Housing and home

Home is the cooking, eating, talking, playing, arguing and family living, which are important. Some people feel that home is their birth place, others say it is the place where they feel safe and relaxed.

Houses, however, look different in different countries. Homes are different because people’s attitudes and needs differ so much. Larger families prefer big houses and some people like the idea of severel generations living together. In many develop countries, people move more often. Sometimes they simply want to change jobs. In less develop countries, on the other hand, people do not usually move away from the homes, in Central and Eastern Europe, older people prefer to rent the upper floor of their house and live on the ground floor.

Some people who live in cities just to work have houses in the coutryside where they go every weekend.

A house is a building for people to live in and often has more than one level. A house built on only one level is called a bungalow. Multi-storeyed houses are called semi-detached houses when thet have one common wall and terraced houses when they neighbour both walls and all stand in a row. Some people live in a block of flats. A set of rooms, including a kitchen and bathroom, within a larger building is called a flat (AmE apartment).

Every country has some typical features of its homes. In Britain, they have always a garden and sometimes a cellar. They have separate bedrooms and living rooms. On the other hand, they don’t have balconies or terraces which are more typical for countries where the weather is warmer. In mountainous countries like Austria and Switzerland, there are balconies full of geraniums and other flowers which attract visitors in summer.

Everybody likes coming home and people all over the world take care of their homes. If you wander around a housing estate, it seems so quiet because most people spend their time either inside or in their backyards. But sometimes there would certainly be people washing their cars, mowing the grass, watering the lawn or working in the flower beds. It is always nice, however, to see a family who is able to get along well and live in harmony together.

Home is an emotional word that consists of many parts including geographical location, emotional ties, housing, interior furnishings and décor. In terms of location, some people live where they do because of work, while others live close to family. Other people choose their homes based on the activities that they feel make their lives worth living: good schools, the low cost of living, sufficient shopping facilities, satellite TV and good infrastructure – roads, communications and utilities. People usually try out several different places till they find the one that suits them best.