Homes in Spain (Madrid)

Madrid is the capital, and most populated city, in Spain. We will be spending about a third of our time here either in Madrid or the surrounding towns. Like most cities, there are no residential houses in Madrid - at least that I´ve seen. Everyone lives in pisos - apartment style homes. For this middle week of our trip, we are staying with residential families. The home I´m staying in is probably an average sized piso. It is on the fourth floor and has three small bedrooms (mine is the smallest - about 7´by 12´), a small living room, a small dining room, a small bathroom, and a small kitchen. There is also a small porch outside one of the bedrooms (about 2 ft. by 4 ft.) and a small enclosed area between two pisos with cords to hang laundry. The bottom floor of most apartment buildings is reserved for small businesses. The entryway for our apartment building is between a bank and a store. The mailboxes are located in the entryway, and there is a small elevator and set of stairs leading up. Most apartment buildings are probably between 5 and 10 floors high.
Hardly anyone has a garage - even though most families in Spain now own a small car. They are an impractical form of transportation in major cities, such as Madrid, so most people continue to use public transportation (bus, taxi, or subway) or walk to work because it is extremely hard to find places to park. Most curbs are packed with automobiles, so you need a tiny car to fit into any nook that remains. Any parking lots are underground - and there aren´t many of these either. That is why many people double park with their emergency lights flashing if they´re not going to be gone long. It isn´t legal, but the police usually turn a blind eye because they understand the problem.
Also, the water heaters are small. When you take a shower, you are expected to turn off the water while you are lathering up your body or hair, and then turn it back on again to wash off. Otherwise, someone is going to be stuck with a cold shower. Spaniards are very conservation minded and always turn off lights when not in use and turn off the water while brushing their teeth, shaving or washing dishes. Since Americans are notorious water wasters, most hotels have signs posted in the bathroom reminding the guests of these useful measures. Since the pension I´m staying at usually has at least one student staying there, the dona has small stickers posted in the bathroom saying the same thing.
I hope you´ve gained a better appreciation of how things are in other parts of the world. Keep in mind that Spain is a European country with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Only in the US (and maybe Canada) will you find the type of living conditions we take for granted. Waste not, want not. Maybe we should take note.