American houses
           

Building the American way
“America houses” started appearing in the southern Norway landscape from the early twentieth century. Several of the returning emigrants had worked as carpenters in America and had learned American building techniques and concepts. It was therefore quite natural for them to build American-style houses when they came home as they could do a lot of the work themselves and also ended up with a house that was different from others’. Many Norwegian Americans came back to their hometowns with drawings for an America house in their baggage, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.

The America houses stood out among the other buildings in southern Norway. They were often planned differently and had other details than Norwegian houses: large windows, built-in garages and a half-plan design. The America houses were often also larger and more comfortable than the standard at that time. In several districts, Norwegian Americans had a modern bathroom and kitchen fittings at a time when the standard in most other homes was considerably simpler.

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      An “America house” in Kvinesdal with a “peak” on the roof and an unusual entrance

       
      Double set of wall sockets for       American-inspired bathroom where tiles, bathtub, toilet,
      both 110 and 220 volts                countertop and mats have been brought home from "Junaiten".

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