My gripes on houses in London (aside from being expensive)

michelle2008

I am struggling not to feel a tiny bit offended by your post:-).

As others have said - why did you travel if you expected everywhere to be the same ad north America!! I hate stereotypes - and I have often spoken out against the notion that Americans and canadians come to Europe and will only eat in macdonalds or Starbucks. Don't feed the stereotype!

But you are only here on holiday - i assume you don't want to pay for accommodation that offers these amenities (trust me they are common) so just relax and enjoy the change.

Oh and I always wash my cup in my dishwasher!!

suki1964

cpdc1030 wrote: »

That's another thing. Why is using a dishwasher considered lazy?

Why don't you wash your laundry by hand if you follow that logic? :-)

But I do often wash clothes by hand, and I hang my clothes on the line to dry and when I can't then use the clothes horse. The tumble drier has been used twice in 8 years


I hate the dishwasher. Means we have to have so much crockery cos a days use isn't enough to fill the dishwasher.

For me using the dishwasher not filled is a no no. I guess I'm the result of a generation brought up with dire warnings of global warming and fined within an inch of our lives for not recycling

And yes I'm a mucky !!!!! in that if I'm home alone ill use the same mug all day. Why not? I'm not letting the dog lick the dregs before I make a top up. Lol

Generali

filcanmike wrote: »

I just moved to London last July from Canada for a working holiday to experience life here and explore the country. Things are going great and I love London, the UK from what I've seen so far, and the people. I really do .

One thing about living here that surprises me is how sub-standard the houses are (aside from being expensive and small for what you pay for). It's not really that surprising considering how old they are, but the two houses that I lived in and the numerous houses I've seen, it seems sub-standard compared to where I used to live in Canada.

For one thing, none of the houses that I've been in has a dishwasher. I cannot believe that most people in this day and age and living in what I consider the greatest city in the world and one of the richest, still wash their dishes with their hands. I mean seriously, !!!!!!? And another thing that bugs me is that none of the houses that I've been in don't even have a dryer next to the washing machine (well looking at the bright side, at least they have washing machines). But wow, I never thought that I would actually have to hang my clothes for it to dry when I moved to the UK. That is so last century. I have seen people do it in the movies and in pictures (particularly in Italy or Naples in particular), but I never thought I'd have to do it here. From where I'm from, dishwashers and dryers come standard in all houses. The only people there who don't have them are those who are homeless (duh!) and really, really poor. On the other hand, it seems like most people don't even have them. Why is that?

And the insulation. My landlord hates it when I leave the heater on all day, saying that it is too expensive. Well duh, 10 minutes after turning the heater off, it gets cold again. None of the heat gets retained. Of course, London doesn't get cold as much as it does in Canada where it can get as cold as -30C, but still.... it would be great if the houses were well-insulated.

Despite all that, I do love London and I love the country. Given the wealth of things to see and do, the nightlife, and its close proximity to various tourist destinations, I feel very fortunate to be living here. It's just a pity about the houses.

British houses are small but they are generally well insulated.

If you're not getting a dishwasher and the places you are renting have bad insulation I would guess you're renting at the bottom of the market. Almost everywhere I rented had a dishwasher when I was in London.

Places don't normally come with dryers. A lot have washer dyers (a washing machine with a built-in tumble dryer) or you can pick up your own pretty cheaply. If you look on the freecycle website you can probably get one for nothing if you get in quick.

Enjoy your time in London!

filcanmike

LOL sorry guys. No offense meant.

So far, I have lived in houseshares. Not having a dishwasher or a dryer is a minor inconvenience, not a major dealbreaker since I don't really cook. Sometimes I would order takeout and use the plates, but that would get tedious to handwash. And I don't trust my flatmates' dishwashing abilities either. Most of the time, I would smell the plate and glass and have to rewash them before using. I'd rather trust a dishwasher in its cleaning ability. And while it never bothered me to hang clothes outside in the summer, it takes too long for my clothes to dry indoors. I actually just purchased a dehumidifier to make them dry quickly and reduce the moisture. I hope my landlord doesn't complain when the electricity bills increase when I leave the dehumidifier running all the time. I'm still surprised though that those two appliances, which I consider basic amenities like cable TV and internet, come as a premium in London. You'd have to pay more in rent to live in a flat or house that have them. Although I have to say, Freeview is such a nice concept. But I better stop there: I don't want to get into TV licensing, which I am glad I am covered through my landlord.

suki1964

You know if you are just washing a plate, the best way is under a running hot water tap with the washing liquid applied via a scouring sponge, washed clean, rinsed, and allowed to air dry

Trust me I work in a restaurant and everything is hand washed, rinsed and air dried

michelle2008

Are you basing your view of British cleanliness on house mates in a flat share!!!! I think you need to get out more!

Enjoy your holiday - and try to experience everything. I travelled a bit in Canada - and trust me I saw all extremes of humanity!

antrobus

filcanmike wrote: »

..From where I'm from, dishwashers and dryers come standard in all houses. The only people there who don't have them are those who are homeless (duh!) and really, really poor. ...

Not quite standard. According to the 2007 Survey of Household Energy Use carried out by the Office of Energy Efficiency, 61% of Canadian households were in possession of a dishwasher. Granted, the level of dishwasher penetration is lower over here - only 37% England and Wales in 2005 according to our Enviroment Agency but that's just one of those things you'll just have to get used to.

michelle2008

So by OP's logic 39% of canadians are homeless!!

vivatifosi

chewmylegoff wrote: »

true, but most people don't wear vertical blinds.

I think it is because the stripes are fattening.

wymondham

I always just rinse out my mug if i'm having another.... this is ending the year on a low for me now as I feel unclean and lowlife.... and I don't have a dishwasher despite there being four in our family .... I feel so low I need to post on another board now.... ;-(