chartreuse

Yes, SWMBO explained that to me when we first moved here. It was one of the rare arguments that I won - I want to see daylight and refuse to sit in the dark / artificial light all day.

AmerLisa

I would love to hang my clothes out, especially in the summer. But we live with the nazi HOA and such things are not allowed.

Elvira

So, have those tossers not heard of global warming then?

orangemirror

Yeah I find that really weird. I love the cosy feel of a room at night with the curtains closed.
I thought my wife had just bought crap curtain rods because they are really difficult to close but I guess that's just they way they are here?
She also never opens the blinds. I go round every morning and open them to get some sunlight in.
Slightly different subject but I also find it weird how houses here often have 'fake' windows in the attic. You know there's windows but no actual room, I guess it's to make the houes look bigger than it really is.

penguinsix

Did you try Home Depot or Lowes? They have a large window treatment area.

Englishtart

Me too, it just seems wrong to sit in a the house during the day with the lights on



I know! I have promised myself that I will never again buy a house in a neighbourhood with a HOA It irks me so much to have to ask permission to change anything on the outside! And now ours has started charging over $30 just to ask the bloody question If they decline the request you lose the $30!

Jaxbar

I have grown to see sunlight as overrated, I keep the blinds closed in a small effort to keep the bills down, our AC already runs pretty much non stop.

Englishtart

I was talking about this subject yesterday with a friend that lives near Calgary, (Brit expat) I was whinging about the utility bills here, we have been pretty lucky this Summer in that I haven't had to water the yard that much. My elec/water bills have been averaging around $300 a month I don't think I use the ac excessively either, I usually keep it around 76 in the Summer. I was telling my friend that our first year in this house, we were watering in new grass, we got a bill one month for just under $500:curse: She was gobsmacked at how high my bills are...is this about average in the US, or is that high comparatively

Braintreegirl

Talking of washing lines - does anyone know where to get the ground spikes that the pole goes in over here? Found some on Ebay but it costs twice as much to ship from the UK as the cost of the spear itself!

Thanks

Manc

you do understand that you live a long long way away from home and that your comfort zone might have to shift somewhat?

Englishtart

You saying that we can't 'live like Brits' in the US? when did that happen?

Bluegrass Lass

I don't mind letting the sunlight if we're at home during the day. Given the OH and I work all day, I won't open any blinds because of safety reasons. And to be honest, it also gives me the creeps having the blinds open and allowing everyone to see into your house. I like my privacy. Guess that makes one of those weird 'mericuns!

Wish I knew what to suggest BG. We have rods in our house and our curtains open and close easily, and cover the full width of the window. Those traverse rods are something I saw in my grandmother's house 20 years ago with those old-fashioned curtains that were pleated at the top.

BritishGuy36

Thanks all for your responses, (except Manc of course, what else do you expect from him? )

I expect what they call traverse rods are close to what I want, but I don't need a corded track.

The RV place might also be a winner as at the moment what I need them for is shower curtains (which are obviously quite light). And obviously I don't want to spend a fortune on bulky polies, I need something less obtrusive.

naomi

I got all of ours from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Naomi.

Mummy in the foothills

We got ours from the local small hardware store, not a big box like Home depot, we couldn't find one in there.

We gave up on grass it's too hot and dry here, our friends were lured to the dark side and put in a nice lawn out front, watering that bad boy was costing $200 every other month compared to our $50 (this was a good 6 years ago) they finally let the thing die to save $150 each bill.

There seems to be an art to letting in natural light and not letting in the heat, it's all in the timing, I think we have finally got it, we open the front of the house up in the early morning. Then the sun comes over the hills and we close up that side, followed by closing up the back when the sun moves and opening up the front again. Of course unless you are here to do it, you may as well leave the whole house closed up with dark curtains like the neighbors do wehn they leave for work.
I hate when I feel like I'm living in a cave, covered windows and the lights on. It's depressing.