Types of Houses in Nigeria (UPDATED)

In Nigeria, it’s unpopular to see real estate such as Igloos, tents, trailers, gingerbread houses or underground homes. Although, it is rumored that in each state there is at least one underground home. Hard to believe, since we sit as the poverty capital of Africa.

Unlike the western countries, ranches are not common housing type in Nigeria but in states where individuals possess many plots of land, the houses are somewhat related to a ranch as there is usually a large expanse of land in front of the house. They may even have a farmland in the backyard of the house.

 There’s so much of confusion as to what house is which and that’s why we have taken the time to carefully pick out and show you different housing types in Nigeria

Below are the pictures of houses you may come across in Nigeria.

ALSO READ: Beautiful House Designs in Nigeria

Bungalow Houses

Starting out with Bungalow houses, they are simple single-story houses without a basement. And it happens to be the most popular residential and commercial building in Nigeria.

These types of houses are economical to build while maintaining luxury and durability.

Bungalow houses are either detached or semi-detached. The detached ones are a single standing property that does not share any walls with any other structure. These properties due to its isolation are usually very private. The semi-detached ones are joined together by a common wall in the middle. One side of each house shares a common wall while the other side is detached. 

Both types can be found in both rural and urban areas in Nigeria.

CHECK: BUNGALOWS FOR RENT IN NIGERIA 

Duplex Houses

 

Next up are Duplex houses, more common in cities although city dwellers have been known to establish such buildings in their hometowns.

They are stacked apartments on two different floors which often look like either two houses put together or a large single house sharing a wall between halves. Similar structures with three or four housing units or floors are called “Triplex or Fourplex”.

Unlike bungalows, duplexes in Nigeria are usually story high while bungalows are grounded.

CHECK: DUPLEX FOR RENT IN NIGERIA

Container Houses

An usual type of building in Nigeria could become a new norm, they’re new architectural trends believed to be solving housing issues.

The typical dimensions are 20 and 40 feet but there are a number of specialty containers. This means you can choose to have a 10-foot container or one that’s 45, 48 or even 53 feet tall.

Mansion

These houses have luxury written all over them, and these are built by the wealthy populace. They are considered to have a minimum of 8,000 square feet of floor space. Mansions have all the features that make a home comfortable, and they are lavish as it comes.

Nigeria has a number of them owned by popular business mogul and celebrities. Some are: Emeka” E-Money” Okonkwo, Linda Ikeji, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mike Adenuga etc.

Townhouse

 

Similar to Terraced houses, they are often three or more stories tall and may include a garage on the ground floor. Also found in housing units or gated estates.

CHECK OUT: TOWNHOUSES FOR RENT IN NIGERIA

Terraced Houses

 

These are line of houses, which are identical and are placed directly onto each other built with shared walls between them. They usually have uniform fronts and uniform heights, mostly found in estates, communities or some housing units.

CHECK: TERRACED HOUSE FOR RENT IN NIGERIA 

Penthouse

 

An uncommon type of structure in Nigeria, and they’re mostly built in the high end community.

Penthouse is the apartment on the highest floor of a building or hotel. They typically have luxury features which differentiate them from others; these include private entrance or elevator, vaulted ceilings, luxurious flooring system etc.

The residents of penthouses often have fine views of the city skyline. This type of house can only be found in cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Enugu amongst others.

CHECK: PENTHOUSES FOR RENT IN NIGERIA 

Traditional Houses

These are buildings found in villages, and rural areas. Traditional houses in Nigeria are built with mud, wood, straw, palm fronds and raffia matting.  The straw and mats are made from raffia palm leaves commonly used for roofing in the south and in some northern communities. 

The Ijaw people of Nigeria, especially those close to the river, have their houses built from strong bamboo sticks and woods. These houses are built directly on top of the water areas.