A house is a building that functions as a home for humans or other creatures lik

e dogs ,[1][2] ranging from simple dwellings such as rudimentary huts of nomadic
tribes to complex structures composed of many systems.[3][4]
The social unit that lives in a house is known as a household. Most commonly, a
household is a family unit of some kind, although households may also be other s
ocial groups or individuals.
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 Inside the house
2.1 Layout
2.2 Parts
2.3 History of the interior
2.3.1 Communal rooms
2.3.2 Interconnecting rooms
2.3.3 Corridor
2.3.4 Employment-free house
2.3.5 Technology and privacy
3 Construction
3.1 Energy efficiency
3.2 Earthquake protection
4 Found materials
5 Legal issues
5.1 United Kingdom
5.2 United States and Canada
5.3 Australia
6 Identifying houses
7 Animal houses
8 Houses and symbolism
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Etymology[edit]
The English word house derives directly from the Old English Hus meaning "dwelli
ng, shelter, home, house," which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic Khusan (rec
onstructed by etymological analysis) which is of unknown origin.[5] The house it
self gave rise to the letter 'B' through an early Proto-Semitic hieroglyphic sym
bol depicting a house. The symbol was called "bayt", "bet" or "beth" in various
related languages, and became beta, the Greek letter, before it was used by the
Romans.[6]
Inside the house[edit]
Layout[edit]
Example of an early Victorian "Gingerbread House" in Connecticut, United States,
built in 1855
Ideally, architects of houses design rooms to meet the needs of the people who w
ill live in the house. Such designing, known as "interior design", has become a
popular subject in universities. Feng shui, originally a Chinese method of movin
g houses according to such factors as rain and micro-climates, has recently expa
nded its scope to address the design of interior spaces, with a view to promotin
g harmonious effects on the people living inside the house, although no actual e
ffect has ever been demonstrated. Feng shui can also mean the "aura" in or aroun
d a dwelling, making it comparable to the real-estate sales concept of "indoor-o
utdoor flow".
The square footage of a house in the United States reports the area of "living s
pace", excluding the garage and other non-living spaces. The "square metres" fig
ure of a house in Europe reports the area of the walls enclosing the home, and t

hus includes any attached garage and non-living spaces.[citation needed] The num
ber of floors or levels making up the house can affect the square footage of a h
ome.