پادکست انگلیسی 5

In Europe and North America, the size of an average family is getting smaller, but homes are not. In many countries they are getting bigger. Bigger homes are more expensive and heating them in cold weather is worse for the environment. Many people believe it’s time to think again about the size of our homes.

Sixteen-year-old Austin Hay is building a home on his parents’ drive. It’s got everything important, including a shower room, a kitchen and a bedroom with a low ceiling, but it’s only 2.4 meters wide and 3.7 meters long.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to build a tree house,” Austin explains. “But this house is on wheels and that’s a lot cooler.”

Austin doesn’t do any building during the week – he’s busy with school work and playing basketball. But he usually works hard on his house on the weekend. “At the moment, I’m working on the doors. They’re quite easy, so my dad isn’t helping me. He only helps with the difficult things.”

Austin is sleeping in his little house this summer. There isn’t a fireplace at the moment, so in winter he’ll move back across the lawn to his parents’ house. And in the future? “University is very expensive in the USA, but it’ll be cheaper for me because I can take my little house with me. I can live in it anywhere.”