housing

housing culture

us homes

duplex

We have cottages in Other types Of Us America, too. If you have hOUses a really nice one, it can be called a cabin . A really run‑down one that needs a lot of work is called a shack . These are usually vacation or weekend homes and most people like them to be on a lake.

Bungalow – a single floor family home. In the US, this term is used mostly in the North, Midwest and West, and almost not at all in the South.

cabin

Where do you live? And what do you live in? Basically, you either live in a house or an apartment. An apartment is a home in a large building with many other homes. We call these apartment buildings. There’s also a difference between America and Europe when it comes to saying which floor you are on. In the US, the floor you enter from the outside is the first floor and

apartment building

a condominium . It is a part of an apartment building or other complex in which each person owns their own home and pays a fee to take care of the property.

Other types of joined housing are townhouses and duplexes. A townhouse is a string of houses attached together , but with individual entrances to each home. A duplex is just two homes side-by-side.

Houses come in all shapes, sizes and colors and they can have a garden. In the US, a garden is a place to grow plants and vegetables whereas the grassy area around a house is called a yard. Most houses in the US have a front yard and a back yard.

shack

Real estate agents always have fancy terms to describe houses. Most Americans, however, just say: “I have a house.” Jacy Meyer (USA)

BrúAm English

flat (BrE) – apartment (AmE) block of flats (BrE) - apartment building (AmE) ground floor (BrE) - first floor (AmE) terraced house (BrE) – townhouse (AmE) semi-detached house (BrE) – duplex (AmE)

Ranch house – a single floor family home with a low roof and attached garage is extremely popular in the South and West of the US.

Trailer – also known as a mobile home, these are factory-made homes that are transported to the buyer’s site. Quite often they are grouped together in a community called a trailer park. They are an inexpensive alternative to buying a home or renting an apartment.

then you go up to the second, etc. In many parts of Europe, it’s called the ground floor and then you go up to the first floor. Sometimes I still have to think about which floor I live on!

In the US, apartments are always rented, you don’t own them like you can own a house. You do, however, own

townhouse

two‑storey house

If your house has two floors, we call it a two‑storey house . The space under the roof of the house (usually for storing old clothes and stuff) is the attic . The underground part of the house (also for storing stuff!) is called the basement. Not all houses have these areas.

British house

types

next twenty-five years. When they get promoted and have more money, they will sell the house and buy a larger, more expensive one (and have a bigger mortgage).

Before you talk to anyone in Britain about housing, you need to know a few phrases. The first is that most young people who are working want to ‘get their foot on the bottom of the ladder’. This means that they want to buy a house and start paying off the loan ( mortgage ) over the

House prices have risen astronomically over the last few years and even the cheapest house is more than an average teacher, policeman, nurse or office worker can afford . More

26 Bridge 06/2007–2008

young working people are living at home and continue to be supported by their parents because they cannot afford a deposit to even start the buying process.

If you have lots of money, there are plenty of different houses to choose from.

COttages

The smallest traditional house in Britain is the cottage. The cottage idyll is picturesque and romantic; the garden will be full of roses and herbs and it will have a beautiful lawn. Many will have a thatched , tile or slate roof depending on where they are. The bedrooms (one or two) will be upstairs; the living room and kitchen downstairs.

terraCed hOUses

Long lines of terraced houses were built in industrial cities during the 19^th century for the factory workers. They were typically quite basic with two bedrooms upstairs, a living room that you entered straight from the street and a kitchen at the back. The toilet was outside. These days, these terraces have been renovated and are nice places to live. They have room extensions built out into the yard for bathrooms and toilets.

detaChed and semi‑detaChed hOUses

In the suburbs of towns, houses are mainly of two types: detached and semi-detached. The detached ones stand alone surrounded by gardens. They have an entrance hall with stairs up to the first floor. On the ground floor there will often be a large kitchen and dining area , a toilet, cloakroom , utility room, a couple of reception rooms and a living room. Upstairs there are four, maybe five, bedrooms, some with bathrooms en suite , and a separate family bathroom and toilet. The attic may have been converted into a study, a studio or is used just for storage .

Semi-detached houses are simply two houses joined side by side as a mirror image. These have fewer rooms and typically smaller gardens than detached houses. Some of them can be very grand while others are more modest .

A cottage in Britain is an old romantic house in the country with thick walls made of local stone or brick and small, quaint (= attractive in an old‑fashioned way) windows.

BUngalOws

Another classic British house is the bungalow, which is a cheaper version of the detached house. They only have a ground floor, possibly with a conservatory at the back. They are seen as ideal retirement dwellings as there are no stairs for the elderly to climb .

flats

A house that is semi-detached is one that is joined to another similar house on only one side.

In Britain we also have flats in houses or in blocks of flats and their character is much the same as in the Czech Republic. Many beautiful Victorian and Georgian town houses in cities have been converted into flats but these are not cheap either to rent or buy.

nigel haward (Great Britain)

Detached houses stand alone, surrounded by their own garden.

hOUses fOr sale

Every town in the UK has a number of real estate agents who offer houses for sale. Individual houses also have signs so that you can see they are for sale as you drive by.

The price of a house is determined by the number of rooms, location, the view, the garden and proximity (= how far it is) to shops, schools, etc. Buyers are most often concerned about the number of bedrooms so each family member can have their own. An extra bedroom will put thousands of pounds on the price.

Glossary

utility room – a room in a private house with a washing mashine, freezer, etc. reception room (BrE) – a room in a private house where people can sit, for example a living room; the term is used mostly by people who sell houses bathroom en suite (from French) – bathroom that is joined onto a bedroom and used only by people in that bedroom

studio; also used as studio flat (BrE) or studio apartment (AmE) – a small apartment, usually with one large room for sleeping and living in

BrúAm English

cloakroom (BrE) – closet (AmE) reception room (BrE) – parlour (AmE)

A terraced house is a house that is one of a row of houses that are joined together on each side with no garden.

Bungalows come in many variations; they may have two or three bedrooms, extra study space, etc.

Y Vocabulary

when it comes to saying - když přijde řeč na

a string of houses attached together [strIN @“t&tSt] - řada k sobě přiléhajících domů whereas [wE:r”&z] - zatímco attic [“&tIk] - podkroví run-down [rVn”daUn] - zchátralý real estate agent [I”steIt “eIdZ(@)nt] - realitní makléř fancy terms [“f&nsi] - speciální terminologii

UK hoUsing mortgage [“mO:gIdZ] - hypotéka when they get promoted [pr@“m@UtId] - když se dočkají povýšení

is more than an average… can afford [“&v(@)rIdZ @“fO:d] - stojí víc, než si může průměrný… dovolit deposit to even start [dI”pQzIt] - ani zaplatit zálohu, která podmiňuje koupi

cottage idyll [“IdIl] - typická idylická chalupa

herbs [h@:bz] - bylinky thatched [T&tSt] - doškový tile [taIl] - pokrytý taškami (na střechu) slate [sleIt] - břidlicový straight from [streIt] - přímo z they have room extensions built out into [Ik”stEnS(@)nz] - mají zvenku přistavěnou malou místnost dining area [“daInIN “E:rI@] - jídelna cloakroom [“kl@Ukru:m] - šatna to convert sth into sth [k@n”v@:t]

• přestavět, upravit storage [“stO:rIdZ] - sklad very grand [gr&nd] - veliký, velkolepý modest [“mQdIst] - skromný conservatory [k@n”s@:v@t(@)ri]

• skleník

retirement dwelling [rI”taI@m(@)nt “dwElIN] - bydlení na důchod as there are no stairs for the elderly to climb [stE:z “Eld@li klaIm] - protože nemá schody, po kterých by staří lidé museli chodit nahoru

Bridge 06/2007–2008 27