Today in the UK there are all kinds of family homes and the traditional two up, two down no longer seems to apply like it used to several decades ago. Here we celebrate all kinds of homes and ask the question, if we were to look through your living room window, what type of home would we find and would it be double glazed? For Double Glazing in Cheltenham, visit https://www.firmfix.co.uk/
Cottage
Out in rural areas, period cottages are a common feature. With small windows, low ceilings and occasionally a beautiful thatched roof. Cottages used to house large agricultural families and back in Medieval times were known as buildings where peasants lived. Their image is now quite the opposite and they are much sought after and expensive. A cottage is normally characterized by having a much smaller top floor than ground floor with thick pillars used to hold the structure in place.
Flat
Taking up only a section of a building, a flat is a self-contained area in a building made up of numerous other flats and lots of different residents. Because of the space-saving vertical nature of blocks of flats, they are commonly found in urban and inner-city areas.
Terrace
Also found in busy urban areas is terraced housing. A row of houses all joined together which are usually identical on the inside, each house shares a wall with the neighbouring property. The properties usually benefit from a row of back gardens, if not front gardens too and garages are usually found at the rear of the properties along a shared access road or alleyway. Terraced housing is popular in many towns and cities all over the UK as it offers a space saving solution to housing many people.
Bungalow
Although similar, bungalows and cottages are not the same thing. The difference comes when you compare the age, price and history of the properties. Both are low level buildings but a bungalow has no first floor at all. Bungalows tend to be less expensive, found more in urban areas and can be either detached or semi-detached. Did you know that the word ‘bungalow’ comes from an Indian word ‘bangla’ meaning homes built in a Bengali style? They were first seen during Britain’s colonial times in India and the idea was adapted for housing in the UK.
Detached
This relates to any home or property that doesn’t share a wall with a neighbouring property and offer greater privacy and seclusion. This means that detached properties often come with a higher price tag as the isolation of a detached property is greatly sought after.
Houseboats
Some people decide that living on water is where they want to be. These boats have normally been specially designed or modified for use as living space, are moored in one place and connected to utilities but can also be sailed to different destinations. These narrow canal boats are most often used for tourist holidays but many people live on the boats all year round, especially in London. Approximately 15,000 people in the UK live afloat the water in canal boats, converted barges or even old converted ships.