House (building)
A house is a building designed for people to live in, typically providing spaces for sleeping, cooking, and other domestic activities.
Room: An enclosed space within a building, usually defined by walls, a floor, and a ceiling. Rooms divide a house into spaces for sleeping, cooking, and shared activities.
Load-bearing wall: A wall that supports structural loads from floors, roofs, or other parts of a building. Load-bearing walls transfer parts of a house’s weight toward its foundation.
Single-family detached home: A dwelling designed for one household and separated from other buildings on its own lot. It is a common house form with independent walls and outdoor space.
Apartment: A self-contained dwelling unit within a larger building containing multiple homes. Unlike a typical detached house, an apartment shares a building with other households.
Foundation: The lowest structural part of a building, transferring its loads to the ground. A house’s foundation supports its structure and connects it to the site.
Building envelope: The boundary separating a building’s interior from its outdoor environment. The house envelope limits unwanted heat, air, and moisture movement.
Terraced house: A house in a continuous row of attached dwellings, usually sharing side walls. Terraced houses fit multiple homes along narrow urban plots.
Condominium: A form of ownership in which an individual owns a unit and shares common property with other owners. A condominium may be house-shaped, but its ownership structure differs from the usual house-and-lot arrangement.
Roof: The upper covering of a building, protecting its interior from weather. A roof shelters the house and helps control heat and water.
Insulation: Materials or systems that reduce heat transfer between spaces. Insulation slows heat flow through a house’s walls, roof, and floors.