It's all in the details...

While we are on the Subject of German Housing I thought that I would share some interesting tidbits of information....

1. Germans do not have to pay housing tax when their house is under "construction".....so pretty much from the time they buy the house to the time they sell, it is undergoing some kind of remodel. In fact many of the rentals have details of present and future construction detailed next to the monthly rate....so that tenants are aware of the multitude of workers that will be in and out durring their stay.

2. Kitchens are "built in." Now I know what you are thinking....aren't ALL kitchens built in. Here in Germany however, this means that everything is built into the cabinets: the fridge, dishwasher, stove, etc. At first it is almost like playing The Price is Right...What is behind door number one? A freezer or a can of beans? This also means that the appliances are TINY. After all, the fridge has to fit in the same amount of space as the Tupperware lids.

3. Closets are non existent. Either German houses are very cluttered or they have come up with some really interesting storage solutions.

4. No more single story homes. Everything here is at least 2 floors. This means that if you get a one bedroom apartment you better own slippers because chances are you are going to be running on tile floor from the bedroom upstairs to the "bathroom" below on a regular basis.....no carpet here!

5. And don't even get me started on the bathrooms. First things first.....the toilets use buttons not levers. 2 of them in fact....let’s just say a big button for the big stuff and a small button for the small stuff :). Showers have no curtains (or ways to attach curtain rods for that matter) and ALL have detachable shower heads...so make sure you have a mop handy :). And storage is non existent, not even under the tiny sink. This is interesting because in many occasions the bathroom is bigger than the kitchen. Not sure what they think you need all that open space in there for....

I am yet to move in to our charming German house, and although I am beyond ready and excited to get "home" set up again, adjusting should be interesting.

And now, just to make things a little more exciting, I thought I would add a little addition I like to call "Name that Sign."
Do you know what

Means? (And goolging it doesn't count!)