different types of homes around the world : 8 unique types

different types of homes around the world

You might be wondering, How many different types of homes around the world !
Once upon a time people used to live in caves and then arose some problems like sleeping, cooking, and utility. Those were pretty uncomfortable in the cave.Then humans used their creativity to make it more comfortable, and from then to now its getting very sound and relaxing every single day.

When we need to figure out,how many different types of houses around the world, we find a few common categories-

 

Table of Contents

different types of homes around the world
Bungalow

Bungalow 

A one or two storied house which is generally for 6 to 7 person family having some particular landscape spaces around it.Also includes all the household facilities in a certain scale.like two or three bathrooms, five to six bedrooms, Large kitchen diner, a decent size reception/living, storage area, garage and laundry area etc.

different types of homes around the world
Cottage

Cottage

It is a small scaled house that has generally one bedroom facility with a bathroom with maximum of a kitchenette to prepare food.

House Types in America
Ranch House

Ranch

Its a domestic architectural style originated in the United States.The main identity of this house for its one story, long and wide, close-to-the-ground and pitched roof profile.In some cases there may be a small loft space but its widely known as its onestory profile.

different types of homes around the world
housebarn

Housebarn

Housebarns were built beginning in prehistoric times after people discovered that the body heat of animals helps to warm human living areas. The ancient four room house is an Iron Age type highly identified with the ancient Israelites.

Living with livestock in the combined building also allowed people to be able to prevent thieves from stealing their animals. Housebarns were developed in western Europe, Scandinavia, and the British Isles and continued being built into the 19th century. The first three designs in the 1839 edition of An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture  were for combined living space for the farm family and their animals. Immigrants to North America rarely built housebarns, they typically divided the barn and house functions into separate buildings although part of New England in particular is known for its connected farms.

different types of homes around the world
Courtyard House

Courtyard House

This house style originated mostly in morocco, china and south asia which is a traditional style of these countries.This style formed according to the climatic condition and smooth ventilation to the internal spaces.Its also serves a nice function to the conservative culture.

different types of homes around the world
Villa- Photo by Madelyn Emery

Villa

A villa is a large house where one might retreat to in the country. The term can also refer to a freestanding, comfortable-sized house on a large block, typically found in the suburbs. In Victorian terraced housing, a villa is larger than the average byelaw terraced house and often has double street frontage.

different types of homes around the world
Mansion-Photo by Pixabay

Mansion

A very large luxurious house,typically more than one story in a large block of land or estate. It includes many more rooms where luxurious functions are paced, such as Laundry, Library, study, conservatory, theater, prayer hall, swimming pool, bowling alley etc.

different types of homes around the world
Palace- Photo by Felix Mittermeier

Palace

It has some similar functions like a mansion but it is a residence for high level government officials or the country’s ruler.

When exploring the houses in the world , we encounter various types, each serving unique purposes and reflecting cultural preferences. From the cozy bungalows accommodating families to the quaint cottages offering simplicity, and from the sprawling ranches embodying American architectural style to the practicality of housebarns blending human and animal living spaces.

 

Courtyard houses, originating from regions like Morocco, China, and South Asia, showcase an architectural response to climatic conditions while honoring traditional values. Villas, with their spaciousness and suburban charm, offer retreats in the countryside, while mansions and palaces elevate living to luxurious heights, catering to the elite and powerful.

Why do we have different types of homes around the world?

 

Why do we see different types of homes around the world ? To get the answer to this question, we have to look at ourselves and ask ‘do we have the same taste in every aspect of our life that matches every human?’- the answer is definitely ‘NO’. And here is the explanation hidden for the answer of the title question. As human beings we all are individuals in terms of personal, social, economical and cultural. The socio-cultural behavior, especially, is far different from east to west and north to south of the globe.

 

There are several reasons behind the houses being different types, i.e Socio-cultural behavior, climate, economic situation,Material Character, Construction Systems.

Reasons why we have different types of homes around the world:

 

There are Five major reasons we can spot as the reasons why we have different types of homes around the world:

 

Socio-cultural behavior

People live in different types of societies and culture. A society forms depending on its cultural aspects such as how they behave, what their main foods are, what is their language, how they dress, what they believe in etc.If these aspects matches some people, they forms a society and as society they have a particular character and that character mostly influence their houses that may vary from one society to another.If we take Japanese culture as an example, there traditional houses reflects there unique culture.

 
Climate

The types of houses depend on climate in different countries.A house in a Hot-Dry country is totally opposite in a Cold country. But in Warm-Humid climate the house may need a composit design to protect from humidity,sun, warmth and cold. For example, The houses in south indian territory are mostly pitched roof houses where the loft space is used as a buffer to reduce extreme heat or cold of internal space.A courtyard to serve controlled ventilation to all spaces of the house and a veranda around the house to isolate the internal space from rain storms.

 

As we can see the houses in United kingdom have some unique features and form, like insulated walls, roofs, small windows etc to protect the harsh cold climate while Houses in Bangladesh has to be more open and wide to ensure cool environment in to the interior.

 
Economic Situation

The economic condition of a society plays another vital role to influence the types of houses. The house of moderate income people may not have any costly materials, ornamentation or decoration that impacts on aesthetic but have nice functional solutions according to the family need.

The house type of high income society includes a lot of ornamental or aesthetic elements beyond the functional needs. This is because there are a lot of materials in the markets that shows extreme luxury and price while other materials shows moderate price by fulfill the basic need.

 
Material Character

The house types are mostly influenced according to the availability of local construction materials. The type of brick house is definitely different from a concrete house. Because the concrete can be formed in any shape that we want but the brick has some formal limitations.If we go for wood then it has a character that makes a house in another type.The steel has an unique Character that makes another house type.

 
Construction Systems

As mentioned above, materials have unique character, they also have unique construction systems that influence to have different types of houses. For brick construction there is a limitation to extend a building vertically.So the brick is generally used for small scaled houses that appear as a type. For concrete and steel structure it can be built a large scale house both vertically and horizontally.So this composite system makes a house type.

 

In essence, We can answer, why we have different types of house because of our different needs,emotions,culture, behavior that is influenced and manipulated by climate,materials and building techniques.

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