Having lived in four distinctively different regions of the country, I’ve seen a wide range of home features that range from pretty cool to fairly odd. Moving to San Antonio was not a departure from that pattern. Some of the items are glaringly obvious, while others took me a while to notice. If you are new or planning a move to San Antonio, here are some interesting home features to be aware of.
Tile, Tile Everywhere!
I didn’t have to step foot in San Antonio, Texas, to see that they are big fans of tile flooring down here! All I needed was 10 minutes looking at homes online to figure out that tile flooring is one of those home features I was going to have to live with. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a little tile. Where I draw the line is when there’s tile in the bedrooms! However, there are some houses that are literally tiled throughout. I guess the upshot is that as a pet owner, the cleanup should be easier and I will have fun picking out the huge amount area rugs and runners I will need!
No Roof Gutters
I thought some home features were universal, like roof gutters. Boy, was I wrong. I noticed the lack of gutters one day when a torrent of water was pouring off my roof. My immediate thought was that it was clogged. That’s when I saw that the gutters were, in fact, non-existent! “Cheap builder,” I thought until I looked at every house I could see from my window and noticed that NOBODY had them. I have yet to get a satisfactory answer on why this is the case. I see gutters on apartment buildings and commercial structures, but I rarely see them on a single-family residence.
Double Deadbolts
This is one of those home features I’ll file under “fairly odd.” Apparently, it’s a law in Texas that every rental property is equipped with a second deadbolt on every exterior door that can only be unlocked from the inside. I’ll admit, I do feel safer. Although I do fight the urge to add four or five more locks to the door just for comical effect! So if you are looking at homes and see two deadbolts, you can be pretty sure that it was a rental at some point.
No Basements
Depending on where you live, a basement is one of those home features that may not be that common. However, I am a Yankee, born and raised in Michigan. Almost EVERYONE had some sort of basement. If you didn’t, it made a big difference on the appraisal. The further south I move, the less often I see a house with a basement. It’s not a big deal or anything, but I do miss the extra storage!
Foundation Watering — Yes! It’s a Real Thing!
This one tops the list of odd features in San Antonio. Due to the makeup of the soil, it’s necessary to keep the foundation of your home adequately watered in dry weather. The dirt around the slab can dry out and shrink several inches leaving the concrete vulnerable to cracking or all sorts of other problems. It’s definitely something you’ll want to learn more about and add into your home maintenance regimen.
I have no doubt that the longer I live here, the more quirky things I will find about the homes. It certainly makes for interesting conversations. But for all its housing “oddities,” San Antonio is a great place to call home!
[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[/cf]
