The Hobbit House Vocabulary: houses&homes

Build vocabulary around homes with the Hobbit House! Learn about house types & essential features.

£3,000 Hobbit House by Simon Dale Think about Simon's reasons for doing this. How much did it cost? Where did they get the materials for building it? Where do they get heating, electricity, light and water from? WATCH this video about Simon Dale and his Hobbit House. THINK about the following questions and record your answer for the teacher. Give your personal opinion on the topic.- What do you think of Simon's project?- Did he encounter obstacles? What kind?- Would you ever try doing a project like that? Why not?- What are your thoughts on living in such a house? Which of these features do you think are an essential part of a home? Which are not essential? THINK about these things and what you would like your future home to have. A garden More than one bathroom A dining room A balcony A kitchen Lots of space A swimming pool A fireplace Shutters A garage Central heating A beautiful view A patio / terrace Carpeted floors A basement / family room READ the text on Simon and building the Hobbit House. Choose the words that are missing. Shelter: The Hobbit HouseThis is a house I built for our family in Wales. It was built by myself and my father-in-law with help from passers-by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimated 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 in materials. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60 m excluding labour).The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gave us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. It housed our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage. The main tools used were a chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel, little else really. I was not a builder or carpenter, my experience was only having had a go at one similar house 2 years before and a bit of mucking around inbetween. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.(Simon Dale: Being Somewhere) Which of these would be yourtop 5 essential features? Can you describeyour ideal future home? You can record yourself, or just write a short description, or you can draw and attach your labled drawing. A garden More than one bathroom A dining room A balcony A fitted kitchen Lots of space A swimming pool A fireplace Shutters A garage Central heating A beautiful view A patio / terrace Carpeted floors A basement / family room Hardwood floors Open plan Match the words in the box describing types of houses with their definition. Cottage a small house in the country Bungalow a house with no stairs Apartment a home which is part of a bigger building (American English) Flat a home which is part of a bigger building (British English) Detached a house which is not joined to another house Semi-detached a house which is joined to another house on one side Terraced a house which is joined to other houses on two sides / a house which is part of a line of houses Penthouse a home which is on the top of a tall building Loft apartment a home which was an industrial building Studio a small one-roomed home WATCH this video and think of this exceptional woman and her marevelous accomplishment. Meet Cara Brookins – an Arkansas-based mother of four who did something so extraordinary, it left thousands of people in awe. After abusive relationships, two marriages filled with violence, and being stalked by a man with a mental illness, “my kids and I needed something,” Cara said. “I felt ashamed and I was worried that they had no self-esteemand no confidence.” So, the woman set out for a fresh start for both her and her family. Unfortunately, Cara couldn’t afford a new house but that didn’t stop her. Instead, she decided to build one – on her own with zero experience and zero knowledge.It all started in 2007 when Cara spotted a tornado hit house with only the foundation left… “It made me think, ‘what if we bought some 2’x4’s and sheetrock and put that together? What would our dream house be? Would we want to build it?,’” Cara said. Her kids (then 2, 11, 15 and 17) were absolutely up for it, as after all the domestic violence, this was a way for them to improve their lives.So, using a bank loan of $150,000 for materials, lots of Youtube tutorials, and team work – the family did it! They learned how to frame a house, pour a foundation, and before they knew it they had built a 3500 square foot house with five bedrooms, a three-car garage, a huge shop, and a two-story treehouse – and the family was stronger as ever! Cara and her family have been living in the ‘Inkwell Manor’ for the past eight years and she can bravely say her kids are “now fearless”. “They dive into anything. There’s nothing you could suggest to them that they could not do. It’s an incredible thing.” CLICK on the image and FILL IN the types of homes you can see in this picture. All the names are provided in the upper right corner of the image. Be careful about the spelling, bungalow block of flats castle tepee igloo detached house lighthouse log cabin skyscraper cottage eco-house manor boat house hut mobile house farm house yurt mansion hotel What is one takeaway you learned?