Here are the most popular types of houses in Canada
Interested in owning a home in Canada? Learn about the different housing types and what stands them out.
Back in Nigeria, a lot of us are used to the traditional type of homes found in our urban areas, just one look, and usually, classifying a property wasn’t that difficult. From Bungalows, to ‘Flats/Storey Buildings,’ terrace houses, duplexes, and detached houses, to rare mansions, penthouses, and townhouses which are fast becoming a trend with newly built estates within the Lekki/Ajah axis.
Coming to Canada however, opens one up to a wide variety of home types, providing more options for interested homeowners to choose from. Here is an attempt at comprehensively capturing the various types of houses available across the 10 provinces and their definitive characteristics.
Detached House
The word ‘detached’ means that the house stands on a separate lot, usually on multiple floors, sharing no walls with other properties. Due to their space, privacy, and size, detached houses are usually more expensive than other housing types. As an owner, you’re not only responsible for the maintenance of the property and any surrounding land you own, but you’ll also probably have to pay more in property taxes and other fees that may be attached to it.
Additionally, detached houses usually come with an attached front garage, have a front and/or back yard, and have a separate door to their basement making them ideal for families and also for investment purposes.
Semi-detached houses
Semi-detached houses are houses that share a common wall with another property or a single building split down the middle into two by one wall.
Semi-detached units, also known as ‘semis’, generally come with a private yard with a shared fence. Semi-detached houses are a fairly popular housing type in Canada, since they have relatively good privacy and space, with fewer direct neighbors than condos or townhouses.
Townhouses
Townhouses, or townhomes, are rows of at least three houses of a similar design that share walls on either side with other neighbors.
Townhomes sometimes come with outdoor yard spaces or patios, and even sub-ground level garages with detached garages. Townhomes are popular based on their affordability, style, and lower cost of maintenance compared to detached houses.
Condos
Condos, short for condominiums, are very popular apartment units usually found in multi-unit buildings or high-rises.
Condos are unique in that a condo corporation owns and maintains the building’s common areas and exterior with fees paid by the owner but residents will own what is inside their suite. As a condo owner, you’re able to make changes to the layout of your space as long as it doesn’t interfere with the building’s structural integrity. Yes, this includes knocking down or putting up walls.
Condos are among the more affordable property types in Canada and are particularly attractive for investment purposes as it’s quite a favorite with single people or young families who are looking for accommodation without the responsibilities that come with maintaining it.
Condo Townhomes
Condo townhomes differ from regular townhomes since they’re owned by a condo corporation, which manages and owns any exterior elements of the buildings. Residents pay monthly fees, as with a typical condo, for the maintenance of the building, yards, and shared amenities. Condo townhomes can also have multiple units stacked on top of each other, as opposed to tenants owning every floor within the portion of a building.
Apartment Buildings
Similar in a way to Condos but differentiated mostly by their ownership structure. Rental apartments are units in buildings owned by one landlord or company while condos are buildings managed by a condo corporation with units owned by different individuals. Certain amenities like laundry, and parking are also not included in your rent in Apartments unlike what is common with condos
Laned Homes
Laned Homes are increasingly becoming popular in most Canadian provinces for single families, especially first-time homeowners. They are a form of detached homes, usually smaller than the regular ones, and significantly feature a detached garage at its rear which makes it reasonably more affordable than the front-attached garage models, with a front porch, and plenty of front and backyard space.
Bungalows
Bungalows are single-floor buildings on ground level only, with potentially a basement level. While increasingly less common than other types of new-build homes in Canada, bungalows are still prevalent across the country, especially in older communities and rural areas.
Multiplex houses - Duplex, Triplex, Fourplex
A duplex is a building or house containing two apartments; a triplex three, and a fourplex four. There’s some debate as to whether a duplex and semi-detached home are the same in Canada. While some describe semi-detached houses as side-by-side duplexes, others see duplexes strictly as a building containing two suites stacked one on top of another.
Ultimately, a plex property is a building containing two, three, or four homes, each with its own separate entrance. The homes themselves may have multiple floors. One or many owners can own these buildings and can choose to occupy or rent out their homes. Plex properties are becoming rarer as new builds in the country.