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In town, most French people live in apartments. These are without garages and gardens. When you don't have a garden it's a bit difficult to dry the washing! Have a good look at the apartments in the photo and you will see the washing hung out of the windows! And as for your car, it's parked in the street.
French houses are very small. Often the door will open directly on to the street in many towns and villages. Houses have shutters on the windows, to protect from the cold weather or the sun. The rooms and the yards are very small.
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There are often rooms in the attic. The majority of houses and apartments do not have a separate room for the laundry. The washing machine is located in the kitchen under the work surface. On the other hand, a cellar is a very important room for French people as it is where you keep your bottles of wine!
In the mountain areas, houses and apartments will have a special room for drying clothes and washing called le séchoir. This is often located under the roof in the attic.
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Each area in France has a different traditional style of house. In the regions where there are forests, many of the houses were made from wood. The ones pictured are old wooden houses with beams in Alsace.
In mountainous regions, houses are often made of stone, with stone roofs.
In regions where there is a lot of clay in the soil, bricks were used for house construction. Sometimes houses were built using brick and timber, or stone and timber. Roofs varied from stone, slate or timber tiles, dependent on what was available locally. |
Modern houses and apartment buildings are constructed in brick or blocks. Many do not have a garage, people park their cars in the street. Many people in cities do not own a car because of the difficulty of parking, and the fact that there is a reasonable public transport system.
HLM (Homes at moderate rent) are housing for people who are not well off. They are mostly apartments. They are provided by the government.
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In the Alps and otehr mountainous areas, the traditional houses are built from wood, with steep roofs. These are called chalets.
In the North of France and in mountainous areas, houses would have central heating
In the South, the climate is milder and central heating is not so necessary.
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Les maisons typiques du Queensland sont en bois. Les maisons et les appartements modernes sont en brique.
Il n’y a pas de chauffage central dans le Queensland à cause du climat subtropical. Il y a la climatisation ou des ventilateurs. Les logements ont des vérandas et des terrasses. Il y a souvent un grand jardin avec une piscine. Même quelques maisons ont un terrain de tennis ! |
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