To Climb Or Not To Climb The Apples And Pears
By Brian
@wolfie34 (26770)
United Kingdom
September 6, 2009 9:38am CST
Don't worry Wolfie hasn't flipped with the title! All will be made clear, and your curiousity sated!
Ok, in Cockney Rhyming Slang, if you haven't seen the interest title, then Apples and Pears are stairs and that is what this discussion is all about!
What is your view on stairs, would you like to live somewhere WITHOUT stairs, in that everything was on one floor and there was no climbing involved, for example in my country we have bungalows which are just one story ground level buildings with no stairs.
Or do you like having upstairs in your home, which means you can at least get a little exercise each day by forever climbing them?
How many stairs do you have in your home, have you ever counted them, or do you just take them for granted. Do you ever calculate how many steps you have ascended and descended in a day? What with going to the toilet, going to bed, and any other activity that you need to climb the stairs for?
If you had a choice of places to live would you choose a house with no stairs?
Do you think that older people would happily desire a place without stairs or do you think young people would like a stair-free accommodation?
5 people like this
13 responses
@mysdianait (66005)
• Italy
6 Sep 09
I moved three years ago into a flat on the ground floor where there are just four steps in the main entrance. It seemed like heaven at the time but I realise now that where I lived before with two ramps each with nine steps in them, was exercise. Now I don't get any at all 
It is nice being on one floor but it makes thw pounds (or should I say kilos?) pile on without you realising it. That is the advantage of stairs and if I had to move again then I would consider the first floor rather than the ground floor because of that. Not likely to happen though because I love this place.
Take care my friend! xxx
It is nice being on one floor but it makes thw pounds (or should I say kilos?) pile on without you realising it. That is the advantage of stairs and if I had to move again then I would consider the first floor rather than the ground floor because of that. Not likely to happen though because I love this place.
Take care my friend! xxx2 people like this
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
6 Sep 09
Hi Diana, wonderful to see that old familiar avatar back again! The real you ;0) I get enough exercise at the gym and sometimes the stairs seem like Mount Eiger at times, especially if you are not well, we only have one toilet which is upstairs, some houses have a downstairs toilet. You don't realize how many stairs you climb each day, probably a mini marathon LOL! I am glad you like your place. You too take care always nice to see you x
2 people like this
@mysdianait (66005)
• Italy
6 Sep 09
It's a variation on the old one - sleeping between posts!
Oh yes upstairs loos are a pain in the oops!
Luckily here most places are on one floor and that is very rare. I remember it being particularly tiresome when a tummy bug set in
1 person likes this
@derek_a (10873)
•
6 Sep 09
Up until 6 months ago, we always lived in a house with stairs. There was something about climbing the stairs at bedtime that seemed "right". Last April we moved for the first time into a bungalow, and it was rather strange at first. However, I am certainly not short of exercise with a large garden front and rear to look after. There was a huge Leylandii hedge that stretched from one end of the property to the other that needed cutting back and I took about 6ft from this top of 50 trees. That was exercise - 
.
I am not old enough yet to deliberately look for a bungalow, but this came on the market at just the right price when we sold our old place. 
. Derek
.
I am not old enough yet to deliberately look for a bungalow, but this came on the market at just the right price when we sold our old place. . Derek2 people like this
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
6 Sep 09
I am only in my late 30s but I would love a bungalow, I get plenty of exercise, training at the gym 4 times a week, so it would be nice not having to climb stairs when I come back. and I hear what you are saying about seeming right to climb the stairs to bed!
2 people like this
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
6 Sep 09
When we first arrived in Australia in 1947 the majority of houses were Queenslanders which are a timer weatherboard house on "stilts." That is, they are built on a number of posts around eight foot tall. In most cases, the car was parked under the house and the laundry was usually there (before the days of washing machines). These Queenslanders had 12 steps, sometime more, to the house. The basic idea of living on stilts was to catch some of the breeze in our tropical weather. Many of the houses also had a verandah, which gave more shade to the inside. I lived in one until I was married.
The vast majority of homes now are brick veneer, single level, usually on a concrete slab with only one to three steps to the house, but I wouldn't class them as a bungalow. In my thinking a bungalow is small. Our homes are usually quite large, with large open-area kitchen, lounge and dining rooms. They usually have three to five bedrooms, a family room and an office.
We live in a single level, brick veneer with granosite, and I like it. Two of my sons have double storey homes. The stairs don't bother me, but I prefer the single level.
2 people like this
@Jemina (5770)
•
6 Sep 09
Hi Wolfie, if I were to buy a new house I would pick one without apples and pears. I hate ascending and descending stairs especially when I go to toilet at night. I live in a terraced house with 2 floors above because the loft was converted into a bedroom. Luckily, my husband and I sleep on the ground floor that's why I don't need to climb the steps except when I do general dusting once a month.
Oh by the way, the house is not level with the road so there are 5 steps to go up. I go out only once a day mostly so that's all the steps I have to climb day in and day out.
2 people like this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
6 Sep 09
Hey wolfie34
You're gonna make me go off and count my stairs aren't you? So yes I do have stairs in my house but just the one flight, hang on a minute I will just go and count how many, just to satisfy my own curiousity!! ........... sigh, ok there are 15 going down and 15 going up hahaha. I wouldn't mind living in a bungalow but I much prefer a house, it would seem weird to me having my bedroom on th same floor as the kitchen. My friend has two flights of stairs and I can tell you that she is not a happy camper about it and I don't think I blame her. My house is just dandy with the right amount I would say and I am happy with that.
. I wouldn't mind living in a bungalow but I much prefer a house, it would seem weird to me having my bedroom on th same floor as the kitchen. My friend has two flights of stairs and I can tell you that she is not a happy camper about it and I don't think I blame her. My house is just dandy with the right amount I would say and I am happy with that.@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
6 Sep 09
I am laughing now because all day I've had visions of all my friends replying to this response out of breath having climbed the stairs to count them. I reckon you deserve some Haagen Daz ice cream for doing that for lickle Wolfie! My dream home is a bungalow, but seeing as go gym training 4 times a week, I don't think that could be considered lazy avoiding stairs!
1 person likes this
@PeacefulWmn9 (10420)
• United States
6 Sep 09
Hello Wolfie. There are 8 stairs to get into or out of my apartment...not so many really. I do think most elderly people prefer things all on one floor, due to the fact that most have arthritis, etc.
As for me, should I pick another home, I also would prefer no stairs, as I have a condition that makes them painful for me!
Have a wonderful day.
Karen2 people like this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
7 Sep 09
I don't mind stairs. I believe there are 13 stairs in my house. I don't get a lot of exercise on them as our bathroom is downstairs. That's nice but sometimes I would prefer climbing the stairs to get to the bathroom, not least because I've never found snails in an upstairs bathroom! Personally, I don't mind whether there are stairs or not but I guess it is a lot easier for some to not have them. I can' really see any advantage of stairs other than the exercise you might get from them. I suppose they were invented so that more rooms could be built on less land or something. I know that our local council tax costs more for people in bungalows because they take up more land. I guess that's the disadvantage of a bungalow.
1 person likes this
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
6 Sep 09
Nice one!!
Our house has 3 storeys. That means I climb 6 flights of staris every day for severaltimes. Its not an aprtment, private house which means the stairs are moderately shaped. Its agoodexcercise. Apart fromthat, I hardly take lift while on job place as well.
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
6 Sep 09
I have to let you into a secret, I don't like lifts! So there is no way I'd be getting into one, so I'd make sure I was on the ground or first floor max! When we had lifts at work I would have to climb 3 flights of stairs up and 3 down. It wasn't much fun and I didn't tend to go out for lunch! Mind you it could have been worse, the building had 10 floors.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
11 Sep 09
I'm not so good on stairs with my knees being so bad. I can walk ok but my knees won't bear any weight when they bend - I have osteo-arthritis. I have to use my back and arms to get up off seats and my bed and now they are weakening as well. I have 4 stairs leading up to my front patio and front door and 4 at my back porch. I've had a couple of falls on the back stairs...mainly thanks to my playful billy goat. I can't deal with stairs in a big way, unless and until I can have my knees repaired and I'm still too young.
1 person likes this
@guybrush (4658)
• Australia
8 Sep 09
Our house is one storey - but it's on a very deep, sloping block, which means although the front is on flat ground, the back verandah is elevated on posts. There are 10 stairs to get down into the back garden (and the washing line) - which gives me a little bit of exercise each day! My daughter's place has internal stairs, and when we were staying there I realised how important it was to make sure you took everything you needed downstairs in the morning, or you'd be constantly puffing up and down to get things you'd forgotten - hahaaha! The types of houses I like have stairs - I'm a fan of old terrace houses, and also big elevated Queenslanders - so I wouldn't mind ending up with a few stairs here and there. Admittedly, it does get harder to negotiate them as your knees get creaky with age!
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
8 Sep 09
I am forever forgetting stuff and I keep having to go downstairs to get it, fortunately we only have 13 stairs but sometimes when you are not well they can feel like you are climbing mount everest. I always joke that we should have a chair lift installed PMSL. Not for me, for the cat bless her she is getting old and meows at the top of the stairs to be carried down!
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
7 Sep 09
Hi Wolfie I would love to have a house all one one level without all these stairs. My house here is what you would call upside down. There is a large flight of stairs leading up to the front door on the terrace, which then leads into the upstairs of the house, kitchen and living area. To get downstairs there is then a spiral staircase. Carrying a load of shopping in the heat or rain up the outside staircase is a total pain. Now at my mans house there is also the usual large flight of stairs to front door but once you are up them everything inside is on one level which is much better.
The outside stairs to the front door is a common feature in Greek houses so that one can do the main living upstairs with the best views. So my option would be no internal stairs.
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
7 Sep 09
Hi Thea. Well it has certainly opened my eyes to how people live across the globe and it has been extremely interesting too, it's marvelous just what you can learn from others and how they live. I think I would get giddy on a spiral staircase, mind you I am already 'giddy' or is that 'dizzy'? See told you!
@magickat (381)
•
7 Sep 09
I don't mind stairs, they do give you a bit of extra exercise. At my house only the bedrooms are upstairs which is a good layout as you don't have to go up to use the bathroom.
Bungalows are definitely a good idea for the elderly and disable though and I'm sure when I am older I will probably not like stairs at all!
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
7 Sep 09
I wish we had a bathroom on the ground floor instead of just one upstairs, and it's a bad design too because the toilet is in the same room as the bath, but I guess the houses are too small and when they were built back in the 40s I believe that wasn't even considered, mind you there are only 13 steps up, but 26 every time you go up and down can soon mount up during the course of the day!
@sasalove (1709)
• China
7 Sep 09
Hi Wolfie,
Well, you know me too much as I really don's know how stairs in my house as I really did not count on When I get up stairs.. Uh, the stairs is so familar that I never think of counting, haha~~But with climbing daily, I am desired of living in bungalow that it would be much safer that I did not need to concern whether the stairs would fall off :)
Have a good day...
