Una casa es un edificio residencial de una sola unidad.

Puede variar en complejidad desde una

choza rudimentaria hasta una estructura compleja de madera, mampostería, concreto u otro
material, equipada con sistemas de plomería, electricidad y calefacción, ventilación y aire
acondicionado. Las casas utilizan una gama de diferentes sistemas de techado para evitar que
las precipitaciones, como la lluvia, entren en el espacio habitable. Las casas pueden tener
puertas o cerraduras para asegurar el espacio de vivienda y proteger a sus habitantes y
contenido de ladrones u otros intrusos. La mayoría de las casas modernas convencionales en
las culturas occidentales contendrán uno o más dormitorios y baños, una cocina o área para
cocinar y una sala de estar. Una casa puede tener un comedor separado o el comedor puede
estar integrado en otra habitación. Algunas casas grandes en América del Norte tienen una
sala de recreación. En las sociedades tradicionales orientadas a la agricultura, los animales
domésticos, como las gallinas o el ganado más grande, pueden compartir parte de la casa con
los humanos. 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 social groups,
such as roommates or, in a rooming house, unconnected individuals. Some houses only have a
dwelling space for one family or similar-sized group; larger houses called townhouses or row
houses may contain numerous family dwellings in the same structure. A house may be
accompanied by outbuildings, such as a garage for vehicles or a shed for gardening equipment
and tools. A house may have a backyard or a front yard or both, which serve as additional
areas where inhabitants can relax or eat.

Etymology

The English word house derives directly from the Old English hus meaning "dwelling, shelter,
home, house," which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic husan which is of unknown origin.
The house itself gave rise to the letter 'B' through an early Proto-Semitic hieroglyphic symbol
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. Beit in Arabic means
house, while in Maltese bejt refers to the roof of the house.

Elements

Layout

Ideally, architects of houses design rooms to meet the needs of the people who will live in the
house. Feng shui, originally a Chinese method of moving houses according to such factors as
rain and micro-climates, has recently expanded its scope to address the design of interior
spaces, with a view to promoting harmonious effects on the people living inside the house,
although no actual effect has ever been demonstrated. Feng shui can also mean the "aura" in
or around a dwelling, making it comparable to the real estate sales concept of "indoor-outdoor
flow".

The square footage of a house in the United States reports the area of "living space", excluding
the garage and other non-living spaces. The "square metres" figure of a house in Europe
reports the area of the walls enclosing the home, and thus includes any attached garage and
non-living spaces. The number of floors or levels making up the house can affect the square
footage of a home.

Humans often build houses for domestic or wild animals, often resembling smaller versions of
human domiciles. Familiar animal houses built by humans include birdhouses, henhouses and
doghouses, while housed agricultural animals more often live in barns and stables.
Parts

Many houses have several large rooms with specialized functions and several very small rooms
for other various reasons. These may include a living/eating area, a sleeping area, and separate
or combined washing and lavatory areas. Some larger properties may also feature rooms such
as a spa room, indoor pool, indoor basketball court, and other 'non-essential' facilities. In
traditional agriculture-oriented societies, domestic animals such as chickens or larger livestock
often share part of the house with humans. Most conventional modern houses will at least
contain a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or cooking area, and a living room.