Jettying

Jettying is when people build their homes on top of each other so they can have more room. It's like making a really tall Lego tower, but instead of blocks, it's a house. The bottom floors of the house stick out over the street to make more room inside.

In olden times, people in Europe, especially in places like England, needed more space to live and work. However, they didn't want to give up their valuable land or move elsewhere. So they started building houses that would "jet" out over the streets. These houses would be supported by the walls of the houses next to them, so they wouldn't fall down.

Jettying became popular during the Middle Ages, when towns were crowded and there was not much space to build. People would build their homes in narrow streets or alleys, and jet out the upper floors to make more living space. Some of these buildings had a whole upper floor jutting out, which could make walking down the street feel pretty cramped.

Jettying was not without its risks, though. Sometimes, the upper floors would be too heavy and would collapse, or the neighboring buildings would give out and cause the house to fall. Despite the dangers, jettying was a popular way to maximize space in crowded cities.

Nowadays you don't see jettying much in modern cities, since we have better ways to build up and out without risking collapse. But if you ever visit an old European city, you might still see some jettying houses to this day.