Talk:Semi-detached

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[edit] From PNA/Architecture

  • Semi-detached -- needs some historical & sociological data, and also a picture. Anyone living in a semi-detached, please go ahead. Wikikiwi 22:14, 10 Feb 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Duplex

A duplex is a building with two units, this article desribes a twin. (Source: Webster, describing a duplex as "a 2-family house.")

Duplexes here almost always fit this description: "pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin," which is what this article describes. Sometimes they're not exact mirror images, but usually pretty close. Elf | Talk 23:36, 21 August 2005 (UTC)

In New York, a duplex means an apartment on 2 levels (a triplex is on 3). A house attached on one side is a semi-attached or semi-detached house. Alexisr 06:56 03 January 2006 (UTC)

I lived in Canada (Kitchener, Ontario) from 1993 to mid-1997. We lived in a semi-detached house (two storeys and a basement). Everyone called houses of this sort "semi-detached" or "semis" — contrary to what the article text suggests, no one in our area ever called them "duplexes". Note that, in Canada, the prefix "semi" is always pronounced "SEM-ee" — never "SEM-eye" as is common in the US. We had our own, separate basement; I never saw a "linked" semi and didn't even know any such thing existed anywhere until I saw this article. Richwales 04:44, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

I also live in Canada (Montreal), and duplexes are only one apartment on top of another. Triplexes are in common use here (three apartments on top of the other). You can also have, eg, six-plexes (2 triplexes next to each other) or five-plexes (6plex where the bottom floor is just one apt). Semi-detached are only two places next to each other.

I live in Canada too, and we don't call them "duplexes" either. The word "Townhouse" is more common where I live - the GTA.

When I lived in Saskatoon, people did call them 'Duplexes', but in Calgary, I've mainly heard "semi-detached". What is this linked basement business? Does anyone have an example of this? I've never heard of it. --Churowa 18:07, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

I am from Ohio. I used to live in what was rented to me as a "duplex". It had a living room and an eat in-kitchen on the first floor, two bedrooms and a bath on the top floor, and an unfinished basement. My neighbors had a mirror image of my apartment on the other side of the wall. I have never heard of something like that reffered to as a "semi", or as anything else other then duplex/triplex/quadplex. Where I come from a townhouse is more then 4 units up and down in a building, or more then 4 flat (or 'garden' style units). Really though, why are there seprate articles for semi-detached and duplex? Maybe I am wrong, but after reading both of these they seem like the same thing. As far as a photo, let me look around, I might have one of my old place, although it might only be of my side.... -tash

[edit] Duplex vs. twin seems to vary by region in the US

I clicked discussion to post that what's described as a "duplex" in the article is actually a "twin" in the US, at least the northeastern part. I'll just add my support, that here in the Philadelphia area (and other places I've been in this region) semi-detached housing is not uncommon and is always referred to as a twin. However, I've read discussions with Americans from other parts of the country (South and Midwest, I believe) who would call semi-detached housing a "duplex". It would be nice to get a source for this. Contemplative 04:02, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] British 1930s 3-bed semi

It would be nice to also include a photo of one of these, since they are the archetypal semi in the UK. The current photo, although possibly having historical interest, does not look like the typical semi in the UK. 80.2.205.119

[edit] merge with duplex (building)

As a look in some dictionaries shows([1],[2],[3], "duplex" is a synonym for a semi-detached house in certain English-speaking countries, but it is also used to refer to apartments. The comment about Boston is apparently a joke/vandalism. --Espoo 14:21, 22 September 2007 (UTC)