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What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Old Dec 20th 2016, 7:14 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by mrken30;12133176[B
]Quite recently some people took over a federal building by force using arms[/B]. Not quite the same, but if the public were not armed it wouldn't have happened.
What exactly was their point? They must be facing donkeys years in a Federal penitentiary.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 7:16 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by Twinkle0927
Right now I'm getting frustrated looking for good news coverage on the TV with a person actually reading the news, rather than a few people discussing the news amongst themselves (which is why I hate breakfast TV in the UK). When I used to visit The Husband it never bothered me too much that I couldn't find a good news source - we had better things to do in our short visits and I knew could catch up on news when I got home. But now I'm here permanently it's becoming more important.
I bought an Amazon TV and sometimes watch sky news as I prefer to get news without the commercials every 5 minutes and the debates on every news item.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 7:19 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by Twinkle0927

Right now I'm getting frustrated looking for good news coverage on the TV with a person actually reading the news, rather than a few people discussing the news amongst themselves (which is why I hate breakfast TV in the UK). When I used to visit The Husband it never bothered me too much that I couldn't find a good news source - we had better things to do in our short visits and I knew could catch up on news when I got home.
I watch a lot of BBC world service and euro news to get international news. The internet fills in the rest.

Sky news is on Roku/AppleTV FOC too
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 7:20 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by dc koop
What exactly was their point? They must be facing donkeys years in a Federal penitentiary.
Zero years! They were found not guilty, some pleaded guilty on a plea bargain and now trying to get the decision changed.
There are also some that are still awaiting trial.

Fresh Charges Could Remove Firearms From Oregon Standoff Defendants . News | OPB
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 8:05 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Building costs - trad building techniques cost approx 900-1000 per sq foot, prefbricted can be 600. Walls tend to either be 2 layers of block or block and brick with inslation foam or glassfibre in between, the interior walls are either gypsum plaster directly on the block or drylining to battons like american walls, but often with extra insulation.

There are some newer things - apart from ikea type complex panel building, there are expanded polystyrene sections that you put steel in predefined holes then pour concrete into, and huge blocks that are concreted but the blocks close mate and the poured concrete flows i to channels in the blocks. Floors are trad poured concrete and wood joists / fliors, but there are also prestressed concrete beams with concrete blocks inbetween.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:01 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by ddsrph
.... I have a question about British home construction. With the double block wall, what kind of wall finish do you have inside? Painted block or interior framing for a plaster type wall? Also about what would it cost to build a house in the UK, say 3000 sq foot, detached, hardwood and tile floors, granite counter tops and nice custom cabinets, central heat and air?
There really isn't an easy answer to those questions. ..... Masonary walls are plastered, modern houses might have some interior stud walls, which will probably be clad in drywall hung inside out, literally, so plaster will stick to the rough paper backing.

A larger proportion of the cost of a new house in the UK is tied up in the land, and very few people would ever have to consider the cost of building on land they already own. Three thousand sqft is pretty large by UK standards, and I doubt you could easily fit that on most lots in the UK. My mother's four bed, one bath, house (half of a duplex) is, I believe, about 1,200 sqft. Oh, and houses in the UK rarely have AC, and are unlikely to be heated by forced air.

To buy such a new house similar to your specs above, is going to cost very different amounts across the UK. I would guess if such a new house existed in London, you'd be looking at £3million-£5million*, in remote, rural part of the UK I would still expect such a house to cost a minimum of £300,000-£500,000.

* My landlord sold his large Victorian duplex (one side only), probably around 2,500sqft, and in a pretty poor state of repair, located on the unfashioble fringes of Wimbledon, in 2003, for .... £715,000! Today the UK equiv of Zillow estimates its value at almost £2million.

Last edited by Pulaski; Dec 20th 2016 at 9:18 pm.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:28 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Pulaski, your costs are a bit out. A small 3 bed terraced house in a good part of london is say 1 mil plus, say 600k to 3 mil depending on location but it could be 25k in north wales, likely to be 1500-2000 sq ft but almost no land outside. Rebuilding costs for insurance will be 200k approx regardless of where. The issue in the uk is occasional freezing and heating so current standards for triple glazing and insulation are high. The norm for heating is a condensing gas boiler to radiators though heat pump and combination sources are becoming more popular.

There is a trend to completely gut houses and just reconstruct in the shell which given potential returns is profitable and effective, given the efficient use of energy and new space it can give look at total reconstruction costs above.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:37 pm
  #293  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

[QUOTE=Pulaski;12133509]There really isn't an easy answer to those questions. ..... Masonary walls are plastered, modern houses might have some interior stud walls, which will probably be clad in drywall hung inside out, literally, so plaster will stick to the rough paper backing.

A larger proportion of the cost of a new house in the UK is tied up in the land, and very few people would ever have to consider the cost of building on land they already own. Three thousand sqft is pretty large by UK standards, and I doubt you could easily fit that on most lots in the UK. My mother's four bed, one bath, house (half of a duplex) is, I believe, about 1,200 sqft. Oh, and houses in the UK rarely have AC, and are unlikely to be heated by forced air.


I like the idea of double block construction and with two inches of spray foam between them would give a r value of around 14. This would exceed southern US building codes which requires 13 in stud walls or r 10 continuous. Here it would require interior stud framing for wiring or a very difficult method of holes into Block with wire run thru block cavities. Further north you would have to space the two walls further apart for more foam or frame interior for additional insulation. Like you mentioned before its all a matter of building with what you have. We have pine, UK has brick making materials. I like the way I built my house but it would be too much labor costs to be widespread.
With my free labor, and paying for what I couldn't do like block/brick work and Sheetrock, I am going to have 100k in the 1200 sq foot house finished with tile, and Pergo floors, hickory cabinets, and granite counter tops. Exterior walls are all 12 inch block to grade and 8 inch block and brick to roof, roof trusses for roof, and all block walls filled with rebar and concrete. Wall insulation is r10 continuous, framed against that then carefully cut and fitted additional polyiso for a wall total r value of r 30-Two and 1/2 times code requirement.
People here in the US want big and flashy and devote too little attention to quality of construction.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:39 pm
  #294  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Bit off topic, a new tower block has been built which has virtually no utility bills.

Hemel Hempstead set to welcome 'world's most sustainable residential tower'
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:43 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by uk_grenada
Pulaski, your costs are a bit out. ....
I answered Ddsrph's specific question, for 3,000sqft, you did not.

Your £1,000/sqft maps to the £3million minimum I suggested for London for a 3,000sqft detached house.

Last edited by Pulaski; Dec 20th 2016 at 9:46 pm.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:48 pm
  #296  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

If you watch some of the house buying programs, it's amazes me what people expect from a home. How on earth did my mother cook in a tiny 1930s style kitchenette. About 10'x 8'.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:51 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by johnwoo
If you watch some of the house buying programs, it's amazes me what people expect from a home. How on earth did my mother cook in a tiny 1930s style kitchenette. About 10'x 8'.
Probably quite easily , space wasn't taken up with toasters, coffee makers, microwaves and other gadgets.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 9:59 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by uk_grenada
Building costs - trad building techniques cost approx 900-1000 per sq foot, prefbricted can be 600. Walls tend to either be 2 layers of block or block and brick with inslation foam or glassfibre in between, the interior walls are either gypsum plaster directly on the block or drylining to battons like american walls, but often with extra insulation.
For new build block/brick built walls we usually used the 'dot and dab' system for attaching plasterboard to interior. ie plaster like adhesive that is dotted on to the back of the plasterboard which is then pushed up against the wall. It can be done by dabbing the muck on the wall and then pressing the plasterboard up against it. The stuff grabs either surface and bob's your uncle. Can't for the life of me remember what the adhesive is called (Used the same supplier and just grabbed the right colour bag when it was needed, think it had a really imaginative name like 'plasterboard adhesive' or 'drywall adhesive') it comes in 40lb bags and is a powder mixed with water. Much quicker than battening off, we only battened off if there was going to be insulation between the board and the wall or there was some issue such as damp or really old out of true walls.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 10:05 pm
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by johnwoo
If you watch some of the house buying programs, it's amazes me what people expect from a home. How on earth did my mother cook in a tiny 1930s style kitchenette. About 10'x 8'.
My kitchen in London was 7'x8'x9' .... 9' was the height! ..... It was totally functional, and only having one door, meant a very high proportion of counter and cabinet space.
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Old Dec 20th 2016, 10:09 pm
  #300  
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Default Re: What was the biggest culture shock when you moved to the USA?

Originally Posted by johnwoo
If you watch some of the house buying programs, it's amazes me what people expect from a home.

Are they as bad here as they are in the U.K? Don't want to hear any traffic noise at all but want at least a double garage for their Chelsea tractor and the wife's little run-around. They are a family of 3 or 4 but want a dining room that fits a table for 12 because they like to "entertain" (in other words, they are going to spend 10s of thousands more than they need to on a house to suit other people who come round once a month).
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