GERMAN Homes vs AMERICAN Homes EVEN MORE DIFFERENCES

[@rookmaster7502]

I actually prefer the outside door not opening directly into the living-room. For example, if you have the plumber over for a repair job, you don't necessarily want him need to march back and forth through your living-room with muddy shoes to work on the bathroom or kitchen. The living-room remains a private space reserved for special invitation only, such as friends and family. Also during the cold winter season, you don't want a chilly breeze rushing through your cozy living-room every time the door opens to the outside!

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Agreed. 👍🏾

[@GazilionPT]

Most things you said about German homes are also found elsewhere in Europe, e.g. my country (Portugal). The only thing not common in residential homes is sockets up on the wall. You will find them in e.g. cafés and restaurants, where it is expectable to find a TV up there, but in residential homes it's not common, as far as I know. Door handles have a higher usability then door knobs. I often open my door with my elbow if I'm carrying some weight, something I wouldn't be able to do with a knob.

[@c.augustin]

Sockets high up on the walls are not common in Germany either! But in some rooms they are often seen, like kitchens (above the work desk) or in the bathroom (sometimes with additional protective covers, but those are not common anymore).

[@szcynkowsky162]

Try to open a door with a doorknob if you are carrying something in both hands and have to use your elbow; good luck!

[@ChristopherLRussell]

I have handles. 🙂

[@eagle1de227]

Door knobs are forbidden in europe due to fire protection code. the idea behind that is that you can still open a door whith a handle when its hot (maybe with your sleeve) while with a knob you cannot. Fun fact: Knobs are also forbidden in the us! but you still find them (maybe in the name of "freeedoom"? idk) on "older" doors...

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thanks for this.

[@sebastianlabusch465]

I lived in an appartment in Germany where the entrance door had a handle on the inside and a knob on the outside. Maybe to make it less obvious that it could be opened from outside without a key.

[@JorlinJollyfingers]

If you think those wallpapers are strange... you should have visited in the 70's ;)

[@franhunne8929]

Wallpapers in the UK are still a lot stranger

[@JorlinJollyfingers]

@@franhunne8929 Nothing beats the orange/brown/green eyecancer inducing german wallpapers of the 70's ;)

[@dschoas]

In the 70s the desing of the wallpaper also killed germs...

[@JorlinJollyfingers]

@@dschoas Damn... you might just have found the way to get rid of Covid...

[@johnkitchen4699]

In general, we find the quality of Western and Northern European housing to be far superior to American housing. Nearly all the new houses in Reno do not have carpets. I love carpets, but, sadly, our American friends just wander into our home with shoes on - so our carpets get dirty quickly (poor quality carpets!! Lived in Europe over 50 years - never had to have our carpets cleaned. Lived in USA 11 years, had to have them cleaned 4 times). Other than air conditioning, give me British, Dutch or German homes anytime compared to American homes.

[@DerTaran]

In the 70th houses had carpet on the floor as well. They disappeared completely, I assume because they are hard to clean.

[@DeadlinePhil]

9:04 on the topic of sockets i used to live in a apartment where i had 15 electrical outlets and 4 TV outlets in the Living room and 13 electrical outlets and 4 TV outlets in the Bedroom.

[@ignaz1972]

In Germany there is a building standard for the placement of sockets and light switches. Sockets that have been installed in the upper area of ​​the wall (e.g. kitchen) are for the refrigerator or exhaust hood. In other rooms this can be for retrofitting air conditioning Best regards

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thank you for this.

[@BierhamsterLP]

Also at the door of the room, under the light switch, about 15-45 cm above the finished floor (also the area were the cables run, so watch out!) there is usually a socket for cleaining, a so called "Putzsteckdose". The amount of sockets, telefon-sockets and Network sockets in a room is determined by a guideline using the type and size of the room and one of 3 grades (depending on the money you want to spend).

[@solokom]

7:28 this orange colour (often applied with a sponge for the pattern) was very popular in Germany in the late 90s and early 2000s

[@lava_oreo]

SCHWAMMTECHNIK! It was everywhere! T_T

[@solokom]

@@lava_oreo Voll 😆

[@Kessina1989]

2:30 The entrance is there for leaving your shoes and jackets at the wardrobe... 6:10 Carpets gets so dirty... 8:20 My walls aren't painted... 9:03 Sometimes it's for the deduction...

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thank you for your comments and explanations. ✌🏾

[@smaragdwolf1]

Especially in older Houses, you still have old Doors with old Locks, where you need these old Keys. The System behind it is the same, but the old Key is (obviously) much more simple designed. The old Keys are Barcodes, the new Keys are QR-Codes :) For Security-Reasons, these old Locks should be removed, but as i saw and imagine, all Locks that connect your House to the Outside, already are the modern version. From the View of the Space in Front of your House, i could imagine, that its an former Farmhouse. Directly next to Farmland, much Parkingspace for a small Tractor,... Sockets: Yeah i have 2 of such high sockets too. One in the Kitchen. I dont have one, but its most likely to plug in a cooker hood for example. The one in the Bathroom is use for the Lights on my Mirrorcabinet :) Its nice to have less visible cables, right? In a renovated House and even more in newly build Houses, Sockets are placed there, where they will be most likely be used. Have 9 Sockets in all Cornors of my Living Room (and i only have a small appartement), alone 3 in the Cornor where my Computer is, together with the Multi-Plug for Cable-TV/Internet and Antenna. The Plug for landline is in the Corridor, because thats a Spot where the Telephone mostly was in the past. Nothing is more unnerving than placing cables through the House XD

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thank you, friend. 🙏🏾

[@DerMaje]

Many people have carpet in their bedrooms or in their nursery. The simple keys are just for inside use, or if you hava an arbor in your garden with nothing precious in it.

[@5GTower1000Percent]

The thing with carpet is that it is cheaper per m², so many people use it. Some people do in Germany too. We had carpet in one of the rooms when we moved in here. When I moved out the first time the living room had carpet too there. We ripped them out both times since it is nasty af. Like imagine people walking barefoot there, going into the bath and caring back fecal bacteria. This is actually the case when flushing, some bacteria and whatelse get spreaded throughout the room. The one in my first place was smelly too. I think it is a cultural thing and many simply dislike them. You can get cheap flooring that lasts for the same time, and is easier to clean. Yes it looks cheap, but it does the job. I personally was willing to spend 3 to 4 times it's price to have something nice and quality.

[@madenkind]

The nice thing with door handles is that you can open doors with your hands full. Use the ellbow or throw one leg into the air and let the foot land on the handle and you're halfway through!

[@williamburdumy7942]

You didn't mention DIN or Deutsche Industrie Norm which establish standards for everything in Germany including building standards for windows, doors, heating, etc. Also you might have noticed that the front door actually bolts into place when you lock it. Finally most modern homes in Germany use gas and solar for heating and many have floor heating instead of radiators to save space. Nowadays all homes have Raufaser, but seldom colored wallpaper. The trend to minimalism is very strong.

[@paulsj9245]

2:00 That's the Terrassentür, typically leading into the garden - a back door. "All handles, no door nobs" - correct! 5:20 a ward key, opposed to a pin tumbler key or "Sicherheitsschloss". The former are mainly used inside the flats, more for privacy than for security. Floors: Fixed carpets collect a lot of dust&dirt and need to be replaced after a few years, so hard floors may be a matter of economy. Premium flats and houses used to come with wooden parquet flooring (7:02 think you have one), rugs added (by renters) for comfort, now tiles are common. Budget stuff is PVC or laminate flooring. This may be a general difference: Here, landlords provide "naked" housing, and the renters have to add their comfort items like kitchens and rugs. Similarly, only the "naked" house is being traded, without furniture and appliances like in the US. 7:10 Ever been to a wall paper department? The more sturdy variants have textile structures. Ingrain wallpaper is traditionally very common, too. And then you have ornates, almost like the one you show, rolled on whitewashed walls - an old rural technique.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thank you for your input and clarification. The more videos I do about this house, the more I realize how old it is.

[@paulsj9245]

@@ChristopherLRussell Hmm - to get it straight, your ornament will be wallpaper, perhaps just a strip - I was mentioning the old technique of decoration a bit out of context.

[@melsch8740]

We have a wooden floor and tiles downstairs (laundry room, kitchen, living room etc) and in the bathrooms and we used to have all carpet upstairs, except the bathrooms. My brother and 8 I changed our rooms to wood tho

[@andreasu.3546]

3:55 For sure I know what a knob is. But it's not round and for god's sake I'm NOT going to let anyone give it a rotation.

[@geoffholstein997]

my grandparents house they had built in the mid 50s in st louis city had some funky wallpapers. most or all of them had raised velvety type fuzzy designs. one was vines w grapes n leaves all over. Nanu (gpa) was the first generation of his family from sicily.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Funny thing is Geoff, my grandmother ALSO had these funny wallpapers. I never saw them anywhere else so I just figured that in the states, they were exclusive to older folks.

[@geoffholstein997]

@@ChristopherLRussell i guess exclusive to older folks because our grandparents were prolly about the same age. my moms folks were in their mid 80s when we were at cross keys! my dads mom is still with us. just turned 95 in nov & doin great!

[@andreakoch4104]

😁😁😁 Crazy outlandish wallpaper.... I have a small house, and every room has a different color or color combinations. The terracotta is quite harmless. For example: my hallway is purple and petrol 😂😂😂 Crazy german I am.😁

[@ChristopherLRussell]

😂 Yes, when I do a comparison of my current home, there will be a huge difference. Stay tuned. 😉

[@denzzlinga]

7:53 hex hex ?! You know the Bibi Blocksberg radio plays ? *lol*

[@ChristopherLRussell]

😅 Shamefully...I do. My girls used to watch when they were younger.

[@denzzlinga]

@@ChristopherLRussell i liked them too when i was a little kid back in the early 90s.

[@raythevagabond3724]

Well done music/sound track, would be interested to see/hear more of that kind of art from you

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Yeah? 🤔 Maybe I should start putting more of this stuff out there, then. 🎸

[@raythevagabond3724]

@@ChristopherLRussell absolutely! 👍

[@Dahrenhorst]

@@ChristopherLRussell Definitly! Didn't know you are a musician.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

...sort of...🧐

[@robantoberen]

To give an explanation to the ... expressive wall papers: as the owner, you can obviously do what you want. But even as a renter, German law allows you to change anything you want in your rented property that is not structural, as long as you return the rented property back to the original state. Combined with the usual rental contacts putting the burden of renovations on the renter after X years, you can basically fully express yourself as you're renovating anyway when you move out.

[@Vergessener]

Keys. I guess this has more to do with the age of the lock the key is for. This has less to do with german or american. The flat keys are just more common today.

[@c.augustin]

It's about the purpose of the door/lock. Simple keys are mostly used in-house (no security needed, just for temporary use or to keep cats/dogs/children out of a room) or for garden sheds (as long as there's nothing valuable in them), while outside doors are nearly always equipped with more secure locks (even though I learned from the channel LockPickingLawyer that they ain't so secure for a skilled lockpicker ;-)). Why use a complicated and expensive lock inside the house? Oh, and as a side effect, it is easy to spot what the key is for.

[@Numbono]

Hex Hex? Now THAT is AWESOME! :D

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Not many people caught that. Good for you.👍🏾

[@Kaefer1973]

Agreed altering reality with the hex editor, very convenient. Bibi Who? never heard of that!

[@WooShell]

I've never seen anyone installing their wall sockets up high.. German electricians code mandates regular sockets at 30cm height and workplace (kitchen etc) sockets at 120cm, everything else very uncommon and most likely installed for a specific reason (e.g. LED strips or a ceiling fan)

[@ruubn1337]

What‘s the first Song in the vid? The guitarpicking one? Cheers ☺️

[@ChristopherLRussell]

'Got Caught In Amsterdam' by Arc De Soleil By the way, did you watch the whole video? I used the song throughout, especially at the end with my vocals.🙂

[@petragillespie6901]

Thanks for you thoughts and you are so right on with the wallpaper or wall color..I don't know how anyone can give a .. thumbs down... Love your voice..nice. :)

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thank you, Petra. 🥰

[@camouflage6873]

Because we have hardly any carpets, almost all modern households are now equipped with built-in underfloor heating. At least where I live. And that is much more pleasant than carpet in the bathroom in particular. But I don't know if that's common in the States too. Love your videos❤️

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Yes. I personally LOVE heated floors.

[@Laufbursche4u]

My grandparents have them (and you still can buy them), but only until they got underfloor heating. Carpets isolating the ground. I prefer not to have a carpet. With cats and dogs on a farm it's much more easier to get rid of their hair.

[@fgregerfeaxcwfeffece]

The second type of key is simply an very old design and not secure by any means. But we left them everywhere security doesn't matter. You can literally open those "locks" with a bent nail. So universal keys for those are widely and cheaply available. Well, i wasn't exaggerating when i said you can open them with a bent nail. But that's the reason you won't see them on front doors of houses that have been inhabited within the last 100 years.

[@onepushupman]

the keyboard sequence killed me hahaha

[@ChristopherLRussell]

😆

[@weinhainde2550]

when you leave a rented flat you have to put off wall papers and leave the walls clean or painted plain, white. the time I live in my flat I can do what I want as longt I do not demolish anything.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

I’ve heard this, too.

[@paulsj9245]

Weinhain Z Fortunately, this isn't true anymore. Endrenovierung was cancelled by BGH, our Supreme Court, long ago.

[@kiliipower355]

Not everywhere! In many communities/cities it is common to hand over the apartment "Besenrein"

[@heinzmeyer8888]

Great funny video, especially how you integrated the band. It was fun to watch!

[@ChristopherLRussell]

I appreciate you, friend. Thanks for your time to watch it. 🤙🏾

[@juttajoines9749]

Try turning a door knob with greasy or arthritic hands; door handles are so much more practical.

[@kvwuppkvwupp834]

In my experience: "Erfurter Rauhfaser weiß gestrichen" ist the most common wallpaper (but if you own a house or even if you rent an apartment or a house you can decorate the walls with the wallpaper you like as long als you don't destroy anything structural).

[@latishalingo4399]

I loved how he just randomly interrupted himself with the piano

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Weird, isn’t he?

[@geraldherrmann787]

most walls you´re referring to is NOT wallpaper, but wallcolor.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Ah, ok. 👌🏾

[@RavyStudios]

What about the windows I heard that American windows only have two states open or closed, but in Germany, you can put them also to a middle state to let some air in at night or stuff. (Fenster kippen). I also really enjoy your videos I am a german living in Germany and I will visit us someday to get an idea of what life there is like because I'm a big fan of a lot of American things especially in the entertainment section. I found it very interesting to see your point of view and I really appreciate the cultural exchange. Btw I would find it very nice to have a talk to you bc I don't know many Americans here and most of them are born here so they don't have the exact point of view that you have bc you grow up in the states and then moved here. I also would be up for a meet-up if you'd like to maybe we even live pretty close to each other. I'm 21 living near Frankfurt and working as an 3D Artist in video games. Anyway Since I found your channel this week I can't stop watching your videos, Keep it up! :D

[@lindaw1750]

A lot of talent👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 Mr. Russell. Doorknobs in America: Falling out and locking you in and refusing to work. 🤔yup

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Yeah, exactly. So it’s not just me right? How is this even a thing? 🧐

[@karinland8533]

Thats even a moviethrope LOL

[@nikitatarsov5172]

That topside electricity bars have a spreacial reason. And if you measure it out(and the rules are followed), you'll see the're all in the same distance to the ceiling. A professional electrican will possibly try to kill you if you build your homes cabeling another way =P The rule is at first to reach the electricity support to every room in the house without the risc of having a unpleasant nail hammered in the wall and find the sleepin' lighning. So the rule is, everytime you need a connection to the supporting top cable, you create a distributor box that will be blind covered and painted over/get wallpaperer. From this box on the cable in the wall goes straight to the plug. So if you see a room, your see the plugs, you always know where your hidden cables are. You can drill, saw and hammer through every wall without the risc or electric pain. Another reason for sure is that you can more easy repair something if you have a problem with a connection(and can meassure out which cable/connection have a problem, cause you can easily reach all components(and the rest of it is in regular buried in solid cable ducts. So it's way better to have a simple entrance(i prefer to have a plastic micro pipe between the connectors, so you can simply pull off the cable if you need, and not have to open up that whole concrete/cement/gypsum-mess in case of - whatever - modernisation, adding additional internet cable or something)). I love that system and can't tell you how often i got reminded from craftsman about the imortance of that rule.

[@RO-zv9im]

Great video! Please keep up the good work!

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Without a doubt. Thank you.🙏🏾

[@JoachimRotermund]

For me as a German this "outlandish" is not outlandish - so it is not weird. It's all a matter of taste.

[@Kellydoesherthing]

Love the appearance of your Zwilling(s)! Good video Christopher! And seriously, what’s with the weird colored wallpaper 😂

[@ChristopherLRussell]

So baffling. 😆 Thanks, Kel.

[@madTitanja]

I love the americans doornocks more than our doorhandls. I think the reson could be simply cos I always love all what here not or so often find, cos all what here is normal to find is boring for me cos its to ordenary normal & having no intresting new. ^^

[@freshname]

Itsn't it only the US with no wall decoration? I mean al least in Germany, Russia, Poland, Spain, Italy, UK I have witnessed SOME colour on the walls, like the one you showed in your video. (btw music is amasing)

[@ChristopherLRussell]

There’s wall decorations in the US. I was only referring to the actual design and/or colour of the walls themselves. 🙂 Thanks for the compliment. People liked it so I made a full separate song. 🙃 I hope you had a chance to check it out.

[@andresboatshed7018]

The Wallpaper you get down to get it wet let soak in and do this a few times the wallpaper will go down

[@sevensevington]

yes. and it depends on how well they put the wallpaper on the wall. im renovate my new apartment right now and the old wallpaper came off easy AF.

[@daysailertogo]

Groovy Music. Well done.

[@Kev4Kev]

Actually all new and remodeled buildings in the USA have door handles nothing has door knobs anymore; this was apart of ADA regulations years ago as some with disabilities can not twist a door knob but can move a door handle which requires less force.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Oh ok. Well that’s cool. Thank you. 👍🏾

[@geoffpriestley7001]

Strange wall paper ? I have it in my house its from the 90 the late wife decorated it its only been 20 years since she died i will get round to redecorating it some day

[@MrNice-zm9qk]

Came here to see 5 differences in housing. Saw a dude from the US producing nice Jungle/D&B. Didn't know that D&B is really a thing in the states, I'm really flashed now!

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Forgive me but what is "Jungle/D&B"?

[@MrNice-zm9qk]

@@ChristopherLRussell D&B is the acronym for Drum n' Bass a music style from the UK beeing pretty popular in some German regions during the 90s and early 2000s. Actually the background music you added round about 3:19 minutes.

[@RickTheClipper]

Christopher, just remove an old fixed carpet, you will find tons of dirt, no matter the quality of your vacuum cleaner

[@Sypaka]

3:06 the "Drum and Bass" Button.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

YEAH!😅

[@Dr.Gillingstein]

The rug really tied the room together.

[@Rollo_26]

Thats my Dawg!!!! Good video as always. Good seeing you bro and hope you and the fam are doing well. Not sure about that trip next month guess we will see..

[@ChristopherLRussell]

I’ll be here whenever you can make it happen, Rollo. Take care, my friend. ✌🏾

[@michaelcarmichael2800]

Hi Mr Russell damn , Mr ruseseke you have a lovely home! Regards Mr Michael Carmichael

[@ChristopherLRussell]

You like that place? Truth be told, I grew to hate it. There’s things about it that I haven’t talked about regarding that house but trust me, I will NEVER live in a house that old again. Here is where I stay now, in case you haven’t seen it. Thanks for all of your comments.🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5Opc6COn6ikZ80

[@Wolfspaule]

That piano thing broke me :)))))))

[@Punki001]

Nice guitar Gibson?

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Yes

[@Punki001]

@@ChristopherLRussell Really like it. I would like to hear it in action. You should give us more music videos, the Germany song was so funny.

[@johnv467]

What about US front doors , don't they have a mesh screen to keep out the thousands of incests flying around, never seen that in Europe.

[@solokom]

7:52 "Hex hex!" 😄

[@ChristopherLRussell]

😆 Good catch.

[@YukiTheOkami]

Carpets justbsmell bad over time and they are harder tobswitch out than a rug. I just removed the old carpet out of my bed room I have like old ddr pvc flor in here and it is ugly so i put a carpet in here 10 years ago and since 5 years ago i wanted to get rid of it but never had the time. And suddenly the strange smell is out of my room. Oh and bugs There timy insectsnwhen you habe a carpet for that long i am glad it is gone. Never again

[@YukiTheOkami]

My room is black and red. I habe to remove the wallpaper when i move out xd

[@YukiTheOkami]

I never saw a german jome with plugs up on the wall .......and i am born here

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Thanks for all of your input. Maybe I can show a photo of these outlets high up on the wall one day. Thanks for watching. ✌🏾

[@AnnetteLudke-je5ll]

Carpets make your rooms cosy.

[@ChristopherLRussell]

For sure, they do.🤙🏾

[@teddy4548]

So what you are telling me is that American homes only have "boring" walls? 🤔

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Yes

[@dirkschmidt2276]

@@ChristopherLRussell That`s..........well...........boring............ ;-)

[@FatVaderStudio]

I love your glasses btw

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Why, thank you so much. 🤓😊

[@claudiakarl7888]

Just get some quality paint and paint your kitchen walls. 😉

[@weinhainde2550]

I like carpets but only my own, sometimes I rented a flat with carpets, changed these for my own new one

[@ChristopherLRussell]

I can understand this. There’s no telling what is hiding in OTHER people’s nasty old carpets or rugs.

[@cyberkraut5139]

Bullsh... ! These wallpapers should be going off easily, if the wall has been treated properly before putting the paper on. You just need to know how.

[@solokom]

that keyboard part! 😂

[@throwawayaccountm1325]

Smh....you forgot to mention the RAUFASERTAPETE.

[@hitchmercedes1599]

2:35 xD

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Lots of “weird” things happening in this house on that day. 😅

[@Laurelinad]

Not meaning to offend people but from all I saw about us homes German stuff is just generally better made/designed...

[@1walkgirl]

I knew you are triplets! :D

[@ChristopherLRussell]

😄😄😄 Have you seen one of my triplet brothers somewhere else? 😏

[@1walkgirl]

Yeah, one is a farmer not far from here and the other one sells icecream and alike :D

[@wortblume2317]

Omg, you live in the middle of nowhere xD

[@ChristopherLRussell]

Not anymore. I moved.😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5Opc6COn6ikZ80