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Different types of houses

I 1.Let's talk about different types of houses. Tell me about the house/flat you live in.

Different types of houses

We can hardly say that today there exist the problem of choosing a type of housing. Everyone can find something he or she likes.

There are four basic types of housing: detached houses, semi-detached houses, terraced houses and flats. The most popular type of home in England is semi-detached (more than 27% of all homes), closely followed by detached then terraced. Some of the detached houses are cottages and bungalows.

It must be understood that a detached house can take on any form or style. It does not matter if the house is a bungalow, a cottage or a mansion. As long as it is not joined to another house, it is a detached house. One advantage of a detached house is the fact that the free space surrounding the building belongs to the family. You can do whatever you would like to be done in your house. The disadvantage is that all repairs in the house should be made by the owner.

A semi-detached house is a pair of houses that share one common wall. The two houses are built to mirror each other. Interestingly enough, this type of housing is called a duplex in other parts of the world. This type of housing became popular in the UK in the 1920s to the 1930s. Now the semi-detached house is still the most popular type of housing in England. One advantage of living in a semi-detached house is that there is still some privacy even if one wall is shared by the two houses. A disadvantage is that you are responsiblefor the upkeep of your side of the house. Another disadvantage is that you cannot just plan repairs or renovationsas you have to consider your twin house.

Terraced housing is also known as townhouses. The origin of this type of dwelling was in the 17th century in Europe. A row of identical looking houses share side walls. In the past, terrace housing used to be only associated with the working class for this type of housing was cheap, small and had very little privacy. As time went by, terrace housing became known as townhouses which were more associated with the rich.

One of the major advantages of terrace housing is that it is relatively cheaper than a semi-detached built in the same location. One great disadvantage is that there is typically no yard or garden that comes with a unit. As two walls are shared, there is less privacy too.

A flat or an apartment is a part of a larger building. Such building is called an apartment building or a block of flats. A flat can be a studio unit, a one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom unit. I consider that it’s the cheapest type of dwelling in a town. Besides among advantages of living in a block of flats some people name the fact that it takes less time to tidy up a flat than a house. But as any type of housing a flat has its disadvantages: your neighbours can make a lot of noise, when they, for example, hammer or drill the wall, or when they organize a party. Sometimes you can depend on your neighbours - imagine such a situation: your neighbours' tap is dripping and they need it to be repaired, so they block the water supply not only in their own flat but also in yours and you have to wait for hours till you can do the washing-up or take a shower. It isn't convenient, but in spite of it the largest part of population in our country lives in blocks of flats. I also live in a flat and I can say that all these disadvantages don't bother me very much, and in general it's a good type of housing.



In the end I'd like to add that there are many types of housing and all the people have the right to choose where to live.


Date: 2016-03-03; view: 3333


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