Why in America people obsessed or how the front/backyard became a vital part of housing?
Posted by oovalap_@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 69 comments
It's nice. But it's a wasted space. The house can be bigger and more space. No? And also, there's cleaning, raking leaves, and maintenance.
Bacon_Tuba@reddit
It's a by product of the "American Dream," sold to post-WWII American families, and a very successful campaign by the Scott's company targeting them by insisting a perfectly manicured lawn was a manifestation of this dream.
oovalap_@reddit (OP)
Why did a lawn specifically become the symbol, instead of gardens, patios, or something more practical?
MrLongWalk@reddit
Patios and gardens are just as common as lawns, your understanding does not reflect reality
oovalap_@reddit (OP)
I think you’re answering a different question—I’m asking about the origin of lawns as the norm, not whether other features exist
Crayshack@reddit
Lawns originated with the British, ask them. It's just one among many random British things that are leftover from when they colonized America.
MrLongWalk@reddit
I’m saying the “norm” you’re picturing does not reflect reality
CinemaSideBySides@reddit
You can walk on and do stuff on a lawn, you know.
I spent my childhood playing in the back and front yards. My mom tended flower gardens all over the yards. Neighbor's let their dogs run all over their yards.
You know what a park is? Now imagine that.
InvincibleChutzpah@reddit
Most American backyards include flower beds and a patio. It's not just grass. The grass is nice for kids to play on. Can't have the kids playing soccer amongst the rose bushes. My backyard in Texas had a big garden across the back fence. Enough space for a vegetable and herb garden, a fruit tree, and lots of ornamentals. There was a fire pit in the middle and a patio against the house with space for an outdoor dining table and a grill. There was plenty of flat grassy area for the dogs to play in.
TheJokersChild@reddit
The patio is on the back of the house. And the garden is in the back yard.
sics2014@reddit
So you can do things in your yard. Garden, party, let your dog run around, let your kids play, etc.
oovalap_@reddit (OP)
I see. It's a mind, or mentality thing for me. Not adjusting yet. But I'm thinking all those are there also without the grass. But the grass is a nice touch also
ChuushaHime@reddit
Something to keep in mind: our suburban development usually lacks the pedestrian/cycling infrastructure to get out of the suburban development, so you often have to drive to visit a park, walking trails, woods, etc. Yards offer green space and a sliver of opportunity for outdoor recreation without the car dependence aspect. Children and dogs benefit a lot from having easy access to outdoor space.
a17451@reddit
There's a somewhat niche movement of people that are trying to convert their lawns into usable habitat by planting diverse flowers, grasses, trees, shrubs, etc that are native to their region. Check out the work of Dr. Douglas Tallamy if interested.
Most people really only utilize their back yards which are more private. In a lot of cases the front yard is maintained as turf as an aesthetic convention.
oovalap_@reddit (OP)
Interesting. The front yard is like for show and the back are like living?
a17451@reddit
Some folks might fight me on this but yeah the the front yard often for display. A lot of the time the front yard won't have a fence and is too close to traffic so parents don't want their kids playing close to the street. And the front is just less private (and Americans love privacy)
HistoryGirl23@reddit
In an HOA neighborhood it kinda has to be. Which is a shame since it's much bigger than our tiny backyard for sure
Ok_Gas5386@reddit
Just bought a house, and I plan on doing this! It looks really nice when done right.
a17451@reddit
Yay!
HistoryGirl23@reddit
Grass is a weed, I hate it. I've planted clover to try and cut down on the mowing
Ok_Gas5386@reddit
Grass is planted for two reasons:
It’s a nice soft surface for outdoor play. Cushions a fall, feels good underneath the feet.
It’s relatively easy to maintain to a minimum standard of appearance, especially if you don’t know what else to do with the space.
If we’re being honest, it’s the latter in 90% of cases. Not everyone who has a yard actually uses it, but they bought the suburban single family detached because that was the expectation
AuntieWatermelon@reddit
we’re not meant to be cooped up inside all day. there are a lot of benefits to spending time outside. and that’s easiest when you have a nice comfortable area right outside your house and you don’t need to travel anywhere.
Appropriate_Ad9157@reddit
We have no grass. On an Acre. Almost no maintenance Desert life is awesome
BankOk9472@reddit
Wait, why do you think there is no grass?
Low_Attention9891@reddit
The front yard is decorative in a lot of cases. The backyard isn’t wasted space, people like to have somewhere to let kids play, dogs run, etc.
A lot of it is about property values. A lot of homeowners are required to maintain a certain appearance in order to maintain property values in the neighborhood. A lot of people like having their homes look that way, some spend a considerable amount of time on it.
Having your house set back from the street gives the sense of openness and people tend to associate it with luxury. HOAs (homeowner’s associations) are created to enforce landscaping rules so one person doesn’t have an overgrown yard or a bunch of dead trees.
TheJokersChild@reddit
Doesn't make a difference. Bigger house means more shingles for the roof every 15-20 years, higher heating costs and greater upkeep overall. A bigger yard means more work and landscaping, but it can also mean greater curb appeal...and resale value that you can't get just from square footage or great layout alone.
TheBimpo@reddit
Well, more house would cost a lot more money.
BrotherNatureNOLA@reddit
Do you not clean or maintain your home? Personally, I feel like the house is way more maintenance than the yard.
oovalap_@reddit (OP)
I live with big family. Hehe. It's always clean and we all clean on Sundays. It doesn't feel like a maintenance upkeep.
BrotherNatureNOLA@reddit
With a big family, you could share mowing and it would feel like even less work. Also, with an open yard, you never have to worry about termites or a leaky roof.
Ok_Gas5386@reddit
The ideal for American suburban housing is the English cottage set in a garden. A retreat surrounded by landscaping. The front yard is a buffer separating family life from the rigors of a mechanized market economy.
kmosiman@reddit
Merchandised.........
I'd say mostly separation from the road.
And to have a display.
InvestigatorJaded261@reddit
The efficient use of space is clearly not a priority for most Americans.
3Duder@reddit
We could be living in a megacity the size of Texas with the rest of the country a national park /s
dan_blather@reddit
Nor Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Zimbabweans, Namibians, Icelanders, Scandinavians, Chileans, Argentinians, and many in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Baltic countries,
Humans thrive in a variety of habitats. American cities and suburbs have a wide variety of housing; there's more than just large single family houses on large lots. Should we be more like Russia, with single family houses (surrounded by high fences, and fronting on rough dirt roads) on for the rich, and little apartments for everybody else?
MissDisplaced@reddit
Aside from wanting a yard for kids and dog to be outside in, a yard also provides a “buffer” between houses for added privacy.
mustang6172@reddit
Are parks wasted space?
Perdendosi@reddit
I think that's OP's point-- Greenspace can (should?) be shared with everyone. And shared greenspace (a) is used more often vs lawns which only get occasional use by the homeowner, and (b) is maintained by someone else, so it's one less chore to do.
Square-Wing-6273@reddit
And I don't see that at all from the OPs post.
FormerlyDK@reddit
Unless you’re in a very arid area, you grow grass otherwise you’ll have waist-high weeds in a couple of weeks. And yards are great for kids, dogs, entertaining, gardening, and just enjoying a little part of nature.
ZaphodG@reddit
My wife has a masters degree in landscape design. The back yard is an oasis. Ipe deck. Stone patio. High end teak furniture. Bird feeders, suet, birdbaths. Pollinators for the hummingbirds and bees. Specimen plants. Bunnies, chipmunks, and squirrels. The occasional fox. The front is a cobblestone driveway to a private lane and a half acre of fieldstone wall, trees, lawn, and plantings at the neighbor’s back yard. A small front lawn and beds with specimen plants.
In good weather, we’re outside. Read a book. Watch sports on a 13” iPad. Most of our meals. Entertaining. We’re also on the boat, at the beach, or walking since it’s a very walkable place.
Square-Wing-6273@reddit
Space is space. If I build a bigger house, I still have to maintain said house, and it's probably more work than mowing the lawn once a week in the summer. That extra space is probably multiple rooms that need to be cleaned regularly.
I can sit outside in nice weather and enjoy the outdoors.
I can entertain friends and family.
I have lovely gardens that help maintain nature, they attract butterflies and bees (and unfortunately deer and rabbits, but that's ok too)
I have lovely trees that help keep our air breathable
When my kids were younger, there was a safe place for them to play in my backyard
My dog had a place to roam and not be cooped up all day
There are so many reasons to have a lovely yard.
Intelligent_Put_3594@reddit
That yard is where my kids play, dogs play and cats play. It is where my garden is. It is where the deer come to graze in the early morning that I watch while I drink my coffee. It's where me and my kids get worms for fishing. That is my little piece of this planet. Mine. Now get off my lawn!
tracygee@reddit
The U.S. does not have a problem with space.
We’re one of the largest countries on earth. We average less than 38 people per square kilometer and we have the third-highest population in the world.
So - people who aren’t in a city and can afford it like having large front and/or back yards.
twotall88@reddit
My ideal property has about 100 acres 50% timber/50% clear meadows and fields.
I reject your city mentality.
TheLastLibrarian1@reddit
There are lots neighborhoods around me where houses have been built as large as possible and leaving a small strip of “yard” around the house and small back patio. Windows face each other and patios are very close, there is no privacy, space to entertain, and you would be able to hear everything going on in the surrounding houses.
mandatoryusername32@reddit
I have almost an acre of land. We sit outside and enjoy the breeze. My kids play in the yard. We grow flowers and vegetables and fruit trees and berry bushes. My dog runs around the front yard.
syndicatecomplex@reddit
It became a status symbol around the 50s I think. When having a car and living in a nice suburb became seen as part of the American Dream, lawns also became associated with it. Laws and HOAs mandating lawns soon followed, and it's become culturally expected to keep your lawn nice all over the US.
I agree they're not practical for much and definitely not good for the environment. I'd rather see communities invest in public parks with native greenery instead of private lawns with non-native flat grass. I'm a fan of the 'no-lawns' movement.
machagogo@reddit
Something in another area of the world is different than I personally do it. I don't know the reason, so I instantly assume hundreds of millions of people suffer from a mental defect.
Ristrettooo@reddit
How's it wasted space? If we all expanded our houses to twice the size just to get rid of yards I can bet you anything someone would post "why are Americans obsessed with having such huge houses with so much wasted space inside"
In fact, people already ask that
Quirky-Invite7664@reddit
We don’t need more house space. Our house is large enough.
We enjoy sitting on our back porch and looking out at all the beautiful trees and plants. And the birds and squirrels and wild rabbits. We eat out there. We sit by the firepit and have a drink and watch the sunset. It’s wonderful.
I love gardening so much. Makes me feel connected to the earth. I planted 26 Japanese maples and multiple shrubs and flowers in our backyard. And we have a little water fountain that the birds enjoy. I made friends with the crows, they come and visit me. Sometimes they sit and hang out on the porch with me.
Quenzayne@reddit
Americans have always loved the concept of owning land. I personally don’t get it. Have zero desire to be surrounded by dirt. But most of us do.
Puzzled-Bench2805@reddit
Having a big box with no yard is hideous. Your yard is there to be beautiful if nothing else, but mine is just more living space. We cook out there, swim, entertain, let the dogs play, garden… I can’t imagine not wanting a yard, you just sound lazy.
Crayshack@reddit
Making the house as big as you can fit in the lot is more of a waste of space to me. Gardening is a major hobby of mine and I enjoy having some space to relax outside and attract some birds.
InvincibleChutzpah@reddit
Americans spend a lot of time outside when it's nice. My childhood was full of pool parties and backyard bbqs with everyone on the block in attendance. As an adult, my backyard had a really nice grill and a fire pit. From spring through fall we spent almost every evening out back. Cooking, playing with the dogs, sitting and chatting around the fire pit. I love a nice outdoor space and used it frequently. The back patio is a lovely place to sit with your morning coffee to get some fresh air before you have to go to work and be stuck in an office all day.
Even now, in Scotland, everyone I know with a house has a wee garden they like to sit in when the weather is nice. Outside space isn't just an American thing.
pinniped90@reddit
Bait.
beachmasterbogeynut@reddit
It's like having your own park. It's awesome
CaptainGreyBeard72@reddit
I think that a large portion of Americans want land more than anything else.
Khuros@reddit
Are you aware that the average American home is around 2,000 square feet and costs the same as a British house at around 640 square feet?
People are not looking for extra indoor space, they want grass, trees and plants that look nice on a warm summer day.
JimBones31@reddit
It's important to go outside. It's good for you.
abstractraj@reddit
We have a pool in our backyard and our dog likes to sun herself back there. Our front has colorful flowers. The house is just fine for two of us and a dog
ChessieChesapeake@reddit
It’s America dude. Gotta have acreage for the shooting range.
Seriously though, I prefer being outside, so I’d rather have a smaller house and more acreage. Leave most of it woods and you don’t have the maintenance.
Barkerfan86@reddit
Nothing like sitting on a back porch, over looking a nice kept back yard, while the sun sets and the kids and dogs are running around. It brings a sense of peace. Or at least it does for me.
JimTheJerseyGuy@reddit
I’ve got three acres of land around my house. Some is lawn, some is not. But what it all is is space that keeps my neighbors and their noise as far away from me as possible.
I’ve lived in the city and have no desire to be right on top of my neighbors ever again.
BankOk9472@reddit
On average our Houses in the US are the third largest in the world (Australia and New Zealand are 1 and 2)...we're good on house space. Yard work is enjoyable for many people and we value outdoor activities.
emmasdad01@reddit
Should we cut down all trees while we are at it?
nemesisinphilly@reddit
We have plenty of room for a big house and outdoor space. No need to pick one over the other.
ResortRadiant4258@reddit
I would much rather work in my garden than clean more house. And we have a fire pit, flowers, a basketball hoop, and my kids play in the yard with their friends. My yard is 1/3 of an acre. A house that size would be waaaay too big. My house is already probably too big for our needs as it is.
MrLongWalk@reddit
People do not want more house space, our houses are big enough. They want an outdoor space for children to play, to entertain guests and to enjoy nature. It requires no more maintenance than a larger house would.
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