Let's analyze the question:

Given:

1. The scale is $1:200$, meaning $1 \, \text{cm}$ on the grid corresponds to $200 \, \text{cm}$ (or $2 \, \text{m}$) in real life.
2. Each side of a square on the grid is $1 \, \text{cm}$.
3. The house is represented by the black squares.

Step 1: Count the black squares

From the image, there are 12 black squares representing the house.

Step 2: Area on the grid

Each square on the grid has an area of $1 \, \text{cm} \times 1 \, \text{cm} = 1 \, \text{cm}^2$. Therefore, the total area of the house on the grid is: $12 \, \text{cm}^2$

Step 3: Convert to real-life dimensions

Using the scale $1:200$, $1 \, \text{cm}$ on the grid corresponds to $2 \, \text{m}$. The real-life area of each square is: $(2 \, \text{m}) \times (2 \, \text{m}) = 4 \, \text{m}^2$ Thus, the real-life area of the house is: $12 \times 4 = 48 \, \text{m}^2$

Final Answer:

The actual area of Ella's house is 48 $\text{m}^2$.

Would you like additional clarifications or a breakdown of the steps?
Here are 5 related questions to expand on the topic:

1. How would the area change if the scale were $1:100$?
2. How do we calculate perimeter using the same scale?
3. Can you convert the area into other units, such as square feet?
4. What happens if part of the house overlaps multiple squares?
5. How do we interpret different scales like $1:50$ or $1:500$?

Tip: Always double-check the grid’s scale and units before calculations.