Housing the Family

House, Home, Housing:

Choosing a place to live, sis a very big decision and requires careful planning. A house comes
in many shapes and sizes, but the atmosphere inside is what makes a house a home.
A house: it is the structure built to provide shelter for people. A house offers protection
against the weather, and external dangers.
Home: it is a place or environment in which people share space and household items and
live in comfort and satisfaction.
Housing: Is a house, its environment or the community in which it is and the
facilities/amenities available that help with the well-being of the people in the area.
Rural/Urban houses: Rural houses - mainly courtyard or compound houses.
- Houses in the rural areas are built to suit the lifestyle and the activities of the extended
family.
- The house is seen as a place for physical protection and emotional security.
- The houses are built using mud and wattle for its walls and roofed will thatch or woven
grasses.
-Designs are simple and may not follow any building code. The basic unit is added on from
time to time.
These days, some rural houses are built with modern materials and are specifically designed
to suit the owner's taste. These are normally built with cement blocks and roofed with
aluminium roofing sheets and are often built by people who have lived outside the village
and have acquired some money.
Urban Houses –
(i) A wide range of materials are used in building urban houses. Some of these materials
include cement, tiles, glasses, sinks, aluminium roofing sheets, timber boards, etc.
(ii) Designs vary. Different designs are used in constructing houses in the urban areas.
(iii) Follow building codes which govern materials, designs and construction. Standards and
regulations governing the design and type of houses must be followed or adhered to.
(iv) Urban houses may have amenities such as electricity, pipe borne water, toilet
Housing Design (Types of Houses)
a) Courtyard / compound houses
(b) Detached
(c) Semi-detached
(d) Row terraced houses
(e) Storey building
(f) Block of flats or apartments
(g) Bungalow
(a) Courtyard or Compound House
These are found in both rural and urban communities.
They are found in the older parts of big towns and cities.
- All the rooms are arranged around a central rectangle or a square area which forms
the courtyard.
- The courtyard is the main area for most activities e.g. cooking, washing, cleaning and
receiving guest.
- Toilet facilities, bath rooms or the kitchen may be separated from the rest of the
rooms and are usually shared by members living in the house.
- They have many rooms and may accommodate different families or households.
Disadvantages of Living in a Compound House
(i) The environment may be noisy
(ii) They may not have enough space for storage and outdoor activities e.g., space for
children to play.
(iii) Co-tenants/families may share space and other facilities e.g., kitchen, toilet, etc
(iv) There is lack of privacy.
(v) Children are exposed to bad and undesirable habits from their friends/ peers.
(vi) Stealing in compound houses may be rampant
(vii) Facilities may be inadequate for the number of tenants.
(b) Detached or Bungalow House (Self Contained)
They are simple family houses which usually house or accommodate one family and can be
one, two or three storey buildings.
- They do not have courtyard but sometimes the rooms may lead to another space (a
yard) which may be enclosed by a wall or fence.
- The storey buildings will have some rooms on the ground floor and the rest on the
upper storey.
- Does not share a partition wall with another building and most activities are done
within the building
Advantages of Detached / Bungalow houses
(i) They offer more privacy than other types of housing.
(ii) They can be built or selected to meet the needs of the family.
(iii) No quarrels with co-tenants.
(iv) There is space for children to play.
(c) Semi-Detached Houses
These are very similar to the detached houses except that in semi-detached houses, two
self-contained houses are joined together by a common wall.
- Each has its own entrance and the houses have similar number of rooms as well as
facilities.
- They can be single storey or two storeys.
- They are common in the housing estates of our cities and big towns.
(d) Flats or Apartments or Multi storey
These are multi-storey flats found in our cities or urban areas.
- They are built to provide accommodation for many people on a limited or small piece
of land.
- The design ensures that all facilities - bed rooms, sitting room, bathroom, toilet
facilities and the kitchen are on each floor.
- There are usually two or more storeys with two or more flats or housing units on
each floor.
- Each flat has its own entrance which ensures privacy. Unlike the detached house,
those living in flats cannot expand their space when there is a need.
Advantages of Flat/Apartments/MuIti Storey
(i) Less lands used as compared to single family building
(iii) They could be more readily available than the single-family housing.
Disadvantages of living in an apartment building are that;
(i) The environment may be noisy
(ii) They may not have enough space for storage and outdoor activities e.g., space for
children to play.
(iii) Sometimes Co-tenants/families may have to share space and other facilities e.g.,
kitchen, toilet, etc.
(iv) There is lack of privacy.
(v) Children are exposed to bad and undesirable habits from their friends.
(vi) Stealing in flat or apartment houses may be rampant.
(vii) Facilities may be inadequate for the number of tenants.
- none of the residents is prepared to take responsibility for cleaning shared areas such as
corridors and stairways.
- The buildings are often expensive e.g., SSNIT Flats.

e) Prefabricated Houses
Unlike the traditional forms of housing, prefabricated houses are named according to the
type of construction used rather than the design.
- The individual parts of the house like the walls, floors, parts of the roof partitioning, are
imported or made in a factory.
- The parts are assembled on the building site on an already prepared foundation.
f) Row/ Terrace Houses
These are a row of houses joined together. These are very common in the police barracks.
They sometimes consist of several rooms sharing common veranda and other facilities.
g) Factors that Influence House Choice/ Factors affecting the choice of a house
i . Economic factors: The type of housing a family builds or chooses depends on the
economic status of the family. This means the money available to the family. The high-
income family with more money can build big houses, while low-income families can afford
smaller or multi-family houses.
ii. Location of the house (site): The family should choose location that is near or easily.
accessible to
family members' school, places of work, shopping centre, etc. The location must be safe in
terms of health and property.
iii. Size of the family: A large family will require a larger house than a smaller family.
iv. Family life cycle: Every family goes through a cycle. At the beginning stage the family
needs a smaller house, at the expanding stage they need a bigger house but at the
contracting, stage, they need a small house.
v. Special needs of family members: Some family members may have special needs that will
make living in a type of house difficult. For instance, a person with some leg injury might
have to live in a bungalow and not high-rise building. This is the plan or layout of the house.
This must suit the family.
Ventilation and lighting: The house should be properly ventilated and have good light. These
are important for good health.
vi. Taste and Lifestyle of family: This includes the interests and activities of family members.
It includes how people live their lives and those things they enjoy doing.
(vii) Neighbourhood: People may want a neighbourhood where the people have similar
values, economic status, lifestyle, taste and have good standard of sanitation and
cleanliness.
Functions of a House
(i) A house provides physical protection for its occupants. It protects them against hazards of
the weather such as rain, wind, storm, heat from the sun and against external intruders such
as wild animals and thieves
(ii) A house also provides its occupants privacy and space for physical necessities of life.
(iii) A house provides members of a family a place to relax and enjoy the company and love
of family members.