House A house is a building that functions as a home, ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to complex, fixed structures of wood, brick, concrete or other materials containing plumbing, ventilation and electrical systems. Many houses have several large rooms and several small rooms with their specialized functions. Most modern houses usually consist of a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or cooking area, and a living room. Houses use a various roofing systems to keep precipitation such as rain from getting into the dwelling space. Houses may have doors and locks to secure the dwelling space from burglars or other trespassers. A house may have a separate dining room or an integrated eating area with another room. Some large houses in North America even have a recreation room. In traditional agriculture-oriented societies, domestic animals such as chickens may share part of the house with humans. A social unit living in a house is known as a household. (Report text)​