B1 Vocabulary — Houses & home spaces
Useful words to talk about rooms and areas in a house and common verbs for repair and renovation.
B1 Intermediate
Home & living
House vocabulary
1. Extra rooms & levels
Rooms and areas you don’t always see in smaller flats.
- attic = a room or space just under the roof. We keep old clothes and boxes in the attic.
- loft = an open space under the roof, often used as a bedroom or living area. They turned the loft into a small home office.
- basement = a floor that is partly or completely below ground level. There’s a ping-pong table in the basement.
- cellar = a room below ground for storage, especially food or wine. My grandpa keeps his wine in the cellar.
- landing = the small area at the top or bottom of stairs. There’s a bookshelf on the landing.
2. Garden & entrance areas
- shed = a small building in the garden for tools or hobbies. He keeps all his gardening tools in the shed.
- porch = a covered area by the front door. We like sitting on the porch in summer.
- patio = a paved area outside the house for eating or relaxing. There’s a table and chairs on the patio.
3. Special-use rooms
- playroom = a room where children keep their toys and play. The kids are in the playroom with their friends.
- study = a room used for work, reading or study. She works from home in a small study.
- pantry = a small room or cupboard for storing food. We keep tins and jars in the pantry.
- utility room = a room for the washing machine, sink and cleaning equipment. Dirty clothes go straight into the utility room.
4. Describing size & light
- spacious / roomy = big, with a lot of space to move. The living room is spacious enough for a big sofa.
- cramped = too small or crowded. The old kitchen was cramped and uncomfortable.
- cosy / cozy = small, warm and comfortable. The cottage felt very cosy in winter.
- light = with lots of natural sunlight. My bedroom is light and perfect for reading.
- dark = without much light; a bit gloomy. The basement is dark, so we switch on extra lamps.
5. Furniture, condition & location
- furnished = with furniture included. The flat came furnished with beds and a sofa.
- unfurnished = with no furniture. We rented an unfurnished apartment and bought everything ourselves.
- two-storey (UK) / two-story (US) = a house with two floors. They live in a two-storey house with bedrooms upstairs.
- in good condition = well cared for, no serious damage. The house is in good condition after the repairs.
- in bad condition = old or damaged, needs work. The old building is in bad condition and needs painting.
- in a good location = in a convenient or attractive area. Our house is in a good location, near shops and schools.
6. Repair & renovation verbs
Common verbs we use when we improve or look after a house.
- fix, repair, mend = make something work again. I need to fix the broken chair in the dining room.
- decorate / redecorate = make a room look nicer with paint, wallpaper, etc. We’re going to redecorate the living room this spring.
- renovate, refurbish, do up (UK) = make big improvements to an old house. They bought an old house and are slowly doing it up.
- install / put in = add new equipment or features. We’re going to put in a new shower in the bathroom.
- insulate = add material to keep heat in or noise out. It’s cheaper to heat the house now that we’ve insulated the attic.
- do DIY = do home improvement work yourself. He loves doing DIY and builds his own furniture.
- do housework = clean and look after the home. I usually do the housework on Saturday morning.
7. Speaking tips
- Use a spacious / cosy / cramped + room / flat / house to describe size and feeling.
- Use in good condition / in bad condition to talk about how well a place is looked after.
- Combine a verb with a room: We’re going to renovate the kitchen and redecorate the bedroom.
Exercises:
Houses & home spaces
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
We keep old boxes and Christmas decorations in the small room under the roof, the
.
Correct:
An attic is a small room under the roof, usually for storage.
2
They turned the big open space at the top of the house into a modern
with a bed and a sofa.
Correct:
A loft is an open living space at the top of a house or building.
3
We watch films and play games in the big room below ground level, in the
.
Correct:
A basement is a room or floor under ground level, often used for living or storage.
4
They keep wine and potatoes in the cool, dark
under the house.
Correct:
A cellar is a cool room under a house, usually for storing food or drink.
5
At the top of the stairs there is a small
with doors to all the bedrooms.
Correct:
A landing is the small area at the top of a staircase.
6
There is a small
in the garden where we keep tools and the lawnmower.
Correct:
A shed is a small building in the garden for tools and garden things.
7
You can stand on the covered
in front of the door when it rains.
Correct:
A porch is a covered area in front of the entrance door.
8
In summer we eat outside on the
at the back of the house, with a table and chairs.
Correct:
A patio is a hard floor area outside where you can sit and eat.
9
The children have their own
full of toys and games.
Correct:
A playroom is a room where children play.
10
I work from home, so I have a small
with a desk and a computer.
Correct:
A study is a room used for working or reading.
11
We keep extra food, tins and jars in a small
next to the kitchen.
Correct:
A pantry is a small room where you store food.
12
The washing machine and dryer are in the
not in the kitchen.
Correct:
A utility room is a room for washing machines and cleaning equipment.
13
The new living room is very
there is space for two sofas and a big table.
Correct:
A spacious room is large with a lot of space.
14
The flat is small, but the bedrooms feel quite
and not tight at all.
Correct:
A roomy room feels large and comfortable.
15
My old student room was very
there was hardly any space to move.
Correct:
A cramped room is too small and crowded.
16
They have a small
living room with soft lights and comfortable chairs.
Correct:
A cosy / cozy room feels warm, comfortable and pleasant.
17
The kitchen is very
because it has big windows and lots of sun.
Correct:
A light room has lots of natural sunlight.
18
Our spare room is quite
there is only one small window.
Correct:
A dark room does not get much light.
19
We rented the flat
so it already has a sofa, a bed and a table.
Correct:
A furnished flat already has furniture.
20
The apartment is
so we must buy all the furniture ourselves.
Correct:
An unfurnished flat has no furniture inside.
21
We live in a
house with bedrooms upstairs and the kitchen downstairs.
Correct:
A two-storey / two-story house has two floors.
22
The building is old but still
the roof and windows are fine.
Correct:
If something is in good condition, it is in good shape and not damaged.
23
This old farmhouse is
the roof leaks and the walls are damaged.
Correct:
If a house is in bad condition, it needs a lot of repair.
24
The flat is small but
it is close to the metro and the city centre.
Correct:
A flat in a good location is in a convenient, useful place.
25
The tap is leaking; we need to
it so it stops dripping.
Correct:
To fix something is to repair it so it works again.
26
The builder will
the broken roof tiles tomorrow.
Correct:
To repair is to fix something that is damaged.
27
Can you
this chair? One leg is loose, but it is still good.
Correct:
To mend is to repair something small, like a chair or piece of clothing.
28
They want to
their new flat and choose colours for the walls and curtains.
Correct:
To decorate is to paint and add colours and pictures to a room.
29
The living room looks old; we want to
it and change the wallpaper.
Correct:
To redecorate is to decorate a room again in a new style.
30
The owners plan to
the old farmhouse and make the kitchen and bathrooms modern.
Correct:
To renovate is to repair and improve a building in a big way.
31
The hotel will
all the rooms, adding new beds and modern bathrooms.
Correct:
To refurbish is to redecorate and improve the inside of a building.
32
They bought a very old house to
and sell later; they will change the roof, windows and kitchen.
Correct:
To do up a house is to renovate and improve it completely.
33
Tomorrow they will
a new shower in the bathroom.
Correct:
To install is to put new equipment into a place so it works there.
34
The plumber will
a second sink in the kitchen.
Correct:
To put in something is to install it in a room or building.
35
We want to
the walls so the house stays warmer in winter.
Correct:
To insulate is to add material so heat does not escape from the house.
36
At weekends he loves to
and build shelves or paint small rooms himself.
Correct:
To do DIY is to do small building or repair jobs yourself at home.
37
On Saturday morning I usually
I clean, vacuum and wash the floor.
Correct:
To do housework is to clean and look after the home.
Houses & home spaces
Match the sentences with the houses & home spaces words
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