Living in really big houses

I'm sorry but if you can sit in the middle and read without blocking it's no longer a corridor. I do feel quite jelous as i plan to have a library in my home when i'm older. Any possible children can share if we're poor.

I got to laff that you guys are talkin about how big your libraries are and where to put your servants.

Its another world. Wish i had their money though.

Well, I did say "wide", yes, it's quite a decent-sized space, it's about 4m wide and 25m long or something like that, it kind of runs down one side of the house upstairs and has a row of nice windows. It is a lovely thing to have, along with some other nice features to the house.

I got to laff that you guys are talkin about how big your libraries are and where to put your servants.

Your family home sounds very nice, lucky you, is it in London? Big property if in town somewhere.

I don't think many people have "servants" these days, who were people at the beck and call of their "masters", I think Downton Abbey has clouded your views.

Having staff is very different to having servants.

Yeah, we're very fortunate, I am really grateful for my parents and so on. We're in Richmond, overlooking the park, she said smugly.

Yeah, we're very fortunate, I am really grateful for my parents and so on. We're in Richmond, overlooking the park, she said smugly.

Some very, very rich families have butlers and cooks and so forth (I even knew one or two people at school from homes like that) but as stated, typically well-off upper-middle type families might have a nanny to help with young children and maybe a housekeeper, especially if both parents have very busy schedules. I found there was a big difference in that kind of thing at school if one parent wasn't working compared to if both were. I used to visit school friend's very large houses and the "staff" were generally seen as almost family, there was very little bossing around and lots of saying "please" and "thank you".

I live in a council flat and we dont have much room.

On the bus going to school i pass these huge houses with like massive gardens round them and big windows and spread out with like probably 8 bedrooms and i dont know maybe 20 rooms or something.

Whats it like living in a house like that, do you get lost in all the rooms? Do people in the family see each other much? Are all the people who live in houses like that who are teenagers really spoilt? If you live in that kind of house, whats it like and what do you think of people who live in little box council flats like us?

Yeah, we're very fortunate, I am really grateful for my parents and so on. We're in Richmond, overlooking the park, she said smugly.

I know households have staff, ours used to, I was objecting to the use of the term 'servants'.

I don't think that is how they are seen now.

Ooo, a house of that size in Richmond facing the park, you should be smug! Are you ridiculously posh?

Nice to see someone else from my former neck of the woods

Do you get a view of the golf club?

Well, I did say "wide", yes, it's quite a decent-sized space, it's about 4m wide and 25m long or something like that, it kind of runs down one side of the house upstairs and has a row of nice windows. It is a lovely thing to have, along with some other nice features to the house.

I hope you make it to your dream house!

Wow that sounds really lovely are you really happy to be in your house, like what do you do, do you have to do chores? Do you get loads of luxury things?? Have you got lovely bedroom of your own and whats it like?

I'm quite familiar with big houses. Growing up during my years in Hong Kong I lived in my grandparents' house which was a 7000sf villa, had 8 bedrooms. You could park 5 cars in there and had some areas. That house isn't big by UK standards but by Hong Kong standards it was huge as the average home is less than than 600sf there and vast majority of people live in council type flats. There were 3 servants who did everything from prepare food, keep the house clean and made sure me and my cousins were behaving, 1 of them was an English lady who was handpicked specifically to be a governess, while the other 2 were from Hong Kong and all 3 lived in the house. Sadly that house no longer exist as they sold it upon passing of the grandparents and after that the house was demolished to make way for a high rise building.

My parents had a penthouse that they called home when they were in Hong Kong, I went back there during the weekends only in my younger days. It was big by Hong Kong standards as it was 2500sf and had 4 bedrooms. This place had a maid from Philippines, she worked for them for 18 years. I think my parents would have given me a good thrashing if I treated her like a maid.

After I graduated, started working and lived on my own I've lived in several homes in UK, from small tiny London flats to big estates in the country. The biggest of them was this 200 acre estate which had a 9 bedroom house. I didn't like it all that much as it was a pain to get to as I worked in the City and that house was nearly 60 miles away. I found the commute to be the hardest part as after work I just want to get home and not be stuck on the M25. When I had that house, I did have a cleaner from Czech who brought with her an army of hands to keep that house clean. The gardens was maintained professionally until I decided to have most of it converted to woodlands but I then moved to a smaller semi-d closer to the City as I got tired of staying so far away, house was a fairly large 5 bedroom. The same Czech woman maintained the house and I had one OAP manage the gardens in exchange for his tab at the local pub.

Now I live in a very normal 4 bedroom townhouse that is 20 minutes drive to work, it is a very normal middle-class type neighbourhood. It is above average in size by Swiss standards but it isn't huge just around 1600sf. Not into the big house thing any longer as in Switzerland owning such homes attract higher wealth/asset taxes and they are also incredibly expensive. Staff? When I first moved here I had a cleaner from Poland who came twice a week. Then my OH moved in, she doesn't like other people in the house especially the bedroom as she considers it to be her private domain, we don't have any cleaners now but she does 98% of all household chores I did try to help her but each time I do it she starts nagging me that it is still dirty and she had to do it again, plus she wanted everything to be spotless everytime I told her either she did it or I'm getting a maid.... she now does it. Garden, I do live in the end unit with a bigger side garden, I made a deal with one of my neighbours, an elderly couple that if they maintain my garden then I will pay for the cleaning of their solar panels, windows and their share of the maintenance charges, was a win-win situation

You're 16, have you not got friends who live in larger houses? We're not a different species, you would probably find us doing the same kinds of things as you, watching TV, playing games, Facebooking, etc.

I don't particularly have "chores" to do as such when I'm at home, I have my own place now anyway, so when I am at home I'm a sometimes-staying over visitor, but when I was your age and lived at home, I did some chores - generally things like bits of work for my parents, helping them with some work. I didn't really do cleaning or anything like that, I never washed up or did laundry or those things, as we had a housekeeper and cleaners. I did (still do if I need it) have a lovely bedroom, yes, with a King-sized bed and a very nice bathroom of my own, I was very well looked after for comforts. I had a lovely room next to my bedroom which was a sort of work area, with lots of books and computer and loads of comfort.

I did get some lovely luxuries like trips to spas and some lovely gifts when I was your age, which I was very appreciative of and felt very looked after.



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