ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation: it is shelter or a place to live in temporarily or permanently e.g. a

place to perform work or duties such as office accommodation.
Housing: it is the action of providing a place to stay. It is the action of providing
houses to people to rent, buy or use as office space.

Types of accommodation

They include the following:

 Hotel, bed and breakfast, guest house, lodge, rest inn, chalet, and motel. This
type of accommodation is provided at a fixed rate and usually used
temporarily. They usually have restaurants where people can buy their meals.
They are referred to as hospitality accommodation because they are
responsible for reception of customers or guests to stay or spend a short
time. It exudes a friendly, welcoming and generous behavior to attract more
customers to come again.
 Hostels: (housing units that are not fully equipped. They offer a room or
room with bathroom as well as meals. They are often preferred by single
people), These types of accommodation are either attached to educational
institution such as schools, colleges and university or are used by employers
to house their work force e.g. in mines.
 Caravan, tent, mobile homes (regarded as vacation homes not permanent
dwellings usually used by construction workers who have to move to new
locations frequently). These are pre-fabricated housing units which can be
moved from one location to another OR The are single family dwellings that
are made and assembled in a factory then taken on wheels to a site where
the wheels are removed and connections are made for electricity and water
system.
 Office, conference room. These are types of accommodation where people
work/ they are work places. They can be used for meetings. Conference
rooms can be used to hold events or occasions such as weddings.
 House: it can be used either temporarily or permanently to stay in.

Factors to consider when choosing accommodation

 Site/topology- it’s a piece of land on which the dwelling is built. Each site has
its own characteristics (size, shape, contour e.g. hills and curves) and soil
type. One should choose a place in an area with good geographical
characteristics e.g. without slopes as it can be affected by floods. It must be
environmental friendly and free from natural disasters like floods, mud slide,
volcanoes.

 Location- it should be conducive and convenient by being near facilities such

as hospitals, schools, shops, church or place of work. The area should suit all
members of the family. Choose a place that will give you a sense of
happiness, freedom and safety. It must be environmental friendly, location

1
 free from noise, air and land pollution and free from crime and natural
disasters like floods, mud slide, volcanoes. The climatic condition of that area
should be suitable because some people get ill due to certain climatic
conditions.

 Size of the building/ Size of family: It should accommodate all inhabitants or

members of the family and their belongings.

 Neighbourhood- Choose one that is crime free, with neighbors who are
peaceful, pleasant people not noisy or violent.

 Financial status/ affordability- one should consider the amount of money that
he or she has. The amount of money one has will determine the type of
accommodation that one gets. If one has less money then the
accommodation got will be a cheaper one. One should choose a place he/she
can afford to pay for.

 Utilities available: one has to choose a place that has all the utilities that he
or she needs such as electricity, water, telephone to make life comfortable
and easy. These will determine if one chooses a particular place or not.

 Convenience: the area should be near all the facilities needed such as schools
or hospitals, shopping malls. One can also consider whether the area is near
public transport, near the place of work, where it won’t be affected by future
developments, etc.

 Condition of the house: one should choose a place which is in a good state
e.g. no feeling paint, damaged ceiling, bare electric wires etc.

 Aspect : this is the direction whether north or south

 Climate:

Ways of acquiring a house

There are different ways of acquiring houses. They include the following:
-Renting -Inheritance
-Building -Buying

Renting
This is staying in a house that doesn’t belong to you, usually at a fee. Rentals can be
paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

Advantages
-The landlord is responsible for maintenance.
-There is no need to worry about the value of the house going up or down.
-One can move out at short notice.
- There are no hidden costs.
- It is accessible as there is a wide choice available.

2
- Offers a wide choice of location.

Disadvantages
-No ownership even after a long time staying in the house.
-There is no security, one may be asked to vacate / move out at short notice.
-Rent may rise at short notice.
-There may be restrictions e.g. no children or animals.
-One cannot make alterations without the landlord’s permission.
-The landlord may take time to respond to queries or complaints.
-One cannot use the house as security for loans.

Building
This is construction of a house. One can get a mortgage or use savings to build a
house.

Advantages
-It is an investment.
-One is free to make changes whenever they see the need to do so.
-The plan is made to suit one’s taste, preference and needs. It is built to your own
specifications.
- Provide a sense of achievement.
- The house can be used as security for loans such as mortgages.
- Value of the house is maintained if the house is well built.

Disadvantages
- One has to pay for repairs and maintenance of the house
-One has to deal with workers who may be difficult e.g. wasting building materials.
- Scarcity of building materials may mean that the owner will spend a lot
-Building a house can take a longer time due to weather conditions like rains or
alterations that need to be done to the structure.
- Cost may exceed estimates during construction because of inflation.
- A finished product may not meet your expectations.

Buying
This is purchasing a house which is already built. One can use her savings or acquire
a loan or mortgage.

Advantages
-It is an investment, value increases over time.
-There is a sense of security on home ownership.
-One can decorate or make alterations according to their choice.
-One sees the finished product before they buy.
-One can use it for security to acquire a mortgage.
-It provides with a sense of fulfillment, achievement or prestige.

Disadvantages

3
- If a mortgage is obtained the house is not owned until the final payment is made
and one may lose it due to failure to pay.
-One is responsible for maintenance of the house.
- There might be hidden weaknesses or faults

Inheritance
When a person dies the property or a house is passed to another person who is a
relative or friend.

Advantages
-There are no costs incurred since one gets the house for free.
- One owns the property immediately after distribution of the deceased person’s
property.
-One is free to do anything with the house e.g. altering, renting or selling it.
-It adds value to the estate of the heir.
-it gives the heir or beneficiary an opportunity to use his/ her savings for other
projects.
-One may be familiar with the surroundings already.

Disadvantages
-There is a likelihood of conflicts among family members if they did not like the way
the estate was distributed or if they also want the house.
-One may not like the location or neighbourhood where the house is situated.
- It may not be to your desires/taste.
-It may need repairs

Types of houses
-Detached house- it is a single housing unit standing on its own. OR. It is a house not
sharing any wall with others; it could be on the ground floor or double storey. It is
suitable for families with children since there is large playing ground for children, it is
also suitable for the elderly and handicapped provided it does not have any stairs.

- Semi detached house- these are two (2) housing units built on the same level and
separated by a common wall, e.g. teaching staff houses. They cost less as compared
to detached houses. There can be a lot of noise through the shared wall and there is
risk of fire. They are suitable for large families with children as they have plenty of
space around where children can play.

-Terraced or row houses - these are three or more housing units built on the same
level and attached to one another.

-Bungalow- a house with all the rooms on the ground and no stairs. They are
suitable for people with young children or large families with children as they have
plenty of space around where children can play and accidents caused by falling from
stairs by children are eliminated since children are very active. It is also suitable for
old people as they don’t have a lot of energy to move up and down the stairs.

4
Wheelchair bound people also need bungalows for easy movement with a
wheelchair.
-Flats- Usually smaller than houses and have all the rooms on one level. They are
cheaper to buy or rent and are suitable for single people or childless couples.

-Town houses- are housing units built in rows with units sharing side walls but each
unit having its front and back doors, usually bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs
and living rooms downstairs

How housing meets needs

Physical: housing protects us from harsh weather conditions such as the cold, heat
from the sun, winds and natural disasters such us floods. Housing protects our
belongings from harsh weather conditions such as the cold, heat from the sun, winds
and natural disasters such us floods as well as thieves. It also provides us with
security from enemies or dangerous people such as rapists, robbers and also from
wild animals. It provides privacy when doing private activities such as bathing,
sleeping. It provides a place to perform physiological functions/ physical activities
such as sleeping, eating, body care.

Social- It provides a place for socialization where people learn morals, culture and
values. A home is a learning place for social behavior where children learn what is
good and bad/ it is a place where children are disciplined so that they can behave in
an acceptable manner. It provides a place for entertainment as one can invite friends
to have fun or host parties in a house. The home offers an opportunity for social
contact as every person needs other people so one can meet and interact with
friends and family which strengthens family bonds or family ties. It is a place where
conflicts are resolved as meetings can be held to bring peace between individuals
having arguments or fights.

Emotional- Self-confidence, self-respect or a positive self-concept/ high self-esteem

are developed in the home due to the love and acceptance received in a house. It
provides a place where a sense of love, acceptance /belonging can be provided
which gives emotional stability. It provides an atmosphere of security, warmth and
friendliness achieved through helpfulness, good manners, mutual love and trust. It is
where emotions such as love, hate, jealousy, happiness, worry are expressed and
met which gives emotional security. It’s a place where stress can be relieved as one
can receive counseling when going through a stressful situation.

GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING THE LAYOUT OF ROOMS IN A HOUSE

-Space available or size of rooms: one needs to consider activities, habits, and
lifestyle and life situations of the people to use the house then one divides the
interior space into areas according to use, if there are many activities to be done in a
room then it should be big enough for such activities to take place. E.g. a kitchen

5
which is to be used for food preparation, cooking and dining needs to be big enough
for all those activities to be done in it.
-Use/function of the room – e.g. kitchen, laundry room, lounge, and TV room etc.
one should bear in mind the function of each room when planning the layout.
 The kitchen will need more electrical sockets for equipment; a living room may
need areas for reading, relaxing etc.
 A kitchen and bathroom should not be near each other for hygienic purposes.
 The kitchen and bathrooms should be built along the same wall for easy
plumbing.
 The bedrooms and bathrooms should be near each other for convenience when
one needs to use the bathroom at night.
 Playrooms, entertainment rooms or living room should be away from bedrooms
and the library/ study since too much noise can disturb those trying to study,
work or sleep.
 The kitchen and dining room should be next to each other for easy serving and to
minimize the distance the food has to be carried so that the food does not get
cold
-Ventilation – there is natural ventilation (windows and doors) and artificial
(extractor fans etc). Fresh air is needed to prevent bad smell, control humidity
etc. There should be adequate ventilation provided naturally through adequate,
large well spaced windows or artificially to let in fresh air into rooms.
-Lighting – there should be adequate lighting which can be provided by natural
light, through windows which should be well positioned and as large as possible
to prevent accidents and for comfort. Artificial lighting can be used when the
rooms are dark through lamps or bulbs, these should be well placed so that there
is adequate light in all rooms.
-Storage space – it is important to have a lot of storage space which should be
located in convenient places. There are built in storages like wall wardrobes,
cupboards, pantry etc.
-Direction of room – rooms that will need plumbing should be located on one
side so that plumbing is easier and cheaper.
 Rooms should not face a direction which will allow too much sunlight in
rooms making them too hot and uncomfortable.
 Bedrooms should be positioned away from street noise and street lights,
preferably at the back of the house where it is quiet.
 If there is only one bathroom it should be placed centrally for easy access.
-Safety – there should be sufficient lighting and enough space to allow good
traffic flow to prevent accidents.
-Individual needs, tastes and preferences or likes and dislikes should be
considered so that each individual has their own personal space that they enjoy.