it takes a heap of living to make a house a home

== English == === Alternative forms === it takes a heap o' livin' to make a house a home === Etymology === From the poem A Heap o' Livin' (1916) by Edgar A. Guest. === Proverb === it takes a heap of living to make a house a home (chiefly US) A house is simply a physical structure and does not count as a home until significant events in the inhabitants' lives have occurred there over a substantial period of time, and they have developed an emotional bond to the house and its immediate environs. Synonym: it takes a lot of living to make a house a home 1973, Government of Canada, House of Commons Debates, Official Report, Volume 3, p. 2476 (Google search result): We often hear the famous lines quoted that it takes a heap of living to make a house a home, but we have to recognize that the family cannot do it without a house in which to start. === See also ===