HOUSING

HOUSING

       The term “shelter” which is often used to define housing, has a strong connection to the ultimate purpose of housing throughout the world. The mental image of a shelter is of a safe, secure place that provides both privacy and protection from the elements and the temperature extremes of the outside world.

            "Housing", in the modern concept includes not only the 'physical structure' providing shelter, but also the immediate surroundings, and the related community services and facilities. It has become part of the concept of "human settlement", which is defined as "all places in which a group of people reside and pursue their life goals; the site of the settlement may vary from a single family to millions of people”.

HOME

            Homes provide sheltered spaces for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be performed such as sleeping, preparing food, eating and hygiene as well as providing spaces for work and leisure such as remote working, studying and playing.

DEFINITION OF HOUSE

·         A shelter or refuge (such as a nest or den) of a wild animal.

·         A building in which something is sheltered or stored.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOME AND HOUSE

            The word house is used to talk about a building made for people or a family to live in. The word home is used to talk about the family living in a house, or the familiar space inside a person's house, or the place someone was born or lived as a child.

IMPORTANCE OF HOUSING

• House is the primary unit of human habitation
• House satisfies one’s basic needs next to food and clothing
• Houses range from basic huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures
• House is synonym to dwelling, residence, home, abode, lodging, accommodation, or housing
• House becomes a home for the family when it is occupied
• Housing values influence individual and family welfare
• Contribution of the house to the overall satisfaction of family living is universally acknowledged.
• Housing plays a tremendous role in the economy of the country and it is an indicator of the level of country’s social progress.

TYPES OF HOUSES

1. Detached House
            It is an independent house is a small hut, house, or an elaborate Bungalow, surrounded by its own land on all its sides for a single-family dwelling to live in. It is very convenient for the homeowner, in that all living areas are on a single storey and there are no stairs between living areas. It is well suited to those who are mobility impaired, e.g., the elderly or those in wheelchairs.

2. Bi-level

            A house that is divided into two floor levels and connected through stairs.

3. Split level

            The split-level house has two or three short sets of stairs, and three or four levels. (picture) The front door opens directly into what is usually the formal living area. The mid-level floor has living room, dining room, kitchen, and has a short flight of stairs leading up to bedrooms, and another short flight of stairs leading down to informal living areas and garage.

4. Semi – detached house
            A common boundary wall to form a structural barrier and divides an independent plot into two units. This helps in achieving economy by sharing expenses on amenities such as water lines, drainage lines, electric cables etc.

5. Row house
            A row of house, having a common wall between two houses, with minimum set back space. This is preferred for living where land space is under constraint or expensive.

6. Apartments or Flats
            It is a multi-unit house with number of dwelling units located in different storeys. Each floor or storey may accommodate more than one tenement. The land and other amenities are shared by all the occupants living in.

7. Storey

            A storey (also spelled story), floor, deck or level is the level of a building above (or below) the ground. Buildings are often classified by how many levels they have. Low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise buildings are all common, with the tallest skyscrapers having upwards of a hundred.

8. Condominium

            A condominium, or ‘Gated Community’ is the form of secured housing tenure with lavish villas or apartment. These are individually owned while use of and access to common facilities hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights associated with the individual ownership and controlled by the association of owners that jointly represent ownership of the whole piece.

9. Mobile Home
            Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied. This kind of homes is usually transported by tractor-trailers over public roads to sites which are often in rural areas or high-density developments. In some countries they are used for temporary accommodation on campsites. These houses Mobile Home are usually placed in one location and left there permanently; they do retain the ability to be moved as this is a requirement in many areas. These are fitted with necessary parts to provide utilities. 

BY,

R.Madhumalar,

Assistant Professor.