Icelandic household ourselves who have also lived a few years in the States before settling into life in Denmark. I think often times some of the differences can be contributed to the size of American homes vs. Scandinavian homes. Our homes are just smaller (no walk in closets). My husband and I have all our clothes along with all the towels and sheets for the whole family in our IKEA pax wardrobe (Gotta love IKEA). And it works just fine! Thanks for the tour of your home. If anybody want to see a Danish bedroom tour we just uploaded one as well.

[@michaeltempsch5282]

The electric plug shown is the bigger Shuko plug, comes in grounded or ungrounded, both fit both grounded (std for new production/renovatoon) and older ungrounded outlets. The plug usually called Euro is the slimmer nongrounded, w/ partially sleeved pins, used only for less power hungry devices and that also due to construction don't need grounding. This plug fits all sockets. There's also an old fully round (w/o the blocky cuts on the side like the Shuko) that only fits nongrounded outlets. The ungrounded Shuko and the flat Euro I've only seen assembled/moulded to wire while the older ungrounded round and the grounded Shuko can be bought separately. The Euro plug has partially sleeved pins since it doesn't fully fill the round outlet's recess like the Shuko plug does, meaning it would be be possible for, at least small, fingers to get at the pins on a partially inserted plug while it also has contact in the outlet. Roof, and window, lights controlled by the wall switches (not like desk, or floor standing lamps) use a smaller outlet/plug.

[@rolar321]

In Sweden there is 230V in power outlets instead of US 110V

[@eklof4003]

220*

[@AlexKall]

@@eklof4003 230 är korrekt, det får dock variera 10% men standard är 230 sedan 1988.

[@eklof4003]

@@AlexKall Aja, okej 😀

[@ludwig2345]

Also sweden used 50hz ac while usa use 60hz ac

[@syringa7]

In America we have also 230V for electric stove, ovens, boilers.

[@MaskinJunior]

Every unit in a apartment building is a Fire-cell (If the building is built after 1970.) That means fire cant spread from one apartment to another.

[@theparrotrescuer3042]

I live in the states and I have door handles like yours and a detachable showerhead...it all depends how updated the place you live is. Great video though.

[@satanihelvetet]

Updated to "Swedish standard"...that was a good one! :)

[@aredub1847]

Not really

[@LR-sf7te]

Some of the things mentioned are actually not uncommon in the 🇺🇸. There are homes that have the long handle door knobs, the detachable shower heads and dual button flush buttons. Many also hang up clothes to dry in nice weather. Duvets are also used here.

[@jameshitselberger5845]

The long handle door knobs were probably absent around 1980 but they are common in the US now. I remember seeing them in 1978 for the first time in Benghazi, Libya in an Italian built dormitory. What odd Italian door handles I thought. They will catch on pockets and on trousers too. But now they are ubiquitous.

[@Will4fun]

I live in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area and have an IKEA about 4 blocks from my home. I love Swedish design. It is easy to live with. Thank you for creating and posting this video.

[@jouniosmala9921]

As a Finn for some things you said that were different in US compared Sweden is something like difference of being in Finland here 50 years ago and now.

[@anukoponen2015]

Another Finn here and same opinion. Like the light switches and sheets, and many other stuff. At our summer cottage (some decades ago) my grandma was sometimes making the bed with the top sheet instead of the bag type of "duvet cover sheet". Påslakan.

[@kimantonsen4692]

Yes you are right, and Norway 60 years ago. Most places I have been in the USA is very similar to Norway in the early 60s, only more poor people and crime. How can people brag about the size of their houses, when they in the same time have homeless people living in their streets?

[@_Wolfsbane_]

A notice a US obsession with the number of bathrooms? As in a 4 bathroom home is luxurious, while a 12 mill SEK flat may have 2.

[@FearsomeWarrior]

If you have more than two or more kids having three bathrooms is really nice. Four if your rich. Two if you’re not rich or love your old house.

[@LenaGus2728]

Also, it’s funny how Americans call a separate toilet with basin a ”half bathroom”, so a house can have ”2 1/2 bathrooms”. 😳 Like ”toilet” is such a taboo word in the land of porn and guns and movies where the actors say ”f***ing” in every other sentence.

[@annie_blackbird]

Many Swedes put in screendoors to keep the bugs out. But not with a doorframe, you just attatch the mesh and magnets in the middle to Open and close when you pass. Google "mesh doorframe". 🙋‍♀️☺

[@001biggen]

The door stoppers are different. Swedish ones are pretty much just a rubber thingy screwed to the wall while in some older US homes it looks like a spring. And I wish we had windows like yours, with a bug screen in it.

[@vincentb5431]

Another cool feature i haven't noticed in most american homes is light "switches" that are round buttons that toggles the lamp, But it can also be used as a knob to gauge the luminosity of said lamp. Pretty useful when you're having your fredagsmys and you want some cozy lightning.

[@blueeyedbaer]

They don't work with halogen bulbs and LED lamps if those are not a special dimmable type. But you can have dimmable lights in Sweden too. Philips HUE lights are dimmable and have special switches that let you dim the lights.

[@DIREWOLFx75]

Windows like that isn't the common type though. Most open "sideways". Circular stairs are also not that common, but U-shaped ones is extremely common, with L-shaped fairly common, as a spacesaving measure.

[@kimantonsen4692]

There has been some years since I have opened any window sideways.

[@kristineawkwardsilence58]

sounds like you have not been to America in a long long time.

[@copycatcraftsbyjill3008]

Omg, I was thinking that very same thing. Yes, our electric is different but come on, we don't live in dirty, paper bags. Lol

[@MrJapanApan]

The windows can flip 180 degrees making it easy to clean them from inside (would otherwise be impossible if you live on 2nd or 3rd floor. They are almost always 2-sheet glass and sometimes even 3, for greater insulation (saves alot of energy and noise reduction). But the biggest difference i would say is the insulation and centralheating in all houses. This way the house/apartment is always at a stable temp (usally 22 degrees) no matter if its summer or winter and saves alot of energy. I know this is not as common in the US and same thing in Japan. Usally little insulation in walls and 1 sheet windows. And instead of centralheating use AC. This to me is really annoying becouse then the room is ice-cold in the winter and terrible if you have to use the toilet in the middle of the night. And in the summer it gets super hot.

[@TotalRookie_LV]

In Scandinavia windows might have a separate ventilation, like a small box on and that will have a mesh in it. We (I live in Northern Europe, just across Baltic sea from Sweden) just bought a new window, with good thermal and sound isolation, with a pack of three sheets of glass and we do have a screen to keep bugs out too, it's on a removable frame outside.

[@curleyduck]

We have the same flushing system here in Australia and its to save water, we also have detachable shower heads in some homes, depends on the house itself. As wit the doors we also have both handles and knobs.

[@max-gt1fy]

The window thing is just so you dont let other people in. Like if ur going on a walk you can still have an open window with out someone easily jumping in and take all your belongings

[@kimantonsen4692]

This is Sweden, so if thieves want to get in to a house, they can just use the front door. It is in developing countries people have to lock every door and window before leaving their house. In Sweden, Norway and other modern developed countries most people dont.

[@juliegogola4647]

I'm an American, in MY home we don't usually take off our shoes when we come in, BUT SOME people do. We have so many animals in our house, we have NO rugs inside,so, it's easy to sweep the floors and mop them, SO MANY Americans have mostly ALL carpeted floors inside. I LOVE the whole clothes Washer/and Dryer thing. I wish I could buy one of them and have plumbing upstairs for it. Our clothes washer AND dryer are downstairs, and as I get older I hate it more and more. As for the door knobs being a simple downward motion to open a door, that is a real problem with cats, cats are pretty smart and simply pushing down on a door knob is a piece of cake to cat that wants to get into things they should'nt, even dogs can figure that out pretty quickly. My home IS an older home, and it's pretty solid, BUT, I can see how anyone would say that American homes are pretty cheaply put together. As for the "no screens" delima in Sweden, maybe you can order a thing that is in American magazines that you can put on your patio, it is a screen that you can walk through, it has magnets that once you walk through it, it clicks together with the magnets and joins the 2 sides again, you would need to know somebody that could order it for you maybe unless it can be sent to you in Sweden. You sound like you are speaking good English American English, so I'm sure you could find one of these screen things in a magazine, they even sell them in stores that have the "as seen on TV" items. IF you've been in Sweden too long to know what I'm talking about, ask somebody who you know that has been living in the US for a while. Maybe this is popular in Sweden anyway, they are likely in the know about many things as we are here. Many hotels here in the US have a shower head that is not FIXED in place, BUT homes are usually having a fixed shower head. That movable light fixture is NOT anything like I've ever seen in America, and the sheet on a bed is always a thin sheet here, you can have a "fitted" sheet that fits around your mattress, it has the elastic band so it fits around the mattress snugly and THEN you have "flat" sheet that just goes on top of the "fitted" sheet. I personally only use the sheet that is on top, I use a giant beach towel on top of the mattress, BUT, this is NOT a usual thing, I do this because my mattress constantly has "fitted" sheets just POP off when I toss and turn in the night.

[@juliegogola4647]

@Lola Montez Thanks for your reply. As per the whole sheet popping off thing, the sheet fits on the bed, but, just a few tosses and turns and it pops off. I'll deal with it, it's no big deal. I think pinning it on the mattress would just result in tearing the sheet. You don't need to waste your time helping me keep the sheet on. I' understand the whole concept about washing your bedsheets for good hygiene. I do that of course. The removable cover on the heavier blanket was just new to me. Your explanation makes perfect sense about washing the cover vs having to wash a giant thick and heavy winter blanket. Good day or night:)

[@juliegogola4647]

@Lola Montez To me, a DUVET means a sheet that is put onto the box spring that is underneath the actual mattress that you will sleep on. BUT, maybe I am just not well versed on bed linens. NO worries, I am not having a cow. I just meant that you do not have to go out of your way to tell me all of this stuff about bedding. BUT,. if you do not care, tell me what you want to. I am not meaning this in a smart ass way. As for the fitted sheet popping off. I buy sheets that are for my extra thick mattress, and when I put them on, they seem to fit, but, as soon as I toss and turn, 1 end pops off. I have a good quality mattress, it is an adjustable bed and it was NOT cheap, BUT, really, no need for you to worry about it. It pops of, so, I will just put it back on. As for a "bottom sheet" on the box spring, mine has stayed on with no problem, it is just the main mattress that I sleep on that tends to pop of as I toss and turn. BUT, I have NO heavy blanket that would have an outter sheet like you have mentioned. I am always HOT, even in winter, I have an AC unit in my room. Thanks for your reply Lola.

[@juliegogola4647]

@Lola Montez I am still here and awake now. I have never heard of a corkscrew type of sheet securing device before. I am also, "of a certain age", and have hot flashes and even use a window AC unit in winter sometimes. I usually use some lightweight blankets in winter and year round. I really have never used or bought a "duvet". Anyway, I am getting quiet sleepy now. I have been up all night, stupid me. Thanks for your replies. :)

[@kittealand]

If you would go into a Finnish house it would be very much the same as the Swedish house, at least where I live on Åland. One difference though is that almost every house here has a sauna. On the mainland of Finland many apartments also has a sauna!

[@bikbok1019]

A few more differences: floors are preferably wooden in Sweden, and usually not made of stone/marble or are carpeted. But the carpet thing is a matter of fashion, it was very fashionable in to 60-70s to have carpets. Carpets fell out of fashion for hygenic and allergenic reasons (probably the result of PR work by the wood industry). Some people mentioned windows, yes that’s a big difference. Most windows are three-glass to keep the cold out (plus noise in cities. One thing is also the front door of a house. This is normally a really sturdy door, mainly to keep the cold and snow out. In the house, the idea of a master bedroom with a separate bathroom comes from the US. More and more houses are built this way. I think the use of thermal heating is very common in Sweden. That is not the case in other parts of the world. Swedish houses are often well equipped and of high standard, regular houses that is. When it comes to summer houses people seem to enjoy living in a more spartan way, no running water, not hot water, outdoor toilet (torrdass), and sometimes not even electricity. I think also the notion of sharing rooms differs. Most kids, but not all, have their own space. At the university, when living in a student room or corridor, you never share rooms. I would say that having to share your room with a room mate is practically non-existant.

[@nisserot]

Maybe someone already mentioned it, but you forgot to mention the differences between front doors. Swedish front doors open outwards and they are usually quite thick and sturdy. Unlike American front doors that are paper thin and open inwards.

[@TENGILL]

"To the tv tax people, this is a large computer screen" So i guess he did not get the memo, regarding the tax update this year (2019). You do not pay the tv tax anymore, it is baked in with your "normal" taxes now, regardless if you have a tv or not. So sorry dude, you are paying the tv tax even if you only have a "large computer screen. :P

[@davidzersen1750]

It's fun to make and observe these comments, some of which easily demonstrate that the observer hasn't traveled much in his/her own country. In the U.S., for example, we do have the flexible shower-heads/hoses in many places. We now also have many localized water heaters instead of central ones. We also have two-flush buttons on toilets now. By contrast, you also find that in more affluent homes in Europe "American" carpeting is preferred to localized rugs and screens are being provided for people who don't like flies all over their food. So we learn from each other, although it would be fair to say that environmentally-conscious materials and technology tend to come to the U.S. from Europe and Asia, not vice-verse, whether the Americans like to hear it or not.

[@elisabethbuerknutsen2014]

I wish the screendoors and windows would be commonplace in Scandinavia as well. I miss it every summer.

[@wiktoriaheinz9244]

One BIG difference. American houses are HUGE compared to (most) Swedish houses.

[@martinlyhagen6166]

But, still it only takes half as much material to build them.... Everything is quite flimsy compared to Sweden.

[@kimantonsen4692]

So why do you Americans have people living in your streets then? Just rebuild your houses to smaller apartments, and give room to everybody like we do in developed countries. Then tell me how big house Americans really have compered to Sweden.

[@wiktoriaheinz9244]

@@kimantonsen4692 beats me

[@md61211]

Apart from the ceiling light that you can unplug (huh?), everything you talked about is pretty much available/common in the US. Maybe not the windows. And that's not a sheet - it's a duvet cover.

[@ReedikTuuling]

Also the US homes tend to have a lot of mouldings everywhere and they tend to blend everything more. Like painting the door frame the same color as the wall.

[@RuffleCoptah]

Ray William Johnsson? Great video, greetings from Sweden. Fun to see the differenses

[@charliehvit1583]

Well, that really big computer monitor won't matter anymore. You have to pay SVT either way.

[@jobrown9724]

What is SVT?

[@chukwow5738]

jo brown Public television, and the fee includes public radio as well. B4 you had to pay a fee, now it’s included in the tax

[@kirgan1000]

Was suprised that even "proper" house in US use tar paper roof, that need to regularly being replaced or refurbish. Then almost every house in Sweden have brick roof tiles that last forever (they hold the life span of the house)

[@ibislife]

The tiled roof has a warranty of 40 years. It doesnt meen that you are carefree for 40-50 years. You should always maintain it, checing for rot underneath, and cleaning out the gutters every year at least.

[@MegaJohn144]

One thing you missed is the raised thresholds in the doorways. There is a little board going across the bottom of the doorway, and newcomers from America always trip over them because we aren't expecting them.

[@jojoply]

It depends on what you put in your home...the induction cooktop is available. That is called a duvet cover. Available everywhere.

[@thomashanks1033]

Hello Joy, how are you doing. I hope this year brings happiness prosperity love and peace all over the world. I'm Thomas from Virginia nice to meet you.

[@Asa...S]

6:10 You don't wash your duvet (täcke)? Even if you have a duvet cover (påslakan), you should wash your duvet from time to time. It's like even if you wash your pillow case, it's good to wash the actual pillow some time too. I haven't heard of any Swedes who doesn't wash their duvet.

[@erikandersson6145]

Swedes are clean

[@Thesunowriter]

You forgot one thing. American toilets have way far more water in them. Plus: Less "shit" sticks to the toilet. Con: Backsplashes....

[@annarehbinder7540]

David J modern am toilets are very narrow in the drain so they always get booged up, it was very embarrassing when I visited a private home in the us ( every 3 ish visit the toilet clogged for everyone in the family who was a grown up )

[@annarehbinder7540]

Imagine having to go and tell your hosts can I borrow the thing again... about 15 times in one visit.

[@ceicli]

@@annarehbinder7540 I've talked to a person from the sanitation department (in Sweden) and she said that the low water toilets are a problem for the lines. They are built for more water so when it's less the flushed gunk sticks to the inside. I think it's a good thing that we can save water, but we have to update the rest of the system as well.

[@annarehbinder7540]

ceicli mm have had a plumber here tell us that we needed to always use full flush ( supposedly for the same reason )

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Depends on the toilet the homeowner prefers. We usually do go for the economic low consumption toilets. Under a gallon or even half gallon per flush.

[@tantsotis]

The doors in US seem very weak and the locks too, no wonder you have burglary. Another thing I've been thinking about is why you have no hallway and place at the front door for outer clothes. Where do you put them?

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Steel doors are very common. You just haven’t seen enough of America. They make them to look wooden or flat painted surfaces like a poplar wood would look. Just look up doors on Menards.com or HomeDepot. Paella and AndersonWindows make some nice doors too.

[@ceciliajeanetterunion2756]

Most homes have front door for guests with small closet but most home also have garage door entrance with possible laundry room andor mud room. (Swede living in US)

[@CStrailer]

One very important thing to mention is that Scandinavian homes needs to be able to withstand alot of different weather. Therefore they might be smaller (and more expensive) than the average home in U.S, but the quality is good.

[@IExpectedBSJustNotThisMuchBS]

In the US those are called sash windows. The window you have there is a casement window (or that's what we'd call them in the States). That's a duvet on the bed that you have there and a duvet cover. Younger people often just use that cover and wash it. However, it's less work if you also have a top sheet (another name would be flat sheet) between you and the duvet just as you had when you lived in the States because putting the duvet inside the cover is not fun (you probably have discovered this). So a regular top sheet would protect the duvet cover and allow you to wash the top sheet instead of the duvet cover weekly or every two weeks. In the US, what you'd typically have in place of the duvet is called a comforter and the outside is not removable as you said, but it's generally protected by a top sheet between you and the comforter, and so washing it less frequently is fine. And you want to wash a comforter infrequently (same for the actual duvet) because you don't want to run the risk of the batting getting all bunched up from over washing. (When searching to buy American sheets, you search for flat and fitted sheets, but many of us grow up calling them top and bottom sheets.) You can leave glass and cardboard and fruit--not metal items--on top of your induction stovetop or what we'd call in the states the stovetop or cooktop (hob or cooktop in the UK). The thing you bake cookies in is called an oven. In the US, the stove/stovetop/cooktop is the top thing without an oven and an oven is well an oven without the stovetop--e.g., wall ovens--, but the combination--when it is one unit separate from the counters--is called a range. Americans have simply over time mixed the words stove and range so that they can mean the same thing EXCEPT the top would never be called the oven. What you have are two units, and so there, if it's like here in the UK, it would just be a hob (stovetop) and oven, or spis and ugn.

[@matteste]

You should also have mentioned that if the toilet is clean, then you can actually drink the water from it since it uses the regular tap water. (not recommended)

[@Twistedfatearmyaoa]

slår vad om att någon amerikan kommer testa toavattnet bara för att lol. Men egentligen är det väl ganska onödigt att vi faktiskt har dricksvatten i toaletten....hmmm

[@dennisbuskenstrom9291]

Something you will find in every appartment building in Sweden is a shelter. A part of the basement is a dedicated air raid shelter...

[@craxen1]

They are mostly filled with junk today though , if we would have to use them, im not so certain they will work any more, some ive seen have old supplies, like cans of ham, i woule like to see what happeed if someone tried to eat them though :)

[@syntaxerror8955]

I think you mean OLDER apartment buildings. I have never seen an apartment building built in this century that has a fallout shelter.

[@dennisbuskenstrom9291]

There is a difference between air raid shelters and fallout shelters. I'm pretty sure that even newer appartment buildings and official buildings have a part of their basement dedicated to that.

[@syntaxerror8955]

@@dennisbuskenstrom9291 OK, but real shelters that older apartments in Sweden have in their basements have massive doors (whatever those shelters are called). Pretty easy to find -- or NOT find.

[@enjoythedreamlife5658]

Andrew a lot things you talk about are available in North America and are common. One thing you did point out I liked was the ceiling plug in light that was a good idea

[@Mycenaea]

Where else would it be? You have the cable(?) go across the ceiling and then down the wall and plug it in there? Doesn't seem very stylish :P

[@enjoythedreamlife5658]

@@Mycenaea Thats is not we are talking about. THe light fixture is plugged into the ceiling. It is not wired directly into the ceiling. Even you could change a light fixture and not need an electrician

[@hullmees666]

As far as i know thats a nordic thing. Finland has it exactly the same. I dont like it. Makes people more stupid by not knowing how wires and electricity works. Regarding the 2nd comment. Who calls for an electrician to change the light. Are peole really that helpless?

[@Stephanie.Hudson]

There’s a lot of similarities between Swedish and American homes. Induction ovens, shower heads, bedding (that’s a duvet cover), some hotels have those flushers but not many homes. Really good video. I think we’re more similar than we thought.

[@sarahnicole181]

It's called a duvet with a comforter, not a sheet with a sheet inside haha. Also, we have that in the US. That's what I use

[@sunnyboah6575]

Swedish homes are built to handle extreme conditions, like massive snow storms and stuff

[@volundrfrey896]

@Lorne Johnson I guess they're built to withstand Swedish weather conditions, not floridian ones.

[@klegolas4088]

@Lorne Johnson Theres no need for that. And any bigger building will have air-raid shelter . So that would be enough shelter for a tornado. Edit. Not 100% sure about laws for Sweden building standards. If they are required to have that. But at neighbor country they do have law for that.

[@rach2111]

I've also had a detachable shower head for over a decade.

[@achmodinivswe9500]

There is two different windows in Sweden as I now that is windows that you have and windows that opens like doors

[@illgalaxyii3331]

And also a combination of them both

[@kaleidoscopeallie]

The thing I like best about bathrooms in Sweden is that the whole floor tilts slightly towards a central drain i the shower or under the bath so you can take that shower hose and spray the whole thing down BAM! Also. ..as a mom, never ever having had to fuss at my kid about splashing in the bath was pretty awesome.

[@EJnVA]

That's funny. Right now, I have that IKEA lamp right beside me in the US (kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4vKiaZ6rq6MfNU). Actually, there's nothing different about the technology. We have all those features. The main difference is the size of the house and rooms. There ARE smaller rooms/houses in the US. However, most of our homes are twice this size (esp. post-1970 homes.) Exterior doors in the US (almost) ALWAYS swing IN - not out. (That allows for the screen.) Double hung windows tend to be standard here, but the others are available. We tend to stick with the Williamsburg home design. (Yes, there are other modern designs.) --It is the "traditional" look that so many Americans prefer.