What's A House

A house is a single-unit residential building.
It may range in complexity from a

rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other
material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning systems.[1][2] Houses use a range of different roofing systems to keep
precipitation such as rain from getting into the dwelling space. Houses generally
have doors or locks to secure the dwelling space and protect its inhabitants and
contents from burglars or other trespassers. Most conventional modern houses in
Western cultures will contain one or more bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen or
cooking area, and a living room. A house may have a separate dining room, or the
eating area may be integrated into the kitchen or another room. Some large houses
in North America have a recreation room. In traditional agriculture-oriented
societies, domestic animals such as chickens or larger livestock (like cattle) may
share part of the house with humans.
The social unit that lives in a house is known as a household. Most commonly, a
household is a family unit of some kind, although households may also have other
social groups, such as roommates or, in a rooming house, unconnected individuals,
that typically use a house as their home. Some houses only have a dwelling space
for one family or similar-sized group; larger houses called townhouses or row
houses may contain numerous family dwellings in the same structure. A house may be
accompanied by outbuildings, such as a garage for vehicles or a shed for gardening
equipment and tools. A house may have a backyard, a front yard or both, which serve
as additional areas where inhabitants can relax, eat, or exercise.
Etymology
Hus, an Old English word

The English word house derives directly from the Old English word hus, meaning
"dwelling, shelter, home, house," which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic husan
(reconstructed by etymological analysis) which is of unknown origin.[3] The term
house itself gave rise to the letter 'B' through an early Proto-Semitic
hieroglyphic symbol depicting a house. The symbol was called "bayt", "bet" or
"beth" in various related languages, and became beta, the Greek letter, before it
was used by the Romans.[4] Beit in Arabic means house, while in Maltese bejt refers
to the roof of the house.[5][6]
Elements
Layout
Example of an early Victorian "Gingerbread House" in Connecticut, United States,

built in 1855
Ideally, architects of houses design rooms to meet the needs of the people who will
live in the house. Feng shui, originally a Chinese method of moving houses
according to such factors as rain and micro-climates, has recently expanded its
scope to address the design of interior spaces, with a view to promoting harmonious
effects on the people living inside the house, although no actual effect has ever
been demonstrated. Feng shui can also mean the "aura" in or around a dwelling,
making it comparable to the real estate sales concept of "indoor-outdoor flow".
The square footage of a house in the United States reports the area of "living
space", excluding the garage and other non-living spaces. The "square metres"
figure of a house in Europe reports the area of the walls enclosing the home, and
thus includes any attached garage and non-living spaces.[7] The number of floors or
levels making up the house can affect the square footage of a home.
Birdhouse made to look like a human domicile

Humans often build houses for domestic or wild animals, often resembling smaller
versions of human domiciles. Familiar animal houses built by humans include
birdhouses, hen houses and dog houses, while housed agricultural animals more often
live in barns and stables.
Parts
Many houses have several large rooms with specialized functions and several very
small rooms for other various reasons. These may include a living/eating area, a
sleeping area, and (if suitable facilities and services exist) separate or combined
washing and lavatory areas. Some larger properties may also feature rooms such as a
spa room, indoor pool, indoor basketball court, and other 'non-essential'
facilities. In traditional agriculture-oriented societies, domestic animals such as
chickens or larger livestock often share part of the house with humans. Most
conventional modern houses will at least contain a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or
cooking area, and a living room. The names of parts of a house often echo the names
of parts of other buildings, but could typically include:

What's A House

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A house is a single-unit residential building.

It may range in complexity from a

Hus, an Old English word

Example of an early Victorian "Gingerbread House" in Connecticut, United States,

Birdhouse made to look like a human domicile

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