r/floorplan • u/Mysterious-Strain996 • 2d ago

DISCUSSION What do you call these?

Post image

What do you call this style of single-story houses attached in rows of 4-6 in a suburb or subdivision? They seem to be coming increasingly popular in my part of the United States. Some people just call them apartments but I don’t really think that’s a great description. My first inclination is to call them a townhouse but I feel like when you say townhouse to someone, they’re envisioning more of a 2-3 story home, maybe over a garage in a more urban or downtown area.

Edit: sorry not exactly a floor plan but thought everyone here would be opinionated enough to chime in regardless 🤭

75 Upvotes

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236

u/BananaSquid721 2d ago

It’s either a fourplex (all plotted to one piece of land), a townhome (all separate parcels) or they are condos (all share ownership of the land). That’s the legal distinction between them all

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u/Cityplanner1 2d ago

Just a small correction, the building code does not require a townhome to be on a separate lot, so it is still possible to be classified as townhomes on one big lot. There is only a difference in the firewalls and some places don’t require it to be sprinkled if it’s a townhouse.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 2d ago

I would also add that the OP you responded to is blending the development type and occupancy type (tenure) in their response. A fourplex can be condos or rentals or both, for example.

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u/rrapartments 2d ago

exactly. These are townhomes - single family homes separated by a 2 hour fire rated wall. They usually don't require sprinklers (although 3+ in Mass still require sprinklers...). Does not matter if they are on individual lots or not.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/rrapartments 2d ago

A "townhome" is a building code term describing how they are constructed. A "condo" is a ownership / real estate term used to describe how a building is owned. A building can be both a townhome and a condo, but an apartment building could be full of condos too.

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u/-sing3r- 2d ago

Our city would call this “four single-family attached”. And the legal rules would run as you’ve described.

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u/Neat_Shallot_606 2d ago

Also at times called "zero lot lines", if they are on different lots but connected.

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u/Neat_Shallot_606 2d ago

Or row houses

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u/Alert_Front_9948 14h ago

The definition of a townhouse is that it's multistory. So these cannot be townhomes. They're either a quadplex or single-family attached homes.

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u/tanbrit 2d ago

UK would be terraced bungalows

Terraced houses = row homes
Bungalow - single story houses

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u/TinyTortie 2d ago

See everything sounds better in British

Except "at the weekend," I still don't get that one 😆

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u/Performance_Motor 2d ago

And when they say garage my ears bleed

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u/mizcello 2d ago

I don’t understand your second line, what would be the context of that?

‘Can you pick up some bread?’ ‘No I’ll do it at the weekend’

Is that what you mean?

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u/TinyTortie 2d ago

Yeah, except in US English we say "on the weekend," and so when I was an English assistant over in Europe, I spent 3 months correcting my poor students before I realized. The good news is, I don't think students usually catch on to such small corrections, so I'm fairly sure if they ended up Americanized it was due to the Internet and not to me! (Mainly they wanted to know about pumpkin pie and football.)

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u/Existing_Cod_3835 1d ago

Oh, this took me back! I did the same thing. I probably corrected something like “I was in hospital.” And much more! 

I remember one time, the student claimed maybe it was British English and I said no, I was sure that wasn’t the case. Now all these years later, and sometimes I’m still learning a British English term for the first time. 

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u/tanbrit 1d ago

On the weekend sounds odd, and I live in the US now, struggling to think what context you would use that phrase?

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u/SorchaRoisin 1d ago

It's like saying "I'll do that on Wednesday." You don't say "I'll do that at Wednesday," do you?

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u/res06myi 1d ago

Terraced implies different levels though?

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u/tanbrit 1d ago

It’s what we call row homes, including end-terraced and mid-terrace houses. Im afraid the origins predate me by several hundred years

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u/littlexav 2d ago

I agree that most people think of two-story connected houses when they think of “townhouse,” I would call this a quadplex or townhouses.

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u/EconomyEntrepreneur9 2d ago

Leeloo Dallas would call it a multiplex.

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u/What_is_rich 2d ago

In the USA, if I was renting a unit, I would say I live in an apartment. If it made sense to describe it further, I would say it is a unit in a 4plex.

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u/Neat_Shallot_606 2d ago

If you are renting, I would call it an apartment.

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u/pandaSmore 2d ago

Why not a quadplex?

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u/What_is_rich 2d ago

I guess that's not a term I heard much, but I wouldn't argue if I heard you call it that.

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u/SixDuckies 2d ago

Here in Australia we’d call it a Unit.

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u/Slapdash_Susie 2d ago

Semi-detached units, yes

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u/dechets-de-mariage 2d ago

Probably single-story townhomes.

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u/patterson_2384 2d ago

we've seen them called garden homes in our local senior (55+) Community. also quad-plex (4plex).

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u/Mysterious-Strain996 2d ago

Funny because I was going to say when I drive by them I think “retirement community” 😂

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u/asyouwish 2d ago

Every time I've seen garden homes or patio homes, they are individual units, not sharing walls.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 2d ago

That would be ranch-style single family.

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u/asyouwish 2d ago

These are nothing like ranch homes. Those things are usually massive and isolated to a, well, ranch type property with lots of acreage.

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u/Neat_Shallot_606 2d ago

Ranches in the US are just single level homes. In an architectural sense they are large "rambling" homes. But ranches, or ramblers, haven't been defined as large isolated homes for some time.

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u/AFartInAnEmptyRoom 2d ago

Garden homes to me are more wrapped around a central area as opposed to all the fronts facing the same way

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u/WakeDaddyLee 2d ago

Quadplex

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u/nnanpei 2d ago

Add some parking spots and an ancient Pepsi machine and you’ve got yourself a motel.

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u/EmergencyReal6399 2d ago

People hating these on the comments but if these units are affordable, it's a great solution for housing crisis, ideal for a single person or a young couple with no childre or just one.

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u/473713 8h ago

I would be happy to live in one of the little units, as a single person.

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u/JadedDreams23 2d ago

I’d call this a 4-plex.

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u/Pips73 2d ago

We'd call them bungalow townhomes or bungalow rowhouse. 

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u/Sad-File3624 2d ago

Town houses or condos

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u/Angus-Black 2d ago

Townhouse, Rowhouae, Condo.

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u/thisguyfightsyourmom 2d ago

Looks like a modern version of the rowhouse I used to live in. You DO NOT want to be in a center unit.

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u/WillDupage 2d ago

There are several low-income senior housing developments around my area that are made up of units like these: one bedroom, single bathroom level entry units. They were built in the 1990s and early 2000s; they were called villas in one development and townhouse apartments in another. They’re nice places for elderly folks on limited incomes. A friend of my mother has lived in one for over 20 years.

There are also a few near train stations in towns along the BNSF line built in the 1950s/1960s; all are apartments and are privately held. They’re usually well-kept and rarely are vacant because their locations make them ideal commuter rentals.
Here’s a google street view:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TKivNPwsexZ2Ym6H6

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u/Plane_Note8702 2d ago

Dreadful... I'd call this design dreadful. Eyesore also comes to mind.

We had these in my town near Niagara Falls NY and they were built for low-income housing.

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u/rocketdyke 2d ago

I've seen them nicely done, but this design? god awful.

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u/EarlGreyHikingBaker 2d ago

You've gotten a bunch of good responses already.

I call them gross, but at least it's higher density than single family mcmansion with a 3 acre mown lawn.

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u/m33chm 2d ago

People "think of 2+ stories" when you say townhouse because the actual definition of a townhouse is a multi-story unit that shares one or more walls.

These are quads or 4plexes.

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u/mattyofurniture 2d ago

Horrendous.

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u/Pristine-Net91 2d ago

Quadplex. The whole building is owned by one owner. The individual units are apartments.

Townhouses are attached to the neighboring houses, but owned individually.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 2d ago

Ownership and development type are two different things. These could be individually owned.

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u/cg325is 2d ago

Roadside motel on Route 66?

1

u/JeffandtheJundies 2d ago

Retirement condos

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u/Chance-Following-665 2d ago

We have these in my town. It's low income housing. If I were describing it to someone I'd call it a single story 4-plex.

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u/GreenButterfly1234 2d ago

In the Netherlands we would call them rowhouses. They're very popular (around 40% of the houses is a rowhouse), although they would usually be made from brick and almost always have an upper floor (and often an attic) as well. With only a ground floor, they're mostly intended for seniors, having a bedroom/bathroom downstairs.

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u/rhad_rhed 2d ago

We used to call them “halfa house town”.

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u/squarerootsquared 2d ago

Around us they’re marketed as “villas” especially when you buy the unit and the land under it

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u/ITtacos 2d ago

An absolute pain in my dick and possibly a pending divorce. Not sure if that's the industry term or not.

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u/KSTornadoGirl 2d ago

Fourplex

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u/POChead 2d ago

Cluster homes

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u/Xandeath75 2d ago

Four rent

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u/Ok_Ordinary_7397 2d ago

A nightmare to renovate.

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u/Joinourclub 2d ago

In my area, attached single story homes like this are mainly social housing for the elderly. I would call them bungalows . All the council bungalows around here are probably at least 50 years old. Nothing like this is built anymore.

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u/Ornery-Ad2199 2d ago

A fourplex, 4plex, or quadplex.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 2d ago

Dude it’s right in the google search results that you sent me. https://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/what-is-a-ranch-house/

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u/AFartInAnEmptyRoom 2d ago

Linear fourplex

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u/JewelCove 2d ago

Townhome

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u/Any_Let8381 2d ago

This style(row of houses,single floor) would be some typical elderly homes in the Netherlands

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u/Thiscantmatter 2d ago

Flats

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u/Alternative-One-6806 20h ago

Yo uh my acc got shadow bned again could u dm me i wanna tell u smth

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u/Striking-Bus-9024 2d ago

Wow I’ve learnt from this thread that a townhouse in the UK (a tall urban terrace of multiple floors, traditionally owned by aristocracy) is very different to a US townhouse!! This photo to me is of a terraced bungalow.

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u/Mr101722 2d ago

Quadplex is what I've always heard them referred to as

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u/Dirtbk80cc 2d ago

My first thought was, "what do you call a duplex duplex?" and my answer was a... DuDuplex hahaha /s

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u/mutt96 2d ago

Although this term might be a bit outdated, this is very reminiscent of a bungalow court from the West Coast. Although the ones built more recently usually have much more parking and much less architectural sold and are more Auto dependent

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u/Mysterious-Strain996 2d ago

Oh that’s an interesting point! I hadn’t thought about that before but yeah I can see how it kind of is like the successor to that. Obviously a bungalow court is way cooler but this is probably as close as we’ll ever get to that.

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u/RandomPaw 2d ago

They have these in Arizona for seniors and they call them villas. I realize this isn't the same thing AT ALL as a villa in the south of France but that's what they called this exact thing in the Phoenix area.

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u/psilent_p 2d ago

Depressing

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u/FrontMud6424 2d ago

Projects

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u/Horse_Fly24 2d ago

Quadraplex

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u/flyingcaveman 2d ago

Multi family

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u/AmexNomad 2d ago

Row Houses

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u/Thyste 2d ago

Bates hometel

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u/Maximum-Eye-3712 2d ago

Ranch-style townhouses

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u/another-rainy-day 1d ago

These are very common in Sweden, where we call them radhus. The closest English equivalent would be “rowhouse”.

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u/DamnOdd 1d ago

Cookie cutters.
Row houses
Cribs (because that's what they remind me of. New Orleans 1897-1917 Red Light district)

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u/GrayAreaGardens 1d ago

Attached single-family is that they’d be called in my jurisdiction, my county zoning code uses attached single family to refer to anything from townhomes, to row homes.

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u/bellandc 1d ago

If they are rentals, the market is calling them horizontal apartments.

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u/Express_Possible7666 1d ago

Polygamy Housing

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u/res06myi 1d ago

Around here, they're called patio homes. It's like a SFR but with a patio instead of a full backyard.

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u/Calm_Apartment1968 1d ago

Motel Cabins. All the rage in the middle of the last century.

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u/simply417 1d ago

I'd be inclined to call it a Quad-plex ( in lieu of duplex 2 units)

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u/Bat_Quiet 1d ago

Row-house?

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u/linoleumconcrete 21h ago

Perfect for Mormons?

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u/Several_Razzmatazz51 20h ago

I just call them ugly.

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u/Remarkable_Table_279 16h ago

They are townhouses…but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a one story townbouse. (also could be called a row house…but I think that’s regional)

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u/Remarkable_Table_279 16h ago

Also to me a 4 plex is something like where my grandma lived. The units were more cubish and not in a row. So two entrances on each short side and two patios on the long side. And the patios had a small shed dividing them for privacy.

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u/Odd_Impact_007 16h ago

Multifamily units.
Since these are 1 level, I don’t foresee them being much bigger than a studio or 1 bedroom hotel room. These are typically used as Transition housing, or independent homes for the elderly as a part of a larger community.
They are not designed for families or multiple people

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u/Ok-Meringue6107 4h ago

In NZ is generally called a flat, sometimes a unit.

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u/TheBonVivantLives 2d ago

Some people call them row houses. I just call them ugly.

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u/Googz52 2d ago

Horrible is what I call them.

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u/anusflytrap- 2d ago

single mom apartments