N1cky

I never had an opener in the UK (and I'm a posh person from Yorkshire) but all 3 houses I have lived in here have had them.

Part of the problem in the UK is that most garages are so small, that by the time you have your lawn mower in* a couple of bikes and a Christmas tree, there's no room for your car anyway.

*Which reminds me nearly everyone locally has a gardener, where as in the UK we do it ourselves.

SultanOfSwing

The two of us, plus all the additional anecdotal evidence? That's cast-iron, in my mind.

lansbury

N1icky clinches it. None in the UK and three over here. That's six electric door openers between three of us, overwhelming proof.

SultanOfSwing

Now here's the question - are they more of a pain in the arse than they're worth?

I'm pretty sure I could have got out of the car, opened the garage door and got back into the car again much quicker than it takes to wait for the tiny little motor to drag open my current door

N1cky

I wouldn't know. I still have too much crap in my garage here to fit my car in

lansbury

I press the button in my car coming up the road, and the door opens by the time I get there.

Now it was a pain when one of the springs broke and we couldn't open the door at all, not even disconnecting it to open by hand. Of course it only did it once when the cars were inside the garage, and we needed to get out.

SultanOfSwing

Aye, there is that. I always forget to press my button until I'm in the drive, though.

Sally Redux

I quite enjoy House Hunters. Let us know when you're on

SultanOfSwing

I like watching the international one with my wife. Mostly when someone buys a nice house in the UK. Every little helps

kimilseung

I press the button when I turn the corner, and drive right in. (Not that I am telling you about your door mind, just saying I like mine)

Oh, lansbury got to it first.

My mega-criminal mind has a plan to drop stuff all over the road to stop a car while a mate nips in to a garage to nick all the power tools.

Sally Redux

Yes I like the international one.

Selling London is good too for fantasy viewing.

SultanOfSwing

I could during a power cut.

In a fair race, starting from ten feet back in the driveway though, I reckon I'd be in with a chance ...

GeoffM

FWIW, my limited experience: both houses I've lived in here do not have overhead lights except in the bathrooms and kitchen - it's the switched wall sockets. I almost took a freestanding fan back to the shop because I hadn't realized it was plugged into such a socket (though knew I had them). I've also realized, in this house at least, the socket plates are "upside down" compared to the non-switched sockets. Anyway, the lack of overhead lights is actually annoying because the lamps just get in the way.

The first house, a bit posher than this one, actually had blanking plates where the owners could install overhead lights if they wanted to, with one of the wall switches wired up to it. Another switch on the same panel did a wall socket, but it was a complete mystery what, if anything, the third did. He's lived there since it was built 3 years ago and is still none the wiser.

The combined A/C and heating units with ceiling air vents is quite handy, unless you're in a downdraft of cold air. Weird having to switch the thing manually from cooling to heating and back again each day earlier this year though, such was the daily range of temperatures here.

Gas powered tumble dryers are new to me and seem to work well. Jumbo sized washers and dryers, as seems to be the norm, is great. In the UK they'd both be going daily with our family of four. Here they get used 2-3 times a week max.

Fixed shower heads - I know somebody mentioned this months ago - I'd rather have a handheld on a hose so I can reach the nether regions.

Mailboxes - mostly clumps around here, like 4-5 mounted on a T-bar. If a car is parked in front, or for some other reason the postie can't reach out of his/her vehicle to dump the mail, then the mail goes back to the office. Useful being able to leave outgoing mail in the mailbox. Actually I think many UK posties will take mail like letters/cards - if you can catch them.

Bigger fridge here, but we still fill it easily. Grow to fill the space available.

Beds - generally a lot bigger, even for kids. And a lot higher. I guess UK ones are generally about kneecap height; here I need oxygen to climb on a lot of beds. Oh, comforters vs duvets. I really wish I'd brought duvets as that top sheet just drives me mad. Must get to Ikea (nearest over an hour away).

Of course the main difference that drives many other things is the cost of land in the UK, meaning small and vertically tall, compared to large and sprawling and flat here. We were lucky in our UK house, on an estate built in 2006, to get two cars on the drive, one in the garage (if it was a mini with its wing mirrors folded in), and several on the street right outside the house. Here we can get 3 on the drive side-by-side with another 3 in the garages (if it weren't for all the crap in there). Maybe more than that on the drive if they pulled up tight. Similarly takes ages to roll up the door, even though I do it as soon as it's in sight, turn left, then right on to the drive, I still have to pause sometimes lest the door and roof rack become familiar with each other. Noisy as hell too. But I bet nobody here has a carpeted garage?

Jerseygirl

I've had two houses in the UK with electronic garage door openers. I agree with you though...they are much more common here.

Moonshadow_Girl

How is it that no one yet has mentioned the lack of outlets in the bathroom, or even a wall switch for the light in the bathroom in the UK? I remember my first trip over to visit my DH (way before he was even considered a DF) and I was annoyed at first. Then, I came to really appreciate a lovely vanity area. When we bought our first house last year in the US, one of the biggest selling points was my very own vanity, no boys allowed!