- a free-standing house
- a house sharing common walls with its neighbors (such as a townhouse or "row house")
- and a courtyard house (often found in Spain and Asia)
Currently, says author Witold Rybczynski, about 90% percent of single-family houses in the United States are detached. He points out their advantages, including:
- light and air from all sides
- greater acoustic and visual privacy
- less danger of fire from neighboring buildings
- being able to pass from the front yard to the backyard without going through the interior
Rybczynski points out that "houses are not only investments, they are homes, and hence sources of personal pleasure and pride" and states that the decision to buy a house is emotional as well as financial.
He adds that people become richer, they spend more money on their homes. By 1970, four out of five new houses were either ranchers or splits. Today, in contrast, than one-third of new houses exceed 2,400 square feet.
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