This is a perfect illustration of my pet theory that US society is deeply collectivist. Europe is more individualistic at heart
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âThatâs not what a duplex means,â I said. Then:
[In British English and in] dense areas like Manhattan and downtown Chicago, a duplex or duplex apartment refers to a maisonette, a single dwelling unit spread over two floors connected by an indoor staircase.[3] Similarly, a triplex apartment refers to an apartment spread out over three floors.
Right. I didnât know there was a different suburban definition.
Yeah, itâs confusing. Words, eh?
In our âsemiâ here in Texas, we have one side, then a common wall, then the neighborâs side. Two separate front doors, separate utilities and bills etc.
I have heard some folks refer to this kind of building as a âgarden homeâ (as opposed to a âtownhomeâ which usually means several stories or levels in a living space, with a common wall shared by a neighbor). I am no architect. Most distinctions in terms are a bit fuzzy to me.
Theteâs row housing in my previous hometowns of Chicago and St. Louis, and I wasnât even sure what a New York City âbrownstoneâ was until I saw that they were basically fancy row houses.
Reading the original description and story, my impression was that the man was completely in the wrong. But according to that Telegraph article, heâs had the pond for 15 years, and only recently added a wall around it to keep his 1 year old daughter from falling in. Itâs not the prettiest wall, and maybe he needs a permit for even a low wall, but itâs seems none of the arguments actually used here make any sense. Nobody is mentioning building permits, and I donât get how a wall meant to keep people from falling into an existing pond makes it more likely that people fall into it.
But replace it with a fence, and it gets really hard to argue against it.
You might also include that in this case âtrespassersâ might refer to children. In MANY cities there are ordinances concerning swimming pools. This isnât some small koi pond. I am agreeing with the above. This falls under âgeneral city building codes/ordinancesâ. Quoting the official out of context makes for a more interesting headline, but it doesnât change the facts.
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So either he never sought out the original paperwork, he did and lied about the length of time itâs been in its current state to the Telegraph, or some combination of the two.
Either way, unreliable narrator in effect and taking him at face value when the facts donât match up is a bit foolish.
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