House
A house is a building that functions as a type of dwelling (or domestic building) used for residential purposes, i.e. as a place of permanent or semi-permanent habitation. House style and design can range from simple huts or shacks in places like shanty towns and favelas, to multi-storey mansions containing a huge variety of amenities and services.
The social unit that lives in a house is known as a household. According to the Household Projections: England prepared by the Department for Communities and Local Government, a household, as defined in the 2011 Census is; ‘one person living alone; or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address who share cooking facilities and share a living room or sitting room or dining area’.
For more information, see Household.
Conventional modern houses tend to contain the following:
- One or more bedrooms.
- Bathroom/s.
- Kitchen.
- Living room.
- Dining room.
- Building services such as plumbing, ventilation, heating, electricity, security, and so on.
Houses can be attached to outbuildings such as a garage, porch or shed, and may have a front and/or back garden, driveway, and so on.
There are a number of different types of house, including:
- A-frame house.
- Bungalow.
- Condominium.
- Cottage.
- Detached.
- Double fronted house.
- Maisonette.
- Mansion.
- Semi-detached.
- Terraced.
Traditionally, houses are built speculatively by a developer (or housebuilder), and people then buy them and move in. Homebuyers typically require a mortgage to enable them to purchase a house. This is a loan ‘secured’ against the value of the house until it is paid off over several years. There is often a sequence of homebuyers and sellers whose transactions are dependent on one another. This is known as a property chain.
Houses can also be self-built, which is where the prospective homeowner instigates the development of the house themselves, whether by purchasing a kit house, employing a design and build contractor, employing consultants (such as an architect) and a contractor, or managing the entire process and ordering all the goods and services required themselves. However, self-building does not necessarily mean that the physical construction is undertaken by the homeowner.
For more information, see Self-build homes.
There are various different forms of tenure which apply to houses, such as owner occupation, private renting, social housing and so on. For more information, see Housing tenure.
Houses are the main asset that is bought and sold on the housing market which follows the economic principles of supply and demand. When the production of housing outpaces the demand there is a housing surplus. When housing production falls behind demand there is a housing shortage.
For more information, see Housing shortage.
Since houses produce significant carbon emissions, there has been a strong emphasis in recent years on increasing their energy efficiency , both in terms of the way new-builds are constructed and the way existing houses are retrofitted. Various initiatives have been developed such as zero carbon homes, the Code for Sustainable Homes, Passivhaus and so on.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Affordable housing.
- British post-war mass housing.
- Building.
- Domestic building.
- Dwelling.
- Flat definition.
- Home ownership.
- Household.
- Housebuilder.
- Housing associations.
- Housing benefit.
- Housing Capacity Study.
- Housing costs.
- Housing Delivery Test.
- Housing shortage.
- Housing standards review.
- Housing white paper 2017.
- Local housing need.
- Minimum space standards.
- Residential definition.
- Smart home.
- The future of housing.
- Types of dwelling.
Featured articles and news
Heat pump announcements, what homeowners need to know
An 'ultimate guide to heat pumps' from a heating company.
Construction contract awards reach £7.1bn in February
Their highest level in seven months.
The journey to sustainability in heritage
Research is the key to better understanding.
Heritage approaches to adaptation, mitigation and loss.
Bridging the gap between policy, finance and installation.
Development on brownfield land
Definition, background, policy and the latest consultation.
With the Design Framework for Building Services.
Retrofit of Buildings, a CIOB Technical Publication
Pertinent technical issues, measures and the roles involved.
ECA joins HSE campaign to support mental health
Working Minds’ five simple steps based on risk assessment.
Mental health in the construction industry
Mental health issues in brief with related articles.
Transitional arrangements, Building Control and the BSR.
For pre-October buildings with substantial progress by April.
How to write an inspection and test plan
ITPs for quality control and assurance particular elements.
Why quality counts in domestic ventilation systems
From products, to systems to the installation.
Empowering the Future with CIOB Academy
Lifelong learning, upscaling, and reskilling for the built environment.
Winners of the 2024 ASBP Awards
Project, Product and Initiative according to the 6 pillars.