F u2 houses and homes

a cottage or

a mansion ^{большой особняк.}

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 /ˈ djuː pleks/ ^{парный, сдвоенный} 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 responsible for the upkeep of your side of the house. Another disadvantage is that you cannot just plan repairs or renovations as you have to consider your twin house.

***Terraced housing is also known as townhouses. The origin of this type of dwelling was in the 17^th century in Europe.

A row of identical looking houses share side walls.

The end units of this row of housing are called end terrace and are far larger than the units in between.

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 ^{(жильё, состоящее из одной комнаты и кухни, не имеющее перегородок),} a one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom unit. People prefer renting flats to buying them.

The main disadvantage of renting out a flat is that it will never be yours. You do not have the right to make repairs or renovations to suit your needs and taste.

The only advantage of renting a flat is that you are not responsible for it – you are just renting. In case you feel like moving house, you can just leave.

PROGRAMME HOST:

Thank you, Nicky …

Most British houses are made of brick and cement /sə 'ment/. In a row of terraced houses ^{houses joined together}, the interconnecting walls are cavity ^полые walls: they have a space between them to allow air to circulate. On the interiors, the walls are covered in plaster ['plɑ: stə ] ^{штукатурка}, and then either painted or decorated with wallpaper. The internal ^{внутренние} walls of a house fall into two categories: load-bearing walls ^{those that are structural and support the weight of the floors} and partition [pɑ: 'tɪ ʃ (ə)n] walls ^{those that divide rooms, but can be knocked down.} Floors and roofs are supported by strong beams ^{перекладины}, which are long, heavy pieces of wood or metal.

Floors can be covered in a variety of materials, such as parquet /ˈ pɑ ː keɪ / ^{wooden squares}, laminate /ˈ læ mɪ nə t/ flooring, or tiles ^{кафель, плитка}(either ceramic or vinyl). In living rooms and bedrooms, the floors are generally covered with carpets.

Houses are normally connected to local utilities ^{коммуникации}, such as mains ^{трубопроводы} water, electricity and gas supply. In the countryside, not everyone is connected to mains gas, and some houses have gas tanks ^{резервуары} in their gardens. The vast majority of people are connected to the local sewage system ^{канализация for waste water}, but some people have their own septic tanks in their gardens to treat waste water. Houses that are connected to utilities have separate meters ^{счётчики} to show how much they consume. Representatives of these utility ^{коммунальные услуги} companies visit houses regularly to take meter readings – with which they can then bill ^{выставлять счёт} their customers.

Some electrical jobs (such as wiring or rewiring = installing the electrical cables) should only be done by professional electricians, although you can still change a plug ^{штепсельная вилка}, or change a socket ^{розетка -the hole in the wall where you put the plug in to connect to the electricity supply}. For safety reasons, the wiring in the house is on more than one circuit ^цепь: lighting usually is on one circuit, and the sockets are on another circuit.

Some plumbing ^{water piping jobs} should also be done by professional plumbers. For example, although you can change taps, you should get a professional to install a gas boiler.

Some building work can be done without supervision. Many people enjoy DIY, such as putting up shelves, fitting cupboards and doors, assembling furniture and so on.

However, for the big jobs, such as loft ^{чердак; комната наверху} conversions ^{изменение} and building extensions ^{расширение}, you need to first apply for and obtain planning and building permission (from the local authorities) then employ a firm of builders.

In Britain, damp winter weather causes many problems to houses. For example, some houses can suffer from damp ^humidity or dry rot ^{сухая гниль} (болезнь древесины, вызываемая грибками, древесной губкой), caused by water seeping (seep-^{просачиваться; проникать}) into walls and timber (wood). For this reason, houses have gutters ^{водосточный жёлоб} - tubes attached just under the roof that run along the length of the house to catch rain water and some may need regular damp proof treatment - special chemicals to prevent damp from spreading.

Window sills and window frames should be made waterproof (so that water cannot get in), and most people have central heating via ^{с помощью} radiators to keep the air inside warm and dry. Special thermostats set on the wall help to regulate the temperature in the room. In addition, most people have insulation /ˌ ɪ nsjuˈ leɪ ʃ n/ ^{изоляция} in the loft to keep warm air in, and cold air out.