What is a Single Family Home?

There are many different home types including townhouses, patio homes, condos, and single family homes. This post explains what is a single family home. I’ll also give you a list of the common design types of such homes and a brief description of each.

A single family home is a house that is not attached to any other house; therefore, it houses just one family.

It is different from a townhouse or a condo. Both townhouses and condos are designed for a single family. However, those home types share a common wall with another adjoining property. In the case of a condo, there may be several shared common walls.

A single family home is sometimes referred to as a single family detached home. The detached part comes from the fact the home is not adjoined to any other home. To say differently, this home does not share a common wall with any other home.

More rarely, a single family home is referred to as a single family dwelling. This is used rarely because it is not really that descriptive. A condo and a townhouse are both dwellings. Each of those is designed to house one family per unit.

When you hear single family home or single family detached home think of a house. Those descriptions are describing a house.

9 Common Single Family Home Designs

1. Ranch

This is a single story home. It may or may not have a basement or crawl space.

2. Hillside Ranch

This is a single story home at the ground level on the front. However, this home design always has a basement. Additionally, one side of the home is dug out so that you can walk out from the basement. These are sometimes called a walkout ranch.

3. Two Story

The home has two stories of living space above ground.

4. Three Story

The home has three stories of living space above ground.

5. Bi-Level

There is an upper and lower living space. The lower level is not considered a basement because it is only about halfway underground.

6. Tri-Level

Different from a bi-level. There is a main, upper, and lower floor. The fact it has a main floor is what makes it different from a bi-level.

7. Quad-Level

The same as a tri-level, but there is one additional level fully underground which would be the basement.

8. A-Frame

The structure is designed like an A. Think of the classic ski resort. That is an A-frame.

9. Cape Cod

This is a two story home, but the upper story is usually smaller than the main floor. Upstairs is almost always the same; there are two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Conclusion

A single family home or a single family detached home is a house which stands alone and is not adjoined to any other residential property. An example of it is a house in a subdivision.

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