Background information:
In the center of cities that already have been found large around 1800, we find narrow and tallhouses. High land prices pushed the buildings into the sky. A principle that is still in effect. Properties were often narrow and deep as the meters of land on the street were more expensive than the meters land further back. Daylight admittance was a problem , despite there often were windows of maximum extent. For a shower or bath was no place in the original design. Where land prices continued to rise, we see that the stately buildings became offices for notables, because living is simply too expensive.
Architectural details
The lower floor, the souterrain, is half under / half above ground level. Originally there are the kitchen and storage rooms. A few steps from the sidewalk is the stately front door. Behind that was a narrow hall which gave access to the front and back room. Both as living space meant, the front room was "formal" and the back "informal". On the floors are the bedrooms and the attic was room for storage and drying laundry. Houses were built of stone. Stucco hid the often poor quality of the bricks and insulation material did not exist. The high ceilings had the function to radiate stateliness. It also made it possible to place high windows. In architectural respect, it is much easier to have a high hole in the wall than a wide hole. The roofs are covered with tiles, often baked material, whose color may vary by property.
