As its name indicates, a family home is one in which the habitable building is occupied by a single family. The concept of a single-family home 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 found in areas far 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 like the United States, Australia and some northern European countries.
– Regarding its architecture, there is not a single single-family home model, but rather it presents a wide range of typologies: semi-detached, with a swimming pool, bioclimatic, with a single or several floors, isolated, paired with another similar home, among others.
– The construction is planned based on the north-south direction for the location of the household units 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 homes 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 architectural style, these homes allow for greater creativity.
– In general, these homes have a wide range of spaces, as well as a garage, basement, swimming pool and a small piece of land that can be used for gardening or other leisure-related approaches.
– Compared to other homes, this modality allows greater privacy.
The main drawbacks
– Normally these houses have a higher price than collective houses.
– As it is not close to urban centers, there may be communication problems and a lack of services.
– Single-family homes require a large piece of land, a circumstance that can increase the price.
Photos: iStock – BraunS / Geber86
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