6. Houses and homes

Our words

accommodation a place to live, work or stay in rented/temporary accommodation majoitus
aerial a piece of equipment made of wire or long straight pieces of metal for receiving or sending radio and television signals a forest of television aerials on the roofs antenni
a-frame a house with very steep sides that meet at the top in the shape of the letter A Does your house have A-frame? a-kehys,
a-katto
alarm a loud noise or a signal that warns people of danger or of a problem She decided to sound the alarm hälytys
back door the door at the back or side of a building Do you have back door at your house? taka-ovi
bay window a large window, usually with glass on three sides, that sticks out from the outside wall of a house Do you have bay windows at your house? ulokeikkuna, eikkeri
burglar-alarm an electronic device, often fixed to a wall, that rings a loud bell if somebody tries to enter a building by force Burglar-alarm protects us murtohälytys
eviction eviction (from something) the act of forcing somebody to leave a house or land, especially when you have the legal right to do so to face eviction from your home häätö
downspout a pipe that carries rainwater from the roof of a building to a drain Do you have downspout at your house? viemäriputki
gasometer a very large round container or building in which gas is stored and from which it is sent through pipes to other buildings Do you have gasometer at your house?  kaasusäiliö

arrears money that somebody owes that they have not paid at the right time rent/mortgage/tax arrears maksurästit
fireplace an open space for a fire in the wall of a room A log fire crackled in the fireplace. takka
entrance a door, gate, passage, etc. used for entering a room, building or place the front/back/side entrance of the house sisäänkäynti
decoration a thing that makes something look more attractive on special occasions Christmas/festive decorations koriste
dresser a large piece of wooden furniture with shelves in the top part and cupboards below, used for displaying and storing cups, plates, etc I put the kettle on and took two cups and saucers down from the dresser. lipasto
exchange  to give something to somebody and at the same time receive the same type of thing from them exchange something to exchange news/information vaihto
duplex (of a flat) with rooms on two floors a duplex apartment kaksikerroksinen
broom-cupboard a large built-in cupboard used for keeping cleaning equipment, etc. in There's a broom cupboard under the stairs. siivouskaappi
to gazunder to offer a lower price for a house that you have already agreed to buy at a higher price, before the contract is signed The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. katsomaan
free standing not supported by or attached to anything a free-standing sculpture vapaasti seisova

igloo a small round house or shelter built from blocks of hard snow by the Inuit people of northern North America and Greenland I have never seen igloo iglu
rental the amount of money that you pay to use something for a particular period of time Telephone charges include line rental. vuokraus
pattern the regular way in which something happens or is done changing patterns of urban life kuvio
hammock a type of bed made from a net or from a piece of strong material, with ropes at each end that are used to hang it between two trees, posts, etc. Can we buy hammock please? riippumatto
sweep to clean a room, surface, etc. using a broom (= a type of brush on a long handle) Chimneys should be swept regularly. lakaista
partition  a wall or screen that separates one part of a room from another The cafe was divided up by glass partitions. väliseinä
squatter a person who is living in a building or on land without permission and without paying rent The squatters were evicted by bailiffs on Tuesday. asunnonvaltaaja
roomie a person that you share a room with, especially at a college or university I have such a nice roomie huonetoveri
socket a device in a wall that you put a plug into in order to connect electrical equipment to the power supply of a building The battery charger plugs into any mains socket. pistorasia
washbasin a large bowl that has taps and is fixed to the wall in a bathroom, used for washing your hands and face in She filled the washbasin with warm soapy water. pesuallas