Detached, Semi-Detached and Terrace Homes; What are they?

Real estate terms can be confusing sometimes, especially when you just want to buy a house. We understand and we are here to your rescue!

A detached home is, simply put, “a free-standing residential building stand-alone”. It is also known as a stand-alone house, or single-family home. Our homes in Phoenix Villas, for example, are detached townhouses. We also have detached homes at Richfield Lifestyle Estate pictured below. Locally, they are referred to as ‘self-compound’ homes.

What differentiates a detached home from a semi-detached one is that the latter is made up of two attached units on two distinct properties, sharing a common wall. You may have noticed, if you’ve come across semi detached home layouts or seen one in person, that the pairs are usually mirror images of the other.

The townhouse pictured above is made up of two identical three bedroom homes, mirroring each other. The common wall is internal for this unit, although for some semi-detached homes, the common wall extends outside to join the boundary wall as well.

Now that we’re basically experts on the detached and semi-detached houses, let’s move on to Terraces.

A terrace or terraced house is a row of attached houses sharing side walls. They can also be described as a housing style where individual homes with the same design are grouped in rows.

They are also commonly known as row houses in some parts of the US. Terraced homes are usually double-stories, although not limited to. The house pictured above consists of four individual double-storey homes, differentiated by the four sidewalls jutting out. The floor plans are also identical.

So there you have it! Hopefully, this article has cleared some of the confusion for the next time you hear these terms.

If you’re looking to own a terrace, semi-detached or detached home in Accra, Ghana, email us on sales@richfieldestate.com.gh or call +233559709655.