Parts of a house

pillar	a large round stone, metal or wooden post that is used to support a bridge, the roof of a building, etc., especially when it is part of an attractive design	Two white marble pillars stood on either side of the entrance.	tukipilari
veranda	a platform with an open front and a roof, built onto the side of a house on the ground floor	After dinner, we sat talking on the veranda.	veranta
fire-escape	metal stairs or a ladder on the outside of a building that people can use to escape from a fire	The thief got away down the fire escape.	paloportaat
dome	a round roof with a circlular base	the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral	kupoli
drainpipe	a pipe that carries rainwater from the roof of a building to a drain	an opening into a building or a room, where the door is	viemäriränni
doorway	an opening into a building or a room, where the door is	She stood in the doorway for a moment before going in.	ovensuu
atrium	a large high space, usually with a glass roof, in the centre of a modern building	The reception was held in the atrium.	valopiha
courtyard	an open space that is partly or completely surrounded by buildings and is usually part of a castle, a large house, etc.	the central/inner courtyard	linnanpiha
flooring	material used to make the floor of a room	vinyl/wooden flooring	lattiamateriaali
threshold	the floor or ground at the bottom of a doorway, considered as the entrance to a building or room	She stood hesitating on the threshold.	kynnys

Buying a home

contract	an official written agreement	I signed the contract yesterday.	sopimus
homeowner	​a person who owns their house or flat	He's a proud houseowner.	talonomistaja
mortgage	a legal agreement by which a bank or similar organization lends you money to buy a house, etc., and you pay the money back over a particular number of years; the sum of money that you borrow	He raised the money by taking out a second mortgage on his house.	asuntolaina
real-estate	property in the form of land or buildings	My father sold real estate.	kiinteistö
survey	an examination of the condition of a house, etc., usually done for somebody who is thinking of buying it	a detailed structural survey	yleiskartoitus
repayment	a sum of money that you pay regularly to a bank, etc. until you have returned all the money that you owe	The monthly mortgage repayments are quite high.	takaisinmaksu
offer	an amount of money that somebody is willing to pay for something	The original price was £3000, but I'm open to offers	tarjota
house-hunting	​the activity of looking for a house to buy	We're going house-hunting at the weekend.	asunnon etsimistä
freehold	the fact of owning a building or piece of land for a period of time that is not limited	Private tenants in flats now have the right to buy the freehold from their landlord.	maa, johon on hallintaoikeus
deed	a legal document that you sign, especially one that proves that you own a house or a building	The deeds of the house are missing.	asiakirja

Our words

block	a large piece of a solid material that is square or rectangular in shape and usually has flat sides	The wall was made from massive blocks of stone.	laatta
cement	the hard substance that is formed when cement becomes dry and hard	a floor of cement	sementti
construction	the process or method of building or making something, especially roads, buildings, bridges, etc.	The summer house was a simple wooden construction.	rakennustyöt
demolish	to pull or knock down a building; to destroy something	The old slums are being demolished to make way for a new housing project.	tuhota
elevation	one side of a building, or a drawing of this by an architect	the front/rear/side elevation of a house	talon sivu
pipework	the pipes used for carrying oil, gas or water around a machine, building, etc.	​the pipes used for carrying oil, gas or water around a machine, building, etc.	putkisto
renovation	the act or process of repairing and painting an old building, piece of furniture, etc. so that it is in good condition again	buildings in need of renovation	remontti
varnish	to put varnish on the surface of something	The doors are then stained and varnished.	lakata
collapse	to fall down or fall in suddenly, often after breaking apart	The roof collapsed under the weight of snow.	romahtaa
plaster (verb)	to cover a wall, etc. with plaster	The walls need plastering before we can start decorating.	tapetoida