A house is a building that functions as a home, ranging from simple residences such as rudimentary huts of ordic tribes and the improvised shacks in shantytowns to complex, fixed structures of wood, brick, concrete or other materials containing plumbing, ventilation and electrical systems. Houses use a range of different roofing systems to keep precipitation such as rain from getting into the dwelling space.
Houses may have doors or locks to secure the dwelling space and protect its inhabitants and contents from burglars or other trespassers. Most conventional modern houses in Western cultures will have one or more bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen or cooking area, and a living room. A house may have a separate dining room, or the eating area may be integrated into another room.
With the growth of dense settlement, humans designed ways of identifying houses and / or parcels of land. Individual houses sometimes acquire proper names; and those names may acquire in their long considerable emotional connotations
Most commonly, a family is a family unit of some kind, although families may also be other social groups, such as apartments or in a rooming house, unconnected individuals. Some houses have a place for one family or similar-sized group; large houses called townhouses or row houses may have many 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 frontyard, which serves as additional areas where people can relax or eat.
Ideally, architects of houses design rooms to meet the needs of the people who will live in the house. Such designing, known as "interior design", has become a popular subject in universities. Feng shui, originally a Chinese method of moving homes 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, though no real 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.
Houses may express the circumstances or opinions of their builders or their inhabitants. Thus a large and elaborate house may be a sign of conspicuous wealth while a low-profile house built of recycled materials may indicate support of energy conservation.
More generally, people often build houses out of the nearest material, and often tradition or culture govern-building materials, so all towns, areas, counties or even states / countries may be built out of one type of material.
Many houses have several large rooms with special functions and several very small rooms for other various reasons. These may include a living / eating area, a sleeping area, and if appropriate facilities and services are available separately or combined washing and lavatory areas. Some large properties may also feature rooms such as spa room, indoor pool, indoor basketball courts, and other 'non-essential' facilities.
In traditional agriculture-oriented societies, domestic animals such as chickens or big livestock often share in the home with human beings. Most conventional modern houses will have at least a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or cooking area, and a living room.