DEPARTMENT OF HOME ECONOMICS AND FOOD

SCIENCE
FACULTY AGRICULTURE
UIVERSITY OF ILORIN

ASSIGNMENT ON:

HOUSING SELECTION AND ITS FACTORS

BY

ABDULQUADIR, ISMAIL OLA

(14/10AR002)

COURSE CODE: AHE809

COURSE TITLE: HOUSING AND DESIGN

LECTURER-IN-CHARGE: DR. (MRS.) A.A. BABAYEJU

SEPTEMBER, 2021
CONCEPT OF HOUSING

Bessie (2003) defined housing as whatever space a person considers a home, where the person
experiences family living and establish a personal space. Housing consists of one or more rooms
and auxiliary premises. Henilane (2016) postulated that the concept “housing” has a similar
concept as “house” which was described by Melnikas (1998) as a specific and relatively limited,
physically, biologically socially close place where people and groups of people can live their
biosocial life, by receiving services, performing house chores and other biosocial activity.
According to Anyakoha (2015), housing or shelter is one of the basic needs of man, and it should
meet both physical and emotional need of the family as a dwelling place is a must for the family.
She added that the quality of housing can influence the development, health, comfort, happiness
as well as the productivity of individuals being as food, clothing as well as health (Aribigbola,
2006). Fadamiro, Taiwo, and Ajayi (2004) added that housing is fundamental to welfare,
survival as well as the health of man. Kehinde (2010) stated that shelter is central to the existence
of man and that housing involves access to land, home, and the necessary amenities to make
shelter functional, convenient, aesthetically pleasing, safe and hygienic.
Housing is one of the most important life components giving shelter, safety and warmth, as well
as providing a place to rest. The Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) for statistical purposes defines
the concept “housing (housing unit)” as separated and independent place of residence, intended
for living for one household, or place of residence, which is not intended for living, but which
was used by the household during the census as a permanent residence. “Housing” includes
occupied conventional dwellings and other housing units. Usually the housing has fixed address
(Central Statistical Bureau, 2005). Housing is intended for living all year round and it must have
direct access to the street or to joint-use premises (staircases, common corridors, galleries, etc.).
Auxiliary premises are kitchens, corridors, sanitary rooms, bathrooms, storage rooms, built-in
closets; In dormitories and social care institutions as auxiliary premises besides the
aforementioned also facilities of cultural and municipal interest and medical service facilities are
included” (Mājokļu pamatnostādņu projekts, 2005).
The World health organization (1961) mentioned that a good house should have the following
items:
 A good roof to keep out the rain.
 Good walls and doors to protect against bad weather and to keep out animals.
  Sunshades all around the house to protect it from direct sunlight in hot weather.
 Wire nettings at window and doors to keep out insects like house flies and mosquitoes.
The world health organization stressed further that, the need for housing is not only one of the
basic human need but also the indicator of living standard of an individual and the world at large.
There are different types of houses in Nigeria as stated by Anyakoha (2015), they are:
 Traditional house: these types of houses include: mud houses and bamboo houses. They
are usually built with traditional materials and built in simple designs. Traditional houses
are found in the rural areas and are less expensive.
 Modern or contemporary houses: these are houses that are found in cities and urban
regions generally. They are built in complex designs and structures. They are very
expensive. Examples are: duplex, bungalows, apartment buildings, skyscrapers among
others.

Functions of Housing/Shelter
The family house provides physical, emotional, and social needs, (Anyakoha, 2015). The
mentioned the following importance of family house
 It provides protection from physical elements such as heat, cold, wind, rain, dangerous
animals etc.
 Housing provides safety of family members from danger as well as theft of their
properties.
 Shelter provides space for personal and family activities as eating, sleeping, entertaining
guests, relaxation, among others.
 It provides privacy for individual family members and the family as a whole.
 Housing provides storage for properties of the family and its members.

Categories/ Classification of Houses

Henilane (2016) classified houses into different categories hence; the housing type, size, housing
amenities, location, group of population living in the housing, type of ownership rights,
construction period of the housing, energy efficiency indicators; construction materials used in
the exterior wall of the housing and by other features.
Type of housing classification Characteristics
By housing type Room in the apartment
Apartment in multi-apartment residential building or nonresidential
building
Multi-apartment residential building Family house
Other
By housing size Other One room
One-room apartment
Two-room apartment
Three-room apartment, and more
Family house
By housing amenities Housing with all amenities.
Housing with part of amenities
Housing without amenities
By housing location Housing in a city
Housing in rural territory
By group of population living in Any resident
the housing Persons with low-income or other social group at risk
By type of housing ownership State-owned housing
rights Municipality-owned housing
Natural person’s owned housing
Legal person’s owned housing
Other

By construction period of the Housing build before World War II

housing Housing built from 1945 to 1990
Housing built from 1990 until now
By energy efficiency indicators of Minimum regulatory energy performance level allowed for new
housing buildings
Minimum regulatory energy performance level allowed for
reconstructed or renovated buildings
Almost zero energy consumption housing
Other By construction materials Brick wall Wood Brick/panel Reinforced concrete / concrete
used in the exterior wall of the Lightweight concrete Wood/masonry Other
housing
Source: Developed by Henilane (2016) (based on Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 340, 2015;
Ministru kabineta noteikumi Nr. 1620, 2009; Informatīvs ziņojums par ēku renovācijas
finansēšanas risinājumiem , 2013; Ēku renovācijas ilgtermiņa stratēģija, 2014; Central Statistical
Bureau, 2005).
Ways of Acquiring Houses
Anyakoha (2015) stated four ways of acquiring houses as renting, purchasing, building, as well
as inheritance.
 Renting a house: This involves the payment of a certain amount of money (rent) for
dwelling is a house for particular period of time. The rent however is paid at regular
interval so that the tenant will continue dwelling in the rented apartment. Rented
accommodation can be furnished or unfurnished, the former is however more expensive.
 Purchasing a house: Like any other commodity, houses can be purchase by paying a
particular amount of money to have the ownership of a house. Houses can be purchased
through a mortgage, housing schemes which can be issued by the federal or state
government.
 Building a house: Individuals as well as families can decide to build their houses to suit
their taste, value, believe, and design among others. This however involves the
engagement of the services of qualified architect and builder to develop a suitable
plan/design and location of the house.
 Inheriting a house: Houses can be inherited by one generation from another. Such
houses however require restructuring, renovation as well as repairs. Inherited house can
cause conflict among family member in the future.
HOUSING SELECTION
Housing selection refers the series of activities, processes, checklists as well as factors to be
considered in making a decision in housing choices. The selection of a house is a very important
family decision and a number of factors however must be considered. Anyakoha (2015) stated
ten factors that affect the selection of a house, namely:
 Economic factors: This refers to the economic status of the family. The level of income
of families determines the size, design, materials for construction, location among others.
Low-income families cannot afford expensive house as such they go for what they can
afford and vice-versa.
 Psychological factors: A suitable house should be able satisfy a man’s need of shelter for
himself and his family. A family house however should be an evidence of his
achievement and should give him a feeling of achievement and psychological
achievement. Hence, the desired satisfaction and security which a family attaches to
 housing influences the type of house they will choose and the resources they are going to
expend in getting the house.
 Social factors: The social life of a family influences the type of house they will choose.
Cultures also establish certain social conditions that influence choice of houses. Social
status of individuals in the society determines their choice of housing.
 Size of the family: A large family however determines the choice of a house. While
extended family living together will select a bigger house, a nuclear family will only go
for a smaller house. This will determine the size and number of the functional areas in the
house.
 Location of the House: Proximity of the house to place of work, children’s school,
shopping, medical and recreational facilities are to be considered here. Amenities as good
roads, electricity, and pipe borne water should also be available in the location to be
selected.
 Stage of the Family in Family Cycle: Family housing needs can greatly be influenced in
terms of their position in the family life cycle. A family at the beginning stage may need
two bedrooms flat, while those at the expanding stage require a bigger apartment. Finally,
families at the contracting stage require a smaller apartment.
 Lifestyle Need of the Family: Lifestyle of family influences their choice of houses in
design, location, etc. a family that fancies attending parties will choose house located in
cities with clubbing facilities, spa among other. The structure of their house will be that
that can be used for a party.
 Needs of the Family: Some family members require special needs as those that are
impaired like blindness or inability to walk. These needs however influence the choice of
housing.
 Design of the House: The layout or plan of a house determines the choice of the house as
individuals as well as families have a taste in housing design. Modern housing designs
provides for the comfort of the dwellers with features as inbuilt kitchen, toilet and
bathroom, among others.
 Ventilation and Lighting: Ventilation and lighting of the house must be adequate
depending on the choice of the individuals or families that will be dwelling in the house.
Bessie (2003) however stated seven factors that affects people’s choice of a house, they are;
 Location
This is the first factor many people consider when choosing housing. They consider its
accessibility to place of employment of the chief wage earner, the opportunities for the type of
education desired by the parents for their children, the opportunities for social life and facilities
for shopping (King 1968).
 Cost
Affordability is what most people consider in choosing a house. In the rural area however,
dwellers provide their own houses by building on family land or purchased plots in the village,
as such houses in rural area are less costly (Nwagwu, 1985). In the urban areas on the other hand,
95% of the dwelling units are built by private individuals who rent them out to the members of
the public. The government, however provide houses through various housing schemes for
workers and low income Nigerians. Government houses are often located in urban areas and
local government authority headquarters.
 Structure
A preference for particular design or layout influences the choice of housing. varieties of
different types of houses can be seen in different parts of Nigeria. The houses include: wooden
houses on silts, mud houses with galvanized iron roofs, houses built with a combination of
cement blocks and stones, roofs with corrugated iron sheets or asbestos sheets. These may be
bungalows, storey building, and apartment building, high rising building among others. The
choice of the houses mentioned depends on individual preference. Nowadays many people,
especially the middle and upper classes prefer modern houses with built-in toilets, bathrooms,
kitchen, sitting rooms, bedrooms and others.
 Goals
Personal or family goals influence choice of housing, regardless of the type of housing the
person chooses, the actual amount of space he needs is determined by four basic goals that are
related (Garman and Eckert, 1974). One of the goals is the use of housing space and its
function. Based on this, a house is divided into three namely: public, private, and workspace.
Public or recreation areas are usually for some leisure activities, as games, entertainment, and
dining. It includes areas as sitting rooms, dining rooms, entrance, etc. Private or relaxation areas
are for sleeping, dressing, dressing, bathing and grooming. The areas are the bedroom, toilet,
bathroom, and store. The work areas are for food preparation and services, clothing care and
storage. The areas include; kitchen and utility room.
Another goal is economy as houses are selected based on the consideration of one’s limited
material and human resources. Aesthetics is another goal of individuals or families in housing
selection. People choose houses based on the beauty of such houses. Lastly, individuality which
is the reflections of one’s personality and it develops naturally from person’s interests and
preferences.
 Life Cycle
Lifecycle of individuals or family members may influence their choice of housing. At a
particular stage of life, people have different experiences. Garman and Eckert (1974) opined that
a single person may demand only limited space and may also want a private entrance. Likewise,
a family at the beginning stage may need two bedrooms flat, while those at the expanding stage
require a bigger apartment. Finally, families at the contracting stage require a smaller apartment.

Other factors that are involved in the selection of houses include:

 Family Structure:
Families are characterized with certain uniqueness in terms of inter-personal relationship, age,
culture, religion among others. the family structure points at the different ages of the family
members, their sex, and largely how they relate with one another and the member of the society.
An authoritative family where there are extreme law and strict ways of running the family affairs
with cold interrelationship may require a larger utility area and rooms for privacy and respect
while an interactive family where everyone is free to one another may require a smaller space .
 Government Housing Policy
This involves the law and intervention programmes that guides building, owning, and renting of
houses. These set of policies are however put in place by the federal or state government and the
policies allow citizens to have access to houses at affordable prices. Housing policies however
determine one’s choice of a house.
 Stability of the Individual/ Family
Stability as such refers to the duration that a family or an individual is willing to stay in a
particular house or location; permanent residence as well as temporary residence. Based stability
there are two types of family namely:
 i. Transient family- refers to a family that moves from one to another without a permanent
residence due to occupation, security, among other factors.
ii. Permanent family- refers to a family that stays reasonably in the same place over a long
period of time
 Family Values and Standards
The standard of living the family wants to maintain, the family values as well as the priorities set
by the family influences the choice of the family house. A family that values the uniqueness and
wonders of nature may want to obtain a pent house with a beautiful ocean or forest view.
Conclusion and recommendation
From the findings its can be concluded that housing is basic to man existence not only to his
health and security, it also affects him psychologically. Also, there are different types of housing
whose choices are determined by a number of factors. Finally, socio-economic standards,
individual preferences, family life cycle, lifestyle and values are some of the factores that affects
choice of housing.
From the study, the following recommendations were raised
1. Individuals and families should consider different types of houses and select the ones that
better suit their lifestyle and value
2. Careful consideration of the factors affection the choice of housing should me in
selection of housing
3. The government however should enact good housing policies that would help the low
income earners to obtain adequate housing.

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