What is a Duplex House?
Duplex house is a housing concept in which two floors are built within the one apartment/flat. Duplex homes are very popular in urban cities in India such as Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai. The design of a duplex house is usually attractive and gives the feel of an independent house. Generally, duplex houses come with a bigger carpet area, big attached balcony and stairs to reach on the upper floor within the same apartment.
Duplex house designs usually vary from builder to builder but the modern duplex houses contain all necessary amenities for comfortable living. The construction of duplex houses may look rather cumbersome, however, it is well suitable for large families in modern times.
In India, a duplex house design often features the master bedroom on the top floor and the kitchen, hall, and bedrooms on the lower floor. The definition of a duplex house is a home with two levels only, never three or four, in which case it would be referred to as a multiplex.
Each and every duplex house or duplex apartment has its own design, considering the way architects have designed the entire building. Below are some common duplex’ in India: 1.
Ground Duplex House
: A ground duplex is a duplex house which is constructed on the first level of an apartment. With this design, the living room and kitchen are located on the upper floor, while the bottom floor of the duplex house contains the garden. Typically, home buyers choose a ground duplex house, as this comes with an attached open garden in which they can accommodate their pets too.
2.
Standard Duplex House:
This kind of duplex house is the one that is mostly seen. In this, you will find two stories being constructed one on top of the other. The lower floor of this type of modern duplex house often entails a kitchen and a living room, while the top floor of the duplex house typically has two bedrooms or a single bedroom with a children’s room.
3. Low-rise Duplex
: The upper story of this ultra-modern duplex house design has roomy balconies. The area of this duplex house is often less than that of other duplex house designs. In this, the architects must ensure the best possible use of the available space while creating this style of modern duplex house design.
What are the pros and cons of living in a duplex house?
Although duplex houses may look very attractive to homebuyers, there are some factors that throw light on the various dimensions of these type of homes. Perhaps, living in a duplex house comes with its own set of pros and cons as mentioned below: •
Advantages of a Duplex House
:
A duplex house comes with several benefits in terms of privacy, cost, and accommodating factors. Here are a few benefits of owning a duplex house. I.
Privacy
: For large families that wish to live together but still want their own space and privacy, a duplex house is great. Every member in the family can use that space to accommodate his or her own needs. Therefore, duplex houses give ample space for every member’s privacy.
II.
Cost
: Although buying a duplex house may seem expensive, it is actually not that expensive. These duplex houses are only marginally more expensive than flats which come in the same price range and size. In fact, a duplex house is relatively affordable if you have some financial management skills.
III.
Flexible
: In totality, a duplex house has the benefit of combining two apartments inside of one. A duplex house may, therefore, easily pave the path for two families living separately under one household who have their own space. This type of flexibility can only be found in duplex houses.
IV.
Additional Income Source
: Obviously, when you have a duplex house, you can easily rent out any of the floors provided you don’t live in a joint family. This is best for those who have limited family members and can rent the other floor that will add more to their monthly income. So, in other words, a duplex house could provide some amount of financial security too.
V.
Home Office
: A duplex house can be used for a variety of things. If you want to create a home office, all you need to do is arrange everything on one floor. Due to their size and space, duplex houses provide plenty of room for seclusion. Spaces in the duplex house were typically used for offices, schools, and other places of employment during the COVID-19 epidemic, when working from home became the standard.
•
Disadvantages of a Duplex House
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Below are some factors that could possibly become disadvantageous for owners of a duplex house: I.
Noisy
: The duplex house generally has a common wall; therefore, residents may find this as a hindrance since the noise may be carried to the other side of the house. Similar problems can arise in a conventional duplex house when residents on either floor might be disturbed by other people’s activities.
II.
Space For Tenant
: It could be very challenging to find a tenant if the duplex house is connected by an internal stairway because they will use the interior space for commuting. Only if it has a separate entrance can an additional section of a duplex house be easily rented. So, this could be a little concerning for those who want to ensure complete privacy.
III.
Outside City
: Duplex houses are typical in places which have little traffic and a lot of available land. Within city limits, it can be difficult to find a large duplex house. Thus, this can be a little inconvenient for homebuyers in terms of commuting. Also, some builders construct residential housing that has the duplex houses towards the outskirts of the city. This could make it quite taxing for homebuyers to commute.
IV.
Not So Lucrative
: Although owning a duplex house is sometimes an aspirational lifestyle option, you might have to be cautious if you want to profit from it. In India, duplex houses are more prevalent in areas with a large land bank. Due to a limited land bank, high-rises have taken over the majority of Indian cities. Therefore, in the long run, duplex house may not be perceived as a lucrative option.
V.
Difficulty Finding Buyers
: A duplex house is difficult to sell since few people prefer them and anyone who is interested prefer keeping it for their own usage. In such cases, a seller’s demand for the correct price for the duplex house won’t be met. Although not impossible, it is undoubtedly a little difficult. So, in the long run, there may be slight challenges in terms of ROI if a duplex house is not located in a residentially demanding area.
Duplex House: Its meaning varies from country to country
In different places of the world, a duplex house has distinct connotations. While a duplex house generally refers to a home with two units, the term is used in various contexts. For example, a duplex house in Chicago is a single residential unit that is divided over two stories and interconnected by an internal stairway.
If we consider the United Kingdom, a duplex house is a two-story flat or apartment. It’s also known as a “Maisonette.” In contrast, a duplex house in Australia is often a residential structure with two homes that share a wall. You could say that these two elements are mirror versions of one another.
Duplex House Comparisons
For homebuyers, it is important to know the difference between duplex apartments and homes with other housing styles: •
Difference between a Duplex House and a Penthouse:
A penthouse is normally the apartment unit that is usually suitable for the top floor of an apartment complex with numerous storeys, whereas a duplex house can be located on any floor. While penthouses in apartment buildings can fill the entire level and are typically pricey considering that they provide a great view of the top floor and are typically the best-designed dwelling units in the structure, duplex houses are more inexpensive because of the shared spaces. You will also discover inventive and distinctive floor plans, such as high ceilings, garden flats, sky lofts, etc., in penthouses unlike those typically found in duplexes.
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Difference between a Duplex House and a Flat
: While each type of property has advantages and disadvantages of its own, a duplex house would have more obligations than a flat. The duplex house would require additional upkeep and maintenance, which would increase costs. While there would be minimal upkeep and duties for flats, the experience would be restricted to the interior since common areas would need to be shared with other society members.
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Difference between a Duplex House and a Villa
: A villa comes to mind when we think of luxurious living because it includes all the wonderful amenities of a resort with guaranteed solitude, conveniences, and opulent décor that is not constrained by budgetary considerations. In a nutshell, villas are standalone homes that stand on their own land, though they can also be found in gated, guarded communities. A duplex house will be less expensive than a villa because the expense can be split between multiple owners. Villas are also generally enhanced with a variety of upscale amenities including swimming pools, playgrounds, cycling and jogging paths, concierge services, etc.
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Difference between a Duplex House and a Townhouse
: Town Homes, sometimes known as townhouses, and duplexes both feature a shared wall between the homes. Having said that, you must realise that a duplex house has two units, whilst townhouses have rows of apartments piled one on top of the other if you want to appreciate the distinction between the two. The cost of buying a townhouse at the end of the row will obviously be considerably more and at a premium price than one that is positioned in the middle, however the cost of each unit of a duplex house is more or less the same.
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Difference between a Duplex House and an Independent House
: A duplex house is included in the broad definition of an independent residence. It can be used to refer to big houses, villas, duplexes, etc. A duplex, a sizable bungalow, or a farmhouse can all be considered independent homes, although they all have two storeys.
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Difference between a Duplex House and a Two-storey House
: A two-story building is essentially what a duplex house is, albeit not all two-story structures fit this definition. A two-story building may or may not be freestanding and could or could not be internally connected like a duplex. However, in a duplex house design, both levels are internally connected through stairs.
Are Duplex Houses Expensive?
A duplex house typically consists of two units. Architecture plays a significant part in creating a workable structure; hence the structure and layout must be carefully considered. Due to the careful planning required during construction, duplex houses are typically pricier. The costs of duplex house are typically one-third more than the average costs of nearby homes.
Definition of a Half-duplex House
A half-duplex is a kind of a property where two independent houses are constructed next to one another and they share either the roof or a common set of walls. In simpler terms, we can define a half-duplex as the construction of two houses/properties on a single foundation. Let’s say two houses are built side by side, and the wall separating them serves as the common wall for the rest of the house’s construction.
Is a Duplex house right for you?
If you are looking to have pocket-friendly investment in terms of buying a house then a duplex house is very suitable for you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1.
What is a duplex house?
Ans: A duplex house is a style of home that consists of two connected or stacked dwelling units. It can be constructed in different ways such as vertically or side by side.
Q2.
How are homes and duplexes different from one another?
Ans: A duplex house is typically a two-storeyed construction, although a house might have one or more floors.
Q3.
What distinguishes a duplex unit from a flat?
Ans: A flat is typically one story and is a section of a multi-story apartment building, whereas a duplex is a two-story building.
Q4.
What else could you call a duplex?
Ans: A duplex is also referred to as a “semi-detached” dwelling.
Q5.
Is purchasing a duplex house a wise financial decision?
Ans. Investments in duplex house are excellent. The duplex house lends itself to simple management and economies of scale because it is a single property with two rentable apartments in one package.
Q6.
Is purchasing or building a duplex house more affordable?
Ans. You must conduct research in the area. Generally speaking, it is more advantageous to purchase a house and make some improvements to it to accumulate sweat equity (depending on the area).