Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Most British houses are made of brick and cement. In a row of terrace houses, the interconnecting
walls are cavity walls: they have a space between them to allow air to circulate. On the interiors, the
walls are covered in plaster, and then either painted or decorated with wallpaper. The internal walls of
a house fall into two categories: load-bearing walls and partition walls. Floors and roofs are
supported by strong beams, which are long, heavy pieces of wood or metal.
Floors can be covered in a variety of materials, such as wood, parquet, marble, laminate flooring or
ceramic- or vinyl tiles. In living rooms and bedrooms, the floors generally covered with carpets.
Houses are normally connected to local utilities, such as mains water, electricity, district heating and
gas supply. It is also possible in Finland to have a broadband Internet connection as a part of the
utilities in newly built homes. In the countryside, not everyone is connected to mains gas, and some
houses have gas tanks in their gardens. The vast majority of people are connected to the local sewage
system, but some people have their own septic tanks in their gardens to treat waste water. Houses
that are connected to utilities have separate meters to show how much they consume. Representatives
of these utility companies visit houses regularly to take meter readings - with which they can then bill
their customers.
Some plumbing jobs should also be done by professional plumbers. For example, although you can
change taps, you should get a professional to install a gas boiler.
Some building work can be done without supervision. Many people enjoy doing DIY, such as putting
up shelves, fitting cupboards and doors, assembling furniture and so on. However, for the big jobs,
such as loft conversions and building extensions, you need to first apply for and obtain planning and
building permission from the local authorities then employ a firm of builders.
In Britain, damp winter weather causes many problems to houses. For example, some houses can suffer
from damp, mould or dry rot, caused by water seeping into walls and timber. For this reason, houses
have gutters and some may need regular damp proof treatment. Window sills and window frames
should be made waterproof and most people have central heating via radiators to keep the air inside
warm and dry. Special thermostats set on the wall help to regulate the temperature in the room. In
addition, most people have insulation in the loft to keep warm air in, and cold air out.
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saloon, a castle, a warehouse, a closet, a cell, a shed, a kitchen, a waiting room, a mess, a