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Domestic arguments caused by differences between Polish and English culture


kaz200972  2 | 229  
21 Nov 2012 /  #61
You mean he couldn't take your drinking bouts?

No I couldn't take his! I don't really like alcohol much and rarely drink the stuff!
Ironside  50 | 12312  
21 Nov 2012 /  #62
I don't really like alcohol much and rarely drink the stuff!

So do I! What cultural differences you have in mind then?
rozumiemnic  8 | 3866  
21 Nov 2012 /  #63
No Polish woman of any standing would tolerate drunkard.

That's kind of what I thought as I kicked him out of the car and drove off very fast.....
kaz200972  2 | 229  
21 Nov 2012 /  #64
So do I! What cultural differences you have in mind then?

My ex always put his drinking habits down to being a Polish man.
His equally heavy drinking friends also claimed that heavy drinking was part of Polish culture!
'the other little cultural difference' was written with some irony!
TommyG  1 | 359  
21 Nov 2012 /  #65
I don't think that many Poles would put up with the British 'binge drinkers'. It's certainly not an attractrive habit in women or men.

Alcoholism and domestic violence occurs in many countries. Britain is no exception. It's certainly not a cultural difference between our two nations (Poland & the UK).

I'm actually quite suprised how many Poles don't drink...
Ironside  50 | 12312  
21 Nov 2012 /  #66
That's kind of what I thought as I kicked him out of the car and drove off very fast.....

lol!

My ex always put his drinking habits down to being a Polish man.

Well his drinking habits you can put down to him being a dumb-ass.
.
kaz200972  2 | 229  
21 Nov 2012 /  #67
Well his drinking habits you can put down to him being a dumb-ass.

Yes a dumb ass he certainly was. When I threw him out he was a very SORE ASS too!
Ant63  13 | 410  
21 Nov 2012 /  #68
Any other ideas?

Yep. Your just being typically Polish. Read what Natasia says and take a good look at yourself. Oops! Sorry you can't your Polish and its impossible to see your own imperfections.

Nice too see you back on form Natasia.

A typical English house transplanted into a Polish winter would not survive more than a few hours - the water in the pipes would freeze solid, end of story.

Hmm! Interesting. Funny how the pipes freeze in Polish houses in harsh winters when the heatings not on. So what happens when you bury a pipe in the wall. A problem. Thats what. There is a reaction between copper pipe and cement/concrete that causes corrosion and the eventual failure of the pipe. Of course the pipe can be sleeved with a plastic/polythene pipe but from what I have seen is not done in Poland. The ones I've seen have been plastered/cemented into the wall. Perhaps it is different on new builds but I've not seen one of these yet.

I think you would find most English houses would survive admirably because they are built to standards which are checked at all stages of build.

In Poland you see some true craftsmen working on restoring buildings but equally you see a lot of tragic home builds.
Ironside  50 | 12312  
21 Nov 2012 /  #69
When I threw him out he was a very SORE ASS too!

Now you are bragging lol!

Your just being typically Polish

Really? Whats that?

Sorry you can't your Polish and its impossible to see your own imperfections.

How would you know? I mean you are taking here a wild guess.
Magdalena  3 | 1827  
21 Nov 2012 /  #70
Your just being typically Polish

In what way? Did I break you mug and lie about it? ;-p

pipes freeze in Polish houses in harsh winters when the heatings not on

When the heating's not on. Exactly. So if the pipes were actually outside the house, they wouldn't freeze according to you? Why?

they are built to standards

Dream on ;->
rozumiemnic  8 | 3866  
21 Nov 2012 /  #71
most English houses would survive admirably because they are built to standards which are checked at all stages of build.

this effing box that I live in is made of cardboard and would be hell to live in in a serious winter.
InWroclaw  89 | 1910  
21 Nov 2012 /  #72
I think you would find most English houses would survive admirably because they are built to standards which are checked at all stages of build.

They've started building to proper standards again in the UK? About time if they have.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
21 Nov 2012 /  #73
News to me after the years of building houses that wouldn't even stand up to a decent storm. I'm pretty sure the average house in the UK built in the last 20 years wouldn't stand up to an average Polish winter.
Ant63  13 | 410  
21 Nov 2012 /  #74
So if the pipes were actually outside the house, they wouldn't freeze according to you? Why?

So who puts pipes on the outside? We don't thats for sure.

Dream on ;->

Delusion another Polish trait.

How would you know? I mean you are taking here a wild guess.

Don't you read Magdalena's posts? She's perfect don't you know. Guessing; no, you see it every day here. No humility what so ever, although I felt you met me half way a couple of weeks ago Ironside. Maybe you made a mistake or I was mistaken.
InWroclaw  89 | 1910  
22 Nov 2012 /  #75
News to me after the years of building houses that wouldn't even stand up to a decent storm. I'm pretty sure the average house in the UK built in the last 20 years wouldn't stand up to an average Polish winter.

Agreed, 99.9% certain of that. Some exceptions no doubt, but on the whole...sigh.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
22 Nov 2012 /  #76
Avalon on here might be able to give a better insight, but I'm pretty sure that the UK method of construction (throw it up as quickly as possible) would never stand up to a prolonged -15c winter followed by several months of 25c+ temperatures.
Vincent  8 | 793  
22 Nov 2012 /  #77
News to me after the years of building houses that wouldn't even stand up to a decent storm.

How many houses in the UK, that completely collapsed in the last 20 years due to a storm, do you know of? Some older houses have stood for up to 3 or 4 hundred years, so I don't know why you are condemning UK houses and builders. Is it something to do with living in a small one bedroom flat in a foreign country? :)
hudsonhicks  21 | 346  
22 Nov 2012 /  #78
Never ceases to amaze.. The polish superiority complex from exiles in the UK.

Now Polish houses are better.. hahaha
Vincent  8 | 793  
22 Nov 2012 /  #79
Agreed, 99.9% certain of that. Some exceptions no doubt, but on the whole...sigh.

All new builds and extensions are visited by a building inspector at least 4 times during construction, and believe me these guys wouldn't pass it if they found something wrong. Their job and probably their mortgage would be down the pan if they got their decision wrong.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
22 Nov 2012 /  #80
How many houses in the UK, that completely collapsed in the last 20 years due to a storm, do you know of? Some older houses have stood for up to 3 or 4 hundred years, so I don't know why you are condemning UK houses and builders. Is it something to do with living in a small one bedroom flat in a foreign country? :)

But the UK doesn't really get severe weather conditions compared to Poland, does it? I mean - the houses aren't as solid in the UK, but nor do they really need to be. What would be the point in building a UK house to withstand -20c winters and +30c summers? They wouldn't last in such conditions - but the UK doesn't really have such conditions. And no, Londoners - 5cm of snow is not "severe weather" ;)

(we could talk about the amount of houses flooded due to the mass building on flood plains, but the same happened in Poland ;))

Must admit though - I don't think stuff built in the last 20 years will last that long, certainly not compared to the housing built post-war in the UK. I was looking only last night at housing where I'm from - the stuff built from the 1920's through to the 1960's are rock solid stuff, but anything from 1970's onwards is just...crap.
Harry  
22 Nov 2012 /  #81
My mother's house has its 500th birthday next decade. Just saying.
SeanBM  34 | 5781  
22 Nov 2012 /  #82
All new builds and extensions are visited by a building inspector

Yes but houses in England and Ireland are not meant to go through months of minus 15.

You don't see toilet outflow pipes coming down outside the walls here in Poland, in Ireland and England you do.

Similarly the summers are hotter here in Poland and it is less humid than on the islands.

It's not a question of better or worse, different technologies for different environments.
Vincent  8 | 793  
22 Nov 2012 /  #83
the stuff built from the 1920's through to the 1960's are rock solid stuff, but anything from 1970's onwards is just...crap

Are you telling me telling me that Bricks, stones and concrete blocks wouldn't survive a bad winter? Some Roman structures built well over 1000 years ago are still around today. I'm not saying UK houses are better than elsewhere, but you shouldn't knock things you know little about.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
22 Nov 2012 /  #84
I can only base it on practical experience - watching them being thrown up, knowing people who live in them and seeing how nothing more than the bare minimum is done because the prices need to be kept down and profits need to be made. They just don't seem to be particularly solid at all - certainly not compared to previous generations.

(worth pointing out that anything built post-1990 in Poland in terms of flats are an utter joke)

It's not a question of better or worse, different technologies for different environments.

I can only give one good example - I grew up in a sort-of new town, with much of the housing stock built between the late 1970's and mid 1990's. Stuff built in the 1970's is now falling to bits - many of the houses simply aren't holding up too well. They were built during the oil boom times - so you have to question the quality of the stuff that was built in later times, too.
Vincent  8 | 793  
22 Nov 2012 /  #85
so you have to question the quality of the stuff that was built in later times, too.

Well I've been in the building industry for quite a few years, and I would say modern materials are much better today. I would much prefer a modern house than deal with the damp, woodworm and cracks of the old Victorian homes of yesteryear. Building control is much tougher today as well.

Large (house) building companies wouldn't survive if their houses kept falling down, or had the defects mentioned above.
hudsonhicks  21 | 346  
22 Nov 2012 /  #86
What people need to realize is that the view of the UK is heavily distorted and incorrect among most Polish immigrants.

The average immigrant is living in the cheapest and socially deprived areas of town, probably renting a poorly maintained ******** of a building from a Pakistani or Romanian "landlord".
Magdalena  3 | 1827  
22 Nov 2012 /  #87
No humility what so ever,

I see no reason to be humble; you yourself demonstrate no humility, why should I? Unless you're inherently better than me in every respect just because I'm Polish - and I don't buy into that ideology. I have my opinions, you have yours, and if you're not interested in starting a discussion with an intelligent person, then don't say anything. ;-p

Ant63: So who puts pipes on the outside? We don't thats for sure.

Well you can see this all over England at least. As other posters have pointed out above.
InWroclaw  89 | 1910  
22 Nov 2012 /  #88
All new builds and extensions are visited by a building inspector at least 4 times during construction, and believe me these guys wouldn't pass it if they found something wrong. Their job and probably their mortgage would be down the pan if they got their decision wrong.

Typically building inspectors are shown one property on the estate that is supposedly up to specification. They are not shown every unit. If you think the vast majority of property in the UK is of a high standard, I really am gobsmacked.

(worth pointing out that anything built post-1990 in Poland in terms of flats are an utter joke)

I'm not sure on that -- old block I have been in has poor sound insulation between floors and other troubles. 2003 block built by Jan Bud is much, much better with just a few settlement cracks and minor water ingress to a balcony wall. In the UK, we can only dream of flats that feel and seem as well built as that one by JB.

The problems with UK housing stock are no secret. UK architects and NHF report
architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/poor-quality-housing-fuels-poverty-cycle/5216985.article

The UK's low-quality housing wastes billions of pounds a year through crime, healthcare and educational failure, a report has claimed
The NHS loses £2.5 billion every year treating people suffering from illnesses directly linked to living in homes that are cold, damp and often dangerous, according to National Housing Federation (NHF) estimates.

Interesting comments from
housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=177922

I have a friend who has begun stripping parts of his newish build house prior to a refit - as an engineer he is outraged by the very poor quality materials and shoddy workmanship. I managed not to smirk.

Britain's bad housing
topdocumentaryfilms.com/britains-bad-housing

He exposes the business tactics which are used to manipulate the planning process, questions the quality of houses and shows how public authorities have allowed developers control over housing policy.

Shelter write about poor quality
england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns/why_we_campaign/building_more_homes

We want to avoid repeating mistakes of the 1960s and 1970s where the quality of housing developments was sometimes sacrificed in a drive to build homes quickly.

To put it mildly!

"Poor quality" of new homes
insidehousing.co.uk/quality-and-quantity/6507606.article

Over recent years, however, there has also been increasingly vociferous debate about the poor quality of new homes. The government has tried to address this issue - local authorities now have a legal duty to consider the design quality of new developments, and planning policy statements emphasise the need for high quality homes. However, there is growing concern that the economic crisis, the housing shortage, falling land values and the associated pressure on housebuilders to retain profit margins may lead to further deterioration in new build quality.

I could go on, but am trying not to get suspended :o)
Anglik14A  - | 2  
22 Nov 2012 /  #89
Spiritus,
You are right in your belief that the salt goes into the one holed condiment set with pepper going into the multiple holed one, however your misses [Northern English slang for The Wife] is also correct in her belief that it is the opposite way! It can be assumed that various areas of countries have localised traditions in serving condiments let along individual countries traditions. You also are failing in one major misunderstand, That Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus! This reply hopefully should be taken with a pinch of SALT!

Look after that lady and good luck with the salt & pepper.

Regards, Anglik
pam  
22 Nov 2012 /  #90
I would much prefer a modern house than deal with the damp, woodworm and cracks of the old Victorian homes of yesteryear.

My home is Victorian,and doesn't have any problems that i'm aware of. These types of houses were built to last!
I have no idea about the quality of modern homes,but many of them have very thin walls.......your neighbours may as well be in with you!

I can't really comment on standards of Polish builds,but 2 of my friends living there bought land and built their own homes. Both were builders so presumably they knew what they were doing.

One of my friends central heating system was pretty dire though. Considering they were burning wood non-stop, you never got hot water until late afternoon, and some radiators only ever seemed to get lukewarm.I nearly froze to death when i stayed there in winter 2009. That was a very cold winter in Poland.

Also noticed the snow on his roof melted pretty fast in the day compared to other homes nearby. Guessing maybe it wasn't insulated that well.

My mother's house has its 500th birthday next decade.

Cottage?

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