Home/Vocabulary exercises/Home improvement 1

HOME IMPROVEMENT VOCABULARY 1 (ESL)

level: Intermediate (B1/B2)
Whether you're planning a renovation, hiring a contractor, or just watching a home improvement show, this vocabulary is essential. This first exercise covers the key terms for describing repairs, improvements, and the people and tools involved. This is exercise 1 of 2.


READY TO PRACTICE? LET’S GO!
1. Our kitchen is too small. We need to ________ it.
2. Sorry about the mess! We're in the middle of ________.
3. We have to ________ these tiles; they are old and dirty.
4. I asked the contractor to give me an ________ ( = a rough idea of how much the work will cost).
5. We bought the new house because our old house was too small. We needed more ________ (= space).
6. We had to ________ down (= to get rid of) the wall.
7. It looks like it's about 300 ________ feet right now.
8. We'd like to ________ the size of this room.
9. There are __________ (= people hired on contract to do a certain job) for each phase of construction: heating, electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, etc.
10. Sometimes it's hard for contractors to find the exact materials that the __________ wants.
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Home Improvement Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever done any DIY home improvement projects? What did you do?
2. If you could renovate one room in your home, which would it be and why?
3. Do you think it's better to hire a professional contractor or do repairs yourself? Why?
4. What home improvement project would add the most value to a house?
5. Have you ever had a home renovation go wrong? What happened?
6. What does your dream home look like? What would you change about where you live now?
More English vocabulary exercises Home improvement 1
Home improvement 2
Around the house 1
Buying a house/apartment 1
Buying a house/apartment 2
Did you know? The term do-it-yourself (DIY) became popular in the 1950s in the United States and Britain, when post-war homeowners began tackling home repairs themselves rather than hiring tradespeople. Today, DIY is a global culture with dedicated TV channels, YouTube channels, and entire sections of hardware stores.

A contractor is a general term for anyone hired to do construction or renovation work. A subcontractor is someone hired by the contractor to do a specific part of the job — for example, an electrician or a plumber.
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