The 7 Different Types of Houses in the UK (Pro’s & Con’s Explained)
Last Updated: May 2023
The United Kingdom boasts a rich architectural heritage that spans centuries, with a vast array of house types reflecting its history and regional diversity.
In this article, we'll delve into the unique characteristics, historical backgrounds, the advantages and disadvantages of the most common types of houses in the UK.
Let's explore these captivating architectural styles and discover what sets them apart in the British property market.
What different types of houses can you buy in the United Kingdom is a question we've heard many times.
There are many home types available; however, the seven we will cover are the mainstream homes that comprise most of the UK housing market.
Why would this information be helpful to me?
It's worth learning about the different types of homes available to you because, as a UK resident, it's likely that during your lifetime, you'll be put in a situation where you're considering buying or rent a home and knowing the perks and drawbacks of each type beforehand will help you make a more informed decision which best caters for your circumstances.
Which Type of House Would Fit into your Budget? A Price Comparison
Source: Statista
Before looking into each type of property in more detail, you may want to consider the average selling price of each type of property.
To help you further in pricing, above is a chart which contains the average price by property type for England in 2022.
We can now check out the most popular property types in the UK below in more detail.
1) Terraced Houses
The first house to come on our list is the simple terraced house.
A terraced house is defined as a house built as part of a continuous row where the attached homes share side walls. One of the main reasons terraced houses are popular is because they are a fair amount cheaper than detached and semi-detached homes.
They became popular in the 19th century as a way to provide high-density accommodation for the working class and are still quite prevalent in old industrial cities such as Manchester.
The average house price for a terraced home in England is £279,000
Advantages of Purchasing a Terraced Home
Pro 1: Generally speaking, a terraced home is the cheapest type of housing you can purchase in the UK.
Pro 2: They require less maintenance overall because of their smaller square footage.
Pro 3: Potentially safer and more secure because you have two sets of neighbours close by.
Disadvantages of Purchasing a Terraced Home
Con 1: Terraced houses are smaller than their semi-detached counterparts, so they inevitably come with less space.
Con 2: They come with little to no garden space.
Con 3: You have two sets of neighbours, so you can expect to hear them from time to time, which means less privacy.
2) Semi-Detached Houses
The second house to feature in our list is the semi-detached house.
A semi-detached house is a house that is joined to another similar house but only on one side. Generally speaking, semi-detached homes are more expensive than traditional terraced homes but still a fair bit cheaper than detached homes.
Semi-detached houses began to be planned systematically in late 18th-century Georgian architecture as a suburban compromise between the terraced houses close to the city centre and the detached “villas” further out, where land was cheaper.
The average price of a semi-detached home in England is £298,000
Advantages of Purchasing a Semi-Detached Home
Pro 1: You get an increased amount of privacy compared to terraced homes.
Pro 2: There is more garden space and square footage available than a terraced home.
Pro 3: Semi-detached homes are more affordable than detached homes.
Disadvantages of Purchasing a Semi-Detached Home
Con 1: If you plan to extend your home, you have to consider your neighbours.
Con 2: Noise transfer: Sharing a wall with a neighbouring property can still result in noise issues.
Con 3: Increased maintenance compared to terraced home.
3) Detached Houses
Next up on our list are detached houses.
A detached house (sometimes called a single detached dwelling) is a stand-alone house usually set on its own lot – a house that is not joined to any other place. Detached homes are generally more expensive than your typical semi-detached or terraced homes.
Detached homes are common in rural and suburban areas but remain most prevalent in low-density, high-income regions. They come with several added benefits, including their own private entrance, more space, additional privacy and land surrounding the house, which is a big plus for larger families who enjoy gardening or other outdoor activities requiring land. One downside to this is that much more maintenance is involved in taking care of a detached home, so being well off financially with no debts is a big plus.
The average price of a semi-detached home in England is £500,000
Advantages of Purchasing a Detached Home
Pro 1: Detached homes come with more land, which you can pretty much use as you please.
Pro 2: You get total privacy as your house is located on its own plot.
Pro 3: Extending or renovating your home with new specs is more straightforward as you require less approval.
Disadvantages of Purchasing a Detached Home
Con 1: There is a lot more maintenance and upkeep involved compared to semi-detached and terraced property types.
Con 2: Detached homes are generally the most expensive type of home from the seven on our list.
Con 3: Some people may experience a feeling of isolation as there are no neighbours close by.
4) Bungalows
The good old Bungalow is next to feature in our list.
A Bungalow is a type of house with only one level but sometimes upper rooms set in the roof, typically with dormer windows.
The word Bungalow comes from the Hindi word "Bangla", meaning "belonging to Bengal", which was used to describe detached cottages built for early European settlers in India.
Bungalows are slowly becoming rare in the UK as developers opt to build taller homes with multiple stories instead of single-floor bungalows. It's becoming more common for property developers to purchase a bungalow and then demolish it so they can build taller homes.
Taking this into consideration - in some areas of the UK, bungalows are worth double the average price of your typical home!
Advantages of Purchasing a Bungalow
Pro 1: Bungalows, for the most part, are cheaper than storied homes.
Pro 2: They are easier to clean and maintain as there is only one floor and no stairs.
Pro 3: They hold their value quite well, as fewer bungalows are being built every year.
Disadvantages of Purchasing a Bungalow
Con 1: Being only a one-storey house, breaking in through bungalow windows and getting access to key rooms like the bedroom is easier.
Con 2: Bungalows have the highest cost per square foot as they are built across more land.
Con 3: Larger living areas in bungalows usually mean smaller bedroom sizes.
5) Cottages
We'll look at cottages now.
A Cottage can be defined as a small house, usually in the countryside, away from cities and towns.
Cottages initially emerged in the middle ages and housed agricultural workers and their families. The term cottage denoted the dwelling of a cotter, a farm labourer or tenant occupying a cottage in return for labour. Cottages were traditionally built with thick walls and small windows to help withstand the harsh weather.
Although there aren't any solid statistics for the average price of a cottage in the UK, according to Money.co.uk, the average cost of a home in rural area stands at £314,500. However, back in 2017, the average cost in these same areas was just £239,842. This means that rural property prices have grown by just under a third in the past five years.
Advantages of Purchasing a Cottage
Pro 1: Cottages lower environmental impact.
Pro 2: They are quite private and usually come with additional land
Disadvantages of Purchasing a Cottage
Con 1: Cottages come with less space than storied homes as there are fewer rooms.
Con 2: Cottages in rural or suburban areas can be pretty expensive.
6) Block of Flats
The 6th different type of property in our list are flats.
Flats are what Americans may call Apartments. A flat is a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor and part of a larger building. A flat usually includes a kitchen and bathroom.
Converted flats are also common in the UK which are basically homes which have been converted into flats.
If you're in the market for a flat, ensure you know the differences between a typical flat and a studio flat. The main difference is that a studio flat has a single living space, with a separate bathroom, whereas a one bedroom flat has the bedroom in a separate room to the living area or lounge. Studio flats are usually smaller than one bedroom flats (but not always).
Despite popular belief, flats/apartments have been around for a long time. For example, in ancient Rome, the insulae were large apartment buildings where the lower and middle classes of Romans lived.
During the medieval Arabic-Islamic period, the Egyptian capital of Fustat (Old Cairo) housed many tall residential buildings, some seven stories tall, that could reportedly accommodate hundreds of people.
The average price of a flat in the UK property market is £273,000
Advantages of Purchasing a Flat
Pro 1: There are usually several layers of security in flats, making them relatively safe and secure to live in.
Pro 2: Considering the size of a flat compared to any home, you will likely have to pay fewer utility bills, and there is less maintenance in general.
Pro 3: In many cases, blocks of flats are usually located within or close to city centres allowing people quick access to amenities.
Disadvantages of Purchasing a Flat
Con 1: Less privacy as neighbors are only separated thin walls.
Con 2: You cannot extend the flat, and even remodelling can be difficult as there isn't much space and many restrictions.
Con 3: Current property law in England & Wales requires flats (for the most part) to be leasehold.
7) End of Terrace House
The last type of property on our list is the end of terrace house.
Although very similar to terraced houses, an end-of-terrace house is as it sounds - a home that sits at the end of a row of houses.
According to the estate agent Savills, an end-of-terrace house can cost up to 18% more than your typical terraced house - but why? Below are some additional benefits that could come with an EoT house.
- Potential to extend sideways.
- Slightly wider than the other homes in the row.
- More light from windows as it sits on the end.
- Less disturbance from neighbours as you only have one.
As mentioned earlier in the article, the average price for a terraced home in England is £279,000; if we add 18% (as Savills have found) to this, the average price could go up to an estimated £329,220!
Advantages of Purchasing an End-of-Terrace Home
Pro 1: Generally speaking, a terraced home is the cheapest type of housing you can purchase in the UK.
Pro 2: They require less maintenance overall because of their smaller square footage.
Pro 3: Potentially safer and more secure because you have two sets of neighbours close by.
Disadvantages of Purchasing an End-of-Terrace Home
Con 1: Terraced houses are small, so they inevitably come with less space.
Con 2: There is less garden space compared to semi-detached and detached homes.
Discovering the Perfect House Type in the UK: Emily's Story
A former customer has kindly shared her story with us about her journey as a homeowner to find the perfect house type for her.
When I first embarked on my journey to homeownership in the UK, I was immediately struck by the sheer variety of house types available. From modern flats in bustling city centers to charming countryside cottages, it seemed like there was an endless array of options. However, finding the perfect home for my needs and lifestyle proved to be a more challenging task than I initially anticipated.
As a young professional, I was drawn to the convenience and affordability of flats and apartments in the heart of the city. But as I visited several properties, I couldn't help but feel cramped and constrained by the limited outdoor space and shared common areas. I longed for a bit more privacy and a place to call my own.
On the other hand, the romantic allure of rural cottages captivated me with their rustic charm and idyllic settings. Yet, the reality of their smaller interiors and the potential for high maintenance costs ultimately deterred me from pursuing this option.
Throughout my search, I visited terraced and detached houses, weighing the pros and cons of each. While terraced houses offered affordability and a sense of community, I was concerned about the noise transfer between properties and the limited outdoor space. Detached houses, on the other hand, provided ample privacy and space, but their higher price tags and energy inefficiencies made me hesitant.
It wasn't until I discovered semi-detached houses that I finally found the perfect balance. These homes combined the affordability and energy efficiency of terraced houses with the privacy and spaciousness of detached properties. I was immediately drawn to a beautiful Victorian semi-detached house in a suburban neighborhood, which boasted a lovely garden and a tasteful blend of period features and modern amenities.
As I settled into my new home, I found that the semi-detached house truly catered to my needs and preferences. The shared wall with my neighbour was barely noticeable, and the additional outdoor space provided me with the perfect setting for gardening and outdoor entertaining. I felt proud to have navigated the diverse UK property market and discovered the ideal house type for my lifestyle.
My personal experience highlights the importance of thoroughly exploring the various house types available in the UK and understanding their unique advantages and disadvantages. By carefully considering one's needs and preferences, it's possible to find the perfect home amidst the rich architectural landscape of the British property market.
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
Regardless of which property type you end up buying, as a homeowner or future homeowner, it's a great idea to educate yourself on what's available so that when the best time does come to switch homes or buy your first home, you know what's available to you and roughly how much it will cost.
The United Kingdom boasts a rich and diverse array of housing types, each with its unique history, architectural features, and characteristics. From the quintessential terraced homes lining the streets of urban centers to the charming cottages nestled in picturesque rural settings, the UK's housing landscape reflects the nation's evolving social, economic, and cultural fabric.
Here are some key takeaways from our exploration of the various types of houses in the UK:
- Each housing type has its origins and historical significance, reflecting different periods of architectural innovation, urban development, and housing needs.
- The different types of houses offer varying degrees of affordability, privacy, and energy efficiency, catering to diverse homebuyer preferences and requirements.
- Many iconic neighborhoods, streets, and cultural landmarks across the UK are defined by their distinctive housing styles.
- The UK's housing market continues to evolve, with contemporary housing designs and sustainable technologies reshaping the residential landscape.
By understanding the various types of houses available in the UK, prospective homebuyers can make informed decisions about the kind of property that best suits their needs and preferences. Furthermore, this knowledge allows us to appreciate the architectural heritage and cultural significance of these unique dwellings that make up the very fabric of our communities.
