# Does your house/apartment have arches? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737 "2010-02-04T23:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/1 "2010-02-04T23:38:49Z")
One of my cousins dropped by today, for the first time in years, and as soon as she was inside, she remarked, “oh, I forgot this house has arches.” Yes, in fact there are five arches in this house. Got arches? (It counts as an arch if you can actually walk under it, not some decorative thing on a wall. And all of my arches are inside; outside ones count too.) ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/2 "2010-02-05T00:15:21Z")
My house is a 1937 center-hall colonial. The entryways to the living room and dining room are big, beautiful arches with gorgeous, honkin’ wide molding. Those (and the laundry chute) sold me on the house. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/3 "2010-02-05T00:20:20Z")
Nope. I’ve got a couple of doorways with no doors, but they are squared off at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/4 "2010-02-05T00:28:24Z")
I have arches in my flat, of course I live in a McDonalds (OK I just had to be the first to say that) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/5 "2010-02-05T01:21:22Z")
It used to twenty five years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/6 "2010-02-05T01:35:55Z")
I have some brick arches in my basement. I remember when I first saw the house I walked through one of the arches and thought to myself “I have to own this arch.” I didn’t let on - I would have paid the asking price if I had to - and I negotiated down a bit a bought it…the whole house, not just the arch. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/7 "2010-02-05T02:00:58Z")
Yep. 2 in my apartment, leading from the living room to the front hall and the dining room respectively. The house I grew up in not only had an arched doorway between the kitchen and hallway, but it had an arched door that fit right into it. It was cool. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/8 "2010-02-05T05:56:36Z")
My apartment used to be 2 efficiencies, and there’s a (somewhat crooked) archway in the dividing wall. The whole place is half-assedly remodeled; that’s part of its charm. ---
**Author:** ![wolf-alice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9e8a1a/32.png) [@wolf-alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf-alice)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/9 "2010-02-05T09:49:05Z")
[Here is an example of one of my arches](http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfalice/4104660310/) (as the actress said to the bishop). This was mid-build; the pile of crap beyond the doorway is not an ongoing feature. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/10 "2010-02-05T10:30:46Z")
I live in a 1930’s Bauhaus building. So needless to say, nary a hint of an arch. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/11 "2010-02-05T10:47:33Z")
I live in a weaver’s cottage in a terrace in the UK. No arches but a fantastic exposed beam from where a wall was removed between the front room and what would have been the kitchen area. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/12 "2010-02-05T10:50:11Z")
Our apartment is the top floor of one of those old-fashioned houses that has tunnel-shaped protrusions in four directions on the roof. I’m not describing it very well, and I have no idea what this style is called, but the upshot is that we have tunnel-shaped arches in the bedrooms. They are notorious for sharp impacts with the craniums of those who have temporarily forgotten that they are there. This is why my bed is placed directly and exactly under the length of the arch. (the rest of the ceiling slopes down towards the outside wall.) Someday I would like to hang filmy curtains around the arch down to the floor, around my bed. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![rayman5321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@rayman5321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayman5321)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/13 "2010-02-05T10:53:04Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/14 "2010-02-05T13:35:17Z")
Every entryway to every room on the main floor of my house. It was a passing suggestion by my wife that turned into one of the best ideas we had. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/15 "2010-02-05T14:24:49Z")
My husband put in arches. All our doorways (without doors) were squared off. Now they all have arches. When its time to sheet-rock the arches, the dogs and I hide out in the basement, cause it will involve lots of cussing and slamming stuff around. Making the arches makes him cranky! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/16 "2010-02-05T14:41:42Z")
Yes, there are a couple of very high, prominent ones out front that allow entry to a covered porch landing. Most of the windows are tall and thin and are topped with an additional half moon window, so when viewed from outside it does give the impression of there being arches throughout. None inside though, unless you want to count several domed ceilings. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/17 "2010-02-05T15:07:38Z")
One between the connecting living room and dining room areas - we have a 9’ ceiling, and the walls come in a couple feet on both sides of the rooms to kind of divide the space into the two rooms. Someone, probably long ago, painted over the woodwork on the bottom part of the archway. I’m wondering if we put in the effort to strip it down, would we find long-hidden lovely wood, or the crappiest stuff they could find, painted over immediately after installation? Considering how many layers of paint are on there, I’d hate to make the effort and turn up junk. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/18 "2010-02-05T15:44:53Z")
Only arches in my complex are each building’s entrance. The house I spent my first 11 years in had two arches, one in the living room and one in the dining room; both opened into the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/19 "2010-02-05T15:50:18Z")
Three arches in our 1961 house. I like them because they remind me of my grandparents’ house, which also had arches. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737/20 "2010-02-05T15:50:25Z")
Yup - two big ones in my old town Victorian house. They’ve been stripped of their molding, though, and replacing it is going to be easy, but expensive. We’re saving up to get the good quality - it will be $1400 for both! ::eek:: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-house-apartment-have-arches/527737.md?page=2)