Ever wondered that the difference between a house and a terrace, a semi and a duplex, a townhouse and a villa? They are all types of homes right? But this could be an important question if you’re planning to build and need to know exactly what you can and can’t build on your chosen land or estate.
Here are some of our most common dwelling types and how they may differ from one another.
A house is a house
A freestanding home is still most people’s idea of the new home dream. The house on a piece of land you call your own with fences or other boundaries to separate your residence from others.
Freestanding homes are a popular for families with young children because they usually have more accommodation and garden space for playing. But they are generally the most expensive as land rates, insurance, utility and maintenance bills can be high.
Over the years the grown of our cities and population has seen lot in inner and outer city suburbs decrease.
Considered the most flexible dwelling type, a freestanding house can be knocked down, renovated or extended provided it complies with the relevant regulations.
Terrace
Typically found in the inner city, terraces were initially popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s before falling out of favour in the mid-1900s. Terrace style living has definitely made a come back today as they are offer affordability and low-maintenance living close to amenities. They are a poplar choice in master-planned communities and estates. Perth Townies has quite a number of these that you can chose from including the award winning Mojo Estate in Cockburn.
Typically upwards of two storeys, terrace style homes offer two to four bedrooms, and front and back gardens or courtyards and may be freestanding but more often share neighbouring walls.
Most inner-city terraces were built more than 100 years ago, but terraces are now being built in many new housing developments.
Semi-detached homes
Semi-detached homes share one common wall with the neighbouring house. While it was once considered the poor cousin of a freestanding house, this style of home has become a more popular option thanks to its affordability.
Offering more privacy than an apartment or townhouse but less maintenance than a house, semi-detached homes can be a great in-between option, especially for new home owners.
A new wave of semi-detached homes is expected as the trend for inner city infill development continues. Below is an example of a modern semi-detached build on a corner block.
Duplex
A duplex is defined as two dwellings under one roof with one shared wall. They can be on a single title or two titles, allowing each dwelling to be individually owned and sold.
Duplexes are a popular property investment choice as they can deliver multiple rental incomes streams at a lower build cost.
Depending on local regulations, duplexes can often be built on standard sized blocks, and are popular as a demolish and build project.
Townhouse
Traditionally, a townhouse is a self-contained property, sometimes attached and sometimes freestanding, within a complex of three or more dwellings. The buyer owns the dwelling but shares ownership of the land and common property with other owners in the complex. Most are strata-titled, which means buyers must pay annual levies to a body corporate that takes care of common property maintenance, insurance and compliance matters.
However, like other home types, the traditional idea of a townhouse is changing with the offering of freehold townhouses in many new developments in around Perth.
Sometimes townhouse and villa are used to describe the same house.