List of house types


Houses can be built in a large variety of configurations. A basic division is between free-standing or single-family detached homes and various types of attached or multi-family residential dwellings. Both may vary greatly in scale and the amount of accommodation provided.

Hut

A hut is a dwelling of relatively simple construction, usually one room and one story in height. The design and materials of huts vary widely around the world.

Bungalow

Bungalow is a common term applied to a low one-story house with a shallow-pitched roof.

Cottage

A cottage is a small house, usually one or two stories in height, although the term is sometimes applied to larger structures.

Ranch

A ranch-style house or rambler is one-story, low to the ground, with a low-pitched roof, usually rectangular, L- or U-shaped with deep overhanging eaves. Ranch styles include:California ranch: the "original" ranch style, developed in the United States in the early 20th century, before World War IITract ranch: a post-World War II style of ranch that was smaller and less ornate than the original, mass-produced in housing developments, usually without basementsSuburban ranch: a modern style of ranch that retains many of the characteristics of the original but is larger, with modern amenities

I-house

An I-house is a two or three-story house that is one room deep with a double-pen, hall-parlor, central-hall or saddlebag layout.New England I-house: characterized by a central chimneyPennsylvania I-house: characterized by internal gable-end chimneys at the interior of either side of the houseSouthern I-house: characterized by external gable-end chimneys on the exterior of either side of the house

Gablefront

A gablefront house or gablefront cottage has a gable roof that faces its street or avenue, as in the novel The [House of Seven Gables].A-frame: so-called because the steep roofline, reaching to or near the ground, makes the gable ends resemble a capital letter A.Chalet: a gablefront house built into a mountainside with a wide sloping roofCharleston single house: originating in Charleston, South Carolina, a narrow house with its shoulder to the street and front door on the side.

Split-level

Split-level house is a design of house that was commonly built during the 1950s and 1960s. It has two nearly equal sections that are located on two different levels, with a short stairway in the corridor connecting them.Bi-level or raised ranch
  • '''Tri-level, quad-level, quintlevel etc.'''

Tower

A tower house is a compact two or more story house, often fortified.Tower houses in Britain and Ireland#Irish [tower houses|Irish tower houses] were often surrounded by defensive walls called bawnsKulla: an Albanian tower housePeel tower or Pele tower: fortified tower houses in England and Scotland used as keeps or housesVainakh tower: a tower house found in Chechenya and Ingushetia that reached up to four stories tall and were used for residential or military purposes, or both Welsh tower houses: built mostly in the 14th and 15th centuries

Longhouse

A longhouse is historical house type typically for family groups.Geestharden house: one of the three basic house types in Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany

Housebarn

A housebarn is a combined house and barn.Barndominium: a type of house that includes living space attached to either a workshop or a barn, typically for horses, or a large vehicle such as a recreational vehicle or a large recreational boatByre-dwelling: farmhouse with people and livestock under one roofConnected farm: type of farmhouse common in New EnglandFrutighaus: a type of barnhouse originating in the Frutigland region of Switzerland.

Other house types

Courtyard house
Mansions usually will have many more rooms and bedrooms than a typical single-family home, including specialty rooms, such as a library, study, conservatory, theater, greenhouse, infinity pool, bowling alley, or server room.Palace: the residence of a high ranking government official or the country's ruler.Castle: a heavily fortified medieval dwelling or a house styled after medieval castles. Usually with towers, crenellations, and a stone exterior.

By construction method or materials

Airey house: a type of low-cost house that was developed in the United Kingdom during the 1940s by Sir Edwin Airey, and then widely constructed between 1945 and 1960 to provide housing for soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had returned home from World War II. These are recognizable by their precast concrete columns and by their walls made of precast "ship-lap" concrete panels.Assam-type House: an earthquake-resistant house type commonly found in the northeastern states of IndiaBastle house: a fortified farmhouse found in England and ScotlandCastle: a high-status defensive structure/dwelling built during the Middle Ages, with some mock castles built in the 18th century to today.Converted barn: an old barn converted into a house or other use.Earth sheltered: houses using dirt piled against it exterior walls for thermal mass, which reduces heat flow into or out of the house, maintaining a more steady indoor temperature

Single-family attached

Two-family or duplex: two living units, either attached side by side and sharing a common wall or stacked one atop the other Three-family or triplex: three living units, either attached side by side and sharing common walls, or stacked Four-family or quadplex or quad: four living units, typically with two units on the first floor and two on the second, or side-by-sideTownhouse, terraced house, or rowhouse: common terms for single-family attached housing, whose precise meaning varies by location, often connecting a series of living units arranged side-by-side sharing common walls
  • * Linked house: side-by-side attached houses that appear detached above-ground but are attached at the foundation below-ground
  • * Linked semi-detached: side-by-side attached houses with garages in between them, sharing basement and garage walls
  • * Mews property: an urban stable-block that has often been converted into residential properties. The houses may have been converted into ground floor garages with a small flat above which used to house the ostler or just a garage with no living quarters.
  • * Patio house: townhouses that share a patioWeavers' cottage: townhouses with attached workshops for weavers

Movable dwellings

Chattel house: a small wooden house occupied by working-class people on Barbados. Originally relocatable; personal chattel rather than fixed real property.Mobile home, park home, or trailer home: a prefabricated house that is manufactured off-site and moved by trailer to its final location Recreational vehicle or RV: a motor vehicle or trailer that can be used for habitation
  • * Travel trailer, camper or caravan: a trailer designed to be used as a residence, which must be towed regularly by a vehicle and cannot move under its own power
  • * Tiny house: a dwelling, usually built on a trailer or barge, that is or smaller, built to look like a small house and suitable for long-term habitationHouseboat includes float houses: a boat designed to be primarily used as a residenceTent: a temporary, movable dwelling usually constructed with fabric covering a frame of lightweight wood or other locally available material
  • * Tipi: a conical tent originating in North America
  • * Yurt: a round tent with a conical roof originating in Central Asia