We give a definition of a townhouse, talk about the pros and cons, and advise what to look for when buying.
Individual comfortable cottages are considered the most comfortable for life. Unfortunately, their price is very high. However, there is a full-fledged replacement that gives no less comfort. These are townhouses. Convenient and relatively inexpensive symbiosis of a mansion and an apartment.
What is a townhouse and how is it different from a house
In a modern version, this is a kind of hybrid between a cottage and a comfortable apartment. A single complex of low-rise buildings with a common roof and load-bearing walls. Their facades are designed in the same architectural style. The height of the building is not more than three floors. The number of blocks is also limited, most often no more than ten.
Small houses are united in a common system. Each of them has its own heating system, an individual exit to the street, a small adjoining plot, a garage, or a parking space. Engineering communications can be combined because it is more economical. The size of the land plot depends on the location of the building. In the city, it is very small or absent, in suburban villages it allows you to put a small pool, set up a garden, install a playground, etc.
This format is chosen by those who want to live in their own comfortable home, but there is not enough money to buy it. By buying a block apartment, they get a high level of comfort and save about a third of the cost of buying suburban real estate. Such development is easily found within the city. More often it is a suburb, which attracts those who want to live in an ecologically clean place. Good development for large families, where they experience a shortage of free space.
Townhouse vs Penthouse: What’s the difference? The names are so similar that sometimes potential buyers confuse them, and do not understand the difference between the two types of real estate. As we have already said, a townhouse is a building consisting of separate modules. Each of them is an inter-level or two- or three-story apartment, the owner of which additionally receives his own entrance, a small part of the adjacent territory, a parking space, or a garage.
A penthouse is an elite housing, which is located on the top floor of a multi-story building. Most often, this is a large apartment (from 300 to 1000 m 2 ). Extensive panoramic glazing is being installed here, which provides excellent views and good natural light. Be sure to equip a separate entrance from the rest of the residents with an elevator to the top floor. In general, the penthouse is nothing like block apartments, its price is much higher.
Pros and cons of townhouses
Townhouses are being actively built in all regions. And the demand for them is only growing.
Pros
- Price. A residential multi-level, or even a two- or three-story section costs less than a country cottage or an apartment in the central area of the city that is equal in size to it.
- Free layout. The future owner can arrange his area according to his own taste.
- The presence of a separate entrance, a plot of land, albeit a small one, a parking space, or a garage. You can use them however you want. But, for example, instead of a garage outbuilding.
- Savings in the maintenance of housing, especially in the presence of autonomous heating. The difference is noticeable even compared to a city apartment.
- Few neighbors. Usually, these are two families located in sections on the left and right. In the corner blocks, neighbors are only on one side. In an apartment building, one can only dream of such a thing.
Personal and property security in real estate of this format is higher, since the number of people living here is small. Often everyone knows each other, strangers are immediately visible.
Cons
Block apartments have disadvantages.
- Lack of isolation and complete privacy, which can only give you your own home.
- The area of the adjacent territory is usually small. In any case, comparison with the backyard of a country cottage will always be in favor of the latter.
- Life outside the city means a change in the usual rhythm. It’s good if you have personal transport, otherwise, any trip to the city will become problematic. You will have to get used to traffic jams, and they are in rush hours in every metropolis.
- If the infrastructure of the village is poorly developed for some reason, this problem will also have to be solved somehow.
Types of townhouses
Sectional housing is designed according to the principle of economy and rationalism. At the same time, it is possible to arrange sections in different ways, which provides residents with different levels of comfort. Let’s talk about the most common options.
One line
Buildings with a linear layout. Each of the blocks is end-to-end, that is, it has two outputs. One exit to a private patio, the other to the street. The number of such compartments varies, but most often from 5 to 12. They are located in a straight or broken line. No more than three storeys. The most secluded is the extreme modules, so their price is higher. Living quarters in line houses are initially designed as rectangular. The owner can change it.
Duplex (twin house)
The name is given by the number of module blocks. So, there are only two of them in the duplex. This solution is very suitable for relatives who want to live nearby or for close friends. A twin house provides the greatest specialty possible for this type of building. As in the linear version, the modules are end-to-end, low-rise, and more often lined up. The ability to choose pleasant neighbors and isolation is what distinguishes a duplex from a standard townhouse.
Quadrohouse
Quadrohouse consists of four blocks. This is a compact layout, where the sections are placed at the corners of the building. At the same time, utility rooms are shifted towards the center of the building, and residential ones are shifted to the load-bearing walls. Like all analogs, quadrohouses cannot be higher than three floors, an attic and a basement are possible. The layout of all blocks-modules is mirrored.
Block apartments are built as separate houses or in the form of carpet buildings. The latter looks very impressive in the photo. It is especially popular in Europe. In this case, entire blocks are erected from modular buildings, separating each with a fence, behind which there is a small plot of land. Such construction is more often carried out within the city limits since the building density increases significantly.
What to consider when buying
Buying a home is a responsible step. Before signing documents and transferring money, you need to make sure that your choice is correct. Let’s list a few points that you should pay attention to.
- The remoteness of the building from the city center.
- Availability of developed infrastructure, and good access roads.
- The proximity of the location of busy railway or highways.
- Ecological situation in the area, remoteness of large industrial enterprises.
- Materials used in construction.
- Layout, the degree of readiness of interior decoration, and the need for repair.
- Availability and level of quality of all necessary engineering communications, and telecommunications.
The purchase can be made at the construction stage. Then the reputation of the developer company is checked, and the project documentation is studied. It would be nice to get acquainted with the reviews of those who already live in the area, and preferably in the building where the purchase is planned. This is the only way to get objective answers to questions, and to learn about possible problems, the presence of which the developer will hide.
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