What is a typical Dutch house?

For most Dutch people, a townhouse is the standard. These residences are built in a continuous block so that the houses share outer walls. A pair of houses might be called townhouses. Longer blocks are row houses.

Why do Dutch houses have sinks in bedrooms?

In the old days, sinks were often in the bedrooms because showers were not in your typical dutch apartment until about 50 years ago! In some unfurnished or shell apartments, there are no light fixtures installed before the tenant moves into the apartment.

What is a Dutch house called?

A canal house (Dutch: grachtenpand) is a (usually old) house overlooking a canal. These houses are often slim, high and deep. Canal houses usually had a basement and a loft and attic where trade goods could be stored.

Why are Dutch houses so narrow?

Houses in Amsterdam are very narrow because in Medieval times owners would have to pay for the meter of the facade facing the canals. To avoid paying such high taxes, houses were designed to be narrow yet tall and functional. These buildings tend to be narrow, leaning forward and facing the water.

Why do Dutch houses have big windows?

You can just look through into their homes and no one has any problem with that. One story says, that the Dutch windows are “wide open” because of the tax system from the past – people to avoid big amounts of money to pay, wanted to show everything they owed and build a trust, that they don't hide anything.

A Typical Dutch House

Why are there no curtains in Holland?

The most popular explanation stems from the Protestant religious tradition of Calvinism, which insists that honest citizens have nothing to hide. Closing the curtains could indicate otherwise. And by letting people have a look inside, you let them know: Look, I'm a decent person!

Why do houses in Amsterdam have hooks?

The characteristic hooks located in the top of Amsterdam houses serve to pull goods up the houses using a wheel and rope. This is a Medieval technique that still works nowadays and both old and new construction feature them. Using the narrow staircases of Dutch houses is not an option.

Why do Dutch houses lean forward?

Locals democratically elect its board of members during public elections. When the Waterschap agency decides the water level may be lowered, the poles are exposed to oxygen and start to rot. And when the foundation is slowly decaying, the entire Amsterdam house starts to lean to one side.

Why are stairs so steep in the Netherlands?

By the time the Dutch were tasked with rebuilding after two massive fires, stone chimneys had been invented and coal was widely available, so these new buildings not only had chimneys, but stairs, too. But since space was limited, builders had to be creative—thus the un-ideally steep, narrow staircases.

What makes a house a Dutch Colonial?

What Makes A House A Dutch Colonial? Dutch Colonial homes have a gambrel roof, which is a broad, double-pitched roofs that slope flat and wide at the top and then switch angles and slope straight down. A Dutch door is also required. The top half of the homes have narrow dormer windows built into their rooflines.

What are houses like in Netherlands?

The most common type of dwelling is the rijtjeshuis. This is a family home, two or three stories high, with a front and back garden, adjoined by two, three or more identical homes. A standard Dutch house has two rooms in addition to the kitchen, living room, toilet and bathroom.

What is Dutch style?

The term Dutch style was used in early America to define an ancient or geometric style of garden design that predated the modern or natural style of design.

What is a Dutch Colonial roof?

Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house. Modern versions built in the early 20th century are more accurately referred to as "Dutch Colonial Revival", a subtype of the Colonial Revival style.

Do they use curtains in the Netherlands?

(Now, some people don't associate this thought with Calvinism but just consider it the nature of Dutch people, that they're transparent and have nothing to hide, so they don't need to put on curtains or blinds).

What is the Dutch culture?

Dutch people are usually very open, friendly and welcoming. In the Netherlands, only parents and children live together. In general, they do not live with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. During meals, Dutch families usually share their adventures of the day.

How big are houses in the Netherlands?

Two-thirds of all Amsterdammers live in homes which are smaller than 75m2 and only 3% have homes bigger than 150 m2. The national average is 25% and 17% respectively. The difference between Amsterdam and the rest of the country has a lot to do with age, the CBS said.

Why are Dutch toilets weird?

Arguably the most alarming feature of a Water Closet is the infamous Dutch toilet bowl. Dutch engineers have designed the bowl itself to contain a plateau set well above the normal water level. To say the least, one must be very comfortable with themselves and all their excrements on the display shelf.

Why do Dutch houses have high roofs?

It is also evident that there is a practical reason why the two sloped roof was a popular format for buildings used for storage. It maximized headroom on the floor space under the roof. The steeper lower part of the roof acts almost as a wall.

Why are they called Dancing houses in Amsterdam?

Today there are 165 canals and over 1,200 bridges in Amsterdam! These are called the “Dancing Houses” on the Amstel river. The soil was so swampy that homes along the canals had to be built on stilts.

Why do old houses have hooks outside?

Metal Plates on Old Homes

These metal plates, which often are shaped as an “S”, an “X” or a star, are called anchor plates (or wall anchors). They are often seen on the outside of old bricks homes and are used to help prevent walls from bowing outwards and collapsing.

Is Amsterdam built on wooden poles?

Since Amsterdam is located on a bog, houses are built on a typical foundation of wooden poles. Long wooden beams, basically entire trees of 13 to 20 meters long, were drilled into the soil to reach the firmer sediment layer of sand.

Why is Amsterdam sinking?

Generally, this occurs for three reasons: extraction of natural resources like water or gas; added weight from the construction of buildings and roads; and ground water drainage, which in the Netherlands exposes the peat to air and causes it to break down through oxidation.

Do the Amsterdam canals freeze?

It doesn't happen very often – in the past decade, the Amsterdam canals have frozen only three times, in 2012, 2018 and 2021 – so when it does, locals and visitors alike venture out onto the ice in full force to experience something truly unique: walking or ice-skating on the frozen canals of Amsterdam!

How old are houses in Amsterdam?

If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, visit the canal houses.

Why are buildings so tall in Amsterdam?

The houses were used by merchants back in the days to store goods, which would then be transported via the canals. The narrow staircases of the buildings did not allow goods to be moved easily from one floor to another. Goods and any other valuable possessions had to be stored on the highest floor in case of flooding.