Are you one of those people who have described a Detached House as a Duplex ? or you have mistakenly described a Terraced Apartment as a Mansion? In this article, I will explain the 10 popular housing types in Nigeria. After reading this, I know you will stop describing housing types wrongly.
Understanding your product as a marketer or as a business owner is important, detailed knowledge about your product helps you make sound business decisions. If you operate a real estate business and you do not understand the various housing types within your sphere of operation, then you are yet to master the art and science of your business. In this post, I have tried to explain the main types of houses in Nigeria with pictures
One thing I want you to know is that housing in Nigeria comes in various styles, forms and shapes — from mansions to bungalows to terraces to detached houses to tenements. These different types of houses all have something unique about them.
Housing Types in Nigeria
Table of Contents
I know you have been describing some houses wrongly, but never worry, I will explain the most popular housing types in the country in these order;
- Mansion
- Detached House
- Semi-Detached House
- Terrace House
- Maisonette Apartment
- Pent House
- Block of Flat
- Bungalow
- Tenement (Face-me-I-face-you)
- Traditional / Hut House
Mansion
This is a big luxury home that is usually around 1000 sqm land or more. Calling a home a mansion indicates a level of grandeur, style and quality — far above the normal in a given area. This correlates with the housing patterns of the wealthy.
A typical Nigerian Mansion usually comes with grand staircases, crystal chandeliers, big open foyers, massive gardens, swimming pools, tennis courts, home automation and various other high-end amenities.
Should in case you are planning to build a Mansion in Nigeria, please check;
14 Important Real Estate Documentations / Terms you should know as a First-time Property Buyer
Detached House
Detached House is another housing type in Nigeria. It is a stand-alone house on two or more floors, specifically build for a single-family. It is usually occupied by the affluent and famous people.
Detached houses are not as large as mansions, they are often just as luxurious — depending of course on tastes and how they are finished/furnished. Detached houses are great for people that like their privacy and for those with larger families.
Many Nigerians always make the mistake of calling a Detached House a Duplex.
Semi-Detached House
A semi-detached house is a single-family home that shares a single wall with the next house. What differentiates a semi-detached house from a detached house is that there is no shared wall in a detached house.
You can find a single-family semi-detached house (bungalows with two units, sharing a common wall), and also a semi-detached house can also spread over two floors.
This is what is called a semi-detached house or a duplex!
Terrace House
Sometimes people interchange a Terrace House as a Town House or a Row House. A terrace house sits side-by-side with other terraces (joined together) — forming a tight row down a road or block or the inside of a gated estate.
Most terraces in Nigeria comes with identical fronts and identical heights — thus are mirror images of each other. They are designed to accommodate as many people as possible.
Terraces are generally more affordable than detached and semi-detached homes and thus have become more desirable in major real estate cities in Nigeria
Maisonette Apartment
A maisonette derives from the French term for ‘small house’. Which is, essentially, what a maisonette is. They were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s as a way of promoting higher-density living in the suburbs before blocks of flats were as common as they are now.
A maisonette is a two-storey flat, where your front door is your own. This means that you can exit your home directly to the outside, as opposed to a regular flat where you have a shared corridor.
No private entrance means no claim to the name – often you may hear them being referred to as a ‘duplex’, their American title. A great way to think of maisonettes is simply a ‘house on stilts, as they are often located over shops, garages, or other maisonettes.
Pent House
A penthouse apartment is a unit on the topmost floor of a multi-storey apartment building or hotel. What differentiates a penthouse from other apartments, is its luxury features or elements.
Penthouses offer the best views in a given apartment building. Penthouses are synonymous with a luxury lifestyle.
Block of Flat
Block of Flat is one of the most popular housings in the country. It is a combination of many separate homes stacked on top and next to each other.
Each Flat within the block forms just a section of the overall building. By owning a flat, a person has access to common areas such as green space, playgrounds, rooftops and Flats are usually much cheaper to buy in Nigeria, and they are also more ideal as investment properties.
Bungalow
A bungalow is a one-storey home, cottage or cabin. It can either be detached or semi-detached. Bungalows are inexpensive to build and easy to maintain. They provide an affordable home option for many Nigerians.
You may research further on the types of bungalows in Nigeria
Tenement (Face-me-I-face-you) House
A tenement house is a house that is made up of single-room apartments with all the tenants or groups of tenants sharing common areas like kitchen, bathroom, and toilet.
A common feature of tenement houses is that they are often arranged in two rows with each row facing the other. All tenants/occupiers share the same amenities, the average tenant cannot help but get into one sort of conflict or another with other tenants.
Traditional / Hut House
Traditional houses in Nigeria are found in the more rural parts of the country. The primary building materials used in constructing traditional houses include wood, straw, stones and mud.
Traditional houses are outdated and are far less convenient for modern life. They are continuously being replaced by more modern homes in the form of apartments, bungalows, duplexes and mansions.
If you want to learn further, you can google search types of traditional houses in Nigeria
Learning Review
Make sure you understand the types of houses we have in Nigeria, especially if you are going into the business of Real Estate. You need to understand a product before you can market it.
I am certain you would not mix up these popular types of houses with names again;
- Mansion
- Detached House
- Semi-Detached House
- Terrace House
- Maisonette Apartment
- Pent House
- Block of Flat
- Bungalow
- Tenement (Face-me-I-face-you) House
- Traditional / Hut House
Are you interested in starting a real estate business in Nigeria? please read this;
Disclaimer;
The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Always do your research before you take any real estate advice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I am Bolaji Afolabi. I created bolajiafolabi.com to teach you about real estate and tech-based business opportunities. I work as a full-time partner at Globalclique, a Real Estate + Technology Consulting Company. I am also a CIO at Ibugbe and Partners, a Real Estate Marketing and Development Consulting Firm in Lagos, Nigeria.
Author Profile
- I am Bolaji Afolabi, a Partner at Globalclique, and a CIO @ Ibugbe and Partners - Pan African Real Estate + Technology + HR Consulting Group. Bolaji is celebrated for his expertise in seamlessly blending human capital with cutting-edge technologies, and also providing professional advisory services.
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