Nate
Ever walked into an American home and thought, Why is everything so big? From massive fridges with built-in ice makers to air vents in every room pumping out central AC, there are plenty of home features that are totally normal in American homes but leave visitors from other countries scratching their heads.
A viral r/AskAnAmerican thread asked people to share the most common things found in American homes that aren’t the norm elsewhere, and the answers did not disappoint. Some of these are pure convenience, some are downright excessive, and a few might even make you wish they were more common worldwide.
Here are uniquely American home features that are totally normal in the U.S. but not so much in other countries.
1. “Wood”
“If you go by the comments that show up any time construction gets mentioned, apparently wood.
I am lead to believe that all houses in Europe are constructed from a mixture of concrete, brick, diamond and titanium, built to withstand the mightiest of gales and double as a b**b shelter.
Over here we mostly use wood framing and cladding, with sometimes a brick or stone outer layer, sometimes just vinyl or aluminum (or even more wood) siding, and drywall on the insides. It works well, but apparently terrifies our overseas neighbors.”
2. “His And Hers Sinks”
3. “Garbage Disposals”
4. “Based On My Travels, I’d Say Clothes Dryers, Central Air Conditioning, And Firearms”
5. “Walk In Closets”
“Walk in closets (most European countries I’ve been to, they use wardrobes and dressers).
Switch in the bathroom that runs a fan, the only purpose of which is to cover up the sound of you doing your business.”
6. “Swimming Pool Sized Toilets”
“Most toilets here are 1.28 or 1.6 gallons of water per flush.
The best info I’ve found says German toilets use nearly 2 gallons per flush. My guess is you need to, because of the nasty s**t-shelf your toilets have.
In any case I’m not sure where your perception of swimming pool sized toilets comes from.”
7. “Laundry Rooms”
“I may be wrong in this, but we usually have dedicated laundry rooms or at least laundry closets. I’ve read a lot of comments here and elsewhere that many places, especially Europe, just have a washing machine in the kitchen.”
8. “Big Garages”
“From my observation, garages, and garage size.
My double wide, double deep garage is insulated, heated and has cooling, my work shop and desktop computer are out there and oh and a couple cars and motorcycles. It’s basically a man cave but called “garage” for tax purposes.”
9. “Big Appliances”
“Ive lived in other countries.
Everything is bigger as far as appliances. Its like 1.5-2X scale that you would find in like appliances in other countries.”
10. “Ice Makers”
“Do Europeans have ice makers in their refrigerators?
We have ice everywhere here but those guys act like its their most precious resource.”
11. “A Large Gun Safe”
12. “Multiple Bathrooms”
“A third and fourth bathroom.
My first house in the UK had one bathroom. My second had two.
My house in the US had FOUR BATHROOMS. Honestly felt a touch excessive.”
13. “Theater Room”
“Having lived in upper middle class homes here and in other parts of the world: The theater room is the thing that always fascinates people. Other cultures also have things like pools, jacuzzis, billiards rooms, wine cellars, saunas, libraries, etc. but you rarely see a room dedicated to the theater. Three+ car garages are also not as common.”
14. “A Dryer”
“A dryer!
Garbage disposals.
Screens on our windows.
Ceiling fans. (These exist in many countries, but are not common.)
A large garage for two cars.”
15. “Americans”
16. “Box Fans”
17. “Sofas”
“Super comfortable sofas that you just sink into. Maybe I just had bad luck renting Airbnb’s in Europe, but my god was the furniture uncomfortable.
Also affordable computers and smart phones.”
18. “Air Conditioning”
19. “Space”
“The raw amount of space, always available air conditioning and ice, open floor plans and kitchen islands. I stayed at a friend’s place in china once and although the home was many multiple mine by value, the kitchen was essentially a separate room. They didn’t do much cooking themselves versus we like our kitchens to be the heart of entertaining.”
20. “Window Screens”
21. “A Big Garage”
“A big garage. When I visited family in the UK I was amazed their garage could barely fit their Ford Fiesta in it. My garage fits an F-150 double cab with zero issues and there’s room to spare. Plus you can fit a whole other vehicle next to it.
To go along with that a garage fridge. Not all Americans have them by a long shot but it’s common enough to see a hand-me-down refrigerator in a garage that has beer, pop, and stuff like that in it.
Also a coffee maker. When I was going to university in the UK I wanted a small coffee maker but couldn’t find one for the life of me. There were French presses and kettles, but no coffee makers like a Mr. Coffee.”
22. “Big A*s Bag Of Ice In The Freezer”
23. “TVs In Every Room”
24. “Dryers”
“When I was in Australia I learned that dryers, while not hard to find, were not as common as in the US.
I also learned that while a common first appliance for a university student here might be a microwave, a kettle is preferred in other places.”
25. “A Drip Coffee Maker”
26.
“Crunchy Peanut Butter
One spout on a sink so you can get warm water, not freezing cold and super hot separate spouts
Tea Kettle on the stove.”
27. “Large Beds”
“Plumbing that actually functions 99% of the time. Showers that access hot or cold without having to flip extra switches.
Central heating and air conditioning standard in most homes (not in all areas, but most).
A fridge with a built in water and ice dispenser. Large beds.”