Definition of Single Family Home

As its name suggests, a family home is one in which the habitable building is occupied by a single family. The concept of single-family housing is used architecturally in opposition to the idea of ​​collective housing or multi-family housing.

Particularities of this type of housing

- Single-family homes are normally located in remote areas from urban centers and large agglomerations.

- These are homes that socially symbolize the purchasing power of those who inhabit them.

- These homes are usually located in exclusive areas and are very common in countries such as the United States, Australia and some northern European countries.

- As for his architecture, there is no single model of single-family housing, but rather it presents a wide range of typologies: semi-detached, with swimming pool, bioclimatic, with a single floor or several, isolated, paired with another similar house, between other

- The building It is proposed based on the north-south direction for the location of the dependencies of the home and the east-west direction for the outdoor spaces

The main advantages

- Single-family homes are designed so that they can be adapted to the needs of each family. In this way, a family can decide how they want their home to be built based on their tastes and needs. It must be remembered that these houses are generally built to order and it is the client who establishes the guidelines that the architect must follow.

- From the point of view of the architectural style, these houses allow a greater creativity.

- Usually these houses have amplitude of spaces, as well as a garage, basement, swimming pool and a small piece of land that can be used for gardening or other approaches related to leisure.

- On comparison with other homes, this modality allows greater privacy.

The main drawbacks

- Normally these homes have a higher price than collective homes.

- As it is not close to urban centers, there may be problems of communication and lack of services.

- Single-family homes require a large plot of land, a circumstance that can increase the price.

Photos: iStock - BraunS / Geber86

Issues in Single Family Housing