Housing in Germany: A "Rainbow" of Choices

New construction- rare and structurally very different from homes in the US

There is nothing about the German homes that are “dull.”  I have honestly seen EVERY color of home, including some neon colors!  As you can see, often the homes are almost touching.  It is not uncommon to see homes touch; these homes are called “row houses.”  But when you think about it, I suppose this does tend to happen when there are 84 million people living in an area the size of Idaho.  The homes are “unique” in some other ways too:

*we are encouraged (and do) ventilate our home for 10-15 minutes each day to help prevent respiratory illnesses

*it is very uncommon to see carpet inside homes and to have a 2-stall garage

*homes are either heated through the floors (using hot water) or by radiators

*central air is almost unheard of

*most homes have the same floor plan and almost all have open staircases

*the majority of homes are 3 stories high

*closets are uncommon- shranks are utilized.

*backyards (a.k.a. gartens) are SMALL and often non-existent.

And, these are just a few differences.  In 3 weeks, we will be moving from a BRIGHT yellow house to a grey/red house (similar in color to the picture below)… we have actually become quite fond of our brightly colored house and will miss it:)!!  

Row House

NARROW streets...with a rainbow of color:)

At least you would always be able to find your house!

The shingles are always steel... and typically either blue or orange.